View: 3/10 absolutely dreadful, 9/10 star is MOTM - Tottenham player ratings v Brighton

Tottenham Hotspur failed to move out of the bottom three as Roberto De Zerbi’s side conceded a dramatic late equaliser to Brighton in a 2-2 draw on Saturday.

The Lilywhites dropped into the relegation zone last weekend, with De Zerbi’s maiden outing ending in a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.

The Italian arrived at the club over the international break and was handed the immediate task of guiding Spurs to safety.

The North London club have been the talk of the division in the days since that Sunderland loss, and were in desperate need of a response as the new boss took on his former club.

That response looked to have arrived, with Tottenham’s marquee signing from last summer seemingly making the difference, only for a 95th-minute setback to deny Spurs a first win of 2026.

Xavi Simons the difference maker in Tottenham attack

Since joining the club last summer, Dutch technician Xavi Simons has found it difficult to find consistency in North London.

He has always been lively, and always looking to make something happen, and the quality finally came with it against Brighton on Saturday.

With Spurs locked in a battle for their Premier League survival, they are going to need Simons to begin stepping up.

And that he certainly did against the Seagulls, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck with five carries, while his beautiful assist caught the eye as right-back Pedro Porro opened the scoring.

He would be unlucky not to score just moments later, as he hit the post after dancing through the Brighton defence.

Though, he would make the pivotal difference for Spurs in the second half, as his sensational effort from range sent the South Stand into raptures as the match reached its latter stages.

Registering 11 carries, alongside 51 touches, Simons was the heartbeat of everything positive about Tottenham on Saturday, something that Spurs must carry forward.

Fans would be given a scare in the final minutes of normal time, with the Dutchman writhing in pain following a scramble on the edge of the box, before he fought through additional time.

Should he remain fit for the run-in, the hope will be that he continues to blossom in the free role handed to him by De Zerbi.

Conor Gallagher flatters to deceive once again in a Tottenham shirt

As has been the case since his January move from Atletico Madrid, Conor Gallagher flattered to deceive in the middle of the park for Spurs again.

Alongside the returning pair of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, Gallagher did a lot of running as he so often does, but failed to make any meaninful contributions in possession.

He would make 20 accurate passes, though half of these were in Spurs’ own half.

The midfielder was able to carry the ball, though once again his lack of standout ability on the ball saw Tottenham lack the control needed in the middle of the park, alongside the technical quality to slice Brighton open.

How Tottenham players rated vs Sunderland

Antonin Kinsky – 6

Pedro Porro – 7

Kevin Danso – 4

Micky van de Ven – 6

Destiny Udogie – 5 (off for Spence, 76)

Yves Bissouma – 4 (off for Gray, 57)

Rodrigo Bentancur – 5 (off for Palhinha, 67)

Conor Gallagher – 3 (off for Bergvall, 76)

Randal Kolo Muani – 5 (off for Tel, 57)

Dominic Solanke – 7

Xavi Simons – 9

Substitutes:

Mathys Tel – 4

Archie Gray – 5

Joao Palhinha – 5

Djed Spence – N/A

Lucas Bergvall – N/A

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