Tottenham's Premier League survival fight took another blow on Sunday after a 1-0 loss to Sunderland that left the London club rooted in the relegation zone.
In coach Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge, Spurs fell to a 16th league loss of the season. Its 14-game winless run in the league dates back to Jan. 1.
Nordi Mukiele's deflected shot sealed the game at the Stadium of Light and plunged Tottenham’s campaign deeper into crisis.
Tottenham is two
points adrift of safety with six games to go. Its plight wasn't helped by relegation-fighting Nottingham Forest drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa.
Crystal Palace came back from 1-0 down to beat Newcastle 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
Second-placed Manchester City played at Chelsea later Sunday.
The numbers just keep on getting worse for Tottenham.
Now on its third coach of the season, it’s more than three months since its last league win and just one point from a possible 24. This was a seventh defeat in eight games.
If the hope was that De Zerbi would provide an immediate bounce in form after replacing Igor Tudor, it didn't come in a typically toothless display at Sunderland.
While the new coach could point to bad luck, given the nature of Mukiele's 61st-minute winner, which took a wicked deflection off Micky van de Ven, his team rarely looked like finding a way back into the match — even during 11 minutes of added time at the end.
Next up for Spurs in De Zerbi's former club Brighton.
Forest moved three points clear of Spurs after a draw at the City Ground. Neco Williams' long-range shot leveled the game after a Murillo own goal gave Villa the lead.
Jean-Philippe Mateta saw a January move to AC Milan fall through on deadline day and is now having a big say in Palace's bid to end the season on a high.
The France forward scored in Thursday's Europa Conference League win against Fiorentina and hit a double as Palace came back against Newcastle.
Two late goals turned the game at Selhurst Park after William Osula had given Newcastle a halftime lead.
Mateta leveled in the 80th and then fired a winner from the penalty spot in the fourth minute of added time.
Palace leapfrogged Newcastle on goal difference to move up to 13th.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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