Forest beats Spurs to move into third and Leeds and Burnley win promotion from the Championship
Forest beats Spurs to move into third and Leeds and Burnley win promotion from the Championship
LONDON (AP) — Nottingham Forest beat Tottenham 2-1 to move into third place in the Premier League and deepen the gloom at White Hart Lane on Monday.
Forest was clinical in front of goal and 2-0 up within 16 minutes against a team that showed many of the same failings that have dogged it all season.
Elliot Anderson’s deflected shot bagged the opener after five minutes and Chris Wood added a second with a header 11 minutes later. Between the two, Wood had a goal chalked off for offside.
Although Spurs controlled possession in the second half it took it until the 87th minute to score, when Richarlison netted a header.
The result was another disappointing one for Spurs fans, who booed their team off at the final whistle.
Although Ange Postecoglou has guided the team to a Europa League semifinal, Monday’s defeat was its 18th in 33 Premier League games and left it in 16th place.
For Forest, meanwhile, it was a return to winning ways after defeats by Everton and Aston Villa.
In third place, it was one point above Newcastle, two above Manchester City and three above Chelsea and Aston Villa.
They will be joined in the top tier next season by Leeds United and Burnley, both of which guaranteed spots in the Premier League with wins.
Leeds beat Stoke City 6-0 and Burnley beat Sheffield United 2-1 to open unassailable leads in the second-tier Championship with only two games remaining.
The top two gain automatic promotion and the next four go into the playoffs for the last remaining spot.
The victories ensure another two U.S.-owned clubs will enjoy the estimated revenue uplift of around $180 million that comes with a place in England’s top tier.
Leeds is owned by the San Francisco-based 49ers Enterprises group, members of whom include American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Red Bull, the energy drink company whose other soccer interests include owning Leipzig in Germany, bought a minority stake in the club last May.
Burnley, meanwhile, has been majority-owned since 2020 by the ALK Capita investment group. The New York group is fronted by U.S. businessman Alan Pace and counts former NFL star J.J. Watts as a notable shareholder.
Third-placed Sheffield United and fourth-placed Sunderland are guaranteed two of the four playoff spots and Bristol City and Coventry City are in pole position to join them.
Josh Brownhill scored both of Burnley’s goals in front of 21,000 fans at Turf Moor, while Dutch striker Joel Piroe was the star for Leeds, scoring four goals in a blistering first half.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
