Roberto De Zerbi has insisted Tottenham Hotspur can still avoid relegation despite being denied victory by an injury-time equaliser from his former club Brighton. Georginio Rutter's strike extended Spurs' winless run to 15 matches, after goals from Pedro Porro and Xavi Simons had twice given the north London side the lead.
The draw left Tottenham in the bottom three, a point behind West Ham United, who travel to Crystal Palace on Monday night. Nottingham Forest, one point ahead of the Hammers, host Burnley on Sunday. De Zerbi, while disappointed with the result, was encouraged by his side's performance and made the bold claim that they could win their remaining five matches.
"I always thought and believed in the quality of the players. In this moment we need this spirit, this attitude, this mentality. It's not finished yet," the Spurs head coach said. "Every one of us knows it's a tough moment, it's a difficult situation. Now it's difficult to hear my words. But if you watch the players, if you analyse the level of the players, I think we can win five games in a row."
De Zerbi dismissed any suggestion that his players were dejected after conceding so late, demanding they remain positive. "They have to follow me and not think and listen to me," he said. "They have to be stronger and come to the training ground on Monday afternoon with a smile, because otherwise they go home immediately. I have no time to see negative people, to see sad players or sad assistants."
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler, who succeeded De Zerbi in 2024, compared Kaoru Mitoma's equaliser to Marco van Basten's famous volley in the 1988 European Championship final. The 33-year-old backed Tottenham to escape relegation, saying: "I think they have unbelievable players in their squad. They have in their front line players who can make a difference in one action."
