Tottenham Hotspur moved out of the Premier League relegation zone with a vital 2-1 win at Aston Villa on Sunday, securing back-to-back victories for the first time since the second weekend of the season. The result puts Spurs level on points with West Ham, who slipped into the bottom three after a 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Saturday.
With three weeks of the 2025-26 campaign remaining, the battle to avoid the final relegation spot (Wolves and Burnley are already down) looks set for a tense finish. Nottingham Forest, in 16th with 39 points but a game in hand, could move six points clear of danger with a win over Chelsea on Monday.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards, speaking on BBC's Match of the Day, praised Spurs' performance: "That's a huge result for Spurs. I didn't see that coming. Villa were poor, but right from the start Spurs absolutely made the most of it with their desire and intensity. They were exceptional in how they set up, they were really brave."
Alan Shearer added: "They won every single tackle, every single second ball and they took the risk out of their game. You need every single player at it when in desperate trouble, and Spurs had that. It has been a terrible weekend for West Ham."
The fight for survival appears to be a three-way contest among Nottingham Forest, West Ham, and Tottenham. Forest are the in-form side of the trio, while Leeds (14th, 43 points) and Crystal Palace (15th, goal difference) look safer.