Pochettino joins the sack race

[sake]

Mauricio Pochettino became the latest manager to be cut for the 'sack' after Spurs sunk to defeat at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham have failed to live up to expectations under the former Southampton manager and languish in mid-table, some 15 points behind pacesetters Chelsea.

Stoke leapfrogged Spurs in the table with a 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane which was the fourth home defeat in six games suffered by the North Londoners this season.

Available at 25/1 with Sky Bet prior to kick-off, Pochettino is now just 8/1 with the Leeds-based foirm to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post.

Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp still heads an open market at 3/1 with Paul Lambert next on the list at 7/2, despite Aston Villa ending a run of six successive defeats with a point at West Ham on Saturday.

Their sides could have been expected to have been embroiled in a relegation battle but the same is not true of Spurs or of Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City.

City are eight points behind Chelsea, are out of the Capital One Cup and in danger of exiting the Champions League too.

The pressure is building on the South American, who is 5/1 to go next having been as high as 50/1 just over a week ago.

Alan Pardew may be able to afford a wry smile, however, as he saw his Newcastle United side win a fourth game on the trot. Odds-on for the sack just weeks ago, Pardew is now seemingly secure at 33/1.

Another manager eased in the market after Sunday's games was Swansea's Garry Monk, who is now 66/1 - a bigger price than Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (50/1), who was on the losing side at the Liberty Stadium.

The Gunners took the lead when Alexis Sanchez claimed his eighth top-flight goal of the campaign, but Gylfi Sigurdsson scored a curling free-kick and substitute Bafetimbi Gomis headed home Jefferson Montero's cross with his first touch to give the Swans the win.

Sanchez was cut to a top-price 10/1 to end the season as the leading goalscorer having been 14/1 following Sergio Aguero's Saturday's brace.

Arsenal are out to 4/9 to finish in the top four having slipped below fifth-placed Swansea in the standings, with Monk's side still available at 33/1 to claim a Champions League spot. Sky Bet slashed Newcastle to 66/1 from 150/1 in the same market.

Following a near-miss with Saturday's enhanced accumulator, Sky Bet punters had something to smile about on Sunday when losing bets were refunded on selected markets after Arsenal failed to pick up all three points at the Liberty.