Cristian Romero promises ‘200%’ effort in Tottenham’s battle against relegation

  • Spurs dropped to 17th after 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest

  • Club confirm Igor Tudor’s father passed away on Sunday

Cristian Romero has promised to put 200% into Tottenham’s seven remaining “finals” to avoid a seismic Premier League exit.

Spurs’ survival hopes took a significant hit after a demoralising 3-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, dropping them to 17th and increasing the possibility of a first relegation since 1977. Tottenham’s winless league run stands at 13 matches and despite fans flooding the streets in N17 to give the team bus a raucous welcome, the pre-match optimism was replaced with a sense of inevitability after another abject defeat.

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Viktor Gyökeres vows to use Arsenal’s Carabao Cup pain as fuel in treble hunt

  • Gunners eyeing trophies after Carabao Cup final woes

  • Striker ‘even more motivated’ for coming games

Viktor Gyökeres has articulated the hurt and defiance inside the Arsenal dressing-room after Sunday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City and promised to use it as fuel in the club’s pursuit of other trophies.

Arsenal picked a bad time to produce their worst performance of the season with everybody in the starting XI falling well below their best – apart from maybe William Saliba. No one will want to dwell on the period from the beginning of the second half to the moment when Nico O’Reilly scored his second goal in the 64th minute to put City in an unassailable position. It was one-way traffic, Arsenal pinned back, unable to get out.

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‘We smell blood’: O’Reilly believes Wembley glory can reignite Manchester City title bid

  • Two-goal hero says City are ready to hunt down Arsenal

  • Rodri feels Carabao Cup can be springboard in title race

Nico O’Reilly has stated Manchester City “smell blood” as they hunt down Arsenal’s nine-point Premier League advantage following Sunday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final triumph.

Two second-half headers by O’Reilly defeated Mikel Arteta’s team at Wembley to give City the season’s first major trophy. Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand on the leaders and host them next month at the Etihad Stadium.

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Premier League and Carabao Cup final: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Kobbie Mainoo needs a power boost, Everton revel in home comforts but Brentford must rediscover their buzz

One theory behind Manchester City’s subpar 18 months is that the end is sliding into view on Pep Guardiola’s glorious reign, and the fact that he may be considering life after City is transmitting itself to his players. Sunday’s Carabao Cup win goes some way to refuting that. Not only did he see off the challenge of his former apprentice Mikel Arteta, but it was vintage Guardiola on the touchline. He looked gobsmacked when decisions didn’t go his side’s way, produced a Chuck Norris tribute kick to an advertising hoarding when City took the lead then sprinted down the touchline, fists pumping, when Nico O’Reilly scored his second of a fairytale final for the club’s local lad. If Guardiola’s intense level of care has dropped, he’s disguising it well. Anybody writing off him – and City’s league title ambitions – would do well to remember just what level of manager we are dealing with here. Alex Reid

Match report: Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City

Player ratings: Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City

Match report: Tottenham 0-3 Nottingham Forest

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Spurs coach Saltor confident team will stay up despite Forest rout – video

The assistant coach Bruno Saltor believes Tottenham will avoid relegation because of their performances against Liverpool, the second leg of their Champions League tie against Atlético Madrid and the first half of their defeat by Nottingham Forest. Stepping in for the interim head coach Igor Tudor, who couldn't attend his press duties because of a family issue, Saltor said: 'Every small detail is going against us and it's about turning that around.'

Spurs get sinking feeling as Gibbs-White and Awoniyi fire Forest to thumping victory

Pereira calls on Forest players to keep ‘feeling like champions’ after Spurs rout

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Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 Nottingham Forest: Premier League – as it happened

Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi scored as Forest plunged Spurs into even greater relegation trouble

Late drama in the Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park. Luke McLaughlin has more.

The night before Nottingham Forest prevailed against Midtjylland, going the distance in central Denmark to tee up a first European quarter-final 30 years to the day since their last, Ryan Yates was doing a spot of homework. The Forest club captain found himself flicking through the Champions League offering at the team hotel in Silkeborg, half an hour east of Herning, but naturally lingered on Tottenham’s rematch with Atlético Madrid. A trip to Spurs, of course, is next and, like Forest, they find themselves in a perilous predicament near the bottom of the Premier League.

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Brighton 2-1 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

Danny Welbeck and Yankuba Minteh were the stars of a deserved win for the Seagulls, as Liverpool once again stumbled in their pursuit of a Champions League spot

Arne Slot speaks frankly to TNT. “You cannot compare a home game, a Champions League night against Galatasaray, to Brighton away … but you have to take the positives … we know we face a different opponent today … we have to be even better to get a result here today … [Brighton] have good players … their manager is always able to come up with a very good game plan … his players are able to execute that plan … very intense … only play once a week … they can train on that game plan … it is important to have two very good goalkeepers and we have that … there is hardly any room for error any more … we have made quite a few errors this season … the main ones was dropping points in extra time … now we are in this situation … though I don’t think we have to win eight, we have to play every game as a final … get the most out of the game possible … let’s see what it is today.”

In last week’s episode …

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Chelsea’s pathetic fine for Abramovich-era payments puts Tierney row in shade | Barney Ronay

The players’ bizarre huddle and Rosenior’s odd responses should not distract attention from a light punishment that diminishes the Premier League

You might feel enough has already been said about the Chelsea huddle. You would be wrong, of course. It is impossible to say enough about the Chelsea huddle. A week on, that moment when the Chelsea players formed a scrum on the centre circle around what appeared at first glance to be a depressed hatstand, but turned out to be the immovable figure of referee Paul Tierney, is still the most moreishly haunting image of the season.

What did it mean? Even the basic geometry is fascinating, with its fractal-like symmetries. Here we have the Chelsea players making a circle inside a circle around a sphere on top of a smaller circle, above which a single bald head protrudes like an orbital moon.

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Premier League and Carabao Cup: things to look out for this weekend

Igor Thiago looms over Leeds, Newcastle need to bounce back from Barça and Viktor Gyökeres aims for hero status

Though Manchester United continued to win after playing brilliantly against Manchester City and Arsenal in Michael Carrick’s first two games as manager, the quality and coherence of their performances decreased thereafter. Lacking balance without the injured Patrick Dorgu, they’ve been rescued on three separate occasion by Benjamin Sesko’s goals – goals which eventually forced him into the team at the expense of Amad Diallo. But though Amad is easier to omit than Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, both of whom are older, dearer and more productive, without him United lacked a dribbler: a player eager to run at opponents, who isn’t necessarily seeking the quickest route to goal, and whose quick feet in tight spaces are invaluable against disciplined defences. It is no coincidence that on his return to the starting XI, against Villa last weekend, United delivered their best display since those early weeks. Though, at some point soon, Sesko’s form will again demand his inclusion, this time it is unlikely to be Amad who makes way. Daniel Harris

Bournemouth v Manchester United, Friday 8pm

Brighton v Liverpool, Saturday 12.30pm

Fulham v Burnley, Saturday 3pm

Everton v Chelsea, Saturday 5.30pm

Leeds v Brentford, Saturday 8pm

Newcastle v Sunderland, Sunday 12pm

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