Premier League hits and misses: Will Tottenham rejuvenate as they are locked in a relegation battle with West Ham? |Soccer News

Daunting February, fears of Spurs relegation scrap grow

Tottenham cannot win Premier League games at the moment.

Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Burnley extended their winless start to 2026 to five games.

They have also won just one of their last eight league games, having lost to two of the bottom four teams, West Ham and Nottingham Forest.

They also needed a 90th-minute equalizer to salvage a 1-1 home draw against bottom-placed Wolves in late September. This was the Wolves’ first goal of the season.

Spurs then demanded another equalizer in the 90th minute to avoid defeat to second-placed Burnley, but Burnley were close to ending their 13-game winless run in the league.

Spurs’ failure to beat lower-ranked teams, combined with their disastrous results, has not only put pressure on manager Thomas Frank, but also raised concerns that they could find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle.

Spurs finished 17th last season but were never in danger of dropping into the bottom three as they focused on Europa League glory. But this season, the relegation scrap feels different.

Spurs started 10 points above the drop zone on Saturday, but after a draw at Turf Moor and two successive wins for a rejuvenated West Ham, Frank’s side now have an eight-point gap over the bottom three.

A Sky Sports poll found that 65 per cent of users believe Spurs are in a relegation battle, but the bookmaker’s relegation odds continue to fall, with the price currently at 20/1.

Perhaps heightening these concerns is Tottenham’s daunting February campaign, which will be the toughest for any team in the Premier League’s next four-game week.

Spurs will face four teams in the top half next month: Manchester City (H), Manchester United (A), Newcastle (H) and Arsenal (H). Watching these games, it’s hard to see where the next win will come from.

And the winter of discontent could get even worse after fans once again showed their displeasure with Frank at Turf Moor.

Liverpool have no purpose in possession

Liverpool had the ball, the territory, the familiar pattern, but no threat.

The 3-2 defeat against Bournemouth would affect the scoreline, but the performance cut deeper. It was a night that revealed the growing problems under the ineffective management of Arne Slott, who was misunderstood as an authority.

Slott has spent much of 2026 pointing to low blocks as a major impediment to Liverpool’s attacking rhythm. The team is thinking deeply, he says. Spaces are rejected. His players are not suited for that kind of puzzle.

However, Bournemouth did not play that match.

they went out. They applied pressure. They left space behind. And Liverpool still seemed to lack ideas and, worst of all, the belief that their football could hurt anyone.

Liverpool finished with 14 shots. These efforts amounted to just 0.83 expected goals, a number that speaks to their struggles. This was a result of the team settling on an option they were comfortable with. A shot from a distance. A cross without conviction. Attacks that slowed down when acceleration was needed.

Despite Liverpool having the ball, it always looked like Bournemouth were more likely to land the important punch. And they punched. Bournemouth were everything Liverpool was not. Direct, decisive, and bold.

This was a bad result for slots.
lewis jones

Haaland rested, but other players step up for Man City

Erling Haaland has scored just one goal (penalty) in his last eight appearances and was showing signs of fatigue given his workload, so it was no big surprise to see him inserted into Manchester City’s 2-0 home win over Wolves. But Pep Guardiola will be encouraged.

Omar Marmouche, who was ostensibly replacing him up front, scored the opening goal early in the game. In fact, the Egyptian played as a wide forward, mirroring Antoine Semenyo’s positioning, but he also found the back of the net. There are people who step up for City.

This was Marmouche’s first goal in the Premier League this season. It was Semenyo’s home Premier League debut and his first appearance in a City shirt in a competition. This added firepower will be very important on the back end this season.

But just as important is the fact that Guardiola will be able to give Haaland a break. Jarrod Bowen is the only Premier League forward to have started more games than the Norwegian this season, but his team is also not in Europe.

Haaland’s form will be a huge factor in what Manchester City can achieve. If he can stay fresh for the run-in, City’s unsatisfactory season could come to an exciting end with them competing in three different competitions.
Adam Bate

Where would West Ham be without Captain Fantastic?

You really have to wonder where West Ham would be without captain Jarrod Bowen. Jarrod Bowen once again led the way with a captain’s performance, recording a 3-1 victory over Sunderland and breathing new life into the fight to break out of the doldrums.

Bowen, 29, recently revealed he “hates” the situation he and his Hammers teammates are in as they aim to lift themselves out of the relegation zone, but the forward could be doing better now.

After the match, Hammers manager Nuno Espirito Santo paid a well-deserved compliment of the England international: “We are very lucky to have him. He leads by example, drives us forward, fights for every ball and is always a dangerous captain.”

That pretty much sums up Bowen’s full effort on the right flank of West Ham’s now-dangerous front three. He was the first to create the key opener for Crisencio Somerville’s score, and kept his cool from the spot to quickly double the hosts’ lead.

And to underline Bowen’s development at the London Stadium, he not only scored and assisted in 11 Premier League games for West Ham, surpassing Paolo Di Canio (10 goals) for the most by a player for the club, but also surpassed Michail Antonio (101-68 goals, 33 goals) to become the hammer with the most goal involvements in Premier League history (103-63 goals, 40 assists). assist).
rich morgan

Could Chukwueze replace Wilson at Fulham?

Samuel Chukwueze’s stunning equalizer caught the attention of Fulham as they beat Brighton 2-1 in the closing stages.

Harry Wilson’s 92nd-minute free-kick grabbed the headlines, but it was Chukwueze’s composed finish that handed Marco Silva’s side a big three points and moved them into seventh place.

Chukwueze, who came on as a substitute in the 59th minute, was greeted with loud cheers from the Fulham supporters and the 26-year-old’s equaliser, his sixth goal in six games against Bad Verbruggen, was soon described by Sky Sports’ Paul Merson as ‘Thierry Henry style’.

Fulham had made an offer for the winger at this time last year but ultimately secured a loan move from AC Milan for between £21.6m and £26m with an option to buy outright.

If Wilson leaves in the summer, Chukwueze would be the perfect replacement.
david richardson

‘Brutal’ Brighton run hurts Europe’s hopes

“Football is cruel,” Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler said after their side’s late defeat to Fulham.

Fulham’s Marco Silva admitted it was “tough” for the visitors to lose at Craven Cottage.

However, Brighton have only won once in 10 league games and, despite a strong start to the season, have fallen from fifth to 12th place and are in danger of losing their European hopes.

Brighton have only lost three times during this period, but have been unable to turn draws into wins. This is a worrying trend. This time, they took the points to zero just seconds after Fulham’s equalizer when Danny Welbeck appeared to have given them the lead. Haseler knows margins are fine.

The next two games, winnable games against Everton and Crystal Palace, will be crucial to keeping the season alive.
david richardson