Premier League survival race enters critical phase

As the dust settles on the latest round of fixtures, the battle at the bottom of the table is tighter than ever.

Nottingham Forest’s emphatic win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has seen them leapfrog their rivals, while Leeds United earned a valuable point in a goalless draw with Brentford to move four points clear of the drop zone.

West Ham United remain in the bottom three following a 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa, and the pressure is mounting on Julen Lopetegui to find a winning formula before the season resumes.

At the opposite end of the table, Villa have solidified their grip on fourth place, while Sunderland caused a massive upset in the Tyne-Wear derby by beating Newcastle 2-1 with a 90th-minute winner from Brian Brobbey.

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