adminTottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi urges Leeds United to ‘play like this against West Ham’ as Premier League relegation scrap hots up
This season’s relegation battle is shaping up to be a nail-biter, with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United both fighting to avoid the drop from the Premier League.
West Ham suffered a controversial 1-0 defeat to league leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with Leandro Trossard’s second-half goal settling the contest in east London.
The Hammers thought they had snatched a late equalizer when Callum Wilson scored in injury time. But those celebrations were cut short after a VAR review ruled out the goal, as Pablo was deemed to have fouled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya during the corner.
The result leaves Nuno Espirito Santo’s side stuck in the relegation zone, just one point behind rivals Spurs, who hosted Leeds United on Monday night.
Tottenham took the lead early in the second half through Mathys Tel. However, the Frenchman then found himself at the center of a controversial moment at the other end. Attempting an overhead kick to clear the ball, he caught Leeds midfielder Ethan Ampadu on the head. After being sent to the pitchside monitor by referee Jarred Gillett, a penalty was awarded, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted confidently from the spot.
Leeds came close to snatching a win late on when Antonin Kinsky tipped a Sean Longstaff shot onto the crossbar. Meanwhile, Spurs appealed for a late penalty after James Maddison returned from injury and appeared to be challenged by Lukas Nmecha, but Gillett waved away the claims following a quick VAR check as the match ended 1-1.
Despite Spurs failing to capitalize on home advantage, manager Roberto De Zerbi insisted his side “deserve” to stay in the Premier League.
“We deserve to stay up and we fight until the end,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports after Monday’s stalemate. “When you fight relegation, you need to stay strong not with the legs but with the head.”
Leeds’ top-flight safety was already guaranteed by West Ham’s loss to Arsenal on Sunday, thanks to the Yorkshire side’s resilient display in the capital.
‘Play like this against West Ham’
Leeds could play a major role in the relegation outcome, as they face Brighton at home next weekend before traveling to the London Stadium to take on West Ham on the final day. De Zerbi took the opportunity to urge Leeds to “play like this against West Ham” when the two meet later this month.
“We played a good game, not great, but there was huge pressure. We weren’t calm,” the Italian said. “We wanted to win immediately. In the end, we have to fight until the end of the season. Leeds played well. We hope they play like this against West Ham because it’s only right.
“We didn’t play well, but fighting relegation is like this—you can’t play every game calmly. We have to improve and change our habits. Fighting relegation is different from fighting for the Champions League.”
De Zerbi also refused to blame Tel for conceding the penalty, adding: “I feel sorry for the penalty we gave away because Mathys Tel scored a great goal. He’s very young, and it’s not a problem for me. I’m happy with his attitude and mentality.”
Referee ‘not in the right condition’
Asked about the late penalty appeal involving Maddison, De Zerbi said he did not “want to speak” about the incident.
“I don’t know. I think the referee was not in the right condition today,” the Spurs boss said. “Maybe he wasn’t calm enough. Nothing to do with the result—I didn’t see the Maddison situation. Yesterday in West Ham vs Arsenal, it was tough for everyone, maybe for the referee as well. I don’t want to speak about the Maddison penalty. I didn’t see it.”
Spurs travel to Chelsea next before closing out the season at home against Everton.
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