Roberto De Zerbi did not hide his frustration after Tottenham's 0-1 defeat to Leeds in Leeds vs Tottenham. He said Spurs “didn’t play like a top team” and blamed the second half for the result.
De Zerbi's verdict on Spurs
“I’m sorry for the result, but first of all, I’m sorry for the performance in the second half,” De Zerbi said after the game. He went further in his assessment, adding: “We didn’t play like a top team, we played without the right spirit, the right character, the right physicality in the duels.”
The criticism lands against a side that had been on a three-game winning streak and were looking to make it four in a row for the first time in more than 1,000 days. Tottenham are ninth in the Premier League on 12 points after nine games, so this was not a collapse from the top of the table, but it was still a sharp step back from a decent run.
De Zerbi also refused to pin the result on officiating. “No, I have big confidence in the referee,” he said, and on VAR: “Nothing changes if he goes to watch the clip or not. I think there was the VAR, and if they didn’t take the right decision, I don’t know. But we have confidence, we have to keep our eyes on the performance where we can improve.”
Leeds made the most of the late moment
The match was decided by Noah Okafor's winner, with sources describing it as arriving either after 79 minutes or with just over 10 minutes left. However it is timed, the effect was the same, Leeds took the points and Spurs left Elland Road with De Zerbi’s harshest public criticism of the season so far.
Leeds' home form has been steady enough to support the result, and the win keeps their league position moving in the right direction. Tottenham, meanwhile, will have to answer a much more basic question after this one, whether the second-half standard they produced at Elland Road is repeatable against better opposition.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
