De Zerbi says Tottenham lacked spirit and character in Leeds defeat

Roberto De Zerbi apologised for Tottenham Hotspur’s performance after their three-match winning run ended with a 1-0 Premier League defeat by Leeds United on Saturday.

Noah Okafor scored the only goal of the match after 79 minutes, leaving Spurs without a point and Leeds two points ahead of them in the table.

Tottenham are now 10th, with 12 points from their opening 10 league games, while Leeds sit ninth.

De Zerbi said his side had failed to produce the standards expected of a top team, particularly after half-time.

“I’m sorry for the result, but first of all, I’m sorry for the performance in the second half,” the Tottenham boss told the Standard.

“We didn’t play like a top team, we played without the right spirit, the right character, the right physicality in the duels.”

The defeat brought Tottenham’s sequence of three successive victories to an end.

Spurs will have the opportunity to respond when they host Ipswich Town on Saturday.