Poor Premier League run must end now

Tottenham Hotspur's traumatic season can be summed up to perfection by the fact that even when they actually win, it still ends in defeat.

Spurs built on their deserved draw at Liverpool on Sunday to deliver another excellent display in beating Atletico Madrid 3-2 in their last-16 second leg, but it was not enough to turn around the calamitous 5-2 loss in the Spanish capital.

This was a big upturn in performance and it will be needed again because Spurs now confront a huge game on Sunday, when fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium only one point behind in the table and the same tally as third-bottom West Ham.

Spurs have not won in 12 Premier League games - six defeats and six draws - since the victory at Crystal Palace on 28 December.

This is a run that must end now.

In a stadium that has been a toxic environment for so much of this season, it would have been music to the ears of the players to hear the applause and warmth sweeping down from the stands.

The attendance of 49,568 meant there were 12,000 empty seats inside the vast arena - but it was actually one of the best atmospheres this season as Spurs fans responded to their side's efforts.

It was well-merited as Igor Tudor's men deserved their second-leg success, even offering up moments when a miracle might have crossed the minds of their long-suffering fans as they led twice before being pegged back both times until Xavi Simons' 90th-minute penalty.