West Ham sparked their hopes of staying in the league with a 4-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table Wolves on Friday night.
The Hammers’ dominant performance at the London Stadium saw them move Tottenham into 17th place, officially placing Spurs in the Premier League relegation zone for the first time in over a decade.
Konstantinos Mavropanos and Valentin Castellanos’ performances have lifted the Hammers to 31 points, two behind Tottenham, and they sit in 18th place with seven games left in the season.
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Roberto de Zerbi enters a new era in the bottom three
The timing could not be more problematic for new Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi.
The Italian tactician, who replaced Igor Tudor on a five-year contract, will officially start his tenure on Sunday as the team stares down the dire possibility of their first relegation since 1978.
De Zerbi will manage a team without a win in 13 games in the Premier League.
The former Brighton manager has spoken of his long-term ambition to revive title-challenging football, but his first task is to win his debut game away at Sunderland.
The pressure is immense. Anything short of a victory at the Stadium of Light would cement Spurs in the drop zone as the season enters its final month.
De Zerbi has a big job ahead of him.
De Zerbi has already indicated his intention to bring back vibrant football, but it will be difficult to put his philosophy into practice at a time of deep crisis.
Spurs have struggled with consistency in goals and defense all season, but the mental blow of dropping to the bottom three will likely test the players’ resolve.
De Zerbi’s side face a side with nothing to lose as Sunderland sit comfortably in the middle of the central table.
But for Tottenham, every point is now a matter of survival. The mission is clear. Either the club finds a way to record a win in 2026, which is yet to happen, or it prepares itself for the unimaginable prospect of Championship football.
