New pope, rise of Luke Littler and what that has happened since Tottenham last won four games in a row

It has been 1,108 days since Tottenham last won four Premier League games in a row - a run they could end this weekend when they face Leeds at Elland Road.Not since the opening months of Ange Postecoglou’s reign have Spurs won more than three times in succession - a feat they quickly achieved twice either side of a north London derby draw under the Australian between August and October 2023 - and a lot has happened in the intervening three years.That season, fast-starting Tottenham won eight of their first 10 fixtures and went five points clear at the summit despite the high-profile summer loss of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, eventually finishing in fifth place.Here, Standard Sport looks at some of the biggest stories to have happened since Spurs last won four on the bounce.World eventsA new pope is electedCardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church in May 2025, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.While Pope Leo is said to be a Real Madrid fan, he was gifted a Sunderland shirt with the name "Pope Leo, 14" emblazoned on the back ahead of the club’s Europa League campaign.Pope Leo was gifted the shirt after Sunderland’s chaplain, Father Marc Lyden-Smith, gave one to Pope Francis ahead of the Black Cats’ victory over Newcastle in 2013.Donald Trump is currently serving his second term as President of the United StatesAFP/GettyDonald Trump returns as US PresidentDonald Trump was re-elected as President of the United States in November 2024, defeating Democratic candidate and former vice-president Kamala Harris.It came four years after Mr Trump had lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, ending his initial spell in the White House after victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016.Labour Party back in powerThe Labour Party came back into power after 14 years as Sir Keir Starmer was elected as UK Prime Minister in July 2024.Despite a landslide victory, Starmer resigned in July 2026 and was replaced by Andy Burnham.The UK has now had five Prime Ministers in the last five years.Tottenham headlinesDaniel Levy exits as executive chairmanDaniel Levy stepped down as executive chairman of Tottenham in September 2025, bringing to an end his 25-year reign at the club.Following Levy’s departure, non-executive chairman Peter Charrington declared “a new era of leadership for the club” before Spurs went on to endure their worst season in Premier League history as they only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship on the final day.Daniel Levy spent 25 years at Tottenham before leaving the club in September 2025PA WireTrophy drought ended amid relegation battlesTottenham would have been relegated had they not mustered up a nervy 1-0 win at home to Everton on the final day of last season.Read More12 months after lifting the Europa League, their first major trophy for 17 years, Spurs would remarkably become mired in a relegation battle with rivals West Ham, staying up by the skin of their teeth thanks to a goal from loanee Joao Palhinha.Three managers appointed in one seasonSpurs’ decision to get rid of Postecoglou just 16 days after he guided them to Europa League success over Manchester United in Bilbao was always going to prove controversial.No one, though, could have foreseen the disaster that would unfurl over the next season as Tottenham went through three managerial changes in 10 months.Thomas Frank was brought in as Postecoglou’s successor, but was eventually sacked in February 2026 with the club hovering over the relegation zone.His replacement, Igor Tudor, lasted just 44 days before the club hit the panic button again to bring in Roberto De Zerbi to steer them to safety.Elsewhere in sportWest Ham fall from European glory to relegationIn the space of three years, West Ham went from Conference League winners to being relegated to the Championship.A series of poor recruitment decisions, managerial changes and ownership uncertainty ensured the Hammers failed to build on their first piece of major silverware in 43 years before eventually dropping back to the second tier after 14 seasons.Luke Littler becomes a household nameDarts sensation Luke Littler announced himself on the biggest stage at just 16 years old as he made a historic run to the World Championship final on his debut at Alexandra Palace in January 2024.Since then, Littler has become a back-to-back world champion and underlined his place as the best player on the planet while still a teenager.Luke Littler is a back-to-back world champion and one of British sport’s biggest namesAFP/GettyKimi Antonelli becomes youngest-ever F1 championAnother sporting prodigy, Kimi Antonelli has risen from obscurity to the top of his sport in the last three years.A record-breaking campaign has also seen Antonelli become the youngest winner of the Monaco Grand Prix, the youngest driver to achieve a Grand Slam, and the first Italian in more than 60 years to be crowned world champion.End of an era as Murray and Nadal bow outSir Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal retired within a few months of each other to leave Novak Djokovic as the last man standing from the ‘Big Four’ era of 21st century tennis.Two-time Wimbledon winner Murray retired in August 2024 and was swiftly followed by 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal in October. It followed Roger Federer’s retirement in September 2022.Fury comes out of retirement againBoxing fans have long since grown weary of Tyson Fury’s retirement U-turns, so his fourth announcement last year that he was hanging up his gloves convinced few. Just a handful of months later, he made the decision to step back into the ring for a fifth, and surely, final time in April 2026.The former world heavyweight champion beat Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision in his first fight back and is now gearing up for a hotly-anticipated bout with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff in December, having also defeated Mariusz Wach in Thailand.