Tottenham Hotspur still have a chance to move up to 15th in the Premier League table with a win over Crystal Palace on Thursday night, but now their next London derby matchup is an even bigger must win for manager Igor Tudor and his men after they watched not only Nottingham Forest share the spoils 2-2 with title challengers Manchester City but also watched West Ham get a big win.
Thanks to a goal from left winger Crysencio Summerville and an assist from Jarrod Bowen - both of whom have been linked in transfer rumors to Tottenham - the Hammers prevailed 1-0 against London rivals Fulham. You know, the same Cottagers that made mince meat out of Spurs yet again this past Premier League weekend in 2-1 fashion.
The draw from Forest and the win from Nuno Espirito Santo's West Ham now mean that Spurs are a measly one point ahead of these two sides in the relegation battle. Spurs are 16th in the league table with 29 points while Forest and West Ham both have 28 points (with Forest just above the drop zone by virtue of goal difference).
Tottenham could have signed Crysencio Summerville
Now, Spurs are still ahead of these two, but they cannot afford to lose their breathing space by dropping any points against the Eagles on Thursday night. All the pressure is on Tudor and the team in this reunion with Europa League hero Brennan Johnson.
As if watching West Ham and Nottingham Forest get big results were not enough, the Hammers added another blow to Tottenham Hotspur by having Summerville be the one to score the winning goal for them in the game.
Summerville was sensational all around, registering six combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn in a great progressive and creative performance in addition to the goal. The young Dutch left winger has been a real positive since signing over from the EFL Championship last season, and he could very well continue to shape this relegation race.