The battle for survival at the bottom of the Premier League continued on Saturday afternoon, with West Ham and Tottenham both fighting for points after Nottingham Forest's emphatic win.
Spurs Do Their Part but Stay in Danger
Tottenham did their part by beating already relegated Wolves 1-0, thanks to an 82nd-minute goal from Joao Palhinha. Minutes after his goal, Everton equalised against West Ham, propelling Spurs to safety for a few minutes at least. However, Callum Wilson struck right at the death to clinch a 2-1 win for West Ham, leaving Tottenham two points adrift of safety with just four Premier League games remaining.
Both teams suffered a blow before a ball had even been kicked, with Nottingham Forest beating Sunderland 5-0 on Friday night. That statement victory put Vitor Pereira's men on 39 points, seven clear of Spurs and five of West Ham.
First Half Frustration
If Nottingham Forest's stunning result lit a fire under either team, it failed to translate on the pitch initially. Both sides went in goalless, with Tottenham losing striker Dominic Solanke to injury in a first half where they failed to trouble Wolves overly. Things got even worse for Spurs not long after play resumed, with West Ham taking the lead against Everton through Tomas Soucek.
The midfielder's header from a corner, given after penalty appeals were waved away moments earlier, piled even more pressure on Tottenham in their bid to bring points back from Molineux. Xavi Simons was then stretchered off with what looked like a serious injury as Tottenham's afternoon took another devastating twist.
Late Drama and Heartbreak
With time running out, Palhinha popped up to put Spurs on their way to what looked to be a priceless victory. Wilson, however, had other ideas: his intervention in added time wiped out Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's 88th-minute goal to lift the roof from The London Stadium. A complete contrast to Molineux.
After weeks of damaging results, Tottenham can at least take solace from the fact that winning keeps them in touch of West Ham and, to a degree, Nottingham Forest, even if it was not enough to lift them out of the relegation zone. Defeat would have been disastrous. Instead, Tottenham stay alive for now.
