Defiant De Zerbi: Tottenham 'Not Finished Yet' Despite Brighton Stalemate

Spurs stuck in drop zone after Brighton draw, but De Zerbi calls for belief  

Roberto De Zerbi insists Tottenham can still beat the drop after a 2-2 draw with Brighton left them 18th. Georginio Rutter’s late equaliser cancelled out Xavi Simons’ stunner as Spurs’ winless league run stretched back to December.

Tottenham remain in the Premier League relegation zone after a draw with Brighton at home...

A defiant Roberto De Zerbi insisted Tottenham are “not finished yet” despite a frustrating 2-2 draw with Brighton on Saturday that left them stuck in the Premier League relegation zone.

Spurs went ahead twice in front of a fired-up home crowd, and Xavi Simons’ brilliant strike in the 77th minute looked to have secured a vital three points as the clock ran down.

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi said his team are "not finished yet" despite a frustrating 2-2 draw with Brighton on Saturday that kept them stuck in the Premier League relegation zone.

Spurs led twice in front of a vocal home crowd, and Xavi Simons’ superb 77th-minute strike looked to have sealed a vital three points as time wound down.

But the wild celebrations from fans turned to disbelief when Georginio Rutter tucked away a late equaliser to ensure the points were shared at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The result leaves Spurs 18th in the Premier League, one point adrift of West Ham and two behind Nottingham Forest with five games left to play.

The threat of a first relegation since 1977 is now very real for last season’s Europa League winners, who Deloitte ranks as the ninth richest club in the world.

“It's not finished yet, we have another five games, it's tough,” he said.

“Everyone of us knows it's a tough moment, it's a difficult situation, but we have another five games, 15 points.

“And this team is able to win five games in a row.”

The Italian called on his players, who looked devastated at full time, to keep faith in him.

“I'm proud of their performance, they have to be stronger and to be focused just on the Wolverhampton game (next week).

“And to come to the training ground on Monday afternoon with a smile, because otherwise they go home immediately.

“I have no time to see negative people, to see sad players or sad assistants. No, we are lucky because we are working in a big club, a big stadium, we are working in the Premier League.”

After the trip to Wolves, Spurs still have games against Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea and Everton to come.

The squad is full of quality, but despite De Zerbi’s optimism, their survival hopes are looking more and more bleak.

Spurs’ Winless Slide

Tottenham have forgotten how to win in the league, going without a victory since December.

To make matters worse, Forest - who host relegation-bound Burnley on Sunday - and West Ham - who travel to Crystal Palace a day later - are consistently grinding out crucial points.

Leeds beat Wolves 3-0 on Saturday and are now eight points clear of the drop.

De Zerbi, appointed earlier this month as Tottenham’s third head coach of the campaign, faces an extremely tough job despite the encouraging signs shown against Brighton.

But he urged his players to keep the faith and play with courage.

It ends level in N17. pic.twitter.com/5UiNvh211R

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 18, 2026

“Now we need courage, now we need to win the game and to win the game we have to be positive and to play football with the ball and not stay just to defend 11 players and going counter-attack,” he said.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, who is pushing for a European place next season, believes the London club still have enough quality to stay up.

“They have unbelievable players in their squad,” he said. “They have in their front line players who can make a difference with one action, and that's what they showed today.”

Roberto De Zerbi reflects on our draw against Brighton 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/1hdKJdRtpP

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 18, 2026

“Therefore, I think they have enough quality in their squad to make it happen.”