Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham: Ze Zerbi begins on wrong foot with a defeat to Sunderland

Tottenham make it 14 games without a win as relegation fears strengthen as a second half strike by Mukiele ensures three-points for Sunderland. Tottenham come in as they fear of relegation with 13 games without a win after dropping into relegation on Friday night as West Ham defeated Wolves to leap-frog Spurs’. Sunderland who are pushing for Europe defeated their rivals Newcastle 2-1 last time out look to get yet again. Tottenham are in dire need of victory should they get out of the bottom three. As the game begun, Richarlison had an early small chance, a first time strike from just inside the box which was collected calmly by Roefs in the Sunderland goal. Sunderland moments later took a brilliant corner by Ex-Arsenal man, Xhaka with his corner being tipped over the bar by Kinsky who has been heavily criticized of late. Brobbey had a chance from close range with his header going just over the bar following some very good passing prior to the chance. On the 20 minute mark, Tottenham were awarded a spot kick following a potential foul on Kolo Muani but after a VAR check, the penalty was chopped off which was simply, the correct decision. A free-kick from far out, Xhaka with the ball towards the box but Mukiele missing connection as it goes out for a goal-kick. Xhaka with the best chance so far as a throw by O’Nien which was brilliantly headed away but only as far as the Sunderland captain who smashes the ball goal bound but fires just wide of target. The hosts had a perfect chance to go ahead with a free-kick on the edge of the box as Xhaka blasted a ball well over into the stands. Just before the break, Xhaka whipped a ball into the box where Brobbey met but a brilliant stop by Kinsky denying Sunderland the lead right on the stroke of half-time. Roefs then quickly denied Spurs the opener as Roefs denied Solanke giving Spurs’ the lead which went out for a corner. Going into the second half, Richarlison was running through to try and strike home but some crucial defending by O’Nien prevented a Tottenham opener. Richarlison had another chance just before the hour mark but a weak and tame effort making it a simple safe by Roefs for Sunderland. Sunderland took the lead after the hour mark, Mukiele with a darting run and unleashed a strike from distance which deflected off Van de Veen and found its way into the back of the net to build more pressure onto the London side. Going into the final stages, Sunderland looked more likely to get the next goal but a massive 10 minutes to come in terms of Tottenham’s season as they fight to escape relegation. Rigg had a chance from outside the box after 82 minutes but his effort being well blocked to deny a second. Major claims late into the game as Brobbey felt he was nudged but referee Rob Jones was having none of it with VAR agreeing, no penalty. Moments later, Sunderland had a huge chance for a second but Udogie doing brilliant to clear the ball off the line to deny Sunderland the second and to deny a tap in. Porro wasn’t far off to equalise late on as a powerful strike was tipped over by Roefs to deny Tottenham a way back into the game. Sunderland scraped past struggling Tottenham at the Stadium of Light as Tottenham remain the bottom three as their relegation chances continue as that is now 14 games without a win and a defeat for Ze Zerbi on his debut where things must change if they are to avoid the drop. Next up for Sunderland is a trip to Villa Park next Sunday with Tottenham facing Brighton next Saturday evening with Ze Zerbi facing his former club as Spurs look to steer away from relegation. Sunderland: Roefs (7), Mukiele (8), Mandava (7), Alderete (7), O’Nien (7), Sadiki (7), Diarra (7), Le Fee (7), Rigg (6), Xhaka (8), Brobbey (7). Substitutes: Talbi (5), Hume (5), Isidor (5). Tottenham: Kinsky (6), Porro (7), Romero (6), Van de Veen (6), Udogie (6), Gray (5), Gallagher (6), Kolo Muani (5), Bergvall (5), Richarlison (6), Solanke (5). Substitutes: Palphina (5), Sarr (5), Tel (5), Danso (5), Simons (5).

Falkirk 3-6 Rangers: Rohl’s side keep pace with rivals after nine goal thriller

The game of the season was played at the Falkirk stadium as Rangers took the points in a ridiculous game that ended Falkirk 3-6 Rangers Falkirk came into this game a week out from a huge game at Hampden in the Scottish cup and had three wins, one draw and just the single loss. Rangers came into this one with the same record, albeit with a cup loss to Celtic on penalties. Rangers are unbeaten in the league since a December loss to Hearts at Tynecastle. Falkirk made just one change to the team that won 3-2 away at Motherwell as Leon McCann dropped to the bench and was replaced by club captain Coll Donaldson. Rangers made four changes to the team that won 4-2 at home to Dundee United, Dujon Sterling, John Souttar, Andreas Skov Olsen and injured Ryan Naderi were out and replaced by James Tavernier, Emmanuel Fernandez, Djedi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti. The first chance of the game ended up in a goal for Falkirk. Finn Yeats got the break of the ball and played it to Calvin Miller, who fired a cross that found Ben Broggio, who slotted for his fourth goal since his loan move from Aston Villa in January. Rangers got their first chance of the game as the ball was worked wide to Gassama, who hit a good shot across the goal, but it was saved by Falkirk goalkeeper Scott Bain. A smart free-kick move was executed by Thelo Aasgaard, and it dropped to Chermiti, who ballooned it way over the bar. Falkirk had another decent chance as a ball over the top reached Barney Stewart, and his shot on the spin went wide of Jack Butland’s goal. Falkirk scored their second as the ball broke to Finn Yeats after some poor decision-making by the Rangers’ defence with a fantastic curling shot into the corner of the goal. Rangers had another chance as Mikey Moore found some space on the left but his shot was weak and straight at Bain. Falkirk got another shot off, this time right back Keelan Adams cut inside and hit a powerful shot, but it was blocked by Fernandez. Rangers managed to get the ball into the net as Tochi Chukwuani fired the ball into the net. The goal was checked by VAR as the ball potentially went out as Nico Raskin tried to play the ball back in, but the goal stood, and it was game on again. A free kick went in by James Tavernier for Rangers, and Nasser Djiga headed over the bar as the halftime whistle was blown. Right at the start of the second half, Rangers would get their equaliser as Gassama does well to win the ball from Adams, and his ball is met by Chermiti, and his deft touch pulls Rangers back into the game. Falkirk got their first chance of the second half as Stewart lays the ball off to Yeats, and his shot is just over the bar. Remarkably, Rangers took the lead as Raskin hit a curling shot away from Bain and left the keeper with no chance, and Rangers turned the game on its head. Rangers had another chance from Chermiti after a good ball winning from Gassama, but he hit it straight at Bain as Falkirk looked a bit stunned. Rangers unbelievably got their fourth as Raskin crossed the ball, and substitute Bojan Miovski scored with his left thigh. Falkirk were then given a penalty as Yeats was pulled down by Tavernier, Jack Butland got a hand to the ball from Calvin Miller’s strike, but it found the net for Falkirk’s third of the game. Falkirk had a bit of a spring in their step with 20 minutes to go as Miller went for goal from just outside the box, but it went just wide of the post. Rangers then managed to restore their two-goal advantage as Miovski’s shot was blocked by Liam Henderson but it fell to Chermiti for his second of the day and Rangers’ fifth. As we got to the last five minutes, Rangers got their sixth, a good ball across the face of the goal by substitute Oliver Antman, and Miovski was in the right place to tap in for his second and make the score 3-6. The game mercilessly came to an end with nine goals as Rangers pick up a huge three points in their bid for the Scottish Premiership title. Next up for Falkirk is a derby cup semi-final at Hampden as they take on Dunfermline for a place in the final. Rangers are off for a warm-weather training camp in Spain before their post-split schedule starts at Ibrox against Motherwell  Falkirk Scott Bain, Keelan Adams, Coll Donaldson, Liam Henderson, Filip Lissah, Brad Spencer, Dylan Tait (Henry Cartwright 81’), Calvin Miller (Ethan Ross 81’), Finn Yeats(Kyrell Wilson 71’), Ben Broggio (Ben Parkinson 70’), Barney Stewart. Rangers Jack Butland, James Tavernier, Emmanuel Fernandez, Nasser Djiga, Jayden Meghoma (Max Aarons 70’), Nicolas Raskin, Tochi Chukwuani (Mohammed Diomande 85’), Mikey Moore (Bojan Miovski 46’), Djedi Gassama (Oliver Antman 85’), Thelo Assgaard (Connor Barron 77’), Youssef Chermiti.

McInnes praises “calm” Hearts after Motherwell fightback

Derek McInnes believes Hearts’ ability to manage the “anxiety” of Saturday’s 3-1 win over Motherwell was crucial, as the Jambos reached 70 points and remained atop the Scottish Premiership heading into the split. Goals from Lawrence Shankland, Claudio Braga, and Pierre Landry Kabore settled a comeback victory for Hearts. Speaking at full-time, McInnes lauded his side’s performance in a “fiercely contested” battle. “I think we saw a lot of the good in both teams. Some things we could do better, Motherwell will be disappointed at one or two of their bigger chances. “But I thought we were the better team in the first half. We shaded it just in terms of Motherwell didn’t really connect the game they normally do. “But they did get a couple of shots from the edge of the box. They are good at creating that space in front of centre-halfs. “They caused us a bit of anxiety with their speed. Longelo, Maswanhise, Just and Said, they are all lovely footballers, but I thought in the main we dealt with it really well. “It has hard to keep a good team round and there was a feeling when we went 1-0 down, we had it all to do.” A tactical switch proved key for McInnes, with his side chasing the game after Emmanuel Longelo’s low finish in the 50th minute. “It was important we stayed calm. I reverted to my 4-4-2. Sometimes it is good to go back to the familiar, but it gave them more control in the middle of the park, so we reverted back and I thought we were far better. “We had some good moments, I thought my subs did well and obviously a great goal from [Claudio] Braga gets us back on our way. “Nobody was settling for 1-1. We tried to put stress on their back line. I wasn’t sure about the penalty, but everyone who’s seen it back says it is a penalty – he gets kicked in the head. “Lawrence Shankland tucks it away brilliantly and Kabore finishes it off. So your three strikers scoring. We were strong in the last 10 minutes to see it out for a great three points.” Shankland expressed his own excitement for the final month of this gripping title race. “It’ll make for a brilliant end to the season for Scottish football in general, but we’ll just look to go and win as many games as we can, and if we do that, we could be in a really good place. ” When we started out the season, you had an idea that we were a strong side and had a good feeling about the place. “We’ve managed to carry that through, got a lot of positive results and are still sitting in a good position come April and getting into May. We can be excited, there’s a lot to be excited about. “A lot of big games coming up and it’s just about getting ready for them.” The Hearts captain has featured in all three matches against Motherwell this season, and appreciates the challenge that Jens Berthel Askou’s side provide. “They’re a good side and they cause you problems,” he said. “It was just about dealing with that throughout the majority of the game. “We dealt with a lot of it pretty well, but when they have that much of the ball, they are going to have moments where they threaten a goal. “They went 1-0 up, and it’s just about character from there.”

Stephen Robinson states Aberdeen are still in the relegation fight despite Hibs victory.

The Aberdeen boss says Aberdeen are still not safe as they defeat Hibernian 2-0 at Pittodrie as they go five ahead of Kilmarnock. Aberdeen picked up their first win since January, defeating Hibs 2-0 in the Granite City which was a massive weight off their shoulders as they edge closer away from relegation. Aberdeen now sit 5-points ahead of 11th placed Kilmarnock with the Dons next fixture being at home to Killie with a win there almost securing their Premiership status next season. Robinson said: “I thought we were excellent throughout, even at 11 vs 11. Some of our play was really good. We didn’t look like we were in a relegation battle. “The situation we’re in comes with a lot of pressure, comes with a lot of criticism, some of it deserved as well and I thought the boys stood up to be counted today. “There were some really, really good performances. We spoke about keeping clean sheets, which the team managed today and that starts from the front. “We said if we deliver balls into the box, Kevin Nisbet scores goals. He’s proved that and I thought he was excellent throughout today. “His work ethic as well was excellent, and it doesn’t make us safe by any stretch of the imagination. But certainly, that’s what I’m seeing in training, and now we’ve been able to put that together on the pitch. “I just felt when they came in Monday morning, there was no excuse mentally. We got them going again.” Robinson agreed it was a much-improved type of performance with it being just their second league win in 2026. Robinson said: “Afeez (Aremu), Stuart (Armstrong) and Lyall (Cameron) thought ran the game. Stuart Armstrong’s a joy to watch at times. He gives us that composure. It doesn’t faze him at all. Afeez as well, now he’s getting fitter and stronger, knowing what we want from him. “I thought Lyall really contributed to that as well. So, to a man, there wasn’t a bad performance. The back three defended really well. We said don’t concede a goal, let’s get a clean sheet. Then you don’t lose the game. And they’ve done that even in the last couple of minutes when they were tired. “And they’ve shown that they have got that fight. I mentioned the fans as well, I thought they were superb, right behind the players. It helps so much when they do that.” “I told them to bottle the feeling because they haven’t won for a long time at home, I think it was the first win in the league since December and clean sheet since December.” Aberdeen will now have an extra weekend off as it’s Scottish Cup weekend as they look to build momentum going into the final bottom-six matches coming up. He added: “We said on Friday it was the best atmosphere we’ve seen for a long, long time, and some of the staff have been here and said it was the best atmosphere they’ve seen in maybe three or four months. “There was a little bit of togetherness, people smiling, people enjoying themselves and actually enjoying being together at the training ground. So sometimes that relates on to the pitch and if we can continue to build on that, there are good players here. We know there’s lots of things that haven’t been good enough this season and we worry about that at the end of the season.” There was some referee controversy as Gyamfi appeared to punch Hibernian striker Owen Elding in the back of the head which was given as a yellow following a VAR check. Robinson also said: “When they come over, you obviously expect the worst, don’t you? But nobody on either bench thought it was a red card. They thought it was a free-kick at best. “But on both benches we’d seen it back and we were amazed he was called over. So thankfully they’ve come to the right decision in the end.” Next up for the Dons is Kilmarnock at home  as they look to make the gap eight points between the two sides and steer away from the relegation scrap.