TOttenham’s Premier League retention battle suffered another blow on Sunday as they lost 1-0 to Sunderland, with the London club languishing in the relegation zone.
In Roberto De Zerbi’s first game as manager, Spurs suffered their 16th league loss of the season. The team’s winless record of 14 league games dates back to January 1st.
Nordi Mukiele’s deflected shot sealed the match at the Stadium of Light, further plunging Tottenham’s campaign into jeopardy.
Tottenham are two points clear of safety with six games remaining. Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, who are fighting for relegation, did not help their predicament.
Crystal Palace came back from 1-0 down to beat Newcastle 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
Spurs’ crisis deepens
This is his third time as manager this season, but more than three months have passed since their last league victory, and they are just one point away from 24 points. This was their seventh loss out of eight games.
De Zerbi, replacing Igor Tudor, was expected to hit the ground running right away, but it wasn’t a typical lackluster performance at Sunderland.
The new manager could point to bad luck, given that Mukiele’s 61st-minute winner was a spectacular deflection from Micky van de Ven, but even during the final 11 minutes of stoppage time it hardly looked like his side were finding a way back into the game.
Spurs’ next match will be at De Zerbi’s former club Brighton.
Forest are now three points behind Spurs after the draw at the City Ground. Murillo’s own goal put Villa ahead, before Neco Williams’ long-range shot equalized.
