Tottenham Hotspur finally escaped the nightmare named the 2025-2026 season. In a moment that seemed close to the abyss of relegation, Roberto De Zerbi and his students pulled Spurs back to earth with a 1-0 victory over Everton in the final round of the Premier League.
The final whistle sounded at Tottenham Hotspur's stadium as if relieving all the pressure that had been suppressed for months. Spurs players celebrated Joao Palhinha's decisive goal as if they had just won the Premier League, although in reality it was only their third home win in the whole season. And more importantly, the relegation ticket.
That is a feeling of extreme relief for a club that was once considered a permanent member of the "Big Six" group but had to enter the final round with the worry of relegation.
However, behind those celebrations is a series of questions that Tottenham's leadership is forced to face. Two consecutive seasons ranked 17th clearly cannot be considered successful, even when they just escaped the disaster at the last minute.
Spurs' season is a series of prolonged chaotic days. After winning the Europa League last year, Tottenham entered the new season with high expectations under Thomas Frank and an investment of more than 220 million pounds. But everything quickly collapsed due to injuries, crisis of confidence and instability in recruitment work.
Frank was sacked in February. Igor Tudor was appointed but failed after only 44 days in power. Finally, Roberto De Zerbi appeared as a "firefighter" in the period when Spurs were nearing the brink.
No longer with grandiose speeches or harsh pressure, De Zerbi chose to revive the team's spirit with encouragement and belief. And the "Roosters" responded.
Right from the beginning of the match against Everton, Tottenham played with a rare determination. Joao Palhinha - who saved Spurs with a late goal against Wolves in April - continues to become a hero.
In the 38th minute, the Portuguese midfielder headed the ball against the post and quickly rebounded, sending the ball past the goal line by a hair's breadth. Goal-line technology confirmed the goal, and the whole stadium exploded.
That was not a beautiful goal, but a priceless moment for Tottenham. They then played very worriedly in the second half, especially when they knew West Ham was leading Leeds United 3-0 in the match at the same time. However, the defense with Kevin Danso, Pedro Porro and goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky stood firm against the late-match pressure from Everton.
When the referee blew the final whistle after 9 minutes of breathless added time, many Spurs players collapsed on the field and burst into tears. Some fans began singing "We are staying up" - a song that was considered taboo for Tottenham fans for many years.
This is not a celebration of a winning team, but a feeling of survival after a chaotic and hurtful season. Tottenham has stayed in the league. But after all, more importantly, they must find a way to never fall into this situation again.
We need top-class players, because we have endured too much. I have endured a lot but fans, clubs, boards of directors and even players have also endured too much.
We are Tottenham and cannot stand this way, we have to wait until the last seconds of the final match to know if we can stay in the league or not" - De Zerbi shared.
