London, April 12: 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.
Spurs’ crisis deepens
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.
Mateta double for Palace
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 levelled 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.
Old and new combine for Liverpool
As one great prepares to say goodbye to Liverpool, a new star is emerging.
Liverpool got a glimpse of the future as 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored a brilliant solo goal in a 2-0 win against Fulham.
The forward curled in the opening goal at Anfield. Mohamed Salah added the second in his first game in front his home fans since announcing he was leaving Liverpool.
Salah will bring the curtain down on an outstanding Anfield career at the end of the season — and even in a campaign in which his form has dipped he is still capable of getting fans out of their seats.
He did that with his goal late in the first half to double Liverpool’s lead, firing low past Bernd Leno.
But thoughts will naturally turn to the future and, in teenager Ngumoha, Liverpool has a talent to get excited about.
He announced himself early in the season with his dramatic late winner against Newcastle and he produced another special moment with his first Anfield goal.
City blank Liverpool
Man City put three past Chelsea in second half – Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku with goals – to help Pep Guardiola’s team move to within six points leaders Arsenal. (AP)
