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Tottenham Hotspur‘s squad showed signs of fight in their relegation battle, while Roberto De Zerbi was a popular figure amongst Brighton’s travelling contingent.

After Leeds United’s win over Wolves on Saturday afternoon, Tottenham could not afford to lose another game for the visit of Brighton.

It looked like they would end their 14-match winless run in front of their own fans when Pedro Porro headed in Xavi Simons’ clever cross in the 39th minute.

But substitute Kaoru Mitoma had other ideas thanks to his stupendous volley in first-half stoppage time to silence the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd.

Simons appeared to have grabbed a stunning winner 13 minutes from time, only for Georginio Rutter’s stoppage-time strike to deny Tottenham a first league win since 28 December.

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Roberto De Zerbi reunites with Brighton friends

Before the game, much of the pre-match coverage centred around De Zerbi facing his old club Brighton.

The Italian is a Seagulls legend after guiding the south coast team into Europe for the first time in the club’s history in 2023.

Many Brighton players have waxed lyrical about the positive influence of the former Marseille manager, who was in the dugout at the Amex between October 2022-June 2024.

And just before the game got underway, De Zerbi embraced some familiar faces.

He shared extra long hugs with Carlos Baleba and Kaoru Mitoma, while exchanging fond greetings with the likes of Joel Veltman and first-team coach Andrew Crofts – who was part of De Zerbi’s entourage at Brighton.

While he is no longer at Brighton, De Zerbi clearly holds a special place in many Brighton hearts.

Richarlison and Vicario support their side

When Mitoma volleyed in a brilliant equaliser, all the positivity seemed to get sucked out of the stadium.

De Zerbi looked despondent, as Tottenham’s players trudged back to the halfway line with their heads slumped.

However, it seems that Tottenham’s wider squad are united in their determination to stay up, rather than go down with a whimper, as the reactions of substitute striker Richarlison and the injured Guglielmo Vicario were telling.

When De Zerbi hung his head, Richarlison was quick to come off the bench and try to gee up his crestfallen teammates.

And Vicario, who was in the stands, repeatedly tried to encourage the starting XI, as he clapped his hands in support. This carried on throughout the game. Sometimes, the little things matter.

Xavi Simons’ commitment to the cause

Simons, arguably had his best game in a Spurs shirt but it wasn’t enough to secure Tottenham the three points they craved.

The Netherlands international scored a stunning goal as he spearheaded Tottenham’s attack.

Moreover, he was 3/5 on successful dribbles, he was fouled four times, Simons created one big chance, and he got an assist. His passing accuracy was at 85 per cent, and he won seven of his 12 ground duels.

Simons’ efforts clearly took their toll late on, as he struggled with cramp and had to take on energy gels to see him through.

The Dutchman looked more gutted than anyone at the full-time whistle as Tottenham closed to within one point of safety in 18th.

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Tottenham player ratings vs Brighton – Xavi Simons the difference maker, Conor Gallagher woeful

Tottenham Hotspur failed to move out of the bottom three as Roberto De Zerbi’s side conceded a dramatic late equaliser to Brighton in a 2-2 draw on Saturday.

The Lilywhites dropped into the relegation zone last weekend, with De Zerbi’s maiden outing ending in a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.

The Italian arrived at the club over the international break and was handed the immediate task of guiding Spurs to safety.

The North London club have been the talk of the division in the days since that Sunderland loss, and were in desperate need of a response as the new boss took on his former club.

That response looked to have arrived, with Tottenham’s marquee signing from last summer seemingly making the difference, only for a 95th-minute setback to deny Spurs a first win of 2026.

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Xavi Simons the difference maker in Tottenham attack

Since joining the club last summer, Dutch technician Xavi Simons has found it difficult to find consistency in North London.

He has always been lively, and always looking to make something happen, and the quality finally came with it against Brighton on Saturday.

With Spurs locked in a battle for their Premier League survival, they are going to need Simons to begin stepping up.

And that he certainly did against the Seagulls, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck with five carries, while his beautiful assist caught the eye as right-back Pedro Porro opened the scoring.

He would be unlucky not to score just moments later, as he hit the post after dancing through the Brighton defence.

Though, he would make the pivotal difference for Spurs in the second half, as his sensational effort from range sent the South Stand into raptures as the match reached its latter stages.

Registering 11 carries, alongside 51 touches, Simons was the heartbeat of everything positive about Tottenham on Saturday, something that Spurs must carry forward.

Fans would be given a scare in the final minutes of normal time, with the Dutchman writhing in pain following a scramble on the edge of the box, before he fought through additional time.

Should he remain fit for the run-in, the hope will be that he continues to blossom in the free role handed to him by De Zerbi.

Conor Gallagher flatters to deceive once again in a Tottenham shirt

As has been the case since his January move from Atletico Madrid, Conor Gallagher flattered to deceive in the middle of the park for Spurs again.

Alongside the returning pair of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, Gallagher did a lot of running as he so often does, but failed to make any meaninful contributions in possession.

He would make 20 accurate passes, though half of these were in Spurs’ own half.

The midfielder was able to carry the ball, though once again his lack of standout ability on the ball saw Tottenham lack the control needed in the middle of the park, alongside the technical quality to slice Brighton open.

How Tottenham players rated vs Sunderland

Antonin Kinsky – 6

Pedro Porro – 7

Kevin Danso – 4

Micky van de Ven – 6

Destiny Udogie – 5 (off for Spence, 76)

Yves Bissouma – 4 (off for Gray, 57)

Rodrigo Bentancur – 5 (off for Palhinha, 67)

Conor Gallagher – 3 (off for Bergvall, 76)

Randal Kolo Muani – 5 (off for Tel, 57)

Dominic Solanke – 7

Xavi Simons – 9

Substitutes:

Mathys Tel – 4

Archie Gray – 5

Joao Palhinha – 5

Djed Spence – N/A

Roberto De Zerbi needs to replace Randal Kolo Muani for Tottenham Hotspur if they are to take all three points against Brighton.

Spurs have shown a lot more character and composure in the first half of their clash against Brighton, but with the score level at 1-1, it has amounted to little.

There has still been a distinct lack of threat posed by the hosts in the final third by their forward players, which has been the theme of their season.

Utilising Kolo Muani on the wing has brought very little success in the past, and that has been no different against the Seagulls.

If Tottenham are to seal three points against Brighton, the Frenchman must be replaced.

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Randal Kolo Muani limitations there for everyone to see

Kolo Muani certainly has value in this squad, but very rarely is it brought to fruition when he plays on the wing.

He often lacks the impact required, and that has been no different this time, with the Frenchman having had just 12 touches in the 45 minutes he has played, with almost half of them having arrived in the final few minutes.

To make matters worse, he has also managed to complete just four passes, been dispossessed twice, and failed to create a single chance.

In terms of physicality, Kolo Muani has also won just two of his six duels, with a zero per cent win rate of those in the air.

He is looking increasingly unlikely to be the match-winner for Tottenham, or even to have any real involvement, which could force them into a change at halftime.

Tottenham relegation fears can be subuded with simple change

With Leeds having secured an emphatic victory at home to Wolves, and both West Ham and Forest riding the highs of their recent success, Spurs simply have to win this game.

Anything less than that immediately takes survival out of their hands, and with five games left after this, it’s far from the situation De Zerbi will want.

For him to have dropped Richarlison, who is Tottenham’s top scorer, was a bold decision, and one that may backfire if he doesn’t revert to it for the second half.

The Brazilian poses a significant threat in the final third, and that could be what Spurs need to ensure that they take maximum points from this game.

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Roberto De Zerbi is already in desperate need of a win as Tottenham prepare to face Brighton.

Spurs have named their starting XI to face the Seagulls in the Italian’s second outing as head coach of the North London club.

He didn’t pick up three points in his first game in charge of the Lilywhites and will need to do exactly that to get supporters on side.

Things certainly won’t be easy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the new head coach faces his former side in N17.

Tottenham need to perform against Brighton, but having Lucas Bergvall in from the start may prove to be a mistake.

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Tottenham name starting XI vs Brighton

The Lilywhites were better against Sunderland last time around, but that didn’t translate into a much-needed victory.

The Stadium of Light side secured all three points as they had the better of the chances and got lucky to grab the winning goal.

That luck has been totally missing in North London, and there will be hope that things can finally turn around as Brighton turn up to N17.

Spurs have now named their starting XI to face the Seagulls, with four changes made by De Zerbi from his maiden voyage in charge.

Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Xavi Simons and Kevin Danso have come in for Bergvall, Archie Gray, Richarlison and Cristian Romero, with the alterations largely set to go down well with the home faithful.

Tottenham have work to do against Brighton, but things may be made more difficult with Bergvall starting.

Roberto De Zerbi makes bold Lucas Bergvall call vs Brighton

There wasn’t really anything positive to say about the Sweden international in the defeat away to Sunderland last time around.

The 20-year-old featured across 61 minutes, but completed just seven passes and didn’t create a single chance.

His defensive work didn’t make up for that, considering he failed to complete a single tackle, block or interception at the Stadium of Light.

Bergvall also lost all 11 of his duels as he had a difficult day and one of his most frustrating for the N17 outfit.

Even with all that being the case, he probably deserves to keep his place to prove just how good he can be when given the chance.

He has the ability to make a greater impact in games, something that may be missing in the Brighton clash.

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Kevin Danso may be in line to replace the injured Cristian Romero for Tottenham Hotspur.

Roberto De Zerbi will be looking to do what 12 of their last 13 managers have achieved in North London, which is to win their first game in charge at home.

Ironically, the last manager who failed to do so was Igor Tudor, who saw his Spurs side fall to a 4-1 defeat against Arsenal.

With Brighton up next, the Lilywhites may hold some optimism that they can secure their first league win of the year, though they will have to do it without Romero.

The Argentine suffered a season-ending injury in Tottenham’s defeat to Sunderland last time out, and it may present Danso with a huge opportunity that he must take.

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Roberto De Zerbi must avoid Radu Dragusin howler

De Zerbi will have learned a lot from his frist game in charge of Spurs, including that a midfield three of Archie Gray, Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall doesn’t work.

However, he may well have also learned just how useful Danso may prove to be for their chances of avoiding the drop.

But the same cannot be said for Radu Dragusin, who has been a calamity every time he has stepped onto the pitch for Spurs.

The Romanian ranks among the bottom 6.6 per cent of Premier League defenders for his pass accuracy, while also ranking among the bottom 11 per cent for his duel win rate.

In comparison, Danso has won 65.2 per cent of his duels this season, with a 66.7 per cent win rate in those in the air.

Danso is by far the better option to replace Romero, and the fact that he was the chosen man to replace Romero against Sunderland suggests that De Zerbi has already seen that.

Cristian Romero absence could be a blessing for Tottenham

There’s no shying from the fact that Romero is an exceptional defender, but his attitude has often cost Tottenham.

With Romero now out for the season, and potentially having played his last game for the club, Spurs may have lost a little bit of bite, but also gained a lot more composure.

If given the chance, Danso can show De Zerbi why he must start for the foreseeable future, and potentially even be an integral part of the team next season.

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Tyler Tingey promotion to Tottenham first-team training hints at Roberto De Zerbi influence

Tyler Tingey has been spotted taking part in first-team training at Tottenham Hotspur, as Roberto De Zerbi’s side prepare to take on Brighton.

The youngster signed his first professional contract with the Lilywhites just over a week ago, with his appearance with the first-team squad indicating that De Zerbi could be keen to utilise the youngster at some point before the season’s end.

De Zerbi arrived at the club over the international break, handed the immediate task of dragging Spurs to safety after a dismal term in North London.

The Italian would watch his side fall to defeat on his first day in the dugout, with a deflected Nordi Mukiele strike seeing Sunderland secure a 1-0 victory against Tottenham.

Looking to pick up their first win of 2026, the North London outfit welcome De Zerbi’s former club, Brighton, to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Tyler Tingey involved in Roberto De Zerbi training session

With the nature of the ongoing campaign in mind, Spurs have found it difficult to lean on their academy this season.

While Tottenham have handed plenty of opportunities to players aged 21 and under – Archie Gray, Mathys Tel and Lucas Bergvall – only 26 Premier League minutes have been handed to academy-developed players, with consistent chances hard to come by as the Lilywhites have slumped towards the wrong end of the standings.

All of Callum Olusesi, James Rowswell, Luca Williams-Barnett and Jun’ai Byfield have racked up minutes this term, but this adds up to just 26 in total, while players aged 21 and younger have racked up 99 appearances between them.

This could be set to change, with exciting young defender Tingey spotted in training throughout the week.

Last Friday, it was confirmed that Tingey signed his first professional deal with Spurs, after captaining the Under-16s last season, before progressing to the Under-18 and Under-19 levels this time around.

With Tottenham locked in a relegation battle, they have not been able to hand as many minutes to the youngsters as they would have liked, but new boss De Zerbi will also have to keep an eye on the future of his squad, even as they battle to stay in the top flight.

Roberto De Zerbi will be keeping an eye out during survival battle

If this season has proven anything for Spurs fans, it’s that not even their senior players can be fully trusted to show up when the going gets tough.

On too many occasions, the Lilywhites have not just been outthought, but outfought. leaving them languishing at the wrong end of the standings.

With six matches remaining, De Zerbi is not just in charge of steering Tottenham to safety, but also taking the time to have a long and hard look at just who he can trust moving forward.

There is an excellent young core at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Mikey Moore and Alfie Devine have also impressed out on loan at Rangers and Preston respectively.

And while he is not an academy graduate, the stature of defender Luka Vuskovic continues to grow after his sensational loan spell with Bundesliga outfit Hamburg.

There could be a mass exodus on the cards over the summer, with multiple big names set to leave. But this could be a blessing in disguise as Spurs look to reset the culture completely.

And for De Zerbi, he will take the time to find out just who he wants with him as he looks to kick-start the new era.

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Kevin Danso has reacted to the news of Coventry City’s promotion to the Premier League.

Coventry ended their 25-year wait to return to the Premier League on Friday night with a 1-1 draw at lowly Blackburn Rovers.

And Frank Lampard’s team did it with games to spare, as Coventry capped off a remarkable rise from the doldrums of League Two in 2017-18 to the English top-flight in less than a decade.

Coventry’s Brandon Thomas-Asante was one of many to bask in the glow of their Championship promotion, as the Sky Blues took over Ewood Park.

As Tottenham try to stay in the Premier League for next season, Spurs star Danso congratulated Thomas-Asante and Coventry for their stellar efforts.

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Kevin Danso congratulates Brandon Thomas-Asante

Like Coventry, Thomas-Asante has worked his way up the English Football League to reach this point.

In the early years of his career, he had loan spells in non-league football, before starring at League Two side Salford City – which led to West Brom signing him in 2022.

The 27-year-old headed to Coventry in 2024 and has shone this season, achieving a career-best goalscoring tally in a league campaign (12).

Incidentally, on Saturday morning, the Ghana international wrote in an Instagram post, “Yesterday’s price is not today’s price,” which may have been in reference to the meme featuring rapper Fat Joe.

Among the many commenters, Danso, who was born in Austria to Ghanaian parents, posted three fire emojis in response.

Ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday evening, Danso will hope to be doing his own bit of celebrating for struggling Spurs.

The Roberto De Zerbi derby

After losing his first match in charge at Tottenham, Roberto De Zerbi will hope to disappoint his old side Brighton when they visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs haven’t won in the Premier League since 28 December, two managers (Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank) ago.

Tottenham are closing in on an unwanted record with their current winless run of 14 games, with the north London team currently sitting one place and two points from safety.

De Zerbi is one of Brighton’s most successful managers after leading them into Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

Fabian Hurzeler is now in charge and is also trying to lead them into Europe. If results go their way this weekend, Brighton could be in the top six.

But all the De Zerbi sentimentality will have to be put aside if Tottenham want to end their wretched run of form.

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Tottenham Hotspur have been warned about Roberto De Zerbi‘s reunion with Brighton on Saturday.

Spurs host their new manager’s former side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 17 April, looking to climb out of the relegation zone.

The Lilywhites are in genuine danger of dropping down to the Championship, and the Italian will hope that he can secure victory against his old team.

That would help the N17 outfit massively, as they currently look like the favourites to go down, devoid of confidence or form.

Tottenham desperately need a victory; they can’t afford not to pick up three points.

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What are the dramatic circumstances for Tottenham?

John Wenham believes that Tottenham players can’t lose the importance of the clash, and it is not too big an ask for them to beat the Seagulls.

He thinks that it could be very drastic if they do not win, given the confidence that a victory could give to the side.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “Tottenham have to win, or it is looking more and more impossible to escape from the drop.

“I’m not asking for wins, you know, away at Anfield or Stamford Bridge or the Etihad or the

Emirates.

“I’m asking for wins at home to Brighton, as I was for Crystal Palace, as I was for

Fulham, as I was for Sunderland.

“I’m not asking for miracles, I’m asking for a home win against Brighton that can change

everything for us or have such dramatic consequences if we can’t do it.

“We’ve got enough good players in that team who need to step up and get over the line for us, one win would change so much for us, for the confidence, for the ability of the players.

“If we could beat Brighton, imagine the confidence we’d have to then go to Wolves and, suddenly, we’re not on 30 points, we’re on 36, but we’ve got to do it, we’ve got to actually deliver and do it.

“We’re running out of opportunities to do it, and the next big opportunity comes tomorrow, we absolutely must win.”

What does the form table say?

Brighton are top of the form table in the Premier League, with five wins from their last six matches.

Meanwhile, Spurs are dead last, with five losses and one draw in that time frame, which suggests it is not an easy task by any means.

However, they need to come out with something positive from the contest, that is the bare minimum, given what is at stake.

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Roberto De Zerbi will be delighted to see Stuart Attwell refereeing Tottenham Hotspur against Brighton on Saturday, as Spurs have an excellent record with him in the middle.

Tottenham a throwing a De Zerbi reunion party in N17 this Saturday, as he welcomes one of his former employers in Brighton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, there won’t be much of a party feel inside the ground come kick-off, as Spurs fans are pretty fed up with this team at the moment, and just want to see three points no matter what.

That’s going to be easier said than done though, as Brighton are in excellent form in the Premier League at the moment, with five wins from their last six.

Tottenham are 14-matches without a win in the league, which is the second longest in the football club’s history, and so they’ll take a good omen of a victory wherever they can find one heading into the weekend.

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What is Tottenham’s record with Stuart Attwell as referee?

Brighton are favourites to beat Tottenham for fairly understandable reasons, with Fabian Hurzeler’s side the in-form team in the division right now.

The two sides played out a 2-2 draw at the AMEX back in September last year, and whilst that wouldn’t be the worst result in the world for Spurs this time round, three points would be a whole lot better.

So, with the odds stacked against Tottenham against the Seagulls, any nugget of hope is worth holding on to ahead of Saturday.

And, in Attwell’s refereeing record in Tottenham games, Spurs fans and De Zerbi have found one.

That’s because of the 25 times Attwell has taken charge of Spurs matches, the Lilywhites have won 16 times, with only five defeats and four draws.

His very first Tottenham game in which he took charge of came all the way back in December 2009, when he oversaw a 1-0 loss to Wolves in the Premier League.

Remarkably, Spurs went on a seven-game winning run with Attwell as referee between February 2022 to January 2025, which included their League Cup semi-final first leg victory over Liverpool last year.

Since then, however, Tottenham have failed to win their last to with Sunday’s referee in charge, with a defeat to Fulham on matchday 13 of this season followed by a 1-1 draw with Sunderland on 4 January this year.

What is Brighton’s record with Attwell as referee?

Heading over to Tottenham’s opposition then for this Saturday, do Brighton have a similarly strong record with Attwell when he’s refereed their games?

Well, it’s not bad, but it’s certainly not as good as Spurs’, with the Seagulls winning 13, drawing seven and losing 10 of their 30 matches with him in the middle.

He’s also shown Brighton players five total yellow cards in that time, whereas he’s never produced a single card of that colour to any Tottenham player, as per Transfermarkt.

Albion have also lost their last three-straight with Attwell as referee, with their last win under his watch coming against Bournemouth in November 2024.

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Tottenham’s bad luck continues as Crystal Palace stars suffer injuries ahead of West Ham showdown

Tottenham Hotspur‘s bad luck seems to be continuing after two key Crystal Palace players suffered injuries ahead of a Premier League clash with lowly West Ham.

Since Roberto De Zerbi was appointed as Tottenham’s new head coach last month, not much has gone right for Spurs.

Before his first game in charge, Mohammed Kudus suffered an injury setback after being sidelined since early January with a quad problem. And in the 1-0 loss to Sunderland, Cristian Romero picked up a knee injury of his own.

That is in addition to being without the likes of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, and more.

As Tottenham hope for some more positive injury news, some less favourable updates have emerged at Palace as Spurs cling on for any positives over their rivals.

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Advantage West Ham over Tottenham

Tottenham haven’t won in the league since 28 December, with their current 14-game winless run their worst stretch since 1935.

That spell, which has seen Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor dismissed, has seen an injury-hit Spurs fall to 18th in the Premier League, two points behind West Ham in 17th.

With six games to go, Tottenham need everything to go their way. One downside for Spurs was that Palace have just a few days to recover from their Conference League exploits away at Fiorentina on Thursday.

The Eagles went through to the last four but ended up losing defender Maxence Lacroix and midfielder Adam Wharton to injury in the first half.

Both played a key role in Palace’s FA Cup success last season, with the pair among a contingent of vital players for Oliver Glasner’s team.

Naturally, many Tottenham fans have despaired at this turn of events as Palace’s chances of beating a much fresher West Ham take a hit on Monday evening.

Moreover, striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta did not return for the second half after starting ahead of Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Palace have won three of their last five league games, but this is a big blow for the south London outfit and maybe an even bigger one for Tottenham.

Tottenham seek unwanted history

Tottenham are the only Premier League side without a win in 2026, drawing five and losing nine from 14 matches.

Their current run is nearly as bad as Swindon Town in 1993 (15), Sunderland in 2003 (17), and Derby County in 2008 (18).

To make matters worse for Tottenham, all three of those teams were relegated in those respective campaigns.

Tottenham’s wretched run is one of the worst in the club’s storied history. Many pundits keep saying Spurs will stay up, just maybe because of the size of the north London outfit.

But at this rate, they seemed destined to go down. They need inspiration and fast.

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