Had a few balls bounced differently, Tottenham Hotspur could already be safe. Donât concede that stoppage-time equalizer to Brighton & Hove Albion and convince Mathys Tel to refrain from attempting an overhead kick in his own penalty box and Spurs would be out of West Ham Unitedâs reach.
But thatâs not how it went.
Georginio Rutter did score in the 95th minute of Roberto De Zerbiâs first home game and Tel did swiftly cancel out his crisp opener against Leeds United on Monday night with a bizarre penalty concession leapt upon by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Fortunately for Spurs, West Ham have endured their own fine-margin fumbles. The dramatic defeat to Arsenal on Sunday ensured that the Premier League relegation battle has been reduced to a straight shootout between these two capital foes. With just a pair of matches remaining, Optaâs supercomputer has offered up its best guess at the outcome of this duel.
Supercomputer Predicts 2025â26 Final Premier League Standings
âItâs going to be tough,â Nuno EspÃrito Santo admitted when reflecting on West Hamâs chances of survival after Sundayâs bitter reverse against Arsenal. Tough, but not yet impossible. The Hammers are given an 80.46% chance of relegation by Optaâs supercomputer, tumbling out of the division in four out of five scenarios.
Spurs are considerable favorites to keep their head above water but only two points are expected to separate the two sides, theoretically taking this relegation battle down to the final day. De Zerbi would expect nothing less: âIt will be tough until the last minute against Everton,â he warned after getting a firm grasp of just how mentally fragile his roster is.
Tottenham could technically wrap it up before that final Sunday in May. Should West Ham fail to defeat Newcastle United at St. Jamesâ Park this weekend, Spurs would mathematically guarantee their survival with a win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, May 19.
West Ham, Tottenhamâs Remaining Fixtures
As wretched as Chelsea have been recently, it would be incredibly surprising to see them roll over against their fierce London rivals on home turf. Spurs have recorded just one win at Stamford Bridge in the last 36 years. Danny Drinkwater was on the Chelsea roster which last lost a home game to Tottenham on April Foolâs Day 2018.
If De Zerbi is correct in his assumption that this race against relegation will come down to the final round of fixtures, Spurs can take comfort from their record against Everton. The Toffees have lost their last four trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by an aggregate score of 9â1.
West Ham host Leeds at the same time on Sunday, May 24. Daniel Farkeâs side proved on Monday that they wonât necessarily have their feet up for the rest of the seasonâDe Zerbi is certainly hoping so. âCongratulations to Leeds,â the Italian boss tactfully mused, âthey played a great game, they have to play the last game at West Ham and weâve no doubt that they will play the same way.â
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