Jean-Philippe Mateta was dismissed in the 13th minute for a studs-up challenge on Micky van de Ven, leaving Crystal Palace with a difficult afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Archie Gray headed Spurs into the lead in the 25th minute before Jan Paul van Hecke secured the points with a second goal in the 73rd minute.
De Zerbi was particularly pleased with his team's performance, although he insisted there was still room for improvement in front of goal.
“I'm very happy for the performance, because we showed to be a mature team, with clear ideas. We didn't concede a counter-attack, maybe just one in the second half. We created many, many chances.
“If we want to follow perfection, we have to be more nasty, no? That is an individual thing, because if I'm number nine, number 10, I want to score. But I can't say nothing.
“We are improving the physical condition. Tonali today was unbelievable, incredible. We played with two players more. Tonali was the double today. But we are improving with Archie Gray, with Robertson, the two central backs very well, to take the command of the game.”
The Tottenham manager also highlighted the contributions of Mateus Fernandes, Omar Marmoush, Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel, while praising Van Hecke's determination to score from close range.
“He's a tough character, tough personality. I'm very happy for him.”
De Zerbi also handed 18-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett his Premier League debut, describing the youngster as an exceptional prospect.
“Yeah but my career is clear. When I work, when I have young, talented players, for me nothing changes. I thought it was the right moment for him. Because it is his first game in the Premier League. But his qualities, he is a big, big talent.”
Sage accepted that Mateta's dismissal fundamentally changed the contest, but was unhappy with Palace's inability to retain possession after recovering the ball.
“It was a difficult game 11 vs 11 and when we took the red card, it was a more difficult game, because we gave the ball too much to our opponent and they played really well with the ball.
“We defended well during the first-half but then after they scored from a set-piece, the step was really high.
“I think he [Mateta] didn't see the player when he tackled, and it's a normal red card – I have nothing to say about that.
“That put the team in a bad situation. We had to defend, we had to stay compact, all together, but it was difficult because each time we recovered the ball, we gave it back to our opponent.”
Sage also admitted Palace's attacking transitions were insufficient, despite the commitment shown by his players.
“They gave a lot, they fought a lot today, without the result expected. I think they are aware of the context but it's not an excuse.
“I have to find the solution because the solutions are really collective. We were able to play better, we were able to defend higher and on Wednesday and today, we chose to defend lower.”