Two relegations delayed by bumbling Spurs as Simons’ saviour moment wasted by team-mate | OneFootball

It was a stark, painfully revealing quote. But it was not difficult to see why Roberto De Zerbi purposely downgraded himself from his position as the third best-paid coach in the Premier League to that of glorified cheerleader and psychologist.

This is why “the target now is to win one game”, why a Champions League club has to “work on one win”, why the Europa League winners are being promised by their newly-appointed firefighter that “if we are able to win a game everything will change”.

The opportunity to witness that change remains elusive. Spurs, again, were much improved under De Zerbi. Spurs, again, could not translate that into a victory. Spurs, again, wilted when the chance was there to transform their season.

In the circumstances, there could hardly have been a more crushing result. Spurs have lost 20 games this season and likely not felt as dejected as after a home draw in which they led twice, enjoyed an emotional release of shirt-removing magnitude and held on for dear life until the 95th minute.

Spurs would have risen to 16th with those three points, even if only temporarily. Nottingham Forest hosting Burnley and West Ham travelling to a Crystal Palace side which was on the lash Just Days Before their Monday evening game made this a potentially ruinous weekend for their hopes of survival.

And for a time they rose to that occasion. Spurs had by far the better start, took a deserved lead through Pedro Porro and hit the post almost immediately after.

It was the first time Spurs had been ahead in a Premier League game since March 5, when they conceded within six minutes of taking the lead against Palace and eventually lost 3-1. They held on for four before Brighton equalised through a stunning Kaoru Mitoma volley.

A finish of exquisite quality, it nevertheless was only made possible by the amount of space afforded to Pascal Gross as he swung in a pinpoint delivery to the back post; only Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kevin de Bruyne have more Premier League assists than the German since he made his Brighton debut, so it might have been an idea to close him down a little.

That was Brighton’s second shot of the game. Three more followed early in the second half but Spurs sustained the pressure and eventually offered the perfect response.

“He has to score, he has to make assists and he has to run without the ball,” De Zerbi said of Simons in his pre-match press conference, with the Dutchman ticking each box here. His lofted ball in for Pedro was sublime, his curling finish off the post to Spurs ahead was exemplary, and there was enough running to induce cramp for the final ten minutes or so as his side tried to close the result out.

Simons might still prove to be a £52m bargain. He also might be playing Lincoln and Stevenage in the league next season, because still in 2026, one Premier League win is a mountain Spurs cannot climb.

Brighton’s second stoppage-time equaliser was devastating. Jan Paul van Hecke atoned for his error in losing the ball for Spurs’ second by muscling out Kevin Danso – who inexplicably took a touch to control Yankuba Minteh’s cross instead of simply clearing the ball – before turning and playing in the largely goalless Georginio Rutter to finish exquisitely.

Neither he nor Mitoma had scored for Brighton since January; that both of their most recent goals at club level had come against Burnley was fitting. Spurs are a relegation team and belong in such company.

Burnley, of course, have won this year. Wolves, too, with this result merely postponing their drop to the Championship. They would have been down had Spurs won, but such an outcome doesn’t actually appear to be possible any more.