Roberto De Zerbi has urged Richarlison to remain at Tottenham Hotspur after the Brazilian striker scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 pre-season victory over Chelsea in Sydney. However, the Spurs manager admitted that the forward, who has been linked with a move away from north London, has yet to decide his future.
Richarlison's Late Heroics Seal Victory
Richarlison, who joined Tottenham from Everton in 2022, netted the decisive goal in the 92nd minute at Sydney's Accor Stadium. The strike came after Jamie Donley's shot rebounded off the post, with Richarlison reacting quickest to poke the ball into an empty net, avoiding the need for a penalty shootout. The match was played in front of more than 80,000 fans, marking the first time the two London rivals have met outside the UK.
The match had its share of drama, with Kevin Danso sent off just three minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute. The defender was shown a straight red card after a lunging challenge on Chelsea's João Pedro, following a poor control of a backpass on a difficult pitch surface.
De Zerbi's Stance on Richarlison's Future
Speaking after the game, De Zerbi said he was unsure about Richarlison's intentions for the upcoming season. "I don't know, I didn't understand well, because sometimes he said to stay, sometimes he leaves, we have to speak. Anyway, there is not any problem, he's a lovely guy. All of us love him, the teammates, the club, the staff, because he works hard every day," De Zerbi told reporters.
The Italian manager emphasized Richarlison's importance to the squad, particularly his goal-scoring ability. "For me he's still an important player because it's not so easy to find another striker as Richarlison, because Richarlison scored goals and he knows the way. The new striker, we don't know, the other striker, we don't know. He scored 12 goals last season, not for luck, because he feels the way to score," De Zerbi added.
Match Highlights and Early Incidents
The match started with the intensity of a traditional London derby, despite being played in Australia. Conor Gallagher received a yellow card after a robust challenge on Dário Essugo in the 10th minute, drawing jeers from the predominantly Chelsea-supporting crowd. Jan Paul van Hecke also clattered into João Pedro, while Dominic Solanke and Levi Colwill had a tussle off the ball.
Tottenham took a deserved lead in the 17th minute when new signing Sandro Tonali scored his first goal for the club. The midfielder's side-footed effort from outside the area took a deflection, wrong-footing Chelsea goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe and finding the bottom corner. However, the lead lasted only four minutes, as Estêvão Willian headed home at the back post after good work from Jamie Gittens down the left.
Second Half and Sending Off
The game lost some of its competitive edge in the second half as both sides made numerous substitutions, but the red card for Danso added to the drama. De Zerbi commented on the sending off, saying, "It was worse for us and for Chelsea, because if you consider the condition of the pitch, very bad. And if you consider we are starting from two weeks, maybe less than three weeks, the second half you start the fatigue and playing, attacking against 10 players behind the line of the ball is tough for every team."
Mudryk Cleared to Play
In other news, Chelsea will head to Hong Kong next, where they will be joined by Mykhailo Mudryk, who has been cleared to play again after the Football Association and the World Anti-Doping Agency resolved his appeal against a ban for failing a doping test. The Ukrainian winger was suspended for four years after failing a drug test in 2024. De Zerbi, who managed Mudryk at Shakhtar Donetsk, expressed his happiness at the news. "I'm very happy – he deserves to play, he's a good guy, top player. Hopefully he can show what he suffered in the last two years, in the next season, maybe not against Tottenham, but he's a lovely guy and he's a very, very good player," De Zerbi said.
