1 week ago
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Preamble
Oh Tottenham. How has it travel to this? Champions League finalists successful 2019, and Europa League winners conscionable 12 months ago, 1 of nan grandest clubs successful England are now perchance 90 minutes positive fingernail-and-artery-bothering add-ons distant from relegation to nan 2nd tier for nan first clip successful astir half a century.
Ah but let’s time off those questions for later. And they’ll beryllium a batch little pointed should Spurs flight nan executioner this afternoon. The maths are simple: hit Everton and they enactment up. A tie will almost surely beryllium enough, unless West Ham hit Leeds 12-0, which, fixed that scoreline would necktie a top-flight grounds group 134 years ago* and matched only erstwhile since, 117 years ago†, is not going to happen. But a conclusion … hoo boy.
The bully news for Spurs: nether Roberto de Zerbi, they’ve mislaid conscionable 1 of their past 5 fixtures. And moreover if nan worst was to happen, West Ham would still request to triumph to leapfrog them to safety. However, Spurs person only won 2 matches astatine location each season, against Burnley and Brentford, while Everton person nan sixth-best distant grounds successful nan division, winning 7 of 18. Also successful David Moyes, Everton person a head who is connected grounds saying he’d “love to support West Ham successful nan convention if I can”, having antecedently managed them to European glory.
So ideate nan hostility successful N17 should Everton people first this afternoon. But Spurs hit nan Toffees 3-0 connected their ain spot past October, truthful glee is arsenic apt an result for nan hosts arsenic misery. At slightest that’s what they’ve sewage to show themselves arsenic they spell into their astir important crippled for a procreation … and nan legume counters will show you that yes, that does see past year’s Europa League final. Kick-off is astatine 4pm BST. It’s on!
*: West Bromwich Albion 12-0 Darwen (April 1892)
†: Nottingham Forest 12–0 Leicester Fosse (April 1909)
