Player Ratings: Cristian Romero struggles as Spurs are held by Sunderland | OneFootball

Player Ratings: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Sunderland

Tottenham Hotspur were pegged back late by Sunderland, drawing 1-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after a largely one sided first half gave way to a more complicated, less controlled second. It was a match that swung on personality, momentum, and in one case, an 80th minute equaliser from Brian Brobbey that left Spurs with more questions than points.

The hosts started like a side keen to banish the memory of recent frustrations. Pedro Porro was fizzing deliveries into the box, Rodrigo Bentancur was snapping into duels, and the press, coordinated by Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert, hummed with intent. When Ben Davies pounced on a rebound to score his first goal since December 2023, the script felt reassuringly familiar, a tidy early foothold, a lead earned, a crowd engaged.

But football, as ever, has a habit of mocking tidy narratives. Spurs captain Cristian Romero endured another difficult afternoon, a mix of positional lapses and technical misjudgements that will irritate Thomas Frank, the current Tottenham Hotspur manager, who is building a team around control, composure, and structure. Sunderland, sharper and braver after the interval, steadily found a route back into the contest before Brobbey fired home to level matters late on.

Photo: IMAGO

Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings

Guglielmo Vicario 6

Pedro Porro 7

Cristian Romero 4

Micky Van de Ven 6

Ben Davies 8

Rodrigo Bentancur 8

Archie Gray 7

Wilson Odobert 7

Mohammed Kudus 6

Mathys Tel 8

Richarlison 6

Sunderland Player Ratings

Robin Roefs 8

Lutsharel Geertruida 7

Nordi Mukiele 7

Omar Alderete 7

Dennis Cirkin 6

Trai Hume 7

Granit Xhaka 6

Enzo Le Fee 6

Simon Adingra 6

Elizer Mayenda 6

Brian Bobbey 8