Tottenham Hotspur dropped more points in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley as Manchester City reduced the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to four points and Thomas Frank’s job is again under threat.
After Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham United last week, disgruntled Spurs fans vented their anger on their manager, chanting: “You’ll be sacked tomorrow morning.”
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The former Brentford boss breathed a sigh of relief after his 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in midweek.
But Tottenham Hotspur are in desperate need of a win in the Premier League after just two wins in 13 league games.
The visitors dominated the first half and deservedly took the lead with a powerful left-footed shot from Mickey van de Veen after Burnley failed to clear.
But before halftime, defender Axel Tuanzebe scored a side-footed pass from Kyle Walker and the team conceded. To make matters worse, Lyle Forster gave Burnley the lead in the 76th minute.
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In a nerve-wracking final, Harvey Simmons hit the Spurs crossbar and captain Christian Romero equalized with a header in the 90th minute.
The draw leaves Tottenham in 13th place in the standings.
– The gap between cities is narrowing –
Pep Guardiola’s City are winless in four league games in 2026, heading into the game at the Etihad Stadium after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.
Erling Haaland was left on the bench after scoring just once in five league games, with Guardiola explaining his star striker needed to “clear his mind and body”.
Centre-back Marc Gheishi made his debut five days after moving from Crystal Palace, easing City’s crippling defensive crisis which has seen injuries to John Stones, Ruben Dias and Josco Gvardiol.
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Egypt striker Omar Marmouche gave the home side the lead in the sixth minute, scoring his first Premier League goal of the season with a sharp shot from Matheus Nunez’s pass.
City made it 2-0 shortly before half-time when Antoine Semenho scored his third goal in all competitions for the club since arriving at the Etihad from Bournemouth earlier this month.
The victory lifted City to 46 points, four behind Arsenal, who host Michael Carrick’s Manchester United on Sunday.
But the bottom Wolves are 14 points away from safety and, despite their recent improvement, seem destined to fail.
Fulham beat Brighton 2-1 at home at Craven Cottage, coming back from a goal down.
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Samuel Chukwueze canceled out Yasin Ayari’s fine first-half strike for the visitors and Harry Wilson scored the winner in stoppage time.
Previously, West Ham United defeated Sunderland 3-1 in an away game, winning two games in two games and only two points away from relegation in the Premier League.
The home side effectively sealed the game on half-time following Crissencio Somerville’s opener, Jarrod Bowen’s penalty and Mateusz Fernandez’s long-range rocket.
Nuno Espirito Santo says West Ham United still need new signings in the January transfer window to survive.
“We still have a week to go,” he said. “I still believe we need to rebalance our roster. We need options at certain positions.”
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Champions Liverpool will face Bournemouth away from home in the evening game, with a chance to solidify their fourth position.
Mohamed Salah, who just returned from the African Cup of Nations, was selected into the club’s Premier League starting lineup for the first time since November last year.
JW/MW