O'Hara Tears Into Solanke After De Zerbi's Nightmare Sunderland Bow

Roberto De Zerbi's first outing as Tottenham manager has ended in disappointment, with the north London club slumping to a 1-0 loss at Sunderland that did little to ease survival concerns.

A deflected strike from Nordi Mukiele proved decisive at the Stadium of Light, leaving Spurs sitting just two points clear of 17th-placed West Ham with six games left to pull off what increasingly looks like an impossible rescue act.

The defeat mirrors the misery of Igor Tudor's opening game in charge—though not quite as humiliating as the 4-1 home thrashing by Arsenal the interim boss endured. The "new manager bounce" mythology took another battering on Wearside.

Jamie O'Hara, the former Tottenham defender, was unsparing in his assessment of the display. Taking to social media post-match, O'Hara handed out his player ratings with characteristic bluntness, with striker Dominic Solanke receiving a damning 0/10. Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani fared scarcely better, both earning just 1/10.

Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky managed a respectable 7/10 in his return to action as Guglielmo Vicario's replacement, while Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Pedro Porro each scraped 5/10.

"Absolute horror," O'Hara declared. "Spurs deserved nothing from this match. This fully characterizes Tottenham this season. They did nothing at all, showed nothing. There is no performance in any position. Gallagher – terrible. Kolo Muani – terrible. Solanke – terrible. Richarlison – terrible. Udogie – terrible. You can't fight for survival with only six people actually involved! You need to fight and play properly."

Rather than directing his fire at the new manager, O'Hara placed the onus squarely on the playing squad. "I can't believe how bad this team is," he stated. "De Zerbi is a good coach, but he can't perform miracles. The players have to deliver results for him."

Tottenham face Brighton at home on Saturday evening, with anything less than victory looking increasingly unacceptable given their precarious league position.