Sports
Premier League: The relegation battle more like a title race
By beating Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Monday, Nottingham Forest extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven matches.
It moved them six points clear of 18th-placed West Ham, and restored their five-point advantage over Spurs in 17th.
Although not confirmed mathematically, the three points should be enough to seal Forest’s place in the Premier League next season.
After a season marred by three managerial changes at the City Ground, Forest will be indebted to Vitor Pereira if survival is achieved.
Since replacing Sean Dyche in February, the 57-year-old has lost only two of his nine Premier League matches in charge.
Pereira’s side are unbeaten in matches against Manchester City, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Chelsea.
In their past three games, Forest have remarkably scored 12 times and conceded just twice to improve their goal difference from -12 to -2. It could effectively act as an extra point at the end of the season.
Spurs, on the other hand, followed up a first Premier League win of 2026 last week by earning a vital victory against a much-changed Aston Villa side on Sunday night.
After three matchdays in the relegation zone, the win meant Spurs, last season’s Europa League winners, climbed out of the bottom three and leapfrogged West Ham.
Speaking on Monday Night Club, former Manchester City and Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given said: “It’s so tight now. It’s between two, realistically. The rest are home and dry. Maybe not mathematically, but they are done and dusted.
“It’s a huge week for Tottenham. Forget about the tactics, forget about the managers, forget about the boardroom. It’s about the result. It’s three points – the lift that will give the lads.
“Imagine them going into training today. A few weeks back, the Spurs stadium has been nearly empty towards the end of games. You could see them in the away end yesterday – the place was rocking.
“It’s just that feeling, the human feeling of ‘we’ve won a game of football. We’re out of the relegation zone. We’ve flipped with West Ham‘.”
However, it is not all doom and gloom for the Hammers despite their precarious position.
They have actually improved significantly in the past three months and, since suffering back-to-back defeats in January, have only lost four of their past 14 Premier League matches.
But if any club are aware that it can sometimes be too little, too late, then it is West Ham.
The east Londoners have the unwanted record of accumulating the most points in the final eight games of the season (15) of any side to be relegated from the Premier League.
In more recent times, Newcastle United – the last team to be relegated from the Premier League with 36 points or more – hold the record for the longest unbeaten run at the end of a season (six games) by a team relegated to the Championship.
If Forest, Spurs and West Ham maintain their current run of form, one of the three could end the season with a similarly unwanted place in the Premier League record books.
>
The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and Harman Dayal provide analysis of the most intriguing players placed on waivers during preseason.
>
Sports
York Valkyrie hold out to beat Wigan Warriors 8-6 and win the Women’s Super League Grand Final at Brick Community Stadium | Rugby League News
York Valkyrie won the Women’s Super League Grand Final, beating Wigan Warriors 8-6.
It was York’s third title after previous victories in 2023 and 2024.
Early on in this year’s final at the Brick Community Stadium, Sinead Peach went over to score the opening try, with Ellie Williamson providing the conversion.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Wigan Warrior’s Eva Hunter was sent to the sin bin after this challenge but was she lucky not to see red?
Wigan came back to level the game in the first half as Jenna Foubister put Mia-Jayne Atherton through to score the try and Isabel Rowe converted.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
York Valkyrie beat Wigan Warriors in Grand Final to lift Super League title for third time.
Atherton was sent to the sin bin as was Wigan’s Eva Hunter. The latter was fortunate to evade a red card for a dangerous tackle. She was sin-binned and Williamson landed the decisive kick to put York ahead.
Wigan launched attack after attack in the second half but, in a superb defensive effort, York held out, with player of the match, teenager Amelie Lenham, standing out with try-saving tackles.
Afterwards as York celebrated becoming the first team to win the Women’s Super League three times, the fiancé of Lisa Parker, who’d played with a broken hand, proposed to her, capping off a fairy-tale evening.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
York’s Lisa Parker was proposed to after winning the Women’s Super League Grand Final.
Who will win the Betfred Super League Grand Final? Watch the Super League’s showpiece event live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+ on Saturday, October 3 from 5pm. Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free on NOW
>
Gakpo’s injury adds to Liverpool‘s woes after Alexander Isak withdrew from Sweden duty with a minor thigh injury.
The striker played the full 90 minutes and scored a goal in his side’s 2-1 win on Friday over Romania in the Nations League.
However, he will not be involved in Sweden’s remaining three matches in this international break and assessed by his club’s medical staff.
On Thursday, Arsenal forward Kai Havertz and Sunderland‘s Brian Brobbey both went off injured in the same game as the Netherlands drew with Germany.
German Havertz was caught on the knee by a high boot from Quinten Timber in Amsterdam and had to be replaced.
Netherlands forward Brobbey – off the back off a hat-trick in Sunderland‘s 5-3 Premier League defeat by Manchester City – then appeared to suffer a muscle injury.
A further blow for Sunderland on this international break came as Dan Ballard suffered a hamstring injury late in Northern Ireland’s 1-0 win over Georgia on Friday.
Boss Michael O’Neill has confirmed the injury will rule him out of the national team’s remaining fixtures in this international break.
It is not just Premier League teams who are being impacted by injuries to their players while on international duty.
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has been ruled out for at least two weeks after injuring his knee while scoring the winner in Zinedine Zidane’s first game in charge of France.
He scored a record-extending 67th goal from Michael Olise’s pass to sink Turkey, but he was limping immediately and had to be replaced five minutes later.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala suffered a muscle injury during the warm-up for the game against the Netherlands and had to withdraw.
>
NHL waiver tracker: Best players on the wire throughout 2026-27 preseason
York Valkyrie hold out to beat Wigan Warriors 8-6 and win the Women’s Super League Grand Final at Brick Community Stadium | Rugby League News
Nations League: Bruno Fernandes, Cody Gakpo and Patrick Dorgu injured on international duty
-
movies4 months agoSearch For Canadian TV Actor Stewart McLean Now Homicide Investigation
-
Fashion9 years agoThese ’90s fashion trends are making a comeback in 2017
-
Fashion9 years ago
According to Dior Couture, this taboo fashion accessory is back
-
Fashion9 years ago
Model Jocelyn Chew’s Instagram is the best vacation you’ve ever had
-
Fashion9 years ago
Emily Ratajkowski channels back-to-school style
-
Fashion9 years ago
9 Celebrities who have spoken out about being photoshopped
-
Anime4 months agoRurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc Manga Takes 1-Issue Break – News
-
Anime3 months agoHIDIVE to Stream English Dubs for The World Is Dancing, The Forsaken Saintess and Her Foodie Roadtrip in Another World, The Dangers in My Heart: The Movie Anime – News