R. De Zerbi: 'I felt tension in the referee's actions from the start of the match.'

2026-05-12 10:43 © „Reuters“

On Monday, London’s Tottenham only managed to draw 1:1 with Leeds United and remains dangerously close to the relegation zone.

The Spurs took the lead with a goal from Mathys Tel, but later Leeds equalized with an 11-meter penalty awarded after a VAR review.

At the end of the match, VAR checked a potential penalty for Leeds, but decided to uphold the initial referee's decision not to award a foul.

After the match, Tottenham's coach Roberto De Zerbi had criticisms for the referee.

"From the start of the match, I felt tension in the referee's actions. I think he felt pressure after the precedent that occurred in the Arsenal match against West Ham.”

"It is obvious that we feel a lot of pressure too, which was reflected in our game. We lacked calmness with the ball.”

"I can't understand why people are talking so much about the disallowed West Ham goal. It was an obvious foul on the goalkeeper,” said R. De Zerbi.