Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood believes Spurs will get three wins before now and the end of the season to ensure their Premier League safety but concedes it is cutting it fine as the relegation race reaches an excruciating climax.
It became even tougher for Spurs on Tuesday AEST, when West Ham United secured a massive point in their relegation battle after playing out a goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, also sealing Wolverhampton Wanderers’ relegation to the Championship.
Eagles winger Brennan Johnson had a chance to boost the survival hopes of his former side Tottenham but missed a free header in the first half.
The visitors were not without chances to grab all three points, and it took a big Dean Henderson save to deny Greek centre back Konstantinos Mavropanos before the break.
The result lifts the Hammers two points clear of 18th-placed Spurs, while Palace – who have a game in hand – move within five points of Brentford, who currently occupy seventh and a Conference League play-off round position.
It ends goalless at Selhurst Park, and @WestHam move a point further away from the bottom three ⚒️
That result confirms Wolves’ relegation from the Premier League pic.twitter.com/f6aAVQd4TF
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 20, 2026
“I’m seeing positive signs, definitely. But forget positive signs, we need points. I genuinely believe they (Tottenham) will get three wins between now and the end of the season,” Sherwood said, talking to Stats Perform.
“Now, whether three wins is going to be enough… Other teams are going to need to not win certain games. But I think there’s three games they will win and stay in the division.”
Despite that sentiment, he has concerns over Roberto De Zerbi’s experience with these kind of circumstances.
“It’s a huge worry. This group of players have let the club down for a couple of years now,” he said.
“We keep seeing the hierarchy changing managers. First it was Ange Postecoglou, then Thomas Frank, then Igor Tudor came in and it never worked and there wasn’t a lift.
“Now we’ve got De Zerbi, who I think is a very good manager. But we’ve never seen him operate in these circumstances.”
On Tuesday at Selhurst Park, Nuno Espirito Santo named an unchanged West Ham side from Friday’s victory over Wolves.
Johnson had a big chance to open the scoring from an excellent Jefferson Lerma cross in the 20th minute but failed to angle his header on target, then Henderson kept out a Crysencio Summerville free kick.
Johnson, teed up by Yeremy Pino, fired his next attempt wide, and Palace breathed a sigh of relief after they failed to clear a corner, allowing Axel Disasi a shot from point-blank range, though the offside flag would have been raised.
There were just over six minutes remaining in the half when Maxence Lacroix came in with a big block to deny Taty Castellanos.
Henderson had just punched away Jarrod Bowen’s header and the ball made its way to the Argentina international, who attempted a bicycle kick, but Lacroix got his body in the way just in time.
It remained goalless at the break after Henderson reacted quickly to palm away Mavropanos’ sharp header and Glasner made a triple substitution just before the hour.
Lerma drew Hermansen into a straightforward save with a header and the stalemate remained intact after a slapstick series of slip-ups by both sides at the other end of the pitch.
The visitors won an added-time corner but it was eventually cleared by Palace to ensure the points were shared.
The result means Spurs, who conceded a late equaliser against Brighton on the weekend, now have a serious mountain to climb to not just get out of the relegation zone but leapfrog those clubs ahead of them.
“I always thought and believed in the quality of the players. In this moment we need this spirit, this attitude, this mentality. It’s not finished yet,” Spurs’ new head coach Roberto De Zerbi said.
“Every one of us knows it’s a tough moment, it’s a difficult situation. Now it’s difficult to hear my words. But if you watch the players, if you analyse the level of the players, I think we can win five games in a row. Not to be arrogant, because I’m not arrogant now, especially now. But we have the qualities enough to fight and to win games in a row.”
He added: “I have no time to see negative people, to see sad players or sad assistants. No, we are lucky because we are working in a big club, a big stadium. We are working in the Premier League. We have the qualities, the right qualities to win the game. So we have to be positive, because I don’t like the people who cry, who think in a negative way.”
Run home
Leeds United: Bournemouth (a), Burnley (h), Tottenham (a), Brighton (h), West Ham (a)
Nottingham Forest: Sunderland (a), Chelsea (a), Newcastle (h), Manchester United (a)
West Ham: Everton (h), Brentford (a), Arsenal (h), Newcastle (a), Leeds (h)
Tottenham: Wolves (a), Aston Villa (a), Leeds (h), Chelsea (a), Everton (h)
Burnley: Manchester City (h), Leeds (a), Aston Villa (h), Arsenal (a), Wolves (h)
Meanwhile, Bournemouth have announced Marco Rose will succeed Andoni Iraola as the club’s head coach in the summer.
The German has agreed a three-year deal.
Iraola revealed last week he will leave the Cherries when his contract expires at the end of the season, bringing an end to a successful three-year reign.
Despite hoping to extend the Spaniard’s stay, Bournemouth were prepared for that scenario and have moved quickly to appoint his replacement as part of their long-term project.
“AFC Bournemouth is delighted to confirm the appointment of Marco Rose as the club’s new head coach on a three-year contract, which will begin following the conclusion of the 2025/26 season,” read a club statement.
“The 49-year-old arrives on the south coast with a wealth of experience at the highest level of European football.”
Rose has been without a club since he was sacked by RB Leipzig in March 2025 and previously managed RB Salzburg, Borussia Monchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund.
He has a track record of player development, having worked with the likes of Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Dominik Szoboszlai during his career.
Bournemouth’s owners were attracted by the 49-year-old’s high-pressing, attacking style of play, which they believe aligns with the club’s identity.