Sunderland secured a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the Stadium of Light, with Nordi Mukiele's deflected strike proving decisive. The result leaves Tottenham in the Premier League relegation zone, two points from safety, after new head coach Roberto De Zerbi suffered a losing start. Captain Cristian Romero suffered an apparent knee injury during the match.
Nordi Mukiele's low shot from the right deflected heavily off Tottenham's Micky van de Ven just after the hour mark, finding the net and condemning De Zerbi to defeat in his first game in charge. Tottenham, who remain two points adrift of safety with six games left, had earlier seen an opening penalty award overturned by VAR. Referee Rob Jones initially pointed to the spot after Randal Kolo Muani went down under challenge from Omar Alderete, but reversed the decision after reviewing the pitchside monitor, with Alderete deemed to have played the ball first. Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin told BBC Sport that Kolo Muani had initiated the contact by throwing out his leg. The match featured 11 minutes of added time at the end of the first half due to injuries, including treatment for Tottenham captain Cristian Romero and goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after a collision involving Sunderland's Brian Brobbey. Romero, the Argentina international, was in tears as he left the pitch with what appeared to be a knee injury. De Zerbi, speaking to Sky Sports, insisted his side did not deserve the loss. 'I think we played a good game, not enough to win but we didn’t deserve to lose,' he said. 'We had three or four clear chances to score... We have to react with the right spirit.' The Italian urged his players to secure one win to change their season, noting Tottenham's winless run now stretches to 14 league games.
