Tottenham’s 1-1 draw against Leeds leaves them two points clear of relegation-threatened West Ham, with crucial matches against Chelsea and Everton looming, while West Ham face Newcastle and Leeds.
Image: BEN STANSALL / AFP
The Premier League’s promoted clubs have finally broken an unwanted recent trend, but one former heavyweight will still suffer the humiliation of relegation as Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United battle to avoid the final drop spot.
In recent seasons, all three promoted teams have routinely gone straight back down to the Championship — highlighting the widening financial and competitive gap between the Premier League and England’s second tier.
That pattern has been halted this season. While Burnley’s relegation has already been confirmed, fellow promoted clubs Leeds United and Sunderland have secured their top-flight status with two matches remaining.
Instead, the relegation scrap has shifted to two established Premier League clubs, with Spurs and West Ham now locked in a tense survival fight alongside already-relegated Burnley and Wolves. Tottenham currently hold the advantage. Roberto De Zerbi’s side sit 17th on the table, two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham and also boasting a superior goal difference after Monday’s 1–1 draw against Leeds.
But Tottenham’s position is far from comfortable. The London club missed a major opportunity to create breathing room after surrendering a lead against Leeds and remain without a home league win since December 6 — a statistic that underlines their alarming slide toward the bottom three. “If we want to win, we have to reduce the mistakes,” De Zerbi admitted to BBC Sport after the draw.
West Ham’s situation looks even more precarious. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men suffered a crushing 1–0 defeat to league leaders Arsenal last weekend, though they were denied a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser when Callum Wilson’s goal was ruled out by VAR.
The Hammers now face a difficult trip to Newcastle United at St James’ Park this Sunday before Tottenham travel to Chelsea two days later. West Ham will then face Leeds at home in their final fixture on Sunday next week, while Spurs are away to Everton at the same time.
“It’s going to be tough. We know it is not in our hands,” said Nuno. “We will fight for it and we will keep on fighting.”
For Leeds and Sunderland, survival represents a significant achievement in a league where newly-promoted clubs have increasingly struggled to compete financially over a full campaign. It also offers encouragement to the Championship's top performers, with one more promotion spot still to be decided through the play-offs.
But for Tottenham or West Ham, relegation would represent one of the Premier League era’s biggest embarrassments — and a brutal reminder that reputation alone guarantees nothing in England’s top flight.