Tottenham lost 1-0 to Sunderland.
Tottenham Hotspur found themselves on the losing side once again this season as Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival couldn’t inspire this roster to a win against Sunderland last weekend.
The Lilywhites suffered a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, and this one also came with a moment of controversy when the referee for the game, Rob Jones, initially pointed to the spot after French striker Randal Kolo Muani appeared to have been fouled by Omar Alderete and Luke O’Nien in the first half.
But in the aftermath of the penalty, Jones was directed to the pitchside monitor by VAR, and he went on to reverse his decision.
Nordi Mukiele scored the only goal of the game shortly after the hour mark, which was a deflected strike in back of Kinsky’s net but enough to seal the hosts all three points.
Keith Hackett speaks on simulation after Sunderland vs Tottenham
Keith Hackett, who used to be a FIFA referee and PGMOL head, went on to speak his mind in the aftermath of the penalty decision. He spoke about taking retrospective action against players who simulate on the pitch to try to deceive officials.
He cited the number of players that are throwing themselves to the ground and pointed out that this is damaging the image of the Premier League and must be punished more harshly. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Tottenham News after the game, Hackett was clear that the problem extends beyond any individual club or game. He said:
“The authorities have to take action to put an end to the increasing amount of acts of simulation to deceive the referee,” he said.
“Players sadly are going to ground far too easily in an attempt to win free-kicks and penalty kicks. It’s a dilemma facing match officials and it tarnishes the image of the Premier League.
“The referee has one view and is making honest judgments. However, when a player clearly has attempted to deceive the referee, and he waives aside the appeal, at that point the game should be stopped and the offending player issued with a yellow card.
“In other situations a review of all games should take place the following day and, where acts of simulation are detected, then let’s see retrospective action.”
Tottenham looking at historic numbers after Sunderland defeat
De Zerbi, much like Igor Tudor, ended up on the losing side in his first game taking charge of Tottenham Hotspur, and the numbers that are running around on social media about this run are increasingly staggering.
Tottenham have now gone 14 games in the English top tier without a win in 2026, which is the second-longest winless league run that this club has had in its entire history across all divisions. And only a spell of 16 games without a win between December 1934 and April 1935 remains worse.
Right now Tottenham are in the relegation zone with only six games left of the season to conclude. And when next weekend comes around, it will be a home game against De Zerbi’s former side Brighton, and that game has suddenly taken on the perspective of an absolute must-win before the run-in becomes mathematically desperate.
Amidst all of that, the injury to Romero adds another layer of difficulty in what is already turning out to be a near-impossible situation at Hotspur Way.