De Zerbi suffers Spurs defeat
\nLONDON
\nTottenham\u2019s Premier League plight deepened with a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday in Roberto De Zerbi\u2019s first match in charge as Manchester City smashed Chelsea to pile the pressure on leaders Arsenal.
\nSpurs brought in the former Brighton and Marseille boss at the end of last month in a last-ditch bid to save themselves from a catastrophic relegation.
\nBut the Italian failed to inspire his team in a tricky baptism at Sunderland and they remain mired in the drop zone.
\nTottenham, playing under their third manager this season, are without a Premier League win since December as they contemplate the nightmare of a first relegation from the English top flight since 1977.
\nSunderland won courtesy of a huge slice of luck on the hour, when Nordi Mukiele\u2019s shot took a massive deflection off Micky van de Ven and looped into the goal.
\nSpurs pushed hard for an equaliser late on but to no avail.
\nDe Zerbi said his men were suffering from a crisis of confidence, arguing that a win would change everything.
\n\u201cI can be a big brother, father, they don\u2019t need a coach,\u201d he told the BBC. \u201cThey don\u2019t need to improve football.
\n\u201cThey can play better and they will play better once we reach a different level of confidence.\u201d
\nTottenham, who recently parted ways with interim boss Igor Tudor, are two points behind 17th-placed West Ham and have six games left to save themselves.
\nThey are the ninth-wealthiest club in the world, according to Deloitte\u2019s latest rankings, underlining the extraordinary nature of their predicament.
\nMan City click
\nAt the other end of the table, swaggering City earned a priceless 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge to move six points behind Mikel Arteta\u2019s Arsenal.
\nPep Guardiola\u2019s team have a game in hand and a potentially decisive head-to-head to come against the Gunners next week at the Etihad.
\nCity, denied a fifth straight Premier League title by Liverpool last season, took full advantage of Arsenal\u2019s shock 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth on Saturday.
\nThe visitors lacked punch in the first half against an enterprising Chelsea team but turned up the heat after the break.
\nNico O\u2019Reilly headed home Rayan Cherki\u2019s cross before defender Marc Guehi doubled City\u2019s lead in the 57th minute following a beautifully weighted pass from Cherki.
\nJeremy Doku put the result beyond doubt, lashing home after Chelsea lost the ball deep inside their half.
\nCity remain on track for a domestic treble after winning the League Cup, with an FA Cup semi-final to come against second-tier Southampton.
\nGuardiola said he had huge respect for Arsenal ahead of their summit meeting.
\n\u201cThey have been the best team in this country, in Europe, so far,\u201d he told Sky Sports. \u201cBeating Arsenal once (in the League Cup final) is so difficult, imagine beating them twice in a few weeks. We have to rest.
\n\u201cI would like to say to my fans \u2014 respect Arsenal a lot, they are an extraordinary team. Come to join us from minute one because the players will do the maximum.\u201d
\nChelsea are stuck in sixth position after a third straight Premier League defeat, four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool in the race for Champions League football next season.
\nTottenham\u2019s relegation rivals Nottingham Forest held Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw at the City Ground and remain one point above West Ham.
\nUnai Emery\u2019s fourth-placed Villa, chasing a Champions League spot next season, took the lead courtesy of a Murillo own goal but the home side levelled through Neco Williams.
\nJean-Philippe Mateta scored twice, including a stoppage-time penalty, as Crystal Palace came from behind to beat Newcastle 2-1 at Selhurst Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
De Zerbi suffers Spurs defeat LONDON Tottenham\u2019s Premier League plight deepened with a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday in Roberto De Zerbi\u2019s first match in charge as Manchester City smashed Chelsea to pile the pressure on leaders Arsenal. Spurs brought in the former Brighton and Marseille boss at the end of last month in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-541728","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n