Feature

Relegation rivals face crucial day

By Ben Pearce 22 Feb 2023
PL2223-RELEGATIONBATTLE-EDITORIAL-V2

Only eight points separate the bottom nine teams and four of those sides meet on Saturday

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An enthralling relegation fight is getting ever tighter, with the results of crucial head-to-head duels last weekend closing the gaps between all the clubs battling for safety.

Last Saturday, the three teams who started the day in the drop zone all won their matches, the first time that had happened on the same day since 10 January 2015.

Everton and AFC Bournemouth beat relegation rivals Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively, both winning 1-0 and earning big rewards as they climbed out of the bottom three.

Leeds' defeat pitched them into the danger zone, suddenly only one point off the foot of the table as bottom club Southampton shocked Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, also triumphing 1-0.

With the four teams placed 12th to 15th all drawing or losing over the weekend, there are now only eight points separating the bottom nine sides.

The relegation fight

Position Pos Club Played Pl GD Points Pts
12 Chelsea CHE 38 -9 44
13 Wolves WOL 38 -27 41
14 West Ham WHU 38 -13 40
15 Bournemouth BOU 38 -34 39
16 Nott'm Forest NFO 38 -30 38
17 Everton EVE 38 -23 36
18 Leicester LEI 38 -17 34
19 Leeds LEE 38 -30 31
20 Southampton SOU 38 -37 25
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The landscape could now shift dramatically again, given this weekend's fixtures.

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The bottom two clubs, Leeds and Southampton, meet at Elland Road and a win for either team could take them out of the relegation zone.

A Saints side who were three points adrift at the bottom a fortnight ago could now leapfrog not only Leeds and West Ham United but also 17th-placed AFC Bournemouth, who face a tough test at home to Manchester City.

Southampton will be aiming to maintain their progress under Ruben Selles, who has been put in charge for the rest of the season after his hugely successful debut at Chelsea.

And Leeds will hoping their new head coach can make an immediate impact of his own, after appointing Javi Gracia on Tuesday.

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Meanwhile, West Ham - who dropped into the bottom three last weekend - now have a huge home match against Nottingham Forest, who are five points above them.

Forest are in strong form, taking eight points from their last five matches and holding Man City to a 1-1 draw last time out. But a defeat in east London this weekend could leave Steve Cooper's side only six points off the foot of the table.

Forest's precarious situation is underlined by the fact that the three teams immediately below them - Leicester City, Wolves and Everton - have each won two of their last four matches.

Just above Forest, 12th-placed Crystal Palace have looked relatively safe.

Yet the Eagles are winless in their seven matches in 2023, a run which leaves them six points above the relegation zone, and they have tough fixtures ahead.

Crystal Palace fixtures
Date Opponent
25 Feb Liverpool (H)
4 Mar Aston Villa (A)
11 Mar Man City (H)
15 Mar Brighton (A)
19 Mar Arsenal (A)

Whatever happens this weekend, the twists and turns will continue, with two more relegation duels taking place in the following round of fixtures.

Southampton host Leicester on 4 March, while Forest take on Everton the following day.

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