Sunderland beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the Stadium of Light, where Roberto De Zerbi's first match in charge of Spurs ended in a familiar sense of frustration. Just after the hour, Nordi Mukiele struck from around 20 yards and saw his effort take a heavy deflection off Micky van de Ven, sending the ball beyond the helpless Antonin Kinsky.
The contest was short on quality and high on tension. Spurs were not lacking endeavour, and there were glimpses of De Zerbi's influence after he made five changes, but they still failed to produce enough in attack. Robin Roefs was seriously tested only once, by Dominic Solanke, while Sunderland also came close to a second when Destiny Udogie cleared Chemsdine Talbi's effort off the line.
A new era opens under old pressures
De Zerbi arrived with seven Premier League games left and the task of lifting Tottenham away from danger after Igor Tudor's reign lasted only 44 days. His first selection contained five changes, and there were moments when Spurs looked willing enough to press forward and impose themselves.