Tottenham Hotspur continuously encountered bad luck. They seemed to have their first victory in the Premier League after 111 days, before Georginio Rutter's equalizer in the 90+5 minute helped Brighton draw 2-2. This result made Spurs continue to be in the relegation group.
The atmosphere after the match was extremely heavy. Kevin Danso - who could not clear the ball decisively, creating conditions for Jan Paul van Hecke to steal the ball and assist Rutter - fell to the ground. Pedro Porro was also like that. Xavi Simons, who put Spurs ahead in the 77th minute, almost burst into tears. Dominic Solanke left the field with a distraught face. In the stands, the camera recorded images of a Spurs fan bursting into tears, not believing what had just happened.
This is another strong blow to Tottenham's turbulent season. There is not much time left to correct mistakes, as they have to wait for the results of Nottingham Forest and West Ham United to determine the gap with the safe group.
Spurs' unbeaten streak has extended to 15. In Premier League history, only Derby County (18 matches, 2007-2008 season) and Sunderland (17 matches, 2002-2003 season) had a worse start to the year - and both were relegated.
This became even more bitter when Tottenham lost the advantage in injury time of both halves against Brighton - a team that played resiliently and deserved points.
Coach Roberto De Zerbi still maintains a positive view before the upcoming away match at Wolves' stadium.
The players have to listen to me. I am proud of their performance. They need to be stronger, fully focused on the next match and come to the training ground with a positive spirit.
I don't have time for negativity. We are working at a big club, playing in the Premier League. We have enough qualities to win" - the Tottenham captain emphasized.
Despite the result, Spurs' performance still brought some hope. The return of Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison contributed to creating positive spirit. On the field, the players showed clear cohesion.
Tottenham even took the lead twice. Kaoru Mitoma equalized 1-1 for Brighton, before Simons scored to increase the score to 2-1 with a beautiful shot.
But once again, they could not preserve the advantage. Danso's mistake created an opportunity for Van Hecke to assist Rutter to seal the score 2-2. Although the result was not as desired, this was still one of Spurs' best performances this season. Therefore, De Zerbi believes that the team still has a chance.
We have 5 more matches, 15 points left. It sounds unbelievable, but with this squad quality, we can completely win all 5 matches" - De Zerbi added.
However, reality is still very harsh. Tottenham continues to close a round without a win. When the season is only 5 matches away, the big question is how many more shocks they can endure before the risk of relegation becomes a reality.
