De Zerbi discusses Tottenham's weaknesses following loss to Leeds

Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi adopted a calm tone following his side's 1-0 loss to Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon. The result marked Tottenham's first Premier League defeat since September, ending their pursuit of a fourth consecutive league win for the first time since October 2023.

Much of the post-match discussion centred on referee John Brooks' decision not to dismiss Jayden Bogle for a first-half tackle on Mathys Tel. The incident, which occurred while the match was goalless and Tottenham were performing strongly, resulted in a bruising injury to Tel's left foot that forced the Frenchman to be substituted. A video assistant referee (VAR) review lasted over four minutes, yet no card was issued to the Leeds defender.

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren McCann stated that Bogle was "fortunate" to remain in the match. "Bogle's challenge meets the criteria for serious foul play as he endangers the safety of an opponent," McCann told BBC Sport. "He can consider himself lucky to still be on the pitch."

Tottenham’s rhythm appeared to suffer following the incident, with less than nine minutes of the opening half remaining as their composure slipped. After the interval, the visiting side were outperformed by their hosts. Despite the controversy, De Zerbi chose not to blame the officiating for the result.

"We deserved to lose the game in the second half and didn't play like we can," the manager told TNT Sports. "It's a journey for us because we can learn from this game. I am sorry for the performance in the second half - we didn't play like a top team. We didn't have the right character and physicality in the second half."