PREMIER LEAGUE
SUNDAY 4TH JANUARY, 2026
(3 PM)
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1(1) SUNDERLAND 1(0)

Spurs scorer:-
Davies, 30

Sunderland scorer:-
Brobbey, 80

Attendance:- 60,877

Referee:- Stuart Attwell
Assistants:- Constantine Hatzidakis, Marc Perry
Fourth official:- Tim Robinson
VAR:- Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR:- Natalie Aspinall

Teams:-
Spurs (4-2-3-1):- 1. Vicario; 23. Pedro Porro, 17. Romero (Capt.) 37. Van de Ven, 33. Davies (sub 24. Spence, 88) ; 30. Bentancur, 14. Gray (sub 6. Palhinha, 72); 20. Kudus (sub 39. Kolo Muani, 19), 28. Odobert (sub 15. Bergvall, 72), 11. Tel (sub 44. Scarlett, 88); 9. Richarlison

Subs not used:- 31. Kinsky; 3. Dragusin, 4. Danso; 68. Williams-Barnett

Booked:- Bentancur (foul on Brobbey), Palhinha (foul on Geertruida)

Sunderland (4-4-2):- 22. Roefs; 6. Geertruida, 20. Mukiele, 15. Alderete, 3. Cirkin (sub 14. Mundle, 59); 32. Hume, 34. Xhaka (Capt.), 28. Le Fee, 24. Adingra (sub 5. Ballard, 66); 12. Mayenda (sub 11. Rigg, 82), 9. Brobbey

Subs not used:- 1. Patterson; 13. O'Nien, 33. Hjelde; 4. Neil, 50. H. Jones; 57. Tutierov

Booked:- Cirkin (foul on Richarlison), Alderete (foul on Richarlison), Le Fee (foul on Pedro Porro)

Spurs tried but failed to defend a one-goal lead.

Hopes of a home win to kick off 2026 were forlorn. Such events have, after all, been as rare as hen's teeth over the last year. Spurs lost 11 home league games in 2025, their most ever in a single calendar year across club history. Today, we saw the same old mediocre, very rarely exciting Tottenham.

We did see two more rarities today. Ben Davies made his first Premier League start of the season and scored his first Spurs goal since December 2023 (at Brighton). Ben had started at left back with Djed Spence given a breather until the last few minutes.

Sunderland, who were missing six players involved in the African Cup of Nations, held Manchester City earlier in the week, and seemed intent on holding Spurs in the first half. In the second, they looked the more threatening side, testing Vicario several times and his left post. The 80th minute equaliser by Brian Brobbey was on the cards and not undeserved. Spurs seemed to have set their stall out to defend their slender lead, trying to score on the break. In this, they failed dismally.

On the plus side, we are unbeaten in our last three games and kept clean sheets in the first two of those matches.

We are thirteenth in the table, three points behind seventh-placed Brentford (yes, Frank's old team!) and thirteen ahead of 18th-placed West Ham.

We played guess the number 10 in the pub before the game, at which point Kudus was mooted to be the nominated "creator". (Remember when we had one of those?) It turned out to be Odobert, with Tel on the left. Kudus didn't last long and had to be replaced by Kolo Muani after only 19 minutes. Hopefully, Kudus won't be absent for long.

Kolo Muani worked down the right wing for the first half, but later switched with Mathys Tel.

It was a bitterly cold day, and Spurs didn't do enough to warm our hearts and minds once again.

Romero tried an early ball over the defence for Richarlison, but goalkeeper Roefs was there first. Tel tested him with a 20-yard shot which Roefs held at the second attempt. Spurs had some early possession in the opposition half, having kicked off towards the North Stand, but had little end product barring a weak shot by Richarlison.

Archie Gray made a good progressive run before passing to Pedro Porro on the right, whose cross did win a corner.

Sunderland's captain and former Arsenal man Granit Xhaka was getting booed with every touch, but he has been a driving force behind the success of Regis Le Bris's side.

Kudus needed treatment and had to be replaced. Richarlison and Odobert combined before Tel hit a right-footed shot just wide of the far post. Odobert won a corner on the left, which was hit by Tel to the back post where Romero returned the ball to the middle. Micky van de Ven's shot was diverted into the net by Ben Davies for that elusive goal.

Now Sunderland came out of the blocks, and it took an excellent block by Van de Ven to prevent Le Fee's shot from hitting the target. Hume also had a shot go just over Vicario's goal. Odobert won the ball in midfield before sending Muani away down the right flank. He crossed and "Richie" tried an acrobatic right-footed shot which passed wide of Roefs' left post.

Jermain Defoe, who played for both sides, was interviewed at half-time and applauded by both sets of fans. Former Spurs junior Dennis Cirkin took an early booking for fouling Richarlison. Cirkin was subsequently replaced by another former Spurs academy player Romaine Mundle. Alderete also saw yellow for stopping Richarlison in his tracks.

A cross by Adingra was headed towards goal by Mayenda but patted away by Vicario. Davies had to make another clearance after another Adingra cross. Spurs broke forward and won a corner after which a Pedro Porro cross was headed goalward by Van de Ven but held.

Sunderland won a corner after a poor pass in his own half by Romero. Richarlison made the defensive clearance. "Richie" subsequently broke out and made a good run down the right channel. He had both Muani and Archie Gray available to his left but failed to beat the defence with a poor cross.

We also failed to make the best of our opportunities after Roefs made a poor clearing pass. Pedro Porro crossed but Richarlison was blocked.

Sunderland won a corner on the right, after which Adingra hit a shot wide of Vicario's right post. Pedro Porro broke out after another Sunderland corner, and Romero was with him this time. The ball ended up with Kolo Muani who failed with his shot from a sharp angle on the left.

More danger came for Spurs after Mukiele crossed from the right and Le Fee's down ward header went out of play off the outside of Vicario's left post. The goalkeeper had dived to his left to cover the attempt.

Sunderland's goal soon followed after another cross from the right. Brobbey scored with an excellent left-footed finish in front of the away fans.

The visitors had their tails up and the main question was whether Spurs would hold on to a point. Vicario had to make a good save to push over a shot by Hume. Spurs had one more chance when Pedro Porro crossed and substitute Palhinha headed wide across goal.

Next up for Spurs in this busy post-Christmas period is a Wednesday night trip to Bournemouth, who are four points behind us. I don't fancy our chances.

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