De Zerbi refuses to blame VAR after Tottenham’s defeat by Leeds

Roberto De Zerbi said Tottenham Hotspur must focus on improving their performance rather than blame VAR after Leeds United secured a 1-0 Premier League victory in a match overshadowed by a challenge that left Mathys Tel injured.

Leeds defender Jayden Bogle avoided a red card for a late and careless tackle on Tel shortly after the half-hour mark. The incident led to an extended VAR review, but referee John Brooks decided not to issue a card.

Tel was unable to continue after suffering an ankle injury in the challenge and was replaced by Dominic Solanke soon afterwards.

Tottenham supporters reacted angrily to the decision, but De Zerbi refused to make it the reason for his side’s defeat.

“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 said his team had failed to perform at the level expected of them, despite having opportunities to attack Leeds more effectively.

“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 disrupt Tottenham’s momentum, and De Zerbi felt his players struggled to match the required intensity for the rest of the contest.

“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.

The result gave Leeds their first league win since September and delighted manager Daniel Farke, who defended Bogle over the challenge.

Farke said the injury suffered by Tel was an unfortunate consequence of the collision and wished the Tottenham forward a quick recovery.

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

He also rejected any suggestion that Bogle had deliberately fouled Tel, describing the Leeds player as a gentle character.

“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,” Farke added.