Leeds United would survive the Premier League relegation battle on 41 points if reverse fixture results repeated, with West Ham relegated on 33 points whilst Spurs and Forest also escape the drop
Leeds United find themselves among several clubs grappling with the genuine prospect of relegation, with just eight Premier League matches remaining. A repeat of the reverse fixtures from earlier in the campaign would secure their survival as they battle alongside Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
Sunday afternoon brings a pivotal relegation showdown as Tottenham face Forest, with West Ham currently inside the bottom three. When these sides previously met, Forest ran out convincing 3-0 victors.
Should that outcome be repeated, Tottenham would plunge further into the mire, but what would the final standings look like if every remaining match mirrored its reverse fixture?
Assuming both bottom-placed Wolves and second-bottom Burnley are already beyond rescue this campaign, it would appear that four clubs are currently battling to avoid the final relegation spot. Leeds, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and West Ham all find themselves flirting with the drop zone, but analysing the reverse fixtures and assuming identical results suggests Leeds would stay up.
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In this speculative exercise, Leeds would claim wins against Wolves and West Ham whilst earning points from stalemates with Brentford, Manchester United and Bournemouth. This would see them safe from the drop on 41 points.
Tottenham would collect a point against Sunderland and Brighton after their loss to Forest. Next comes Wolves, who they shared the spoils with last time. Spurs defeated Leeds 2-1 when these two teams last met and they conclude the season against Everton, whom they thrashed 3-0 back in October. This would see Tottenham finish the campaign on 39 points.
Forest's fortunes would be mixed, claiming three points against Spurs but drawing with both Burnley and Manchester United, leaving them on 34 points. Despite this, they would still manage to stay up in this hypothetical scenario, with West Ham facing the drop to the Championship.
The Hammers would also pick up four extra points, thanks to a win over Newcastle and a draw with Everton. However, this would still leave them marooned on 33 points and relegated by just a single point, though clearly these clubs could alter their destiny should they overturn these results when the fixtures are reversed.