Nottingham Forest’s relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a huge injury blow heading into the final games of the season. The Reds made it eight matches unbeaten in all competitions on Friday night with a 5-0 thumping of Sunderland. Three points in the north east moved them eight points clear of 18th-placed Spurs, at least for a few hours. It remains incredibly tight at the bottom end of the Premier League table with four games to go, however, and the gap between Forest and the bottom three was soon brought back to five points. Tottenham claimed their first league win of the calendar year on Saturday when they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Get all the Nottingham Forest latest via our Facebook page West Ham United also triumphed at the weekend, claiming a 2-1 victory over Everton. The Hammers remain 17th, three points below the Reds and two ahead of Spurs. Spurs’ triumph came at a cost, though. Playmaker Xavi Simons has been ruled out of the rest of the campaign after sustaining a knee injury during the win over Wolves. The 23-year-old went down clutching his right knee in the 58th minute of the game, following a collision with Wolves defender Hugo Bueno. He initially attempted to run off the injury but collapsed in front of the club’s medical staff and subsequently left Molineux on a stretcher. Xavi has since posted on Instagram. He wrote: “They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way. My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it. Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense. “All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me… along with the World Cup. Representing my country this summer… just gone. “It’ll take time to find peace with this, but I’ll continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we’ll win this fight. WORLD CUP LEGENDS: The stars who lit up football’s greatest tournament – Buy the Special Edition today “I’ll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me.” Spurs have already lost Cristian Romero and Mohammed Kudus to season-ending injuries. They are next in action away to Aston Villa on Sunday. Forest have games against Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Bournemouth to come in their battle for survival. Head coach Vitor Pereira continues to juggle the need for points with the quest for Europa League glory as his team prepare to face Villa in a two-legged semi-final. The Reds have injury concerns of their own to deal with. Callum Hudson-Odoi has been ruled out of the run-in while Murillo is expected to miss Thursday’s first leg against Villa and there is concern over fellow centre-back Jair Cunha after he was forced off at the Stadium of Light.