The Roberto De Zerbi derby was Tottenham Hotspur’s latest attempt to try secure their first league win of 2026 and somehow stave off relegation. With Spurs hosting De Zerbi’s old side Brighton & Hove Albion in North London, the visitors brought some cracking form into this match, pushing for Europe, while Spurs’ survival struggles indicated the likelihood of the Lilywhites taking anything from this match was extremely low.
Spurs’ dire situation was exacerbated by further injuries, with captain Cristian
Romero confirmed out for the season; they were buoyed though by the return of Rodrigo Bentancur and the even more surprising appearance of James Maddison on the bench. De Zerbi rung the changes after the loss to Sunderland, with four changes to the starting XI. Kevin Danso came in for Romero in a straight swap, while De Zerbi opted for a new-look midfield pairing in Bentancur and Yves Bissouma. The mercurial Xavi Simons got his first start under the Italian manager, starting in place of Richarlison.
The first half began as a dull affair. Spurs looked like a blunt instrument in possession, while Brighton took time to warm into the match. The home side could have had a penalty midway through the first stanza, as a ball played into the left channel from a set piece opportunity found Destiny Udogie, who went down in Brighton’s box with Yakuba Minteh all over his back. Instead of pointing to the spot, the referee waved the appeals away as the home crowd protested. That moment seemed to be something of a catalyst as the match then kicked into life. Brighton had a dramatic moment of their own, as a cross from the right by Minteh was headed back across the face of goal by Jack Hinshelwood. With Danny Welbeck bearing down on the ball, Micky van de Ven slid in to clear, hitting his own post as the ball ricocheted back out, off the defender, and back across the face of goal in the other direction, somehow not creeping over the goal line.
Spurs didn’t let that moment discourage them, and soon opened the scoring. Xavi Simons picked up the ball in the half-space on the left and turned inside, before chipping an inch-perfect pass towards the penalty spot. Bart Verbruggen reacted late to come and punch as Pedro Porro ghosted through the center and leaped high to place a glancing header past the Dutch goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Porro pumped the badge on his chest and ran to the crowd as he celebrated a rare goal with the Spurs faithful.
The scoreline could have been 2-0 soon after, as Spurs somehow conspired to not score from a fantastic opportunity. The Lilywhites broke forward, with Xavi Simons cutting inside to shoot from point-blank range. He seemed guaranteed to score but instead hit the post, as Verbruggen palmed Porro’s follow-up attempt over the bar. Brighton then punished Spurs’ profligacy right before the half came to a close, as Kaoru Mitoma, who came on as a first-half substitute for the injured Diego Gomez, struck with a stunning volley. As with Brighton’s earlier chance, the cross came in from the right and Mitoma was open at the back post as Porro was dragged centrally, with the Japanese attacker caressing the ball first time into the top corner and ensuring the sides went into the break one apiece.
Both sides probed for an opening as the second half kicked off. With seemingly no breakthrough incoming, De Zerbi was aggressive with his substitutions, with one almost making an instant impact: Xavi Simons played a one-two with Bentancur’s replacement Joao Palhinha, with Xavi unable to make the most of the opening before the ball came to Palhinha at the top of the box. His attempt was deflected, with Verbruggen moreso letting the ball strike him than making a save, as the ball could have gone anywhere.
With both sides still searching for a winner, more substitutions followed before Simons put Spurs into the lead in stunning fashion. Smart pressing from Bergvall robbed Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke of possession, before Xavi cut inside Mats Wieffer and unleashed a rocket of a shot off the post – this time with the ball bouncing into the net. With the North London crowd in raptures, Xavi tore off his shirt and celebrated with them in a rare moment of joy for Spurs fans.
That joy was short-lived. Brighton continued to pile on the pressure, exacerbated by Simons beginning to struggle with cramp, leaving Spurs short-handed in defense. Eventually, they cracked. Van Hecke this time played pickpocket, stealing in behind Kevin Danso and nicking the ball when the Austrian center back should have been more aware. He cut it back to Georginio Rutter, who placed his strike into the top right and locking in a 2-2 scoreline.
Reactions
- From joy to exasperation to joy to despair. This match was a rollercoaster for my emotions. The wait goes on for a win.
- Spurs should have won this contest. They were the better side for long chunks of the match, and had several chances to increase their lead. They didn’t, and Brighton made them pay.
- How many goals have Spurs conceded this season due to a player just clocking off and doing something dumb? Well, today that player was Kevin Danso.
- Xavi Simons. Play that man.
- Credit to De Zerbi: he got things mostly right today. I was a fan of his subs as well; though arguably he could / should have saved the third substitution window for later in the match. Being able to pull Xavi when he started cramping might have helped Spurs weather some of the pressure.
- I hate to complain about the refereeing – but it feels like every match report I write I am anyway. That’s no different today, as Atwell was horrendous. There was no consistency as to what was called and not, what was carded and not, and I dunno man… that challenge in the first half by Minteh on Udogie sure felt like a penalty.
- Another good performance by Kinsky. It’s really nice to see him grow in confidence.
- The way Spurs were set up today seemed to work for Gallagher. Having some more controlled players alongside him allowed him to press and embrace a bit of chaos. He’s not a penalty area dribbler though, no matter how much he seems to want to be.
- Is relegation guaranteed now? It sure feels like it.
- COYS!
