Roberto De Zerbi could only watch in stunned silence. The Italian had been a crucible of emotions as Tottenham tried to hold out against his former club after Xavi Simons scored the goal that looked like ending their long wait for a victory. But football is capable of providing the cruellest twists and Georginio Rutter’s late equaliser must have felt like a dagger to the heart for the Spurs fans.
The draw leaves Tottenham still in the relegation zone having still failed to record a win in 2026 and the prospect of this magnificent stadium hosting Championship football next season is growing by the minute. Having arranged a special team-bonding meal at a swanky Mayfair restaurant this week, De Zerbi promised to take his team out for more expensive dinners if they delivered in his first home match.
But despite a much-improved performance as his side twice led through Pedro Porro and then Simons, Kaoru Mitoma’s latest wonder goal pegged them back before Rutter delivered the killer blow in the fifth minute of injury time.
The home supporters had certainly played their part before kick off by creating a sea of blue and white flags when the teams emerged from the tunnel and the stadium announcer also tried his best to whip up the atmosphere. “We’re Tottenham Hotspur for goodness sake. Let’s get out of this together,” he urged.
In many ways Brighton were the worst possible opponents they could have faced. While Fabian Hürzeler had to watch from the stands as he completed a touchline ban, his team arrived having won five of their past six matches, as the German has responded brilliantly to a poor run at the start of the year when his future looked under threat. Yet another example of how quickly things can change in football, the 33-year-old is now thought to be in line for a contract extension in the summer.
De Zerbi had been coy about whether Simons would start after leaving him on the bench against Sunderland but named the Dutch forward on the left side of his attack, with Conor Gallagher handed a more advanced role than of late. The return of James Maddison to the bench after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a pre-season tour to South Korea was another reason for the Spurs fans to feel optimistic.
Their side certainly gave it plenty of huff and puff at the start, although it took until the 20th minute for them to create a decent sight of goal. Simons’ shot was deflected out for a corner by Mitoma in his first act after replacing Diego Gómez when he fell awkwardly and Randal Kolo Muani fired over the bar after Brighton had failed to clear.
It seemed like it might be their afternoon just after the half hour mark when Yankuba Minteh picked out Jack Hinshelwood at the far post and Micky van de Ven – captain in the absence of the injured Cristian Romero – smacked a clearance against his own post. Somehow it deflected away to safety. Antonin Kinsky then saved from Danny Welbeck’s header and De Zerbi must have feared what was coming.
But it was Tottenham who found the breakthrough when Porro caught his marker Mitoma napping and was able to beat Bart Verbruggen to a teasing cross from Simons and cue wild celebrations. Simons should have doubled their lead almost immediately after being set up by Dominic Solanke’s weighted pass, only for his effort to strike the post before Verbruggen saved brilliantly from Porro on the rebound. The significance of that became clear when Mitoma, who Hürzeler acknowledged has been a frustrated substitute in recent weeks, showed immaculate skill to side foot a volley past Kinsky at his near post from an excellent cross by the ageless Pascal Gross. You could feel the deflation spreading around the ground when the ball hit the back of the net.
Not even seven minutes of the second half had passed when De Zerbi showed his growing frustration by bouncing out of his technical area for the umpteenth occasion. He received a booking for his troubles.
João Palhinha almost got lucky just after coming off the bench when his shot deflected off Welbeck’s knee but Verbruggen was able to adjust himself to make the save. The Brighton goalkeeper could not do anything about the shot from Simons that arrowed into the top corner after Lucas Bergvall robbed the ball from Jan Paul van Hecke. But it was Rutter who had the last laugh.