Football365

Arsenal, Manchester City, the Premier League and the very sport of football itself have all answered every single one of their critics in 90 minutes of cathartic wonder at the Etihad.

And even Spurs are terrifying their rivals after stretching their winless run to 15 games.

Verily, will the good news ever stop pouring forth on this glorious Monday morn?

We’re so back

One of the great tricks of journalism – and this is in absolutely no way restricted to football or sport – is to spend vast amounts of time establishing a #narrative and then, when the time is right, furiously tearing it down while shaking your head at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, dressing as a hot dog and vowing to find the guy who did this.

Cue Jeremy Cross in the Mirror.

Pulsating Man City vs Arsenal title showdown proves English football is back with a bang

It was a very good game of football. We enjoyed it a great deal. Far more than we thought we would. A pleasant surprise in every way. But can one match – however good, however large – really undo a whole season’s worth of evidence? Apparently yes, yes it can.

And to think, some people reckon the Premier League is boring. That was until the two best teams in the land got together, to gang up on the critics of English top-flight football.

Pretty sure they were both trying to win a vital game of football for their own reasons rather than gangimg up to give the critics one in the eye. Much as we like the idea of Erling Haaland and Gabriel choreographing their beef like a couple of gnarled, veteran wrestlers, we don’t think this is actually what happened.

And ‘some people reckon the Premier League is boring’? Quite a lot of people have reckoned that this season.

But really this is all just a bit cake-and-eat-it, and very straw man. Nobody is saying every single Premier League game this season has been boring, obviously.

There is a valid argument to be made that just because this Premier League season has been different, and set-pieces have held sway, and several of the big teams have been cack, and all the rest, that doesn’t mean it’s been boring.

John Cross, the better Cross, actually made this argument rather well on the Mirror’s own pages after Fabian Hurzeler’s huff following Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Brighton last month.

Arsenal are being painted as the villains for employing dark arts to win at Brighton and go seven points clear of Pep Guardiola’s City at the top.

That is so disingenuous and so unfair because, actually, if Arsenal win it then it will be their first title in 22 years and the third different winner in as many seasons.

City, Liverpool and then Arsenal. That would go a long way to proving that the Premier League is exciting and unpredictable because different teams can win it.

There have been late goals, drama and, yes, set-pieces. But football has always been cyclical – and corners, grappling and long-throws is just the latest trend.

Arsenal are better than everyone else at it – they have scored 31 goals from set-pieces this season – and that should not be a cause for criticism.

You can agree or disagree with any or all of that, but it’s a valid and consistent position.

But using one brilliant game that conspicuously wasn’t like the ones people have been complaining about as proof that those people were wrong doesn’t work in quite the same way, does it?

Putting on the kind of show which deserves to put such ridiculous claims to bed once and for all.

There it is. One game was brilliant, so stop moaning about the others. Even if they were boring, this one wasn’t and it’s the most recent game and therefore the only important one.

When these rivals clashed in the Carabao Cup final a few weeks ago, the game had been so dull it felt capable of sending a glass eye to sleep.

But this reunion was the polar opposite. For once, a football game delivering what it had said on the tin beforehand. It was hard work just watching it all unfold, let alone being part of it.

Jeremy, we’re confused. ‘…the game had been so dull it felt capable of sending a glass eye to sleep’? And ‘for once’ here a big game had delivered on its promise? Are… are you one of the ‘some people’ who thought this season has been boring then? Surely not.

Because it proved the demise of our national sport has been exaggerated.

Yes, those men fashioned entirely from straw claiming football was dead are surely feeling sheepish indeed this morning, shuffling their straw feet and, straw heads bowed, fixing the gaze of their straw eyes firmly on the floor.

And even if it did leave us for a while, English football is definitely now back with a bang.

At least until the next big game ends 0-0.

Engage boosters

Mediawatch broadly agrees with the general thrust of Tom Canton’s ‘all is not lost’ response to Arsenal’s defeat at the Etihad for football.london. They absolutely did play well, they absolutely could have got something out of the game, and they absolutely were unrecognisable from the team that had limped to three straight domestic defeats in three different competitions over the last month or so.

There is definitely a world where yesterday went much worse for Arsenal. But, and we cannot stress this enough, this is still a universe where in the end it went badly.

We are really not sure losing to your only title rivals and thus ceding control of the title race can ever justify this headline.

Arsenal given Premier League title boost in spite of Man City defeat after major improvement

‘Tis a fine performance in defeat, but sure ‘tis no boost.

Weirdly, I feel encouraged and have more confidence than I did before the game began.

I was resigned to being beaten handily because of the performances lately, especially the defeat to Bournemouth. I have never been so low about this team as I was when we were beaten by the Cherries, but this performance, and how Arsenal continued to push until the end, has made me think differently.

Leaving aside Mediawatch’s more general old-man-cloud-yelling concerns about the way so many journalists just write unapologetic fan blogs now, and while we’re pleased for Tom that he’s feeling less gloomy now it’s ended 2-1 than he did when he thought it would be 4-0 or somesuch, it does rather feel like the accurate headline here would really be ‘Tom Canton given Premier League title boost in spite of Man City defeat after major improvement’.

Terror Watch

To the other side of North London now, and a weekend where Tottenham somehow found new and even crueller ways to toy with their fans’ fragile emotions.

Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. And against Brighton, Spurs had it against Brighton right up until they didn’t. Brutal.

Yes, they were definitely much better than they have been pretty much all season. But, and this is important, they still didn’t actually win and are in even worse relegation trouble now than before the weekend began after big wins for Leeds and Nottingham Forest.

Yet, according to football.london:

Roberto De Zerbi uses new Tottenham tactic that will terrify relegation rivals

Mediawatch would humbly contend that neither Forest nor Leeds any longer care much what Spurs are doing at all and that whatever mild perturbation might be bubbling over the London Stadium at the sight of Spurs’ winless Premier League run extending to 15 matches ahead of their own chance to move four points clear tonight at Crystal Palace would stop some way short of terror.

What with Arsenal title boosts and Spurs striking terror into their rivals, we do have to ask if football.london are feeling okay? If you are being held against your will, blink twice and publish a piece about how well it’s all going for Chelsea right now.

Manchester United are drawing up an opening offer for Tottenham Hotspur star Cristian Romero despite his injury, according to a report.

Romero has made 32 appearances during what has been a dire season for Tottenham. The centre-back has continued to be a surprise goal threat, finding the back of the net six times and registering four assists, but he has ultimately been part of a defence which has leaked goals.

Romero and Tottenham suffered a major blow during the 1-0 defeat to Sunderland on April 12, as the Argentine picked up a knee injury. Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed Romero will miss the rest of the campaign as he recovers.

The Sunderland game could be Romero’s last in a Spurs shirt, as he is poised to leave this summer regardless of whether they are relegated.

CaughtOffside report that Spurs are ‘willing to sell’ him this summer and have set their asking price at €60-65m (£52-57m).

That fee could drop if Spurs fail to stay in the top flight.

READ: Manchester United top scorers against Big Six: Mbeumo already second in current squad

Man Utd are rivalling Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid for the 27-year-old. The Red Devils are supposedly ‘preparing an offer’ to send to Spurs, though the report does not reveal its exact value.

United have made defensive reinforcements a ‘priority’ this summer – alongside two central midfield signings – and view Romero as an ‘attractive option,’ particularly if Spurs go down.

The report adds that Real Madrid are ‘keeping an eye’ on Romero’s situation amid concerns over Eder Militao’s long-term fitness, and with David Alaba leaving at the end of the season.

Atleti manager Diego Simeone, meanwhile, sees Romero as the ‘perfect defensive leader’ for his system.

The report goes on to describe Romero as a ‘combative, fearless and aggressive’ defender who is an ’emotional spark’ in Spurs’ backline.

On his day, Romero is an elite centre-half who can keep top strikers quiet. But Romero’s aggression and unpredictability can sometimes lead to red cards and mistakes, making him a risky signing.

Last week, former Spurs star Toby Alderweireld criticised the likes of Romero and Micky van de Ven. He began by saying: “I think you also need to start looking at pure quality.

“What do big players do? What do quality players do? That is to be decisive at important moments, achieve your level … And that has not been happening all season.

Man Utd target ‘lets his team down’

“Players who were acquired for a lot of money but who nevertheless don’t deliver and not in just one or two matches or a period, but throughout the whole season.

“You just have to conclude that they are not good enough in terms of quality.”

Alderweireld added: “I look at Romero, I look at Van De Ven… They just aren’t reaching their level. Again, not for a period, but actually for an entire season.

“Then I also look at Romero who gets red cards too often, doesn’t make the right decisions and therefore lets his team down.”

It was reported recently that Romero could lead a ‘radical summer overhaul’ at Spurs this summer. Players such as Van De Ven, Pedro Porro, Joao Palhinha, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and Randal Kolo Muani are expected to follow him out of north London.

Cole Palmer has just one decent season to his name and a record ‘bloated’ by penalties. He gets a proper kicking.

The Man City v Arsenal Mailbox is here now. E-mail us at theeditor@football365.com

Enjoying Spurs’ impending relegation

I would quite like them relegated.

I have been an avid football fan for 41 years now and I have seen one season Spurs were relevant.

They’ve had great players and been very funny. Relevant. No.

But whether it’s the London media or their fanbase it keeps coming up big club. BIG BIG club. Are you really?

Danny Blanchflower was 65 years ago this year. And I’d wager very few Spurs “fans” demanding leagues and trophies know who the f*** he is.

F*** em.

And I’m not confident they bounce back

And they’re no loss except guaranteed 6 points

Please redact my name. I know I have a stick and and am stirring. Also West Ham same goes for you. You peaked Bobby Moore and a whole generation of journalists who idolised him. Not a big club.

To start the argument…

Non contestable big clubs and it pains me who I start with:

Manchester United

Liverpool

Everton

Leeds

Newcastle

Arsenal

Aston Villa

Rude late arrivals

Chelsea

Man City (but they were always big just unsuccessful)

Honorable mentions

Wolves

Sunderland

Middlesborough

Small clubs who smashed it and there is a strong Brian Clough theme:

Derby County

Nottingham Forest

Ipswich

Blackburn

Leicester

Name redacted

READ: Morgan Gibbs-White relegates Tottenham Hotspur unless hungover, depleted Palace beat West Ham

That was rough on Spurs

Not a Spurs fan or sympathiser, and generally would enjoy seeing the team that beat us in the Europa League finals last year lose.

But that was heartbreaking and devastating, even for me as a viewer. Don’t know how they come back from this even if and when they beat Wolves next match.

Commiserations to Spurs fans. That was rough.

Aman

Spurs not relegated yet

Jason is right that the weekend was bad for Spurs but wrong to say Gibbs White relegated Tottenham.

There are 15 points to play for and we are currently one point from safety. We’re also playing the worst team in the pl next week and played markedly better yesterday.

Spurs will fight to the last minute of the last day and only when that whistle blows will we know if we are relegated or not. COYS!

Sam

On referees and PGMOL again

Another day, another controversy. Five days after sending Lisandro Martinez off for taking off Calvert-Lewin’s hair tie, resulting in a 3 match ban, Paul Teirney looked at Ouattara pulling Bassey’s hair and decided it wasn’t even a foul. Ok fair enough, on Monday Tierney also didn’t think much of the hair pulling incident at first glance, but lucky for Leeds fans VAR was there to intervene to give Martinez the card he deserved according to the letter of the law. So far so fair one might feel.

Except today, when Tierney didn’t pause for a second thought, VAR were not interested in re-refereeing the game and Tierney was not invited to look at the serious foul play, Ouattara did not get the card he deserved according to the letter of the law, from a referee who red carded Martinez for the same offence on Monday, meaning a week on Monday, when Manchester United face Brentford, Ouatarra will likely feature while Martinez will still be banned.

I’m not convinced that there is a conspiracy against Man Utd. I do think it’s more likely gross incompetence from match officials. But it is a problem when the conspiracy is so plausible. The inconsistency in decision making by PMGOL and its referees throughout this season and before is beyond a joke.

From the non-red card for Collins preventing a goal scoring opportunity for Mbuemo in Brentford vs Man Utd compared to the Maguire red card and penalty against Bournemouth, less than a minute after Truffert was allowed to pull down Amad in the area for no foul or penalty. Or disallowing a goal for Martinez against Burnley for a foul so soft it should be captured and turned into luxury toilet paper, but failing to rule out Okafor’s first goal after Calvert-Lewin smacked Yoro in the face with his forearm immediately before his clearance fell to Okafor. An VAR intervening to call back the game for “serious foul play” in relation to Martinez’ hair pulling antics but not pulling the game back for Walker stamping on a prostate Dorgu, which was also caught on camera.

It should not be a tribal thing where we are OK with inconsistency when it affects another team but get up in arms when your team is on the receiving end. I imagine Fulham fans must be wondering why they had to see the game out against 11 men. I know Spurs fans saw the foul by Calvert-Lewin on Yoro and wondered why Kolo Muani’s goal vs Arsenal was disallowed. And to top it off Maguire got an extra game ban for allegedly telling an official “they’re a f**king joke”, which he denies claiming he said “it’s a f**king joke”. The joke is that, without evidence beyond backing their own man, they decided that Maguire was guilty (even though they are demonstrably shit at doing their job and frankly in either case whether Maguire directed the statement at an official or in general, it’s a spot on assessment) and gave him an extra game ban rather than look at or address the inconsistency in their decision making.

To bring it back to hair pulling, it’s hard to believe that none of the match officials beyond Paul Tierney saw the Martinez incident this week, but you must believe it to be so if they all disregarded the clear foul and the precedent set on Monday this week.

It is a joke, it’s embarrassing. We’re constantly told the Premier League is the best league in the world and yet week after week decisions look arbitrary enough that there is fertile ground for conspiracies to thrive. Given the money involved both in terms of prize money, and the money that fans in the UK have to pay to see the Premier League, as well as the billions made betting on the sport even if we don’t actual care about the nobility of the ideal of competing on a level playing field, I think the least we can demand is that decisions are consistent and implemented fairly.

Daniel, Cambridge

Chelsea v Man Utd questions

Steve (ex-Flixton Red), Ontario (better Arsenal than cheating City)

READ: Rosenior sack certain as Garnacho excuses exposed by Manchester United again

Is Cole Palmer actually any good?

Obviously a worrying result for Chelsea, in a series of worrying results. I only saw the highlights but they seemed pretty unlucky to me. Hit the post or the bar, what, 3/4 times? Just wide of the upright a couple more times as well. One of those days where you could play 180 minutes and you’re not going to score.

Anyway. This one is a particular bugbear of mine. Cole Palmer apparently said before the game that if they don’t get into the Champions League everything changes. Translation – he’s going to do one if their form doesn’t improve.

So here’s a blue sky, out of the box thought. Why doesn’t he try living up to his reputation and play a s**t load better then? His reputation is based on *one* – count them , *one* – really good season. He never hit those heights before and he sure as hell hasn’t since.

His record is bloated by endless penalties and precious few goals or assists otherwise. But to hear him described, you’d think he was the Second Coming of Gascoigne sometimes. Tuchel clearly sees it the same way as I do, Palmer isn’t going to the World Cup. We need someone as good as his reputation, not the player he really is.

Someone will undoubtedly pay top bananas for him and he won’t live up to the price, not even close. Pep doesn’t let real quality leave until they’re too old to contribute. He didn’t let a top, top player leave here either.

Brains of a suet pudding, a stupid smug goal celebration and a horrendous f**k ugly hairstyle that needs immediate sorting. He’s cosmetically challenged enough as it is.

Personal abuse is never right of course, but I just can’t stand this m****f****r. So I’m making an exception in this case.

James, Liverpool

Mocking Everton history with zero class

Just after Everton scored the opening goal the commentator screamed, “ANOTHER PIECE OF EVERTON HISTORY”

Now I’m going to set aside the hilarity that it then got disallowed by VAR, but it’s equally comedy that scoring a goal against their big city rival counts as a piece of history. Liverpool win Champions Leagues and domestic trophies galore while Everton sometimes open the scoring at their own stadium. It’s sweet that even in our worst season the levels still are what they are.

First of all, to give credit where due, that Gakpo assist was so filthy it should’ve come with an age warning. It was so good that I was watching on TV and honestly thought he’d misplaced the pass for a second until suddenly my brain saw what his had at pitch level and actually executed to perfection. Fair f**ks pal. Easier to write this because of the W obviously.

Konate was all at sea (as usual) for their goal. I get that people switch off or have brain farts sometimes but why does he always do it on match day? He’s really not done anything to justify a new contract. Letting him go for free stinks but I think it would set the right tone, especially if we can make an agreement with someone like Senesi for the summer. It also annoys me that this switch off led to not only the goal but also the injury of our second keeper. Woodman did fine but does he have what it takes to see us through the last 5 games? Maybe a PNE can write in to advise…

The winning goal, coming as late as it did, from the guy that it did. Really doesn’t get sweeter at times does it? I’m sure VVD is still extremely annoyed about the season he lost to Pickford so it’s hard to have much sympathy watching that guy lie on the floor wondering why he’s always a loser. Might be those T-Rex arms mate.

Minty, LFC

How good are Sunderland?

Imagine there’ll be a sea of Arsenal-City-scouse Narrative tomorrow, but wanted to say a quick word about the Villa Park madness this afternoon.

Easy to be magnanimous in victory so this will have a touch of #sosogood about it,but Sunderland are a magnificent football team. Miles better than everyone we’ve played in Europe this season (and half the ones we played last year tbh), and most of the teams we’ve played in England.

This applies to a stack of teams in the prem tbh, but it’ll be a crime (probably literally) if they finish behind Chelsea this year.

Neil Raines Haway the Villa

Nickname corner

Adidasmufc…in response to your question about clever footballer nicknames that aren’t simply some appendage or abbreviated play on the actual name… Claude Makelele’s nickname at Chelsea was tripod.

There’s kids at home so I’m not willing to go any further.

Minty, LFC

…Jason McAteer was called ’Trigger’.

He allegedly shouted ”One hundred and eighty” as Jimmy White walked into a club, once.

Sixyardbox, Stockholm

…Adidas MUFC asked about nicknames not related to surnames that are actually used.

There are different types. There are the actual on-field nicknames, which are necessarily short and then there are the honorary moniker types, that commentators like but people would never actually use to the player’s face.

Of the former you have Pele, Zico, Cafu, Razor (was used an awful lot but sadly lifted from Donovan Ruddock).

Of the latter you have Der Kaiser, the Beast Nadal, the Baby Faced Assassin, the Holy Goalie.

And then you have the third type, which fans use, e.g. Slabhead, Psycho, Le God (well, related to the name, but it was quite good), ‘King’ Kenny.

I suppose there is the sad fourth type also, which is “the [insert adjective] [insert supposedly similar established player]”. For example, the Ginger Pele, the Egyptian Messi, the Latvian Michael Owen, the Croatian Cruyff, etc. Yawn.

The race for the Champions League and the relegation battle have both become much clearer after an absolutely disastrous weekend for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

We can confidently say the top five is as good as set. It will be Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool – probably in that order.

Yes, it’s a fun part of a pretty mad Premier League season, especially with so many clubs punching above their weight, but the two biggest stories are undoubtedly the title race and Tottenham’s fight against relegation.

It’s quite hard to put into words just how disastrous a weekend it has been for the north Londoners.

For the first time this season, Spurs looked like a team who knew they were in a relegation battle in Saturday’s home match against Brighton and Hove Albion.

They were actually pretty good against the Premier League’s in-form team.

The result, however, was probably their most painful in an excruciating campaign.

An injury-time Brighton equaliser denied Spurs their first win in the Premier League this year, leaving them a point behind 17th-placed West Ham United, who play their game in hand against Crystal Palace on Monday night.

They face an injury-ravaged Palace team on the back of a tough Europa Conference League match against Fiorentina, which was followed by a celebratory night out in Florence.

So they are missing multiple important players and are hungover? Literally nothing is going Spurs’ way.

That game hasn’t even happened yet and Spurs fans have already accepted their fate.

Their one ray of hope was Nottingham Forest’s home game against Burnley on Sunday. We are really, really stretching with the word ‘hope’, by the way.

Forest were the strong favourites on paper but made hard work of what should have been a routine victory. Of course, when you’re in the bottom four at this stage of the season, routine victories are an extreme rarity.

Up 1-0 at half-time, Burnley were exposing themselves as the only Premier League team who want Spurs to stay up. Either form showed or the Clarets realised what they were denying us, because they were put to the sword in the second period.

Because this is Tottenham, it was Morgan Gibbs-White – who was agonisingly close to joining the Londoners last summer – who turned things around with a 15-minute hat-trick.

Two brilliant right-footed finishes followed by a precise header earned Vitor Pereira’s side a 4-1 home victory and a five-point buffer between themselves and Spurs.

It’s a catastrophic weekend for Spurs, made even more depressing by the false hope they were given by Xavi Simons’ belter against Brighton and Zian Flemming’s opener at the City Ground.

At this point, you have to question whether this is a social experiment.

We can safely assume Forest and Leeds United are safe. Because Spurs won’t help themselves, they need Palace to do them a solid against West Ham.

The way this weekend is going for Spurs, that obviously will not happen.

They are down, aren’t they? Bloody hell.

Joe Hart feels Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi are “really impressive” and they are “not the Spurs we have been used to” in a good way after the draw against Brighton.

Spurs have been in trouble for a while. That trouble has looked recently like it might almost be too much to handle, with the north London club’s loss against Sunderland on April 12 ensuring they remained in the Premier League relegation places, where they dropped down after West Ham beat Wolves to climb above them.

The Sunderland loss was the first of new manager De Zerbi’s tenure, and it looked like after his first loss, he might have been about to follow that up with his first victory, against Brighton, on Saturday.

Tottenham were 2-1 up as the 90 minutes passed, but in a hefty chunk of added time, Georgino Rutter scored to level the game at 2-2, ensuring Spurs are still 18th, one point below the Hammers.

Though Tottenham didn’t gain a crucial three points, former goalkeeper Hart feels there were positives to take from the game.

He said on Match of the Day: “He has identified what he doesn’t want to see, but what he wanted to see was to get that stadium rocking.

READ: Two relegations delayed by bumbling Spurs as Simons’ saviour moment wasted by team-mate

“The way that they pressed was really good, really impressive in fact. It is not the Spurs we have been used to; it is not the Spurs we have seen this season.

“He wanted to set the atmosphere: every single one of his players is running forward with intent, blocking passing lanes, and forcing Brighton to be perfect.”

There is positivity in that, as if every side who plays Spurs have to be perfect between now and the end of the season, there’s a good chance the struggling side will pick up some vital points.

READ: Tottenham: Roberto De Zerbi insists relegation ‘not the problem’ but he will leave on one condition

But with that said, Tottenham made strides but still were not able to get over the line against Brighton, despite being 2-1 up after the initial 90 minutes had passed.

As such, even if they play to a good level, there’s a sense that they could still let clubs back into games. With only five games to go, and two of those coming against top-six clubs, in Aston Villa and Chelsea, opportunities to get the points they so desperately need are slipping away.

Kevin Danso and Tottenham Hotspur have reacted to the racist social media abuse suffered by the centre-back after his late error cost the club three crucial points against Brighton on Saturday.

Spurs looked on course for a maiden win under new boss Roberto De Zerbi, and a first Premier League victory of 2026, after Xavi Simons scored with a spectacular 77th-minute strike to give them a 2-1 lead.

However, a lapse in concentration by Danso, who had possession pinched from him inside the box by Jan Paul van Hecke that led to Georginio Rutter firing in a stoppage-time equaliser, broke Tottenham hearts.

The result leaves the north London outfit sitting in the relegation zone, with only five games remaining to save themselves from dropping into the second tier of English football for the first time in 50 years.

After the final whistle, Danso was visibly distraught and had to be consoled by his teammates.

And the Austria international has revealed that he has seen the racist comments aimed at him, but that the intended abuse ‘will not define him’.

Danso wrote on Instagram: “Not the result we needed yesterday. We gave everything, we learn and we move. I’ve also seen the comments. The racist abuse has no place in this game or anywhere. But it doesn’t define me, and it won’t distract me from what is important. I know who I am, what I stand for, and why I play.

“Now it’s about staying focused, working harder, and coming back stronger for the next games. We keep pushing, we keep believing, and we give our all every single time we step on that pitch. Stronger. Together. On to the next.”

Meanwhile, a club statement from Tottenham on the abuse aimed at Danso, read: “Since yesterday’s fixture against Brighton, which took place during the Premier League’s No Room For Racism weekend, Kevin Danso has been, and continues to be, subject to significant and abhorrent racist abuse on social media.

“We have heard and seen vile, dehumanising racism. Behaviour that is without doubt a criminal offence. It will not be tolerated.

“The club is taking immediate action. We are reporting all identified content to the Metropolitan Police and to the appropriate authorities in the country where perpetrators reside, as well as to relevant social media platforms.

“We will push for the strongest possible action against each and every person we identify.”

READ NEXT: Roberto De Zerbi insists relegation ‘not the problem’ but he will leave on one condition

De Zerbi’s Spurs will now head to bottom club Wolves on April 25 before a trip to Aston Villa and then the visit of Leeds United on May 11.

Anything less than a win at Molineux could see the gap to safety grow even larger.

It was a stark, painfully revealing quote. But it was not difficult to see why Roberto De Zerbi purposely downgraded himself from his position as the third best-paid coach in the Premier League to that of glorified cheerleader and psychologist.

This is why “the target now is to win one game”, why a Champions League club has to “work on one win”, why the Europa League winners are being promised by their newly-appointed firefighter that “if we are able to win a game everything will change”.

The opportunity to witness that change remains elusive. Spurs, again, were much improved under De Zerbi. Spurs, again, could not translate that into a victory. Spurs, again, wilted when the chance was there to transform their season.

In the circumstances, there could hardly have been a more crushing result. Spurs have lost 20 games this season and likely not felt as dejected as after a home draw in which they led twice, enjoyed an emotional release of shirt-removing magnitude and held on for dear life until the 95th minute.

Spurs would have risen to 16th with those three points, even if only temporarily. Nottingham Forest hosting Burnley and West Ham travelling to a Crystal Palace side which was on the lash Just Days Before their Monday evening game made this a potentially ruinous weekend for their hopes of survival.

And for a time they rose to that occasion. Spurs had by far the better start, took a deserved lead through Pedro Porro and hit the post almost immediately after.

It was the first time Spurs had been ahead in a Premier League game since March 5, when they conceded within six minutes of taking the lead against Palace and eventually lost 3-1. They held on for four before Brighton equalised through a stunning Kaoru Mitoma volley.

A finish of exquisite quality, it nevertheless was only made possible by the amount of space afforded to Pascal Gross as he swung in a pinpoint delivery to the back post; only Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kevin de Bruyne have more Premier League assists than the German since he made his Brighton debut, so it might have been an idea to close him down a little.

That was Brighton’s second shot of the game. Three more followed early in the second half but Spurs sustained the pressure and eventually offered the perfect response.

“He has to score, he has to make assists and he has to run without the ball,” De Zerbi said of Simons in his pre-match press conference, with the Dutchman ticking each box here. His lofted ball in for Pedro was sublime, his curling finish off the post to Spurs ahead was exemplary, and there was enough running to induce cramp for the final ten minutes or so as his side tried to close the result out.

Simons might still prove to be a £52m bargain. He also might be playing Lincoln and Stevenage in the league next season, because still in 2026, one Premier League win is a mountain Spurs cannot climb.

Brighton’s second stoppage-time equaliser was devastating. Jan Paul van Hecke atoned for his error in losing the ball for Spurs’ second by muscling out Kevin Danso – who inexplicably took a touch to control Yankuba Minteh’s cross instead of simply clearing the ball – before turning and playing in the largely goalless Georginio Rutter to finish exquisitely.

Neither he nor Mitoma had scored for Brighton since January; that both of their most recent goals at club level had come against Burnley was fitting. Spurs are a relegation team and belong in such company.

Burnley, of course, have won this year. Wolves, too, with this result merely postponing their drop to the Championship. They would have been down had Spurs won, but such an outcome doesn’t actually appear to be possible any more.

Roberto De Zerbi has clarified his future at Tottenham Hotspur and has admitted that he will leave the club on one condition.

De Zerbi recently returned to the Premier League to join Spurs, having been tasked with saving the north London side from relegation.

The former Marseille and Brighton boss was initially against the idea of joining Spurs before the summer, but he made a U-turn after being offered ludicrous terms by the struggling Premier League side.

The Italian manager failed to inspire an immediate upturn in his first game in charge, with Spurs suffering a 1-0 loss to Sunderland. They are now 18th in the Premier League and without a league win this year.

This means Spurs face the increasingly real threat of relegation from the Premier League, but De Zerbi has insisted that another factor will decide his future.

READ: Big Weekend: Manchester City v Arsenal, Enzo Fernandez, Roberto De Zerbi, Everton

When asked by reporters whether he will remain at Spurs regardless of what league they are in next season, De Zerbi said: “The problem is not the league.

“The problem is to keep the relationship with the board and to have the same ideas in the project.”

De Zerbi was then pressed to clarify that having a strong relationship with the Spurs hierarchy and being aligned on ambitions, rather than league situation, is the key factor regarding his future. To which, he responded: “Yes. Everyone on the same page”.

Ahead of Saturday’s match against Brighton, De Zerbi has sent a clear warning to his players and personally called out several key stars.

“I have to get to know my players better and better every week,” De Zerbi said on Friday.

“We have no time to lose. We have no time to understand the problems we have this season. We have to be focused just on the next game. Transfer confidence.

“I can bring my philosophy of football. But also working to create a good atmosphere, a good relationship with the players. In this moment of football, the qualities of the players are important. But the spirit, the relationship between the players is too.

“We have to feel everyone’s responsibility in this situation. And we can’t cry. We have to push to get out of this situation.

“We need players with personality and character. Otherwise they don’t play with me.”

On players who need to step up, De Zerbi added: “I would like Micky van de Ven to reach this level. [Rodrigo] Bentancur is a leader. Palhinha is another.

“I would like to push with [Dominic] Solanke because he is one of the best strikers in the Premier League. I want him to become stronger as a personality and a character on the pitch.

“Xavi Simons is very young, but is a leader on the ball because he has personality. He has the right character to receive the ball when the ball is hot. But we need characters and personalities.”

Tottenham are looking to sign Leeds United goalkeeper Karl Darlow on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to reports.

Spurs have been in awful form this season with the north Londoners failing to win a Premier League match since the turn of the year, leaving them in serious relegation trouble.

West Ham’s comprehensive 4-0 win over Wolves, couple with Tottenham‘s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland last weekend saw Spurs drop into the relegation zone and cut adrift.

Tottenham are now two points from safety with just six matches remaining, to leave many neutral fans salivating at the prospect of Spurs playing in the Championship next season.

Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is one player who has come in for plenty of criticism this season, while back-up stopper, Antonin Kinsky, clearly needs some more experience before being considered Tottenham’s number one going forward.

And now the Daily Telegraph have claimed that Tottenham are ‘tracking’ Leeds goalkeeper Darlow as they look to improve that department in the summer.

READ: Big Weekend: Manchester City v Arsenal, Enzo Fernandez, Roberto De Zerbi, Everton

As well as Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi, Darlow is one of the players that Tottenham are attempting to bring in on a free transfer.

The Telegraph wrote: ‘The club could revive a move for Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson, who they tried to sign in January, and are believed to be tracking Leeds United goalkeeper Karl Darlow.

‘Like Senesi and Robertson, 35-year-old Darlow is out of contract this summer and Spurs are preparing to sign at least one new goalkeeper.’

Tottenham insider John Wenham thinks Manchester City’s James Trafford or Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson would be worth a deal in the summer.

Speaking earlier this month, Wenham told Tottenham News: “On the goalkeeper situation, James Trafford has been linked heavily, and I think he’d be very good, and he would come because he wants to be a number one.

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“He would be promised that at Tottenham, he would play all 38 league games next season without any injuries, but the other one I think is also worth a shout is Dean Henderson at Palace. I could see Spurs also looking at him.

“I do think they will have an English goalkeeper next season, and I think it will be one of those two that Tottenham do go for, it would be a monumental improvement on what we’ve got now, which is a situation where I expect both Vicario and Kinsky to leave in the summer.”

On Italy internationals Vicario and Destiny Udogie, Wenham added: “It’s interesting, the two Italian players in the squad, being an Italian in De Zerbi, are still two that I think should be moved on this summer.

“Vicario, just for all manner of reasons, and Udogie, he’s a very good player, but he cannot stay fit; he’s just too unreliable.”

In different circumstances, Roberto De Zerbi might have raised a wry smile that his home debut as Spurs boss would be against the club which first brought him to the Premier League.

But such is Tottenham’s plight, there is no time for any sort of smiles at the moment and a more likely expression to be found on De Zerbi’s face is one of deep concern – especially with Brighton top of the Premier League’s form table after five wins in the last six.

Tottenham are rock-bottom of that same table after taking just one point from the last possible 18. From being an amusing possibility for opposing fans, the prospect of Spurs going down is now a very realistic probability after they ended last weekend in the relegation zone.

Tottenham v Brighton kick-off time

Tottenham v Brighton kicks off at 17.30pm BST on Saturday, April 18 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham v Brighton how to watch

The game will be shown live in the UK via Sky Sports Premier League & Sky Sports Main Event. Coverage begins at 5pm.

BBC Radio 5 Live will provide live radio coverage.

Tottenham team news

Tottenham’s already extensive injury list was added to last weekend when skipper Cristian Romero suffered a medial knee ligament injury which could keep him out for the whole run-in.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is recovering from a hernia operation so Antonin Kinsky may deputise between the sticks again.

James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur and Mohammed Kudus are all long-term absentees.

Brighton team news

Brighton will be without skipper Lewis Dunk due to the central defender serving the second game of a two-match ban.

Adam Webster and Stefanos Tzimas are both sidelined with knee injuries but 40-year-old veteran midfielder James Milner should return from a minor knock.

Tottenham v Brighton odds

Tottenham are 9/5 to grab three incredibly vital points while Brighton are 7/4 and The Draw 5/2.

Going into the weekend, Spurs are a shade of odds-on (10/11) for the drop with several bookies. In that same market, West Ham are 13/8, Nottingham Forest 5/1 and Leeds 14/1.

Tottenham v Brighton prediction

Tottenham are winless in 14 Premier League games since the calendar flipped to 2026 and runs like that only end one way.

Wins for West Ham and Leeds last weekend added to the feeling that Spurs are being left behind in the battle to beat the drop and it seems typical of Tottenham’s luck that they’re running into a Brighton side on their best run of the season.

Basement dwellers Wolves (12) have taken more home points than Tottenham (10) this season while Brighton have won their last three on the road.

It’s hard to make any sort of case for Tottenham, who lost 1-0 at Sunderland in De Zerbi’s first game in charge last weekend.

In summary, the 7/5 for a Brighton win looks a must whatever angle you come at it from and that includes looking at the corresponding fixture last season when the Seagulls smashed Spurs 4-1.

A 2-0 Brighton win at 14/1 is worth a look too.