Roberto De Zerbi has been dealt an injury setback ahead of Tottenham’s final-day showdown vs. Chelsea.
So, it all comes down to Sunday, as Tottenham Hotspur welcome Everton to North London for the final game of the 2025/26 season.
Spurs missed out on the opportunity to preserve their top-flight status against Chelsea earlier this week. A point would have been enough to secure safety; instead, they lost 2-1 to an out-of-sorts Chelsea side that was reeling from their FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
This sets up a nervy matchday 38 meeting with David Moyes’ Everton. The Toffees are currently 12th in the table and needs a miracle set of results to sneak into eighth place and qualify for Europe. They will pose a challenge to Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who have one of the worst home records in the Premier League this season.
Ahead of the decisive clash, De Zerbi’s Tottenham have been dealt a big blow.
Djed Spence suffers broken jaw after collision with Chelsea striker Liam Delap
According to a report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Tottenham full-back Djed Spence suffered a broken jaw after collision with Chelsea striker Liam Delap. This has prompted concerns about the 25-year-old’s availability to face Everton this weekend.
There was an incident in the second half when Spurs were trailing Chelsea 2-1, and Delap looked straight at Djed Spence and then deliberately elbowed him in the side of his face. The Chelsea centre-forward only received a yellow card for his troubles, with VAR not deeming it serious foul play to intervene.
Spence also took to his official X account shortly after the final whistle to voice his frustration, posting a series of laughing emojis over the video of the incident. The incident occurred when Spurs were desperately pushing for an equaliser, leaving the visitors’ bench and the fans incensed over referee Stuart Atwell’s decision to only brandish a yellow card to Delap.
A red card to the English striker would have reduced the Blues to 10 men, and the momentum of the game might have shifted significantly in Tottenham’s favour. Well, it turns out Delap broke Spence’s jaw with his flailing arm, but the full-back is expected to be available to face Everton. Ornstein adds that the England international is expected to wear a protective mask.
De Zerbi needs every single resource available at his disposal on the judgement day to beat Everton. With Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie expected to retain their full-back spots, Spence could come off the bench in the second half and add some much-needed defensive solidity if required.