Daily Mail

Tottenham have been ruthlessly and gleefully mocked online, with talkSPORT presenter and ex-Spurs man Jamie O'Hara savagely feeling the heat.

Crystal Palace's 3-1 win at Spurs, plunging the north London club deeper into their relegation crisis was a new nadir for the club on Thursday night.

Opposition supporters wasted absolutely no time in mercilessly teasing the embattled club and while most were able to turn off their TV and scream into the abyss, O'Hara had to front up on his radio show.

Co-host and Chelsea fan Jason Cundy, wearing an Ange Postecoglou mask even managed to push O'Hara's buttons to the point of him walking out of the studio.

O'Hara said: 'I know you're laughing and joking mate but seriously...'

Cundy probed: 'Tudor has had three games, give him time on the training ground, it's not his fault is it?'

O'Hara asked: 'Do you think he's good enough?'

When Cundy replied in the affirmative and quipped that he'd 'seen signs', his irritated colleague and friend said it was 'pointless' doing a show with him, called him an 'idiot' and walked off set.

Fellow talkSPORT pundit and former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor also had a pop online.

He posted the viral clip of O'Hara's appearance on an American dating show in which his identity as a former footballer had been concealed until the big reveal with a woman.

Agbonlahor captioned it: 'Spurs players on holiday in the summer trying to explain playing in the Championship next season. LOL!!!!'

The video shows O'Hara telling his love interest: 'Actually, I'm a really famous soccer player from England.'

The taunting was not just limited to O'Hara, however, with plenty of opposition supporters sticking the knife in online and Paddy Power also taunting Spurs.

Replying to a 2023 post from a Spurs account on X talking up signing Guglielmo Vicario over David Raya, they wrote: 'Aged like milk in a sauna.'

Another from the bookmaker went: 'The cameraman picking out miserable Spurs fans in the crowd deserves an Oscar.'

Football influencer Expressions, who is a Spurs fan and live streams his reaction to games, joined in the misery, calling Haringey Council's Social Services to report the 'child abuse' of the fans.

The TNT Sport cameramen repeatedly picked out Spurs fans looking disconsolate in the stands, much to the enjoyment of rival supporters tuning in out of morbid fascination.

One was picked out at the end of the game sitting in isolation after most had long since departed.

When he saw himself appear on camera he immediately stuck up a middle finger.

Another fan posted a clip of 'one of our best set-pieces of the season, showing Xavi Simons lining it up before inexplicably passing the ball to a Crystal Palace player.

Another replied to the news of next season's Championship changing the play-offs from four to six teams next season.

They joked: 'Finally some good news for Spurs.'

Championship-related gags were a running theme, with another user sharing a clip of Keir Starmer speaking after Labour won the election, saying: 'What a night they had in Plymouth and then Stoke,' in reference to the unglamorous away days Spurs might have to encounter next term.

'Man who thought he'd lost all hope loses last additional bit of hope he didn't even know he still had,' was another meme shared.

Spurs are now just one point above the relegation zone with nine games remaining this season.

These being Tudor times they will demand more heads must roll. Only three games in charge and the interim boss appears to have made Tottenham more shambolic than they were before.

Three games, three defeats. Having lost to rivals from the north and west of London it was the turn of the south, with Crystal Palace kicking Spurs further towards relegation trouble.

Oliver Glasner's team were grateful for three points, but they did not have to work too hard because this was a masterclass in self-destruction by the home team.

Looking back from half time it was hard to believe Spurs had taken the lead in the 34th minute. Dominic Solanke found the net from a low cross by Archie Gray soon after a VAR escape and the noise levels were off the scale inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Four minutes later, Micky van de Ven was sent off for pulling back Ismaila Sarr when he was through on goal. Sarr equalised from the penalty spot and panic took hold.

Interim boss Igor Tudor could only look on from the touchline with a glazed expression. No doubt wondering what on earth he had walked into. There certainly appears to be little he can do to arrest this slide.

The question is, is there anyone who can? Harry Redknapp to the rescue? Well, it can hardly get much worse.

Palace toyed with Spurs for the rest of the first half. Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada dominated the midfield. Those in white played as if petrified. Think England against Iceland when paralysed by fear.

Mathys Tel, who had started the game well, played a loose pass to Pape Matar Sarr, enabling Evan Guessand to win the ball. Guessand moved it quickly to Wharton, who threaded it into the feet of Jorgen Strang Larsen, and he scored.

Spurs needed the interval at this point, but Palace struck again as eight minutes of stoppage time was added on.

Again, a goal of staggering simplicity against a back three of Pedro Porro, Ken Danso and Joao Palhinha.

Wharton the supplier, Palace's Sarr scored his second. It would have been a first half hat trick but for a marginal offside call when the contest was still goalless.

Sarr had sped onto a Guessand pass and his low shot from an angle spun high off Porro as he made a desperate attempt at a block, over stranded goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and dropped inside the far post.

There was a long VAR stoppage as Palace fans sang, 'It's not football anymore' and it was hard to disagree when referee Andy Madley ruled out the goal, and an image came up on the big screen.

Both Sarr's feet were behind the ball, but he was leaning forward and his forehead had broken the animated offside line.

It seemed like an escape when Gray and Solanke, two players who did come out with a modicum of credit, combined to score, but Van de Ven's red card, similar to the one shown to Palace's Maxence Lacroix at Manchester United on Sunday, was the catalyst for the great unravelling.

As the half time whistle sounded there were few Spurs fans left in their seats. Some did not return. Those who remained booed the players down the tunnel. Some in the West Stand vented their anger at chief executive Vinai Venkatesham in the directors' box.

Tudor had come into the game wielding his axe again. There were four changes to the team he accused of 'lacking' in all areas at Fulham on Sunday.

There was another change of shape, abandoning the 4-4-2 and returning to the back three deployed in his first game with a defensive line set extremely deep.

The anxiety of the occasion, with West Ham's win at Fulham and Nottingham Forest's unexpected point at Manchester City reeling Spurs towards the bottom three. It bled into the football. The first half hour was terribly disjointed albeit with Palace on top. Wharton tested Vicario within a minute.

Souza, making his first start since signing from Santos in January, suffered a torrid first 10 minutes until his awful late tackle left Daniel Munoz in a heap.

Munoz tried to continue but had injured his shoulder in the fall and struggled off down the tunnel with less than a quarter of an hour played. His exit brought respite for Souza until he was substituted before half time as Tudor reshuffled after the Van de Ven red card.

Spurs were more competitive when they returned. Tudor it seemed had got some sort of message through to them. They fought and won corners and put the visitors under some pressure.

Palace's depleted and inexperienced back three resisted where Spurs could not. When they got through, Henderson stood firm. The England goalkeeper made a fine save from Solanke when a goal would have recharged the home crowd.

As it was, the fans in the away end were the only ones having fun, taunting Spurs with the songs about relegation and the prospect of a trip to Millwall. If Millwall don't get promoted, that is.

Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Tottenham host Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Stadium in the Premier League, with Matt Barlow reporting from the grounds.

Angry Spurs fans voted with their feet as thousands walked out after their struggling side shipped three goals and were reduced to 10 men in a calamitous first half against Crystal Palace.

TV footage showed hordes of supporters heading for the exits at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with their team losing 3-1 as Igor Tudor's relegation-threatened team plumbed new depths.

Dominic Solanke put Spurs ahead before the match took a turn for the worse for the majority of fans inside the ground four minutes later.

Micky van de Ven was shown a straight red card after pulling back Ismaila Sarr, who converted the resulting penalty to level for the visitors.

Palace then took full advantage of having the extra man as Jorgen Strand Larsen gave Oliver Glasner's men a 2-1 lead before Sarr scored again in stoppage time.

Spurs will be just one point clear of the relegation zone if they go on to lose to Palace after West Ham beat Fulham and Nottingham Forest held Manchester City to a draw on Wednesday.

Tudor sent his Spurs players back out for the second half early but they were greeted by thousands of empty seats vacated by fans who had seen enough.

Tottenham only survived going behind early on when Sarr was narrowly adjudged to have been offside before his strike looped up and over Guglielmo Vicario.

Their hopes of securing a huge win in their battle to avoid the embarrassment of dropping into the Championship were given a boost when Solanke converted at the near post after 34 minutes.

But it was to prove a fleeting moment of joy for Spurs as Van de Ven was given a straight red for his challenge on Sarr when the Palace star appeared to be clean through on goal.

Strand Larsen, a £45million signing from Wolves in January, put Palace in front with a clever finish before Sarr latched on to Adam Wharton's pinpoint pass and nudged the ball beyond Vicario to give the visitors a two-goal advantage.

Spurs' 2-1 defeat at Fulham stretched their dismal run to 10 without a win and they are yet to record a victory in 2026.

The club sacked Thomas Frank in February after two wins in 17 Premier League games left them 16th in the table, with Tudor replacing the Dane as head coach until the end of the season.

Spurs face Forest, Leeds and Championship-bound Wolves in their last nine matches but also travel to Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea.

They have enjoyed success in the Champions League despite their domestic issues and travel to Spain to face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.

Tottenham Hotspur go into tonight’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace in a surprisingly tense situation - fighting to avoid being dragged deeper into the relegation battle.

Sitting just one point above the drop zone, every match now carries huge importance for the north London side if they are to secure their top-flight status.

Despite their struggles, Spurs are tipped to claim a much-needed victory on home soil, while the hosts are priced at 7/5 according to Sky Bet.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are slight outsiders at 15/8, with the draw available at 12/5.

Spurs edged the reverse fixture earlier this season, when a goal from Archie Gray secured a narrow 1–0 victory at Selhurst Park back in December.

In addition to the head-to-head odds outlined above, Sky Bet are offering four Price Boosts for this contest.

They include Ismaila Sarr to have a shot on target at 1/1, Jorgen Strand Larsen to score 1+ goals at 15/8, Radu Dragusin to commit 2+ fouls at 3/1, and each team to have 6+ shots on target at 9/1.

Sarr has had six shots on target in his last six Premier League matches, while Strand Larsen has scored two goals in his last three games.

Additionally, Dragusin has committed seven fouls in his last three league matches.

Sky Bet odds in Full-time Result market for Tottenham vs Crystal Palace:

Tottenham 7/5

Crystal Palace 15/8

Draw 12/5

Sky Bet Price Boosts for Tottenham vs Crystal Palace:

Ismaila Sarr to have a shot on target WAS 8/11 NOW 1/1

Jorgen Strand Larsen to score 1+ goals WAS 7/4 NOW 15/8

Radu Dragusin to commit 2+ fouls WAS 9/4 NOW 3/1

Each team to have 6+ shots on target WAS 15/2 NOW 9/1

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is contemplating signing a new contract at the club.

The 43-year-old's current deal runs out this summer and Bournemouth have been keen to tie the Spaniard down as he continues to help them punch above their weight in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace and Tottenham are among a long list of admirers from the Premier League and abroad who would consider the Basque tactician this summer as they weigh up candidates for their managerial position.

However, it is understood Iraola is leaning towards extending his stay as Bournemouth's hierarchy continue attempts to persuade him.

Although they have raised over £300million in player sales, Bournemouth have also invested £390m over the past three seasons and are continuing attempts to keep their squad competitive and match Iraola's ambitions. They are also spending £50m to expand the Vitality Stadium.

Talking earlier this week, he said: 'I'm very happy here, not just now but since the beginning of my stay here. I always say I come to work with a smile and that is very important to me.

'I have a great relationship not only with the players but with the club, with the staff. Everyone is very helpful. I'm really happy.

'The other is a matter of talking to the club. Sooner or later we will have to make a decision, yes.'

Bournemouth were considered in a relegation battle in early January but their form has improved, despite the sale of key forward Antoine Semenyo, with a nine-game unbeaten run leaving them ninth in the Premier League and eight points off Liverpool in fifth, keeping hopes of European qualification alive.

Tottenham have contacted the head of refereeing governing body Howard Webb over perceived inconsistencies in officiating in the Premier League that the north London club feel have hampered them as they prepare for a relegation battle.

As per BBC Sport, the club are believed to have reached out with a message that speaks to their belief that Spurs are being judged differently over similar offences in the six-yard box.

In the north London derby last month, Randal Kolo Muani's goal which would have made it 2-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was ruled out when a VAR review found that the striker had pushed Gabriel Magalhaes in the back.

But on Sunday, as Spurs lost 2-1 to Fulham, Harry Wilson's opener was allowed to stand despite jostling in the box which saw Raul Jimenez fell Radu Dragusin with a similar two-handed push.

The contact between the two players was deemed not to have met the necessary threshold for a foul, which would have ruled the goal out, with a comparison between the incident believed to have been cited by Spurs.

Spurs are said to have included referee Peter Bankes' words, broadcast in Match Officials Mic'd Up, on the incident between Kolo Muani and Gabriel, where the official explained: 'Once you see two hands in live play, it looks like a push, a clear push. I was more than happy that the two hands on the back had enough impact and was an offence'.

The club are also thought to have included the example of Nick Woltemade's goal against Arsenal last year, which saw the German forward tussle with Gabriel in the build-up to a goal, which was allowed to stand.

Spurs' interim head coach Igor Tudor was incensed by the officiating on Sunday, labelling Jimenez a 'cheat' as he stressed after the final whistle that 'of course' the wrong decision had been made for Fulham's opener.

'Sometimes they don’t understand even small contact is enough if it gives you advantage to score the goal,' Tudor continued.

'It’s not a normal duel when he’s soft. He pushes with the hands and doesn’t watch the ball. Sometimes it’s just easy to get advantage. So, this is ridiculous to not give the foul, because the consequence is too big. It’s not a small foul in the middle of the pitch, it is a goal after.

'Let’s play strong in the duels, fantastic, I like it, but he takes an advantage, he is not thinking about football, not thinking about the ball, he was thinking how to cheat.

'So, he cheated by pushing and they scored the goal. So, it’s logic, he is cheating and there’s the foul.'

Marginal officiating controversies could in turn have seismic consequences for Spurs, as last year's Europa League winners prepare to fight to stay in the Premier League next season.

Spurs sit in 16th place, but just four points above West Ham in 18th.

Appointed following the sacking of Thomas Frank, Tudor has suffered back-to-back defeats to begin his time in north London, but will look to pick up important points against Crystal Palace at home on Thursday.

Tottenham Hotspur have been left ‘deeply unimpressed’ with their new, Arsenal-supporting academy scout after he joked about not wanting his new badge to touch his skin.

While the club declined to comment, Daily Mail Sport understands officials have taken a dim view of social media posts made by Neros Coachman after he took the role - and may well take further action.

Coachman, who states he has a UEFA B Licence, posted a picture of himself in a Tottenham tracksuit next to the club motto ‘To Dare Is To Do’ saying he was ‘looking forward to getting the new set of superstars to the club’.

He added: ‘You know the project's good when you're a boyhood Arsenal fan and you switch sides’.

One poster responded, ‘Do not let that badge touch your skin’, to which Coachman wrote: ‘I've already got the base layer.'

Another posted ‘We need someone on the inside’, to which Coachman responded ‘shhhhh’. A picture of a snake was then posted, with Coachman replying: ‘I know, I know, it’s deserved haha.'

Referring to his Tottenham attire, a commenter posted, ‘How the hell did you get dressed in that?’ to which Coachman responded: ‘It was tough.'

The posts were quickly picked up by Tottenham fans with many highlighting a perceived lack of respect.

Some, of an Arsenal persuasion, pointed out that Coachman’s comments were clearly said in jest.

Regardless, the posts are not thought to have gone down well at the Tottenham Stadium.

Spurs are aware of the situation, thought to be ‘deeply unimpressed’ and the matter is understood to be being dealt with in-house.

Tottenham Hotspur have been hit with a suspended ban on selling tickets to a European away match after fans were found to have made Nazi salutes during their Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

UEFA has slapped the Premier League side with a €30,000 (£26,200) fine and issued the ban for 'the racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters'.

The ban on selling tickets is suspended for a year. Spurs were also fined €2,250 (£1,966) euros for the throwing of objects. Tottenham won the tie 2-0 to secure a place in the last-16.

Daily Mail Sport understands Spurs have identified the three fans involved and have subsequently issued bans.

Tottenham released a statement reading: 'The Club has been informed of sanctions handed down to us by UEFA following the utterly abhorrent conduct of a small number of individuals at our recent Champions League away match in Frankfurt.

'The Club has cooperated fully with UEFA's investigation, as well as with German police on the night and, subsequently, the Met Police. We can confirm that all three individuals found to be making Nazi salutes towards Eintracht Frankfurt fans have been identified and have received indefinite bans under the Club’s Sanctions and Banning Policy.

'The Club stands firmly against all forms of discrimination and has therefore taken the strongest possible action. The disgusting behaviour of a minority of so-called fans on the night is in no way reflective of the values of our Club and its supporters.'

A UEFA statement read: The CEDB (Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body) has decided: - To fine Tottenham Hotspur €30,000 and to ban Tottenham Hotspur from selling tickets to its away supporters for the next one (1) UEFA competition match, for the racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters. Said ban from selling tickets to its away supporters is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year, starting from the date of the present decision.

'- To fine Tottenham Hotspur €2,250 for throwing of objects.'

Things have now got so bad at Tottenham that the Premier League have started lampooning them. This morning a clip has been running on the league's own social media feeds of a free-kick from Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario going straight out of play at the other end of the field with not a team-mate in sight at Fulham.

Whether the Premier League should be using their own feeds to take the mickey out of member clubs is a point worth debating and it's worth noting it has subsequently been deleted.

But nevertheless the moment did rather sum up Tottenham under their new coach Igor Tudor. Directionless, hopeless and lost.

It was bad under Thomas Frank and he did have to go as Spurs drifted towards the bottom three. But Tottenham have undoubtedly got worse in two games under Tudor and one wonders now whether the club will have a decision to make if they crash and burn again at home to Crystal Palace on Thursday.

Does that sound dramatic and sensationalist after two games? It does, rather. But, equally, can they let this go on?

Thus far Tudor has shown absolutely no sign of moving Tottenham forwards and the truth is that if they play like they did for the opening hour at Craven Cottage many more times between now and May then they will in all likelihood go down.

The worrying thing for Tottenham fans is that Tudor doesn't look as though he is remotely in control. Possibly as a consequence, he is already rather wildly blaming everybody but himself.

Last week he suggested the players bequeathed him by Frank were not fit enough. That's an old one and it's always hard to believe. Then, after his team surrendered by the Thames yesterday, he turned his fire on his own players, the referee and indeed the opposition.

So just a fortnight in the job and Tudor already has the whole of English football thrown under the bus without the security of a couple of decent results to bolster his own credibility.

This is often the way it is with interim managers. They know they aren't sticking around long so they feel at liberty to fire bullets without consequence.

But Tudor has a group of players to manage, motivate and organise. And if the Croatian isn't prepared to show any kind of accountability for what has happened on his watch so far then how can he seriously expect his players to show any?

The longer the mess of the 2025-26 Tottenham season goes on, the worse it gets. If Tudor comes out of Thursday's game without improvement, somebody will have to ask whether his appointment was just another in a long list of damaging mistakes.

Raya now top of the pile

There were contrasting goalkeeping fortunes at the Emirates as Arsenal overcame Chelsea in their own unique way.

Chelsea's Robert Sanchez rarely looks convincing while David Raya continues to look like the best the Premier League now has to offer.

It's only two and a half seasons ago that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made that big call to replace Aaron Ramsdale with Raya but the Spaniard continues to grow into the role and has been my outstanding goalkeeper of the season.

Others will make cases for Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma and for Alisson at Liverpool while the impact of Senne Lammens at Manchester United has been profound.

But my top three this season currently goes: Raya, Alisson, Jordan Pickford.

Pereira must not gamble with Anderson

Things continue to be a struggle at Nottingham Forest who have placed their survival hopes in the hands of a manager seemingly addicted to losing this season.

Including his time at Wolves at the start of the campaign – he was sacked on November 2 - Vitor Pereira has overseen twelve Premier League games this season and had lost ten and drawn two of them.

To think that Forest started the season as a European team under Nuno Espirito Santo and are ending it scrambling around for safety under a coach seemingly hired because he once had six months with Evangelos Marinakis at Olympiakos 11 years ago is quite mind boggling.

Forest will have to be very bad indeed to go down but it's possible.

They looked a tired and ragged bunch in losing at Brighton on Sunday and maybe we shouldn't be surprised. Facing Fenerbahce in the second leg of a tie they were winning 3-0 last Thursday, it was a surprise to see a player like Elliot Anderson on the field for the whole 90 minutes.

Anderson is arguably Forest's most important player and has started every one of his team's 28 league games this season. Anderson has been at the top of his game but everyone needs a rest at some point. Forest are at City on Wednesday. It doesn't get any easier.

Keep the coaches sitting down

City's own win at Leeds on Saturday was an antidote to the sterility of the Arsenal-Chelsea game that followed 24 hours later.

Elland Road remains one of the great English stadiums and it was alive as Daniel Farke's Leeds team pushed City all the way. Arguably, Leeds deserved a point.

In terms of the home fans booing the decision to allow City's Muslim players a pause in play to break their Ramadan fasts, it was a pretty ugly spectacle.

Equally a twist of protocol would help.

With City under pressure in the game at the time, coach Pep Guardiola used the break to issue some much-needed instructions to his players. This should not be allowed, just as it should not be permitted at the water breaks that we will doubtless see at this summer's World Cup.

It's something for FIFA – and indeed the Premier League – to think about. Every coach does it and it should stop.

Commentator's curse for Guy

Guy Mowbray is one of our best modern commentators but in that trade your words will occasionally come back and bite you. It's the nature of the job.

So it was that the BBC's lead man's pre-game description of Farke as a coach 'who you never see flapping your arms about or losing it' lasted only as long as the 90 minutes that followed on Saturday.

Farke, of course, was shown a red card at Elland Road for flapping his arms about and losing it in the face of referee Peter Bankes at full-time.

DCL winning the race

With an England squad coming soon ahead of the March friendlies, Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is among those pushing hard for a call-up. In terms of the ever-interesting scrap for the role of Harry Kane's understudy, he has jumped to the front of the queue not just because of the goals he has scored – he has 10 in the Premier League – but also for the way that he plays.

Calvert-Lewin carried a real presence against City, occupying the two visiting central defenders with the energy of his movement and the efficiency of his hold up play. At times it was hard to take your eyes off him.

Compare this to the merits of Liam Delap – who looked like he was running in sand for Chelsea at Arsenal – and Ollie Watkins – who scored four times in a week around Christmas but only once since – and his case is pretty clear.

For me, it's Calvert-Lewin, Brighton's Danny Welbeck, Watkins and Delap – in that order.

Emery needs help

At Villa Unai Emery's miracle juice is starting to run dry and Friday night's 2-0 defeat at Wolves means the Midlands club have taken only five points from their last five games.

Goals are indeed a problem for Villa. Only on one occasion in their last eight Premier League games have they managed to score more than one goal and only Watkins and Morgan Rogers – both with eight – have any kind of individual tally at all.

As for the gifted but inconsistent Douglas Luiz, he has a personal record that needs a shake-up.

The Brazilian has travelled from Villa to Juventus to Forest and then back to Villa over the last two seasons but has not scored a goal for 63 games. His last was actually in his first spell for Villa more than two years ago.

Nick is not the new Joelinton

Much has been made about Eddie Howe's decision to move his own primary goalscorer Nick Woltemade back into midfield and it is certainly a huge call. The big German was signed for £65million in the summer and Howe expected goals in return.

Comparisons with another Newcastle player, the Brazilian Joelinton, are understandable but not quite on the mark.

One of Howe's masterstrokes during his early months at Newcastle was indeed to move Joelinton back from the No 9 position into midfield but the difference is that the South American should never really have been played up front in the first place.

Joelinton was never really a striker at Hoffenheim and was as surprised as anybody when Newcastle, led by Steve Bruce at the time, tried to turn him in to one after buying him in 2019.

'I had played that position exactly three times before,' Joelinton told me during an interview in September 2022.

The 29-year-old was a striker as a young player at Recife in Brazil but had played wide or indeed as a No 10 in Germany.

Ballard the great survivor

Sunderland sit a point above their north-east rivals ahead of the midweek games and you would have got decent odds on that at the start of the season.

The Black Cats' genius has been to earn promotion through the play-offs – it's worth recalling they finished last season's Championship campaign 24 points behind Leeds and Burnley – and then use the money to build an almost completely new team.

But within all that churn there have been some survivors.

Dan Ballard – an English-born central defender – scored the 120th minute headed goal that took Sunderland to that play-off final last season and has not only managed to retain his place under Regis Le Bris but was voted his region's Player of the Year by the north-east Football Writers' Association on Sunday night and signed a new contract on the same day.

A reasonable day's work for the 26-year-old.

When is handball not handball?

Burnley will not be surviving their return to the Premier League but players such as their attacking midfielder Jaidon Anthony will surely be in demand when other clubs look to pick off their best talent in the summer. The 26-year-old was excellent as Scott Parker's team mounted their extraordinary comeback against Brentford at Turf Moor.

Much controversy as Burnley had two goals ruled out in the second half and it was the decision to disallow Ashley Barnes' late 'equaliser' that makes such a mockery of the current laws of the game.

The handball law is probably the most messed up of all these days – and it's a pretty high bar.

Had, for example, the ball travelled from Barnes to another team-mate after it appeared to strike his torso and part of his arm then the goal would have stood.

Had Barnes been in his own penalty area, he would in all likelihood not have been penalised.

However accidental handball IS penalised if the same player scores immediately afterwards, as was the case here.

Only in modern football could we have a situation where the same action is viewed in different ways depending on who carries it out and when.

Madness.