Cameron Smith

Sun 19 April 2026 7:30, UK

Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to climb out of the bottom three on Saturday, playing out a 2-2 draw with Brighton on home soil.

After watching his team fall to defeat against Sunderland in his first match in charge, new boss Roberto De Zerbi was eager to see a response as he took to the dugout for the first time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Taking on his former club Brighton, Spurs started well, with Pedro Porro scoring from a delicious Xavi Simons cross in the first half, though it would not be long before the visitors equalised through an exquisite Karou Mitoma strike.

The Lilywhites would take the lead once again with just over 10 minutes to play, with star man Simons firing in from range. Though once again, the Seagulls would fight back, with Georginio Rutter’s injury-time strike breaking the hearts of the home support.

Despite the draw, former goalkeeper turned pundit Joe Hart was pleased with the Tottenham response on home soil.

Joe Hart pleased as Tottenham make stadium rock

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has not been a nice place to be this season – how can it be when Spurs remain winless in 2026?

Though the same cannot be said for Saturday’s fixture against Brighton, with the hosts playing on the front foot from the off, looking to take control of their own destiny in the relegation battle, particularly in the first half.

Speaking on De Zerbi’s arrival and the change in mood around the ground, Hart gave his thoughts on Match of the Day as footage replayed.

“He has identified what he doesn’t want to see, but what he wanted to see was to get that stadium rocking,” said the former Tottenham shotstopper.

“The way that they pressed was really good, really impressive in fact. It is not the Spurs we have been used to; it is not the Spurs we have seen this season.

“He wanted to set the atmosphere: every single one of his players is running forward with intent, blocking passing lanes, and forcing Brighton to be perfect,” he concluded.

Though the simple fact of the matter is that Spurs are running out of matches, and need to quickly get their act together as they look to avoid the drop.

Tottenham are running out of time in relegation battle

While Spurs have been struggling at the bottom end of the standings for months, they only recently dropped into the relegation zone.

Timing is crucial in a league season, with Tottenham’s drop in form corresponding directly with the upticks at both Leeds and West Ham, while Nottingham Forest have steadily increased the gap.

This leaves the Lilywhites in the relegation zone for the first time since 2008, without much time to right the wrongs of the season.

De Zerbi’s side makes the trip to Wolves on Saturday, and it goes without saying that it falls into the ‘must-win’ category.

The Old Gold’s relegation from the top flight would have been confirmed on Saturday if Spurs had beaten Brighton, though they are very much waiting to be put out of their misery in that regard.

With this in mind, Tottenham simply have to go to Molineux and take three points, despite not doing so since Nuno Espirito Santo’s tenure in 2021.

And they don’t just have to take the points, they need to do so in a fashion that sets the Lilywhites up for a strong run to the end.