April 12, (THEWILL) — Tottenham Hotspur’s winless English Premier League run extended to 14 games on Sunday, with Roberto De Zerbi suffering defeat in his managerial debut after a 1-0 loss at Sunderland left the club 18th in the table.
De Zerbi, handed a five-year contract during the international break, saw his side begin promisingly at the Stadium of Light before the hosts steadied and grew into the contest.
Both teams squandered clear openings before the interval, with Brian Brobbey heading over from Enzo Le Fee’s cross and Granit Xhaka dragging wide for Sunderland.
Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky produced a sharp stop to deny Brobbey at close range, and Sunderland’s Robin Roefs was equally alert in blocking Dominic Solanke’s point-blank effort in stoppage time.
The deciding moment came in the 61st minute when Nordi Mukiele burst forward from the right flank and struck a shot that deflected heavily off Micky van de Ven, looping beyond a stranded Kinsky to hand Sunderland a lead they would not surrender.
Tottenham’s afternoon worsened further when Cristian Romero departed the pitch in tears following a collision with Kinsky, an incident that left the goalkeeper needing a bandage before play resumed.
The visitors produced no meaningful reply in the closing stages.
With six fixtures remaining, the defeat deepens the pressure on De Zerbi, whose side remains rooted in the bottom three and faces a considerable battle to preserve their top-flight status.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
