Roberto de Zerbi’s tenure at Tottenham Hotspur has begun in the worst possible fashion, with the Italian suffering a 1-0 loss at Sunderland that leaves the north London club firmly entrenched in the Premier League’s bottom three.
The defeat at the Stadium of Light means Spurs remain two points adrift of West Ham United, who secured a comfortable 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday evening.
De Zerbi was appointed following Igor Tudor’s dismissal after a mere 44 days in charge, yet the new manager could not arrest the alarming slide that has seen Tottenham fail to secure a single league triumph throughout 2026.
The decisive moment arrived when Nordi Mukiele struck a shot from twenty yards that deflected heavily off Micky van de Ven, leaving goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky with no chance of making a save.
Tottenham remain in the relegation zone after they lost to Sunderland in Roberto De Zerbi’s first game
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Spurs’ misfortune deepened when captain Cristian Romero was forced off injured, the Argentine defender left in tears after being pushed into his own goalkeeper by Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey.
Whilst De Zerbi’s side showed determination, their performance lacked the necessary quality to trouble a well-organised Sunderland outfit.
Dominic Solanke squandered Tottenham’s clearest opportunity just before half-time, finding himself blocked at the near post when a goal appeared likely.
Speaking after the match, De Zerbi offered a measured assessment of his side’s display: “I think we played a good game but not enough to win.
Roberto De Zerbi suffered defeat in his first game in charge of Tottenham
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“We didn’t deserve to lose the game but we have to accept and have to move on.”
The former Brighton manager expressed particular concern regarding his captain’s fitness: “I am sorry for the result and the Romero injury.
“I hope for us and for him that it is not something important.”
De Zerbi insisted his players must demonstrate greater resilience during this testing period: “We have to be stronger because we have the quality to come out from this difficult moment.”
Tottenham’s winless Premier League sequence now extends to fourteen matches, representing the club’s second-longest run without a league victory in their history.
The result compounds Tottenham’s misery, stretching their winless Premier League sequence to 14 matches | GETTY
Their last triumph came at Crystal Palace on 28 December, a statistic that underscores the severity of their current predicament.
With merely six fixtures remaining in the campaign, De Zerbi faces an unenviable task to rescue Spurs from what would be a humiliating relegation.
The Italian’s first home match will see Brighton visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, presenting an intriguing reunion with his former employers as he attempts to guide the club away from the drop zone.
