The battle to avoid the drop has taken on a fresh intensity after West Ham and Tottenham both secured victories that matched Nottingham Forest's win on Friday night. All three clubs teetering near the bottom are desperate to stay clear of the fate that awaits Burnley and Wolves, who are already destined for the Championship next season. Forest's triumph has pulled Leeds United back into the conversation, as the Yorkshire side sit on 40 points.
Yet it was the Saturday fixtures that provided the most nail‑biting moments. Both West Ham and Spurs needed late winners to keep their hopes alive, and the drama unfolded in the final minutes of each match.
At one stage Tottenham found themselves four points behind the safety zone, but a dramatic turnaround saw them leap out of the relegation zone entirely. They concluded the day where they began – two points shy of their London rivals – but with a renewed sense of belief after João Palhinha struck an 82nd‑minute winner at Molineux to silence Wolves. That goal gave Spurs their first Premier League victory of the 2026 campaign and the inaugural win under Roberto De Zerbi. For West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo, the emotional roller‑coaster was stark.
An 88th‑minute equaliser from Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall had erased Tomas Soucek's early goal, only for Callum Wilson to snatch the three points with a stoppage‑time finish. The Hammers have now climbed to sixth place in the table since the middle of January, a sign that the club's form is trending upward. A timeline of the key moments reads as follows: 16:09 – West Ham 1‑0 Everton (Tomas Soucek scores, giving the Irons a four‑point cushion over Tottenham). 16:42 – Wolves 0‑1 Tottenham (João Palhinha heads Spurs ahead, narrowing the gap to West Ham to just two points).
16:46 – West Ham 1‑1 Everton (Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall levels for Everton, briefly propelling Spurs above West Ham). 16:50 – West Ham 2‑1 Everton (Callum Wilson nets in stoppage‑time, restoring West Ham's two‑point lead over Tottenham).
Nuno Espirito Santo summed up his team's mindset after the win: "Nobody is making it easy. It's going to be a big fight, I think, until the end.
But the good thing is that we don't give up. We're still on it. The momentum, especially here at the London Stadium, I think it's a huge factor in the Premier League." Roberto De Zerbi, speaking after Tottenham's victory, stressed the psychological impact of the result: "I hope this result can change something in our heads, in our mentality, and for the other result. It's really very tough to win a game for us, if we put our heads on the other teams, it becomes too tough for me.
They have to be positive, they have to feel full confidence, because they are good, and not to see the other results. For example, West Ham. And we have to move on and prepare for the next games. Now the first game is at Villa Park, and that's it." Palhinha, the match‑winner, reflected on the significance of the goal: "It's not a normal season that we have been living until today.
We all have responsibility for this season, but the reality is we have four finals in the league and we need to do our job. Hopefully, this win can change what happened in the past, give us a bit more motivation as well, because it's been a long time without victories. Especially in some of the games that we should have taken some more points, much more.
I think it happened a lot, but sometimes it's the details. What we can control right now is doing our job until the end of the season and try to keep the club where it belongs, which is the Premier League." Looking ahead, the remaining fixtures for the clubs in danger are crucial. Leeds United must face Burnley at home, travel to Tottenham, host Brighton, and then visit West Ham on the final day. Nottingham Forest's schedule includes an away clash with Chelsea, a home game against Newcastle, an away tie with Manchester United, and a home fixture versus Bournemouth.
Tottenham still have to play Aston Villa away, host Leeds, travel to Chelsea, and host Everton. West Ham's upcoming matches are at Brentford, at Arsenal, away to Newcastle, and at home to Leeds.
Spurs, however, are dealing with an injury list that is beginning to look worrying. Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons both left the Tottenham win injured, joining Cristian Romero and Mohammed Kudus, who have been sidelined since De Zerbi took over. De Zerbi explained the situation: "Solanke has a muscular injury; I don't know the exact grade, but it's not catastrophic.
Xavi has a knee issue – we'll have a clearer picture on Monday or Tuesday. For Solanke it's not a big problem, I don't know how many games we lose him, but I would like to know the situation of Xavi, because the knee is always different than the muscular injury.
I spoke with him two minutes ago, he feels better than at the beginning of the injury. I wouldn't like to lose any other players, because Romero, Kudus, now Solanke and maybe Xavi, we can win the games with the players, not with the coaches. The coaches are important, but the players are more important.
But I want to be positive." Former England defender Gary Neville, on his podcast, highlighted how unusual this relegation race has become: "It's a strange season in the relegation battle. Wolves and Burnley are down, but when you look at the others, we could have a scenario where a team gets to the magic 40‑point mark and still goes down. Forest must have thought they'd done themselves a favour with their remarkable victory at Sunderland, but then West Ham and Spurs follow them by winning as well.
It's an extraordinary race to avoid the drop; that West Ham‑Tottenham‑Forest dynamic in the next few weeks could be where the real thrill and excitement lies. Leeds' fixtures are quite good. They've got Burnley at home, Tottenham away, Brighton at home, West Ham away on the final day. I think they'll beat Burnley at home, which would then take them to a point where I don't think they'll get caught, so I think Leeds are okay.
Once they went to Old Trafford and won, I thought that was a point whereby psychologically they were going to survive, because their fixtures going into the run‑in were more comfortable than the rest. Nottingham Forest probably need one more win, but I think they're okay. The way Forest played at Sunderland and the emphatic nature of their victory will give them confidence.
I do think it's West Ham or Spurs now." Michael Dawson, a former defender for both Forest and Tottenham, echoed the sentiment on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday: "Psychologically, we talk about that relegation battle, Spurs haven't been in it, the players haven't been in this situation. But you could tell they were fighting, you could see that.
And you'd say, well, where's it been for the last 15 games? Yes, they haven't always got what they deserve, but they've been well below par. But they showed a fighting spirit today, and that will be a massive bonus for Roberto De Zerbi, you see him after, his emotions.
That momentum might change now. Let me tell you, this isn't done with Leeds United and Nottingham Forest yet. Leeds United have to play West Ham on the final day, and they've got to go to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. There's plenty of football still to be played." In summary, the relegation fight remains wide open.
West Ham and Tottenham have shown they can snatch points in the dying minutes, while Leeds, Forest and the other clubs still have a handful of games that could swing the balance. Injuries, form, and the psychological edge will likely decide which teams stay up and which will join Burnley and Wolves in the Championship next season.