Key Leeds United rivals Tottenham have been dealt a new double blow.
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Leeds United have been given a slice of relief through a fresh double blow for key rivals Tottenham who have also been hit by a key man injury setback.
Leeds began the weekend sat in 15th place and four points clear of the dropzone but third-bottom West Ham then took themselves out of the relegation zone with Friday night’s 4-0 win at home to Wolves.
The victory left Tottenham Hotspur in the dropzone for the first time this season but Spurs were then presented with the chance to get back out of it with Sunday afternoon’s clash at Sunderland in new boss Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge.
Spurs began the day three points behind Leeds on the same amount of games played but De Zerbi’s first game in charge ended in a 1-0 defeat in which captain Cristian Romero was also forced off injured.
At the same time, a fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest side who began the weekend just one point behind Leeds hosted Aston Villa, also in a 2pm kick-off.
In a fresh boost for Forest, the Reds left Villa Pak with a 1-1 draw that took them level on points with the Whites but still behind them on goal difference.
Up at Sunderland, Spurs looked to have been awarded a first-half penalty as Randal Kolo Muani hit the deck sandwiched in between Luke O’Nien and Omar Alderete but it looked a surprising decision and VAR intervened and advised referee Rob Jones to visit his monitor.
His decision to award the penalty was then overturned as part of a goalless first half at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland, though, went ahead on the hour mark after a combination of brilliant play from Nordi Mukiele and bad luck on Tottenham’s part.
In a fairly safe and dull game, Mukiele cut inside from the right flank and made his way to the edge of the box before unleashing a low drive which took a huge deflection off Micky van de Ven en route to beating Antonin Kinsky in the Spurs net.
Moments later, Spurs were dealt another blow as captain Cristian Romero was forced off injured after a blow to his leg, leaving the pitch close to tears.
Sunderland then pressed for a second although Spurs were given minutes of added time to get an equaliser.
At the City Ground, Forest fell behind in the 23rd minute to an own goal from Murillo but Neco Williams drew the hosts level seven minutes before the break.