Opta Analyst

Tottenham Hotspur Women have announced the signing of 22-year-old defender Alice Sombath. Just how good is she, and why did she join Spurs?

Tottenham Hotspur Women have completed one of the signings of the summer, breaking their transfer record to acquire defender Alice Sombath from OL Lyonnes.

The right-footed 22-year-old has proven herself to be one of the most impressive young defenders around, and committing her future to Tottenham is a huge coup for the club.

Sombath grew up in Paris FC’s academy from a young age before making the switch to Paris Saint-Germain and eventually being snapped up by Lyon in 2020. She made 71 Première Ligue appearances in her five years in the club’s first-team picture.

Equally capable in the centre or on the right-hand side of the defence, Sombath has seriously impressed for Lyon since her first-team debut in August 2021. When comparing her numbers to those of other Première Ligue defenders since the 2021-22 season, it’s clear to see why Spurs were willing to break their transfer record for her. While the fee is undisclosed, she cost more than the £375,000 they paid for Signe Gaupset last year.

Sombath played 3,192 successful passes – the eighth most of any defender – and maintained an accuracy of 90.5%, the very best in the league. She has demonstrated composure and ability on the ball for a player who, in the grand scheme of things, is still at the beginning of her career.

Playing for a team like Lyon, who have won every league title since Sombath’s introduction, the France international has had to engage in fewer duels than a lot of defenders across the league; as such, her 152 duels won is only slightly above average in comparison to her peers. When she does engage, though, she has a strong record, with her 65.2% duel success rate the 10th best in the French top flight.

One area that has often been a point of concern, however, is her height. Sombath stands at 5’5″, and this negatively affected her aerial ability during her first seasons of senior football. Her 51% success rate in aerial duels between 2021-2025 placed her below the middle of the pack in comparison to other Première Ligue defenders.

It appears she and her coaches have worked extremely hard to avoid this becoming a problem, however, as demonstrated by the sharp increase she saw in this regard in the 2025-26 season. Sombath’s aerial duel success rate shot up to 72.7% last campaign, the fifth highest in the entire league (min 10+ aerial duels won).

In direct comparison to players aged under 23, it becomes clear Sombath is one of the best young defenders around. During the 2025-26 Première Ligue season, she ranked first among under-23 defenders for successful passes (1,004) and passing accuracy (93.4%), and second for duel success (68.3%). In terms of players with a minimum of 10 aerial duels won, Sombath’s aforementioned 72.7% success rate in the air was the highest of any player within her age bracket.

Sombath’s impressive passing accuracy and aerial duel success were still the highest of any defender when pitted against players in the same age bracket across Europe’s top five leagues last season. Spurs haven’t just acquired one of France’s most impressive young players, but one of Europe’s top defensive prospects.

It was a similarly successful story in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Since she broke into Lyon’s first-team five years ago, Sombath ranks first among defenders in her age bracket for numerous metrics. She has made the most appearances (19), won the most aerial duels (14), made the most recoveries (88) and completed by far the most carries (234); Silvia Lloris’ 109 is second.

So, if Sombath is showing this much promise and performing at this high a level already, why has she moved to Spurs?

Well, the Lilywhites recorded a fifth-place finish in the Women’s Super League last season and managed a club-record total of 36 points. That position in the WSL, which the Opta Power Rankings lists as the toughest league in the world with an average team rating of 84, is no mean feat.

Spurs are looking to build on what was a successful season under manager Martin Ho by adding more quality across the board. Sombath is the club’s sixth summer signing after Shekiera Martinez, Caitlin Dijkstra, Kirsty Hanson, Victoria Pelova and Selma Panengstuen.

The English top flight has, in the past, had a clear ‘big four’ of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. Across the last few years, though, this gap between the best and the rest has slowly been closing, and next season is expected by many to be the WSL’s most competitive yet.

London City Lionesses are having a huge summer; they have signed the likes of Alexia Putellas, Kadidiatou Diani, Mapi León and Mary Earps, to name but a few, as they attempt to disrupt the status quo and challenge for the WSL title.

Clubs such as Tottenham and Brighton & Hove Albion might not have the same sort of money at their disposal, but have been quietly building very strong squads in preparation for the 2026-27 campaign.

According to the Opta Power Rankings, Spurs ended the season as the fifth-strongest team in the WSL and will be hoping to maintain – and maybe even improve on – this position in the future. They are currently 29th in Opta’s Global Power Rankings, ahead of the likes of Seattle Reign, Juventus and Corinthinans.

For Spurs, adding Sombath is a huge sign of intent. This is a player who has proven herself to be one of the most exciting prospects in Europe. Her arrival is a huge step towards the club having not only a very successful 2026-27, but a promising future beyond next season, too.

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It all comes down to this. Will Spurs avoid the embarrassment of relegation on the final day? We look ahead to Sunday’s Premier League clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with our Tottenham vs Everton prediction and preview.

Tottenham vs Everton: The Key Stats

With one point realistically enough to keep Tottenham afloat, the Opta supercomputer gives Sunday’s hosts a 49.3% chance of victory, and there’s a 23.3% chance of a draw.

Only in 27.4% of Opta’s 10,000 pre-match simulations did Everton come out on top, as the Toffees look to end a six-game winless streak and finish their season on a high.

Following a 3-0 away win in October, Spurs are aiming to complete their first Premier League double over Everton since 2017-18.

Destiny awaits relegation-threatened Tottenham, who have yet to secure safety ahead of Everton’s visit to north London.

Spurs are one of six founding Premier League clubs yet to suffer the pain of demotion in the competition’s 34-year history, but they remain in a perilous position before the final matchday.

Though they lifted the Europa League trophy just 12 months ago, and started this season in the Champions League, Spurs sit 17th in England’s top tier and with their fate still in the balance.

They are two points ahead of West Ham in 18th. Only a win will mathematically guarantee survival, albeit a draw would surely secure their Premier League status due to West Ham’s vastly inferior goal difference.

However, if Spurs were to lose and the Hammers win at home to Leeds United, then Roberto De Zerbi’s side would slip through the trap door.

It could all have been so different, but Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea cost Spurs the chance to avoid such a nail-biting finale.

So, it goes right down to the wire, with a crucial home fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

That will concern angst-ridden Spurs fans, who have seen their side produce just two wins from 18 Premier League home games this season.

Indeed, Tottenham are currently winless in 10 top-flight home matches (D4 L6), which represents the second-longest run in their history, after a 14-game drought between October 1993 and April 1994.

Meanwhile, mid-table Everton are enduring their worst Premier League streak since the spring of 2024, when they went 13 games without victory under Sean Dyche.

Such a dip has come at a terrible time for the Toffees, who were eyeing European qualification before going six without a win (D3 L3) since the start of April. After Chelsea’s win on Tuesday, David Moyes’ side can no longer reach Europe.

Points have been slipping through their grasp with infuriating regularity: Everton have led in each of their last three games, but have failed to win any of them (D2 L1).

The Merseyside club squandered another lead in last week’s home loss to Sunderland. A dismal 3-1 defeat saw swathes of fans leave before captain Séamus Coleman bade farewell following his 434th appearance.

Having shipped 14 goals in their last six games – unbefitting of a Moyes side – Everton must now defy precedent to end an inconsistent campaign more positively.

This will be the 10th time their final Premier League match takes place in London, with the Toffees winning just one of the previous nine (2-0 at Fulham in 2008-09 – D2 L6).

Furthermore, they have only won one of their last 16 top-flight away games against Tottenham (D4 L11), losing the last four by an aggregate score of 13-1.

Spurs’ hopes of extending that trend could rely on Richarlison, who has been involved in 15 Premier League goals this season (11 goals, 4 assists); with a point to prove after being omitted from Brazil’s World Cup squad, the former Toffee has also scored four times in his last five games against Everton.

Despite the temptation of deploying some James Maddison magic from the first whistle, De Zerbi has kept faith with the same XI for three consecutive matches, but it remains to be seen whether events at Stamford Bridge alter his thinking.

Djed Spence suffered a broken jaw during his cameo appearance on Tuesday, but he could still play with a protective mask. He will likely be buoyed by his call-up to England’s World Cup squad.

Reserve goalkeeper Antonín Kinsky is proving an able deputy for Guglielmo Vicario, who returned to the bench in midweek and could feature, while Dominic Solanke also hopes to make his comeback on Sunday.

Everton were also unchanged last week, and Moyes has used the fewest players (22) and made the fewest changes to his starting XI (57) in the Premier League this season.

Idrissa Gueye may be named among the substitutes after a brief layoff, potentially taking a seat alongside Coleman, who will draw the curtain on his 17-year Toffees career.

Tottenham vs Everton Head-to-Head

Following October’s 3-0 win in the reverse fixture when Micky van de Ven struck twice at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Tottenham have won three of their last five meetings with Everton, racking up 13 goals in the process.

The Toffees have lost 11 of their last 16 Premier League away games against Spurs (W1 D4), only scoring once across the last four.

Tottenham are looking to do their first league double over Everton for eight years.

Tottenham vs Everton Prediction

The Opta supercomputer makes Tottenham favourites, with a 49.3% probability of winning. A draw would almost certainly be fine, too, which occurs in 23.3% of the 10,000 pre-match simulations.

Everton won in 27.4% of sims, which would open the door for Moyes’ former employers West Ham to potentially stay up.

Tottenham vs Everton Predicted Lineups

Tottenham: Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, João Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, Conor Gallagher, Randal Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel, Richarlison.

Head coach: Roberto De Zerbi

Everton: Jordan Pickford, Jake O’Brien, Michael Keane, James Tarkowski, Vitalii Mykolenko, Tim Iroegbunam, James Garner, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil, Beto.

Head coach: David Moyes

Opta Power Rankings

The Opta Power Rankings are a global team ranking system that assigns an ability score to over 13,000 domestic football teams on a scale between zero and 100, where zero is the worst-ranked team in the world, and 100 is the best team in the world.

Ahead of kick-off this Sunday, here is the Opta Power Ranking for both sides.

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This Sunday, either Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham will be relegated from the Premier League. Here, we assess each team’s chances of beating the drop.

The title race may be over but at the other end of the table, the relegation battle is very much not done and dusted.

Rivals Tottenham and West Ham head into the final day of the season on Sunday knowing that one of them will survive, and the other will be relegated.

Spurs have the advantage of knowing that, thanks to their two-point cushion over West Ham, they can guarantee survival with a win at home to Everton, while a draw is almost certain to be enough, too, given they have the far better goal difference. Lose, and that will open the door to West Ham, who will need to hold up their side of the bargain by beating Leeds.

Tottenham have not been relegated in the Premier League era, last dropping down to the second tier in 1976-77, while West Ham have been sent down twice since the Premier League began, first in 2002-23 – with a record 42 points – and most recently in 2010-11.

Both teams have been present in the top tier for the last 14 seasons, and it will be a big deal when one of them goes down.

So, who will it be? Here, we look at four elements that may affect the relegation battle.

History

The relegation battle tends to go to the wire. In 34 Premier League seasons, this will be the 24th time that the identity of at least one of the relegated sides is confirmed on the final day of the season.

It probably isn’t all that surprising to learn that most of the time, teams that start the day in the drop zone are ultimately relegated. There have been 14 occasions when that has happened.

However, that leaves nine seasons out of the 23 final-day relegation-battle deciders when a team has begun the final matchday in the drop zone, but has clawed their way out to safety.

That means 39.1% of seasons when the relegation battle went to the final day witnessed a team jumping out of the drop zone with a better result than the team or teams immediately above them. That should give West Ham some hope.

It is worth noting, though, that five of those nine occasions came before the end of 1999-2000, meaning it has only happened four times in the last 26 years.

And there’s more. Since 2011, only once has a team wormed their way out of the relegation zone on the final day of the season – when Leeds did so on the final day of 2021-22 with a 2-1 win over Brentford that sent Burnley down.

That means the feat West Ham need to manage on Sunday has only been achieved once in the last 15 Premier League years. Recent history therefore suggests it’s not that likely.

Form

Funnily enough, considering these two teams are in such real danger of being relegated, neither should be too worried about their form.

Tottenham have improved drastically since Roberto De Zerbi was appointed as manager, and had been on their longest unbeaten run of the season (four matches) until Tuesday night’s defeat at Chelsea, when they arguably did enough to deserve a draw.

West Ham, meanwhile, might be on their joint longest losing streak of the whole season (three matches) but, for them, it is important to focus on their home record.

They lost last time out on home soil, but that was against eventual champions Arsenal, and they came within a long VAR review of drawing that game. And before that match, they had not lost at home since January, a run of six league matches, plus three more in the FA Cup. It should be said that one of those FA Cup games was a draw against, of all teams, Leeds, who then won on penalties.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side were poor in defeats at Brentford and Newcastle in the last few weeks but, crucially, they have home form, and that’s all they need this weekend. They have every chance of beating Leeds.

They will then be relying on Tottenham who, put simply, absolutely do not have home form of any kind. They have struggled at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium all season, winning just two Premier League games, none of which have come since December and only one of which has come since the opening day of the season, when they beat Burnley 3-0 back in August.

It isn’t clear what exactly the problem is at home but something is clearly persisting. Their issues have continued under De Zerbi, too. They could not cling on after being 2-1 up against Brighton deep into second-half stoppage time, and they self-destructed against Leeds after going a goal up.

Spurs did at least draw those two games, and a point will be enough for them this weekend against an Everton side without a win in six, barring West Ham producing a Premier League record win.

Vibes

Speaking of that winless Everton streak, Tottenham should be making no assumptions about doing what they need to do and extending that run.

That’s because of Dr Tottenham.

“Dr Tottenham” is a term that sums up Spurs’ ability to solve opponents’ problems, namely in allowing them to end their poor runs of form. It has persisted for years, and while it is likely confirmation bias rather than empirical evidence behind the widely-held belief that Tottenham really can cure other teams, there is perhaps some truth behind it this season.

Out of 10 winless Premier League streaks this season of at least seven games that have also ended (and are not still ongoing), Tottenham have been the team to end them on four occasions. And one of those streaks was Tottenham’s 15-game winless run, so they couldn’t have been the opponent against whom that run ended.

So, Spurs are responsible for defeats against teams struggling desperately for victories 44.4% of the time this season, ending four of the nine longest (and concluded) winless streaks by any team in the Premier League.

The most dramatic of those was ending Bournemouth’s 11-game winless run before they started their current 17-game unbeaten run, while the most recent was ending Chelsea’s seven-game winless run this week. The others were West Ham (10 games without a win) and Nottingham Forest (7 games).

While there is no science to prove the existence of Dr Tottenham, there is every chance these previous incidents will play on the Tottenham players’ minds, and that might mean there is no point playing for a point. They may not be able to handle the pressure of trying to hold on to a draw late on. The crowd certainly won’t be able to take it.

West Ham, on the other hand, face a Leeds side on an eight-match unbeaten run of their own. The Hammers have not beaten a team on anything like as significant an unbeaten run this season. They’ll have to change that this weekend.

The Opta Supercomputer

When in doubt, turn to the Opta supercomputer.

We asked it to run 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season, and West Ham were relegated 85.5% of the time. Spurs went down in the remaining 14.5% of the simulations. Those numbers show just how big the task is that West Ham face.

That is because the supercomputer only looks at the quality of the two teams involved in each match and bases its projections on what has come before. Tottenham, ranked 32nd in the world in the Opta Power Rankings, are closer to Everton (24th), than West Ham (43rd) are to Leeds (25th), and Spurs have lost only one of their last five games.

Therefore, they have a better chance of getting a result than West Ham do, and the combination of a Spurs defeat and a West Ham win is pretty unlikely in the eyes of the supercomputer.

However, the supercomputer, being a machine and all that, does not factor in emotion. It does not think about the impact 60,000 anxious Spurs fans could have on their team, or how the pressure of needing to win could mean West Ham’s players find it more difficult to execute the skills they normally do well.

There is more at play with the pressure on this weekend. Spurs may be in the driving seat with one round of games to go, but West Ham certainly shouldn’t give up just yet.

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Following this 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, Tottenham’s fight to retain their Premier League status will depend on the results on the final day of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur’s battle against Premier League relegation will go down to the wire after they lost 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men knew a point would have been enough to all but confirm their top-flight status due to their superior goal difference over West Ham United, but Spurs now must beat Everton on the final day to guarantee their Premier League status.

Chelsea, who this week confirmed Xabi Alonso will be their new manager starting from July, were in complete control when Enzo Fernández’s excellent finish in the 18th minute was followed up by Andrey Santos’ first Premier League goal midway through the second half.

However, Richarlison threatened a grandstand finish when he tucked home in the 74th minute.

Spurs, though, could not forge a comeback, and stay two points above West Ham, who host Leeds United on Sunday. Chelsea, meanwhile, snapped a seven-game losing run in the league, and are up to eighth, boosting their European ambitions.

A fast Spurs start was almost rewarded in the 11th minute when Pedro Porro’s inviting cross into the Chelsea penalty area picked out Mathys Tel, but his header crashed against the near post.

But it was a bolt from the blue that gave Chelsea the lead, with Fernandez lashing in from 25 yards out, though Antonin Kinsky may feel he should have done better.

Fernandez then saw his audacious attempt from a free-kick on the left-hand side clatter against the crossbar before Cole Palmer dragged a shot just wide in first-half stoppage time.

And Spurs’ troubles worsened when Santos’ 67th-minute finish doubled Chelsea’s advantage, but swiftly Richarlison hit back for the visitors when he finished from close range after being found by Pape Matar Sarr’s clever flick.

Spurs threw everything at trying to get an equaliser, but James Maddison was denied by a brilliant last-ditch tackle from Jorrel Hato, before the playmaker fired over from a free-kick in stoppage time.

It means the fight against the drop goes to the final day.

Chelsea Stay Alive in European Hunt

With the news that Alonso would become Chelsea’s manager announced earlier this week, the Blues would have wanted to put on a show for their new boss, while also plunging their city rivals into further relegation trouble.

The absence of João Pedro, who was presented with the club’s Player of the Year award before kick-off and a day after he was not selected for Brazil’s World Cup squad, was felt as Chelsea struggled to find their rhythm in the final third, with Liam Delap cutting an isolated figure up front.

But the creativity of Palmer that has been sorely missed during Chelsea’s barren run was the difference, with the England international brilliantly keeping the ball in for Pedro Neto, who in turn fed Fernandez for the opening goal.

Santos then provided some breathing space, but instead of trying to pull further clear, Chelsea allowed Spurs straight back into it, and needed a heroic intervention from Hato late in the day to preserve all three points.

They also ended winless stretch in the Premier League at a crucial time, with a trip to Sunderland to come on the final day, in what is set to be a pivotal encounter for European qualification.

Spurs Left with Last-Day Rescue Job as West Ham Get a Lifeline

Spurs knew the significance of getting a positive result in this contest. Yet despite a bright start, in which Tel threatened with that close-range header, De Zerbi’s team dropped off, and did not really show the urgency needed from a side still in such a perilous position.

In fact, they had to wait until the 58th minute for their first shot on target, as Richarlison’s header was comfortably saved by Sanchez, and just as Maddison, Djed Spence and Sarr were being readied to come on, Santos swept the Blues further in front.

Sarr made a quick impact, as his slick backheel teed up Richarlison, who was alert and alive at the back post.

Maddison came on and made an impact in his second game back from injury, but Hato stood firm for Chelsea.

On the night when Spurs’ rivals Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions, this failure to put their fears to rest before the final day will haunt the fans.

However, Spurs still know that a point against Everton at home will be enough – barring a miraculous margin of victory for West Ham against Leeds. A defeat to the Toffees, though, will mean their fate is out of their hands.

Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Chelsea vs Tottenham stats from their Premier League meeting at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 19 May 2026.

The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.

Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Post-Match Facts

Chelsea have won their first Premier League match since March (4-1 v Aston Villa), having failed to win any of their last seven matches in the competition prior to this evening (D1 L6), whilst they scored as many goals tonight (2) as they managed across those last seven games combined.

Tottenham Hotspur have lost 39 Premier League matches against Chelsea, only losing more against Manchester United in the competition (40).

Now eight games unbeaten (W6 D2), this is Chelsea’s longest home unbeaten run in Premier League London derbies since a run of 13 between January 2013 and May 2015.

Only João Pedro (26) has had a hand in more goals for Chelsea in all competitions this season than Enzo Fernández (22 – 15 goals, 7 assists).

Richarlison has now struck 75 goals in the Premier League, with only Roberto Firmino (82) and Gabriel Jesus (78) netting more among Brazilian players across the competition’s history.

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Can the Blues bounce back from their FA Cup final disappointment or will Spurs get the point they need? We look ahead to Tuesday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge with our Chelsea vs Tottenham prediction and preview.

Chelsea vs Tottenham: The Key Stats

Chelsea have won their last five Premier League games against Tottenham, and are Opta’s favourites to make it six victories on the spin at 48.3%.

The Blues have lost each of their last four Premier League home matches, and are aiming to avoid losing five in a row at Stamford Bridge for the first time.

Tottenham have won just one of their last 35 league games at Stamford Bridge (D11 L23), a 3-1 win in April 2018.

Chelsea will look to put their FA Cup final disappointment behind them when they welcome relegation-threatened Tottenham to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues will end a difficult season without silverware, after they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in Saturday’s showpiece at Wembley Stadium, where Antoine Semenyo’s clever flick proved the difference.

The FA Cup run had provided a welcome distraction for Chelsea, who are under the reins of interim coach Calum McFarlane for the remainder of the campaign, before former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso takes charge on 1 July.

McFarlane is aiming to end a winless run of seven Premier League games (D1 L6), with Chelsea last enduring a longer streak without success between December 1994 and February 1995 (10).

The Blues are also on the brink of unwanted history, as defeat here would see them lose a fifth successive top-flight match at Stamford Bridge for the first time.

However, heading into the final two games of this term, all is not yet lost for ninth-place Chelsea, who can still catch at least one of the three teams above them and climb into the European qualifying spots – albeit they will also require favours from elsewhere.

Therefore, they will welcome the opportunity to face their favourite Premier League opponents, with their 38 victories over Tottenham the most they have registered against a single team.

That includes wins in each of the last five meetings, and they could equal their longest winning streak against Spurs, who they beat six times in succession between January 2000 and March 2002.

Not since a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa in 2001-02 have Chelsea been beaten in their final home league game in a season (W16 D7).

After West Ham’s 3-1 loss at Newcastle United on Sunday, Spurs have the chance to secure their Premier League survival here. A win would mathematically confirm it, while a draw would almost certainly be enough as it would leave them three points clear of West Ham with a game to play, and with a much better goal difference.

Victory would be their third straight win on the road in the Premier League, last achieving the feat under former Chelsea boss José Mourinho between September and November 2020 (four).

Tottenham still have work to do, but things have certainly improved under Roberto De Zerbi, who has seen his new side take as many points from their last four league games (eight; W2 D2) as they did in their previous 17 (six; W1 D5 L11).

Spurs have also let in just one first-half goal in their five matches since the Italian took charge, having conceded in the opening 45 minutes in each of their previous 11.

De Zerbi has confirmed that Guglielmo Vicario is available after injury, this game comes too soon for Dominic Solanke, as well as Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski and Ben Davies. Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert are long-term absentees.

Chelsea remain without Jamie Gittens and Estêvão, who has subsequently missed out on Brazil’s World Cup squad. Yet Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto and Robert Sánchez returned to action at Wembley on Saturday, and should be available for this one.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Head-to-Head

Chelsea have won each of their last five Premier League meetings with Tottenham, only enjoying a longer streak of victories against them between January 2000 and March 2002 (six).

Spurs have only suffered more defeats in the Premier League against Manchester United (40) than they have against Chelsea (38).

They have also only prevailed once in their last 35 league visits to Stamford Bridge. That sole success was a 3-1 victory in April 2018 under future Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Chelsea won the reverse fixture 1-0 in November, with João Pedro scoring the only goal of a one-sided game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Prediction

The Opta supercomputer favours a home victory, with Chelsea winning 48.3% of the 10,000 pre-match simulations.

Tottenham’s chances of winning are rated at 27.7%, with a draw at 24%.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Predicted Lineups

Chelsea: Filip Jörgensen; Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Jorrel Hato; Andrey Santos, Moisés Caicedo; Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, Marc Cucurella; João Pedro.

Head coach: Calum McFarlane

Tottenham: Antonín Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky Van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; João Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur; Randal Kolo Muani, Conor Gallagher, Mathys Tel; Richarlison.

Head coach: Roberto De Zerbi

Opta Power Rankings

The Opta Power Rankings are a global team ranking system that assigns an ability score to over 13,000 domestic football teams on a scale between zero and 100, where zero is the worst-ranked team in the world, and 100 is the best team in the world.

Ahead of kick-off this weekend, here is the Opta Power Ranking for both sides.

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Antonín Kinsky produced his best Tottenham performance in the draw with Leeds on Monday night, staking his claim to keep hold of the number one jersey.

If there was going to be a hero in Tottenham’s survival quest, you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone suggesting it could be Antonín Kinsky.

And it’s not as if there are many obvious other candidates. Micky van de Ven is a leader and a potential match-winner at both ends of the pitch, but he hasn’t been at his best in a long time. Richarlison is their top scorer, but he is about as unreliable as number nines come, both in terms of his goal supply and availability. There is a huge amount of hope pinned on James Maddison, who made his return to action on Monday night, but realistically, he will need time to get back up to speed after nine months out. Most of Tottenham’s best players are out injured.

One of those players is first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who underwent hernia surgery in March. Spurs timed his operation to take place at the beginning of the international break to reduce the number of games he would miss; the hope at the time was that he would only miss one.

In truth, it was more than just hope at the time. Kinsky was Spurs’ second-choice goalkeeper, but he was nowhere near Vicario. There was no chance of Kinsky challenging for the number one spot, and everyone would have been desperate to get Vicario back after that one single match.

That was because Kinsky’s Spurs career had been rather mixed up to that point. He made a promising start following his £12.5 million move from Slavia Prague in January 2025, arriving when Spurs were desperately missing Vicario, who was out with an ankle injury. A 37-year-old Fraser Forster had played 10 games in a row and looked completely ill-equipped to play Ange Postecoglou’s possession game. So, when Kinsky made his debut against Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-final, he wowed fans with his confidence with the ball at his feet.

However, the next week, he was beaten too easily by a Leandro Trossard shot in a painful north London derby defeat at the Emirates. Shortly after, he misjudged a low cross in a 2-1 home loss to soon-to-be relegated Leicester City. In his final game before Vicario’s return, he let Morgan Rogers’ very saveable shot through his grasp as Spurs crashed out of the FA Cup at Aston Villa.

That was to be his final appearance in a meaningful game last season. He did play in two Premier League games as Spurs prepared for the Europa League final, but they had long given up on their domestic campaign, and he has barely been involved at all this season. He faced Doncaster in the League Cup in September, and when he got a chance against top-tier opposition in the next round against Newcastle, he squandered it, weakly attempting to punch a cross clear and beaten to it by Nick Woltemade. Those were Kinsky’s only two appearances in Spurs’ first 42 competitive games of the season.

All of that made it astonishing that stand-in manager Igor Tudor threw Kinsky into his starting lineup for the away first leg of Spurs’ Champions League round-of-16 tie against Atlético Madrid. You’ll likely need no reminding of how dire it was, but just in case you do: Kinsky conceded three goals, two of which were his fault, and was hauled off after just 17 minutes.

If it already seemed unlikely that Kinsky had a future at Spurs, it then seemed impossible. Vicario came on, steadied the ship somewhat (though he also conceded two goals) and he was back in the starting lineup for each of the next three games. Then came his surgery.

And so, Kinsky was thrust back into the team. He hadn’t earned his chance; he got it because Vicario wasn’t able to play, and after the embarrassment of Madrid, there was natural trepidation about his return to action.

But it has turned out to be a huge – albeit surprise – success.

Kinsky is incredibly capable with the ball at his feet, and in that sense, he is more suited to Roberto De Zerbi’s football than Vicario. He can play off either foot, and the fact his defenders can trust him on the ball breeds confidence further forward and allows the team to play out from the back in a way they sometimes struggle to with Vicario.

The concerns, however, rested on his confidence, which would have been understandably low after Atlético, and his unreliable shot-stopping.

There has been no need for any worries, though, with Kinsky transformed under De Zerbi into a more than adequate Premier League goalkeeper. On Monday night against Leeds, he was Tottenham’s hero.

The team’s performance in drawing 1-1 was a hell of a reality check, when they desperately needed to win to put some breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone. Going forward, Spurs lacked ideas, cohesion and quality, and they couldn’t kill the game off after going a goal up early in the second half through Mathys Tel. For that goal, they again relied on a set-piece, this one their 17th from a corner in the Premier League this season, meaning they – along with Arsenal – have broken the record for goals from corners in a Premier League season.

Spurs have been too reliant on dead balls all season, with league-highs for proportion of their goals (39.1%) and xG (36.1%) coming from set-pieces. They have also been absolutely dreadful at home all season, winning just two of their 18 league games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and none since early December.

With no fit and available attacking alternatives to their front three of Tel, Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani, and inspiration lacking, Spurs needed others to step up. Kinsky proved the man for the big moment.

Leeds looked the far likelier team to find a winner, and they very, very nearly found it when Sean Longstaff raced through in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time and powered an effort towards the top corner from point-blank range. Unbelievably, Kinsky threw out his right hand and tipped the ball onto the crossbar and away to safety.

That individual moment saved Spurs. It preserved the point that took them two clear of West Ham in the relegation zone. But even before considering the colossal ramifications, that save was also one of the best made by any goalkeeper in the Premier League this season.

It followed another in the first half from a Joe Rodon header, low down to his left, right on the goalline, which any goalkeeper would have been proud of, but the quality of his stop from Longstaff meant that first save was quickly forgotten.

Kinsky was beaten on the night, but only via an expertly converted Dominic Calvert-Lewin penalty. The other shots on target he faced were worth 1.61 expected goals on target (xGOT) which, in simple terms, means that in normal circumstances, those shots would have resulted in 1.6 goals (or, more simply, either one or two goals).

In other words, Kinsky’s saves alone denied Leeds between one and two more goals. According to our xGOT model, only 14 goalkeepers have prevented more goals in a Premier League game this season than Kinsky did against Leeds, and half of them either conceded at least two goals or lost the match. Kinsky’s heroics, meanwhile, earned his team a point.

Beyond his eye-catching saves, there was a composure in possession that Spurs desperately need at the moment. They need to improve with the ball across the pitch, and Kinsky is providing a strong base to build from.

The performance was in keeping with his form in the last few weeks, too, in which time there have been a few other noteworthy saves, not least low down at the feet of Brian Brobbey in the defeat at Sunderland and from João Gomes’ free-kick right at the end of the 1-0 win at Wolves. He has also shown good command of his penalty area with a few particularly impressive high claims and punches when under pressure, including one in the 93rd minute against Brighton, when Spurs were still 2-1 up and clinging on.

Ahead of the Leeds game, De Zerbi insisted that Vicario will remain his number one. “Vicario is still the first [choice] goalkeeper [at] Tottenham,” he said. “Because what Vicario showed this season is enough to consider him a top player for us.”

But after Kinsky’s showing on Monday night, there is good reason to consider the Czech worthy of an extended stint in goal, at least for the rest of the season. His case is strengthened, too, by Vicario’s wildly disappointing numbers, the Italian ranking bottom of the entire Premier League this season for goals prevented (-5.5), having conceded 50 goals (excluding own goals) from 44.5 xGOT.

Vicario isn’t solely to blame for those numbers, of course. Nobody at Tottenham can claim to have had a good season, and he hasn’t been given enough protection, while Kinsky has been able to play in a much more positive environment.

But Vicario has also underwhelmed, and his numbers suggest that in the one area he is supposed to stand out from Kinsky, he has failed dramatically.

After missing out on the opportunity to go four points clear of West Ham, Spurs need at least one and quite possibly two positive results in their final two games, away to Chelsea next Tuesday and at home to Everton on the final day of the season.

They need every little bit of help they can get from each member of the team. On current viewing, it appears that, quite unbelievably, Kinsky could be the man to give them that little bit more between the sticks.

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Tottenham are battling relegation, but only the two Premier League title chasers have won more points away from home than them. Is that a good recipe for survival?

The 2025-26 season has been so miserable at Tottenham Hotspur that it is difficult to find any measure by which they rank high up in the Premier League. And of the few there are, most come alongside something negative.

Spurs rank second in the top flight this season for duels won (1,871), but they are also second for duels lost (1,930). Only Arsenal (17) have scored more goals from corner situations than them (16), but only a handful of teams have scored fewer than them in open play (27).

Another more noteworthy measure by which Spurs rank favourably, meanwhile, is for their away record. Just looking at results on the road this season, Tottenham have been the third best team in the entire Premier League.

Yes, really.

Relegation-threatened Spurs have earned more points away from home (26) than every other team in the top flight this season aside from Arsenal and Manchester City (32 each), the best two teams in the country.

It’s difficult, given how poor Tottenham have been almost all campaign, to comprehend that this might be true. How can the Champions League chasers, the perfectly solid mid-table sides, even the teams also fighting relegation who have so clearly been better than Spurs all year, all have worse records than this Tottenham team? Somehow, it really is the case.

It’s worth pointing a few things out here. Spurs are third in terms of points won, but they have played one away game more than many of the teams around them. On a points-per-game basis, they drop to sixth.

Also, seven teams are within one result of Spurs’ away-points total, so they could quite feasibly drop down this particular table by the end of the season.

However, Spurs’ points tally on the road is noteworthy regardless of what other teams have done this season. It is most significant in the context of their own terrible home form.

In 2025-26, Spurs have earned just 11 points on home soil. No team in the league has won fewer, and only relegated Burnley have as poor a record. Spurs are only off the bottom of the Premier League home table by dint of their goal difference of -10, which is just a single goal better than Burnley’s -11.

It has been a wretched campaign for Tottenham’s home fans. In a stadium where tickets are about as expensive as any other in the country, Spurs have provided only two home Premier League wins from 17 matches. One of those was their first game of the season (a 3-0 win over Burnley) and the other came in December (a 2-0 win over Brentford). They are currently on a nine-game run without a home Premier League win.

It means they have earned 70.3% of their points this season in away games. That is the highest proportion by any team in any season in Premier League history. The Tottenham team of 2025-26 are more reliant on away points than any other side the competition has ever seen.

Only six teams have ever earned more than 60% of their points in a Premier League season in away games, and Spurs are three games away from becoming the first team to break the 70% mark.

However, if they are to survive, they will probably need to even things out a little, the reasons for which are two-fold.

Firstly, two of their three remaining games are at home, and those two – against Leeds next Monday and Everton on the final day of the season – look kinder on paper than the 19 May trip to Stamford Bridge, where Spurs have won only once in any competition in the Premier League era.

Tottenham are likely to need to win at least one of their last three matches, and even without considering fixture difficulty, they have twice as many opportunities to earn home points as they do away ones. Survival may well require them to improve their home record.

Secondly, teams who win a large majority of their points away from home have historically been relegated. The four teams with the highest proportion of their points earned in away games in completed Premier League seasons have all gone down. Clearly, it isn’t a positive to rely quite so heavily on away results.

If they do stay up, fixing their home form will have to be a priority, because history suggests that winning a majority of your points in away games is not a sustainable model. Of the 10 teams with the highest proportion of points won away from home who were not relegated, only one improved their league position the following campaign. Two of them were relegated a year later, and five more saw their league position fall by at least four places.

One way or another, Tottenham’s home form must improve. They have won only one of their eight games against fellow bottom-half Premier League teams this season. Without making your home into something remotely resembling a fortress, it is always going to be difficult to retain your Premier League status for too long.

However, Spurs could yet become the first team to win a vast proportion of their points away from home and survive.

Their home record gives us little reason to expect them to beat Leeds or Everton. Leeds are unbeaten in their last six away Premier League games, winning at Old Trafford last time out, while Everton have taken only one point fewer on the road than Spurs, and they have played fewer games. Both of them could well prove tricky.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are on an awful run of form and have struggled particularly badly at home, failing to win any of their last six and losing the last four. Only the current bottom six have a worse home record in the Premier League this season than Chelsea. Plus, they host Spurs just a few days after facing Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Even the motivation of sending Spurs down might not be enough for the beleaguered Blues.

One win could be enough for Tottenham. In the Opta supercomputer’s 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season, West Ham ended up on an average of 39.2 points. Spurs are currently on 37 points, so there is a chance that they win at Chelsea, further boosting their away points total, and 40 points is all they need.

The turnaround under Roberto De Zerbi has been outstanding. Spurs have won back-to-back games for the first time since August, and the victory at Aston Villa on Sunday will give them renewed hope that they can add another win at Chelsea. They could survive despite only winning two home games all campaign.

Even if they do manage to win some more home points and make their record a little less lopsided, if Tottenham manage to stay up this season, their record on the road will be the reason they have done so.

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Tottenham’s Premier League survival chances received a huge boost on Sunday. Re-live an exceptional Spurs win in our Aston Villa vs Tottenham stats page.

Tottenham have climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone thanks to an excellent and richly deserved 2-1 win over high-flying Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday.

After West Ham were beaten 3-0 by Brentford on Saturday, Spurs knew they had an opportunity to hoist themselves out of the bottom three – surely, though, a gruelling test awaited them in Birmingham.

That wasn’t quite the case, however. Unai Emery’s side, who lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday, were dreadful for most of the match and hardly laid a glove on Tottenham as they suffered a third successive defeat in all competitions.

Nevertheless, Spurs were excellent. Their off-ball intensity was difficult for Villa to live with as the visitors dominated physically, and they did a fine job of controlling possession for the most part.

Conor Gallagher and Richarlison got the Spurs goals in the first 25 minutes and Villa’s response was sorely lacking – it took them until the sixth minute of stoppage time to get a shot on target, coinciding with Emi Buendía’s late consolation.

For now, this defeat looks unlikely to be particularly definitive or impactful for Villa’s season in the grand scheme of things. For Spurs, however, victory here might be the difference between relegation and survival.

You’d have been forgiven for expecting a long evening for Tottenham. Villa had the chance to go fourth, and although they are in the middle of a two-legged Europa League semi, they’ll have been massively fancied by most.

After all, Spurs went into this game with one win from their last 16 league games.

But the first half was anything but predictable as Tottenham looked a completely different side to the one that’s been floundering near – or in – the relegation zone for the past few months.

Spurs were ravenous without the ball, their three high turnovers in the first 30 minutes evidence of this and, as a result, highlighting Villa’s difficulty playing out from the back.

But it wasn’t just a case of good anticipation or clever reading; Spurs – mostly through the likes of Richarlison, João Palhinha and Gallagher – were aggressive, and that treatment seemed to rattled Villa on occasion.

In short, they were showing signs of being a Roberto De Zerbi team.

Clearly, though, Gallagher’s early opener in the 12th minute didn’t help Villa’s attempts to settle. The ball dropped kindly for the Spurs midfielder after a set-piece was partially cleared, and he found the bottom-left corner from about 25 yards for his first Premier League goal since May 2024.

Richarlison doubled their lead with 25 minutes on the clock, meeting Mathys Tel’s cross with a fine header to beat Emiliano Martínez.

It was only the second time (in 69 matches) that Unai Emery’s Villa failed to attempt a first-half shot in a league game. While they had made changes, with the second leg of their Europa League semi against Forest in mind, the level of their performance was well below what was expected, as reflected by the boos that greeted the half-time whistle.

Although surely tempted, Emery resisted any urge to change personnel at the break – and perhaps unsurprisingly so, there was no noticeable improvement from them upon the restart.

Eventually Emery introduced Ollie Watkins for the ineffective Tammy Abraham on the hour. They then recorded their first shot of the game in the 61st minute; only Burnley (twice) and Wolves have gone beyond the 61st minute before having their first shot in a Premier League game this season.

But even then, Morgan Rogers’ attempted was blocked, as was his next in the 64th minute.

It wasn’t until the 89th minute, when Tyrone Mings headed just over, that Villa managed to record a shot that wasn’t blocked. That was soon followed by Buendía glancing a header in to halve the deficit, but it was very much a case of too little, too late.

A bad day at the office for Villa, whereas there appears to be plenty of life left in Spurs on the evidence of this.

Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Aston Villa vs Tottenham stats from their Premier League meeting at Villa Park on Sunday.

The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.

Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham Post-Match Facts

This is now Richarlison’s fifth Premier League season with 10+ goals (13 in 2018-19, 13 in 2019-20, 10 in 2021-22, 11 in 2022-23, 10 in 2025-26), the joint most of any Brazilian player along with Roberto Firmino. His goal for Spurs today was his first ever against Aston Villa, netting against 25 of the 31 sides he’s faced in the competition.

Tottenham’s 2-0 lead after 25 minutes was the earliest they’d scored two in a Premier League game since December 2024 against Southampton (4-0 after 25 mins), while Aston Villa found themselves 2-0 down at that stage of a home game for the first time since February 2021 against Leicester (23 mins).

Across 138 halves of Premier League football at Villa Park under Unai Emery, the first half of this game was Aston Villa’s fewest touches in the opposition box (1) and one of only two times they failed to have a single shot.

Aston Villa have lost four of their last eight home Premier League matches (W3 D1), only one fewer than they did across their previous 55 at Villa Park combined (W38 D12 L5).

Tottenham Hotspur have won consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since winning their opening two games of this season against Burnley and Manchester City.

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We look ahead to Sunday’s Premier League game at Villa Park with our Aston Villa vs Tottenham prediction and preview. Can Spurs earn back-to-back away wins?

Aston Villa vs Tottenham: The Key Stats

The Opta supercomputer heavily favours an Aston Villa victory, with Unai Emery’s side winning 61.5% of the pre-match simulations.

Tottenham have lost six of their last 10 Premier League games against Aston Villa (W4), more than they had in their previous 34 against them (W19 D10 L5).

Villa are looking to win three Premier League games in a row at home for the first time since winning eight straight between September and January.

Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur head into Sunday’s Premier League clash with very different objectives at opposite ends of the table, and there is plenty at stake for both sides.

Relegation candidates Spurs ended a 15-match winless run with a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, picking up their first Premier League win of 2026.

It was not a perfect performance, but Spurs got the job done as João Palhinha’s late goal secured all three points and offered new boss Roberto De Zerbi some much-needed relief after a rocky start included a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland and a 2-2 home draw with Brighton and Hove Albion.

But Spurs are not out of the woods by any measure. Heading into Matchday 35 they are still in the drop zone with a two-point gap to safety, and with a daunting run ahead, they will need to find more points from somewhere to remain in the top-flight.

Palhinha’s strike would have lifted them out of the relegation zone but for West Ham’s late 2-1 victory over Everton. The Opta supercomputer currently rates Spurs’ chances of relegation at 60.2% with four matches remaining.

Tottenham are also looking to pick up consecutive wins in the league for the first time since their opening two matches of the season – winning 3-0 over Burnley and 2-0 over Manchester City.

But they are set to face a difficult challenge at Villa Park, where the hosts have won 11 of their 17 home league games this season (D2 L4).

Villa are looking to win three on the trot at home for the first time since a spectacular run of eight straight home wins between September and January that catapulted them into the Champions League reckoning.

Unai Emery’s side do come into Sunday’s clash on the back of some wobbly form, though, having won just two of their last seven league games (D1 L4), suffering as many defeats in that time as they did in their previous 24 matches (W15 D5).

Villa lost 1-0 at Fulham last weekend, though remain well placed in the race for Champions League qualification, with the top five teams set to secure a place in next season’s competition.

Their confidence may have been further dented by Thursday’s 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final. In a very tight game at the City Ground, Lucas Digne’s handball opened the door for Chris Wood to emphatically strike the only goal from the penalty spot.

With their Champions League qualification hopes high – the latest Opta supercomputer simulations saw them finish in the top five 97.6% of the time – Villa must be careful not to let their attention drift too much, with next week’s return leg at Villa Park on the horizon.

Tottenham, meanwhile, have shown signs of improvement under De Zerbi despite mixed results. Since the Italian’s arrival, Spurs are averaging more pressed sequences per game (12.7) and possession won in the final third per game (5.3) than they were under both Thomas Frank (11.1 and 3.7) and Igor Tudor (10.8 and 3.8).

While those numbers are encouraging, Spurs’ growing injury list is not. Their wretched luck continued against Wolves as Dominic Solanke was forced off in the first half with a hamstring issue, before Xavi Simons later suffered an ACL tear that will reportedly keep him out until well into next season.

They join Cristian Romero, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert on the sidelines as the major absentees for Spurs, though Destiny Udogie could return to the squad for this one.

The main attacking responsibilities may fall on Richarlison, who is averaging 0.72 goal involvements per 90 this season (nine goals and four assists in 1,615 minutes) – his third-best rate in a Premier League campaign behind 2023-24 and 2024-25 (both 0.9 per 90).

Villa, meanwhile, will be without Amadou Onana following his injury against Forest in the semi-final.

But Ollie Watkins remains a key threat, with 10 of his 11 league goals this season coming since the start of December – more than any other player in that period. He has also scored in three previous league appearances against teams managed by De Zerbi, including a hat-trick in September 2023.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham Head-to-Head

Tottenham have lost six of their last 10 Premier League matches against Aston Villa (W4) – more defeats than they suffered across their previous 34 meetings with the Villans (W19 D10 L5).

That included the reverse fixture in October when Villa won 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Villa also won this fixture 2-0 last season, and are aiming for consecutive home league victories over Spurs for the first time since May/November 2004.

Interestingly, none of the last 21 league meetings between Villa (7 wins) and Spurs (14 wins) have ended in a draw. Only Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (26 between September 1997 and February 2024) has produced a longer run without a stalemate in the history of the Premier League.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham Prediction

It’s not good news for Tottenham fans, with the Opta supercomputer making Aston Villa big favourites with a 61.5% chance of victory.

Spurs came out on top in just 18.2% of the 10,000 pre-match simulations, while a draw is given a 20.3% chance.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham Predicted Lineups

Aston Villa: Emiliano Martínez, Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans, Lamare Bogarde, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendía, Ollie Watkins.

Head Coach: Unai Emery

Tottenham: Antonín Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Conor Gallagher, Randal Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel, Richarlison.

Head Coach: Roberto De Zerbi

Opta Power Rankings

The Opta Power Rankings are a global team ranking system that assigns an ability score to over 13,000 domestic football teams on a scale between zero and 100, where zero is the worst-ranked team in the world, and 100 is the best team in the world.

Ahead of kick-off this weekend, here is the Opta Power Ranking for both sides.

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Tottenham twice threw away leads against Brighton to draw 2-2. Check out the best Opta data from the game with our Tottenham vs Brighton stats page.

Tottenham remain in the relegation zone after twice surrendering the lead in a 2-2 draw with Brighton, conceding in both first-half and second-half stoppage time.

It looked as though Xavi Simons’ stunning strike from the edge of the box had earned Spurs a vital first league win of 2026. Instead, substitute Georginio Rutter struck late to deny them.

Not once but twice Tottenham led. Pedro Porro headed them in front before Kaoru Mitoma’s superb volley levelled the game just before half-time. Simons then reignited the contest with a moment of real quality in the second period, only for Brighton to peg the home side back once more.

It was a crushing outcome for Tottenham, who had delivered an energetic and encouraging performance in Roberto De Zerbi’s first home match in charge.

Spurs began brightly, with far more purpose than in recent weeks. Their approach was more direct and they showed a real emphasis on moving the ball forward quickly and pressing high.

That intensity brought the opening goal. Tottenham won possession high and worked the ball to Simons on the edge of the area. The Dutchman clipped a delicate cross into the box, where Porro had ghosted in to head past Bart Verbruggen.

Spurs continued to threaten. Simons dribbled a low effort onto the post before Porro’s crashing follow-up was tipped over the bar. At that stage, Tottenham looked in control.

But just before half-time, Brighton struck back, Mitoma superbly volleying first time with his left foot from a deep Pascal Groß cross.

The second half lacked the intensity of the first. Spurs struggled to replicate their first-half energy and the game became more disjointed.

Simons, however, remained a constant threat. He finished with a team-high four shots and created more chances than any teammate (2). It was his moment of magic which appeared to have won the game.

With 15 minutes remaining, substitute Lucas Bergvall, full of energy, pressed Jan Paul van Hecke into a mistake and helped the ball on to Simons. The midfielder cut inside and curled a superb effort into the far corner off the post. Simons has now both scored and assisted in two Premier League matches this season, also doing so against Brentford in December.

At that point, Tottenham looked set to secure a long-awaited victory. The Opta supercomputer, which had given them a 50% chance of relegation following Leeds’ win earlier in the day, had their chances down at 37%

But once again, they could not hold on. Brighton equalised late on as Van Hecke outmuscled Kevin Danso to regain possession before cutting the ball back for Rutter, who finished emphatically.

The late goal leaves Spurs still searching for their first league win of 2026. They are now winless in 15 Premier League matches this year (D6 L9). It is their second-longest winless run in league history, behind only a 16-game stretch between December 1934 and April 1935.

The pressure continues to build. For Tottenham, that run simply has to end next time out at Wolves.

Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Tottenham vs Brighton stats from their Premier League meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.

Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.