The battle to avoid the drop has become even more intense after West Ham and Tottenham both secured victories that mirrored Nottingham Forest's win on Friday evening. All three clubs fighting to stay up are desperate to keep Burnley and Wolves out of the Championship for the upcoming season.
Those wins have also pulled Leeds United back into the conversation, as the Yorkshire side sit on 40 points. However, the Saturday fixtures were anything but straightforward, with both West Ham and Tottenham needing late goals to clinch the three points. At one stage Tottenham were four points behind the safety zone, but a dramatic turnaround saw them leap out of the relegation zone entirely. They now sit where they began the day – two points behind their London rivals – but the morale boost from João Palhinha's 82nd‑minute winner at Molineux cannot be overstated.
That goal gave Spurs their first Premier League win of 2026 and the first under manager Roberto De Zerbi. For West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo, the pain of Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall's 88th‑minute equaliser – which erased Tomáš Souček's opener – turned to joy when Callum Wilson struck the decisive stoppage‑time goal.
The Hammers have now climbed to sixth place in the table since the middle of January. Match timeline: 16:09 – West Ham 1-0 Everton (Souček scores, putting the Irons four points clear of Tottenham) 16:42 – Wolves 0-1 Tottenham (Palhinha heads Spurs ahead, cutting West Ham's lead to two points) 16:46 – West Ham 1-1 Everton (Dewsbury‑Hall levels for Everton, allowing Spurs to overtake West Ham in the standings) 16:50 – West Ham 2-1 Everton (Wilson nets in stoppage time, restoring West Ham's two‑point advantage over Tottenham) West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo reflected on the situation: "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." Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi added: "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 head 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." Match‑winner Palhinha spoke about the significance of the triumph: "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, Leeds United's remaining schedule includes Burnley (home), Tottenham (away), Brighton (home) and West Ham (away). Nottingham Forest will face Chelsea (away), Newcastle (home), Manchester United (away) and Bournemouth (home). Tottenham's upcoming fixtures are Aston Villa (away), Leeds (home), Chelsea (away) and Everton (home).
West Ham will travel to Brentford (away), host Arsenal (home), visit Newcastle (away) and host Leeds (home). Spurs face a growing injury list. Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons both left the pitch injured, joining Cristian Romero and Mohammed Kudus on the sidelines since De Zerbi's arrival. De Zerbi explained the situation: "Solanke has a muscular injury – I don't know the exact grade – and Xavi has a knee problem.
We'll get a clearer picture on Monday or Tuesday. Solanke's issue isn't severe, but Xavi's knee is a different matter. He feels better than at the start of the injury, but we need to monitor him closely.
I don't want to lose any more players. Romero, Kudus, Solanke and possibly Xavi are key.
We can win games with the players, not just the coaches. The coaches matter, but the players matter more. I want to stay positive." Former England defender Gary Neville, speaking on his podcast, described the relegation fight as "strange".
He noted that while Wolves and Burnley are already in the drop zone, other clubs could still finish with the magical 40‑point safety mark and still be relegated. He praised Forest's emphatic win at Sunderland and warned that the West Ham‑Tottenham‑Forest dynamic in the coming weeks could provide the most excitement of the season.
Neville also examined Leeds' schedule, suggesting that a home win over Burnley would likely secure their survival, especially after their confidence‑boosting victory at Old Trafford. He felt Nottingham Forest needed just one more win and that they were in a decent position after their dominant display at Sunderland.
Former defender Michael Dawson, appearing on Soccer Saturday, highlighted the psychological aspect of the fight. He observed that Spurs' players have not been in a relegation battle before, yet their fighting spirit was evident. "They haven't always gotten what they deserved in the last 15 games, but today they showed a fighting spirit that will be a massive bonus for Roberto De Zerbi," he said. Dawson reminded viewers that the battle is far from over: Leeds still have to play West Ham on the final day, and they must travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for another crucial match.
In summary, the relegation scramble remains wide open. West Ham, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest have all shown resilience, but injuries and fixture congestion loom large. Leeds United appear to have a relatively favourable run‑in, while Burnley and Wolves are already entrenched in the drop zone. The next few weeks will likely decide which clubs manage to stay up and which will join Burnley and Wolves in the Championship next season.