Tottenham are second in the table for something Igor Tudor does not believe is true

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Tottenham might be down in the lower reaches of the Premier League table but they are near the top of another table when it comes to the competition

Igor Tudor might not believe Tottenham have discipline issues but they certainly hold a lofty spot in the Premier League table for such problems.

Spurs' Thursday night fell apart after Micky van de Ven saw red in the first half against Crystal Palace. In a key match in the Premier League relegation battle, Tottenham had taken the lead through Dominic Solanke's goal on 34 minutes only for disaster to strike just four minutes later.

A Jorgen Strand Larsen flick hit Van de Ven and ricocheted up into the air. Kevin Danso lost the subsequent aerial battle with the Norwegian to head the ball and Van de Ven realised too late that it was going to fall for Sarr. The Spurs captain for the night then did the worst possible thing for the team in that scenario.

He grabbed the Senegal international's arm as he ran towards goal and pulled him back and to the floor. As Sarr tumbled, referee Andy Madley had no choice but to brandish both the red card and award the penalty.

In one single moment, Tottenham's hopes for the night were torn apart and Sarr would slot home the spot kick. Strand Larsen scored again minutes later before Sarr added his second of the evening ahead of the interval and the scoreline did not change despite a spirited performance from the 10-man hosts in the second half.

When football.london asked if Van de Ven had spoken to his team-mates at half-time or after the game and apologised, interim head coach Tudor would only say: "That's a private thing in the dressing room."

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It was another example though of a Spurs leader losing their head, with Cristian Romero watching on near the dugout as he sat out the final match of his four-game suspension for that wild lunge on Casemiro last month.

At least it was Van de Ven's first sending off for Tottenham and in his career, but seeing a card brandished is not a new thing for the north London outfit this season.

In the fair play table, Spurs lie second only to Chelsea for the most disciplinary points racked up with 90 to the Blues' 93. For Tottenham have picked up the second most red cards in the Premier League this season with four, thanks to Romero, Van de Ven and Xavi Simons' dismissals. Brennan Johnson was also sent off in the Champions League before his departure to Crystal Palace.

The Lilywhites have the joint most yellow cards in the Premier League with Brighton, with both teams on 72. The Seagulls however have not had a single player sent off yet this season. In case you were wondering, Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal have the best disciplinary record with 40 yellow cards and not a single reds, with Manchester United and Leeds just behind them on 43 and 46 points respectively.

football.london asked Tudor if there was a discipline issue at the club and the Croatian responded without missing a beat: "Discipline? There is no discipline issue at all. Opposite."

It may be that the 47-year-old believes his team are not aggressive enough in matches and the stats have shown at points over the course of the season so far that they get more cards per fouls than other sides.

Whatever the truth is, Spurs must find a way of battling for the remainder of the season with losing key personnel to disciplinary issues. Romero is running the risk of his fifth suspension of the season - a two-game one - if he gets two more bookings in his next three Premier League matches and Tottenham cannot do with out him any longer.