Tottenham Hotspur have not helped themselves in the Premier League this season, but the relegation-threatened Londoners will rue their dropped points against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening.
Oftentimes, you make your own luck in football, but it does feel like this side have been hard done by over the past several months. It was a devastating last-minute blow, Georginio Rutter popping up in the 95th-minute to silence Spurs supporters.
Both Brighton goals, scored right at the end of each half, might have been avoidable, but the Lilywhites' embedded defensive dysfunctions and individual errors prevented Roberto De Zerbi from securing for the club their first Premier League win of 2026.
At the death, Kevin Danso was at fault.
Spurs miss Cristian Romero vs Brighton
It was a spirited effort from this Tottenham team, and no mistake. However, Tottenham succumbed to late pressure from the Seagulls, with Danso consoled by his peers after failing to deal with the danger before the unmarked Rutter lashed past Antonin Kinsky.
it wasn't just that instance, though. Kaoru Mitoma's wonder strike was sublime, no question, but why were the surging visitors not closed down in the build-up?
Tottenham have been ravaged by injuries throughout the season, but the season-ending knee injury sustained by Cristian Romero during last week's defeat to Sunderland could prove the costliest of them all, with the aggressive captain's defending certainly missed against the Seagulls.
Tottenham have an ostensibly favourable run of fixtures up ahead. They need to win at Wolves next weekend, for sure. They will have to do so without their Argentine skipper, and on the basis of the evidence against Brighton, that job is going to be tough indeed.
However, De Zerbi does have options at his disposal, and with Rodrigo Bentancur fit again, another Lilywhites man has to move to the bench after a torrid evening in the Premier League.
The Spurs flop who must be dropped
Conor Gallagher has received a lot of stick since joining Tottenham from Atletico Madrid in January, but he pressed aggressively and fought like a player who really cared. He warrants a place in this starting 11.
The same cannot be said for Yves Bissouma, and while the 29-year-old number six is expected to leave this summer when his contract expires, you can't help but wonder why this did not happen several years ago? After all, it was considered in 2024, toward the end of Ange Postecoglou's frantic first season in charge.
The Malian started brightly and withered away as the game deepened. In fairness to him, he lacks match fitness, but too many performances have left much to be desired, and it's pretty obvious that change is now needed.
After all, Bissouma failed to protect his backline until he was hooked for Archie Gray (why did he not start?) in the 57th minute, unable to win any of his four ground duels before that point.
Against his former side, Bissouma flattered to deceive. How often have we actually seen the erratic midfielder produce a top-class performance?
The experienced, tough-tackling midfielder doesn't offer enough protection, and his suspensions and injuries have hindered and stemmed his hopes of fluency. The most frustrating part is that he has it within him to be an elite player.
His struggles are emblematic of the deep and dark issues at the club, a microcosm of long, interminable recruitment failures that have left Spurs on the edge of a precipice.
For De Zerbi, there are positives to take here, but there's no question that time is running out for this imperilled Tottenham team, and if they are to turn things around and preserve their precious Premier League status, Bissouma needs to be dropped.