De Zerbi refuses to blame VAR after Leeds defeat leaves Tottenham frustrated

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi said his side’s performance, rather than a controversial VAR decision, was the main reason for their 1-0 Premier League defeat by Leeds United.

Spurs supporters were angered when Leeds defender Jayden Bogle avoided a red card for a challenge on Mathys Tel that left the French forward injured. The incident occurred shortly after the half-hour mark and led to a lengthy VAR review.

Referee John Brooks eventually decided not to show Bogle a card. Tel was unable to continue soon afterwards because of an ankle injury sustained in the challenge, with Dominic Solanke taking his place.

De Zerbi said he continued to trust the officials and did not want the result to be explained by the decision.

“I have a big confidence in the referee, nothing changes if he (Brooks) goes to watch the clip or not, I think,” De Zerbi told TNT Sports.

“There was the VAR and if they didn’t take the right decision, I don’t know, but we have confidence. We have to keep the eyes on the performance (and) where we can improve.”

The Tottenham manager acknowledged that his team had not produced the standard required and said the defeat should serve as a learning experience.

“We didn’t play like we can. It’s a journey for us because we can learn from this game… there was the solution, there was the space, there was the way to attack and to play better and to defend better.”

Tel’s departure appeared to affect Tottenham’s momentum, while De Zerbi felt his players struggled to maintain their intensity for the rest of the match.

“I’m sorry for the result but first of all, I’m sorry for the performance in the second half we didn’t play like a top team, we played without the right spirit, the right character, the right physicality in the duels,” he said.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke, meanwhile, celebrated his team’s first league victory since September and rejected the suggestion that Bogle’s challenge had been deliberate.

Farke expressed sympathy for Tel and said he hoped the forward would recover quickly, while defending the character of his own player.

“It’s a very unlucky outcome that Mathys is injured and we wish him all the best and he can recover quickly,” Farke said.

“The last thing Jayden Bogle is is a nasty player. He’s possibly the softest player in the whole league. I always call him my butterfly, and I can guarantee it was never out of bad intention.”