Arsenal receive new David Raya VAR verdict as Roberto De Zerbi makes emphatic "200%" claim

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi emphatically defended the decision to rule out West Ham United's goal against Arsenal following Spurs' 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Monday.

Owing to the Gunners' nervy 1-0 triumph at the London Stadium on Sunday, victory for Tottenham over the Whites would have lifted them four points clear of the Premier League drop zone with just two rounds remaining.

However, De Zerbi's men were denied a third consecutive Premier League victory in North London, where Mathys Tel went from hero to villain, opening the scoring with a stunning strike before giving away a penalty for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to restore parity.

The home side wanted a spot kick of their own deep into stoppage time for Lukas Nmecha's challenge on James Maddison, but it was deemed that the Leeds attacker played the ball, and Tottenham's appeals were waved away.

De Zerbi was loath to discuss the Maddison-Nmecha incident in his post-game press conference, but he expressed his view that the officiating team were "not calm" after he was booked for dissent in the 95th minute.

Roberto De Zerbi: 'It was 200% a foul on David Raya'

"Maybe the VAR felt the pressure after the West Ham Arsenal game ... 200% it was a foul on Raya if you want to talk about football."

Roberto De Zerbi on VAR after Spurs vs Leeds pic.twitter.com/1wXPqk9afP
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) May 11, 2026

Asked if his side should have been given a spot kick, De Zerbi replied: "No, no, no, I don’t want to come inside the polemic, I didn’t see and I didn’t watch again. I don’t know. Ask me a question about football if you want," as quoted by football.london.

"The first minute until the end of the game the referee went to me, ‘if you go out, yellow card,’ and I think they were not calm today. Maybe they suffered the pressure of yesterday the West Ham-Arsenal game and VAR.

"For sure we suffer the pressure today for the speed of the ball, for the order of the pitch and we didn’t play with patience on the ball. Frenetic and we were rushed but also the referee was not calm."

The Italian did insist that Chris Kavanagh and Darren England were right to rule out West Ham's equaliser on Sunday, though, insisting that Gunners goalkeeper David Raya was "200%" fouled in the build-up to Callum Wilson's effort.

"I can’t understand the polemic about yesterday VAR because it was a foul, 200%, not 100% if you want to talk about football," De Zerbi added.

Roberto De Zerbi reacts to Antonin Kinsky wonder save in Tottenham draw

Just before Tottenham's penalty appeals were waved away, goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky pulled off a save-of-the-season contender, somehow tipping Sean Longstaff's ferocious close-range strike onto the crossbar.

Ex-Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher hailed Kinsky's stop as one of the best saves of the Premier League campaign, as the Czech shot-stopper continues his redemption arc following his horror evening against Atletico Madrid.

De Zerbi also waxed lyrical about Kinsky's display, adding: "He’s improving a lot. He’s a good goalkeeper. I had no doubt in my first days in Tottenham because I knew him before coming here.

"He played in Madrid, he made that mistake, and it was tough for him. He has great personality, strong character and he deserves to play a game like today."

Tottenham now have a full week to recover before travelling to Chelsea in their penultimate game of the season, by which point they could have dropped down to 18th in the Premier League table if West Ham United beat Newcastle United on Sunday.