Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi believes his team can win all of their remaining five games to remain in the Premier League.
Spurs suffered a heartbreak in stoppage time and drew 2-2 at home to Brighton, leaving them in the bottom three.
Georginio Rutter’s 95th-minute equalizer denied Spurs their first league win of 2026 and De Zerbi’s first win.
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Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Tottenham vs. Brighton
Former Spurs defender Michael Dawson told Sky Sports the draw “felt like a defeat” but left Tottenham with a safe one point with five games in hand.
But despite daunting struggles, including trips to London rivals Chelsea and Champions League-chasing Aston Villa, De Zerbi feels his team can maintain their Premier League standing status with a run of five wins.
“I always believe in the quality of the players. They played a good game. I think they can play better than today, with more quality, more composure, especially when they have the ball, but in this moment, we need this spirit, this attitude, this mentality, and it’s not over yet,” he said at the post-match press conference.
“We have five games left – we all know it’s a tough, tough moment, a difficult situation – but we have five games left and we have 15 points and this team can win five games in a row.
“It’s hard to hear my words right now, but if you look at the players and analyze their level, I think we can win five games in a row.
“We must not be arrogant, especially now because we are not arrogant, but we have enough qualities to fight and win back-to-back games.”
De Zerbi: “Those who behave negatively will be sent home immediately.”
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Georginio Rutter scored a late equalizer for Brighton in the Premier League against Tottenham.
Spurs’ next game is all but relegated Wolves, and a win is essential for De Zerbi as Tottenham travel to the bottom of the Premier League next Saturday.
But the Italian has no time for negativity ahead of the trip to Molineux, insisting anyone who attends training with the wrong attitude will be “sent straight home”.
Asked how he must lift his players ahead of next weekend, the Italian answered: “No, they have to follow me, they don’t have to think, they have to follow me and listen to me.”
“I’m proud of their performance. They have to get stronger and just focus on the Wolverhampton game and come to the training ground on Monday afternoon with a smile on their face, because otherwise they’ll go straight away. I don’t have time for negative people, sad players, sad assistants. No.
“We are lucky because we work in big clubs, big stadiums and in the Premier League. We have the right qualities to win games, so we have to be positive because we don’t like people who cry or think negatively.”
De Zerbi points to positives – but time and hope are running out for Spurs
Peter Smith of Sky Sports:
Now is not the time for small progress or signs of encouragement.
Tottenham are in desperate need of a big boost to bring about change. And time is running out.
This might be it. Xavi Simmons’ stunning curling goal felt like a turning point. His wild celebration, which involved jubilant Spurs fans, appeared to be the starting point.
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Xavi Simmons scored a fantastic goal in the Premier League against Brighton to put Tottenham back in the lead.
But Georginio Rutter’s last-gasp leveler dashed those hopes. Spurs sat on the floor, their players lying on the pitch. This will take some time. Perhaps this was the limit for Spurs’ survival in the Premier League.
Roberto De Zerbi is understandably able to draw positives from Spurs’ performance in their first home game. He can praise the support the fans have given him. It is natural to ask the players not to get upset over a draw that feels like a loss.
But in reality, Spurs’ survival prospects are worsening.
Earn points? Yes. But there’s one less game they have to win to make a big difference.
They have failed to win any of their last five Premier League games in which they have taken the lead. They haven’t tasted victory in 2026. No matter what this team does right now, they can’t get over the line.
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Pedro Polo scores Tottenham’s first goal in the Premier League against Brighton
So how can we be confident going into a match with Champions League-chasing Aston Villa away, in-form Leeds at home and big rivals Chelsea, who could be a nightmare at Stamford Bridge?
Spurs will spend another week in the relegation zone, but the gap to safety could widen even further by next Saturday’s game against Wolves, with Forest having two games to play before then and West Ham taking on Monday Night Football.
De Zerbi made improvements. As he says, there is a quality to these ranks. However, this team has deep-rooted issues that have held them back for a long time. After this recent hammer blow, it is now a big challenge to change the situation in time to restore this club’s Premier League status.
