The danger is real for Tottenham as specter of Premier League relegation looms

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The danger is real for Tottenham as specter of Premier League relegation looms

2026-02-26 13:21 Last Updated At：13:40

What's been increasingly apparent to despairing Tottenham fans for some months is now suddenly clear for everyone: their team could genuinely be relegated from the Premier League.

Spurs have been regarded for some time as part of England's so-called “Big Six” — so much so that they were involved in the quickly aborted Super League project in 2021 — but they aren't playing like it, at least in the Premier League.

Last season, Tottenham finished in 17th place, one spot above the bottom three, but was never in realistic danger of relegation.

This season, the danger is real. Tottenham is in 16th place but just four points above the relegation zone with 11 rounds remaining and is the only team in the league without a win in 2026 heading into a match at Fulham on Sunday.

The only victories this calendar year have come in the Champions League, which Tottenham finished in the top eight after the first stage to advance directly to the round of 16.

Spurs — the Europa League winners last season — haven't been able to reproduce their European exploits in the Premier League, with their shortcomings exposed in a 4-1 thrashing by fierce rival Arsenal last weekend. That was Igor Tudor 's first match in charge of Tottenham and it laid bare the scale of the task facing the Croatian, who replaced Thomas Frank at the helm.

Tudor has a long injury list to deal with — among the top players on it are James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and Pedro Porro — as well as confidence issues within the squad. Do they have the stomach for a relegation battle?

Also going against Tottenham is the fact that third-to-last West Ham is showing more resilience in recent weeks, losing just one of its eight games in all competitions.

It doesn't help, either, that while Spurs are at a low ebb, Arsenal is currently the top team in England.

Tottenham has been an ever-present in the Premier League since the competition was founded in 1992, and last played in the second tier in the 1977-78 season.

The title race resumes with first-place Arsenal at home to Chelsea. They recently met over two legs in the English League Cup semifinals and Arsenal won both games.

Manchester City is five points behind in second place, though has a game in hand, and is away to Leeds. That sees City striker Erling Haaland return to the city where he was born.

Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko will be looking to score in a third straight game when Crystal Palace visits Old Trafford. Sesko scored an equalizer against West Ham and then a winner at Everton, both times off the bench.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot will hope for positive news about Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, who missed the win at Nottingham Forest last weekend because of back pain.

Liverpool hosts West Ham on Saturday.

It seems Crystal Palace and its manager, Oliver Glasner, are heading toward a messy break-up.

Glasner, who led Palace to its first ever trophy last season by winning the FA Cup, has already confirmed he's leaving his job at the end of the season and has been non-committal about whether he would even be staying that long.

Fans held up a banner containing the words, “Fans disrespected — Glasner finished” during a match against Wolverhampton last weekend.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Nationals' James Wood hits majors' first inside-the-park grand slam since 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was only a matter of time before Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood hit a grand slam.

But an inside-the-park shot, like the one Wood smashed in Tuesday’s 9-6 victory over the New York Mets?

“I didn’t think it would be like this,” Wood said. “That was a fun way to get it.”

Down 5-0, the Nationals loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning against Mets starter Nolan McLean. Wood hit a first-pitch sweeper to the opposite field, where it glanced off the leaping Nick Morabito’s arm and bounded into center.

“When I saw that, I kind of just knew it was a full-on sprint home,” the 23-year-old Wood said of his 53rd career home run. “That’s probably why my eyes got big.”

Center fielder Tyrone Taylor braced himself before running into the wall before looking at Morabito, who pointed to the carom before giving chase himself.

“He lost track of the baseball,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He went after and then he didn’t know where the ball was. That’s a tough break there.”

Wood scampered around the bases in 15.15 seconds and slid headfirst across the plate well ahead of the throw for his first career grand slam and 13th homer of the season.

It was the ninth inside-the-park grand slam in the majors since 1994. The previous one was hit by Toronto’s Raimel Tapia on July 22, 2022.

“When they get over the fence, obviously I think James enjoys that more so he doesn’t have to run as hard or as far,” first-year Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “But that was pretty cool. I think everyone was pretty fired up, talking some smack that he can’t hit it over the fence.”

The Nationals have two inside-the-park grand slams since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005. Michael A. Taylor hit the other Sept. 8, 2017, at home against Philadelphia.

Three of the four inside-the-park grand slams this century were hit at Nationals Park. Philadelphia’s Aaron Altherr connected for one at Washington on Sept. 25, 2015.

Now, Wood has joined that small club.

“It’s probably the biggest smile I’ve seen on his face since I’ve gotten to know him,” Butera said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb