Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday slipped ever closer to relegation from the English Premier League with a 3-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest, as Sunderland stretched their hex over local rivals Newcastle United.
Spurs have not tasted life outside the English top flight since 1978, but remain the only side without a Premier League win this calendar year.
Goals from Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi inflicted the latest in a series of damaging defeats on interim Spurs head coach Igor Tudor.
Photo: AFP
West Ham United’s 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa ensured Spurs remain one point outside the relegation zone with seven games remaining.
Vitor Pereira’s first league win as Forest boss propels his side four points above the relegation zone.
Tottenham fans gathered in north London en masse before kickoff to line the streets in a show of support under the banner “all together, always,” but nerves quickly took over the state-of-the-art 63,000 capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Jesus rose highest to head in a corner just before halftime.
Gibbs-White could have been starting in white rather than red had Forest not stood their ground after Spurs reportedly met his buyout clause last year. The Forest captain instead signed a new deal at the City Ground and has played a big role in leading his side away from trouble.
Gibbs-White was left completely unmarked to turn in Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross on the hour mark for his third goal in four league games.
No side has taken fewer points at home in the Premier League this season than Tottenham and they failed to muster a response.
Awoniyi inflicted the final blow when he met Neco Williams’ cross three minutes from time.
Villa took full advantage of defeats for Liverpool and Chelsea on Saturday to close in on a return to the UEFA Champions League next season.
Unai Emery’s men had taken just one point from a possible 12 in their previous four league games, but the return of skipper John McGinn from injury has been a timely boost.
The Scotland international curled in from outside the penalty area to give Villa the perfect start.
Ollie Watkins then pounced after Mads Hermansen spilled Morgan Rogers’ shot to bounce back from his exclusion from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
Villa open up a six-point cushion on sixth-placed Chelsea with the top five set to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Newcastle’s European ambitions and local pride were dealt a major blow as Sunderland came from behind to win 2-1 in the first Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park for 10 years.
Bryan Brobbey struck a 90th-minute winner for the Black Cats, who have not lost to Newcastle in the league for 15 years.
Defeat compounded a miserable week for Newcastle, who were humbled 7-2 by Barcelona in exiting the Champions League last week.
“I’ve got very little to use as an excuse. Once you haven’t performed and you know how much the game means you have to accept the criticism,” Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said.
The defeat sees the Magpies slip below Sunderland in the table to 12th place.
Newcastle also promised to identify and hold accountable anyone guilty after Sunderland defender Lutsharel Geertruida reported an incident of racist abuse from the crowd in the second half.
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