So, does anyone really want to secure safety before the final day of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign? If they do, they are fooling this SBOTOP observer and doing things the hard way.
It was only three weeks ago that I felt West Ham had their moment to pull away from Spurs when they travelled to a Euro-focused Crystal Palace. A goalless draw that night gave the Lilywhites renewed hope, and they duly followed it up with victories at Wolves and Aston Villa.
While the Hammers went on to see off Everton following the Palace stalemate, what has followed – defeats to Brentford and league leaders Arsenal (along with plenty of VAR controversy) – means all momentum has been lost. Monday night’s result in North London, however, has given them renewed hope.
That didn’t seem likely five minutes after the restart when Mathys Tel put Spurs in front against Leeds with a superb curling 20-yard strike. At that point, Roberto de Zerbi’s men were on course to move four points clear of the Hammers.
Then came a Leeds penalty, converted by Dominic Calvert-Lewin after Tel fouled Ethan Ampadu. A total of 13 minutes of added time merely increased the unbearable tension around the stadium.
A goal apiece and a point apiece, which still leaves Spurs in the box seat, but West Ham could well have overtaken them by the next time they are in action, at Newcastle, before Spurs take on big rivals Chelsea.
This relegation race has clearly got more legs, and I urge you to take a look at our Premier League 2026 betting odds before staking your claim as to what happens next.
My gut instinct tells me West Ham are heading for the drop, but I have been wrong before.
Any chances of Nottingham Forest and Leeds getting sucked into the bottom three were officially quashed at the weekend due to other results. Forest’s late draw at home to the Geordies showed just how important a figure midfielder Elliott Anderson is.
Where he found the strength to deliver in key moments against his former club is admirable. Not only did he show incredible endeavour to start and finish the decisive move, propelling into the six-yard box with a couple of minutes to run, but the England midfielder, an ever-present for Forest and now a fixture for his country, was playing a mere 48 hours after the funeral of his mother, Helen.
His late goal secured a 1-1 draw against a Newcastle side who probably can’t wait for the season to end.
If that showed courage on all levels, then how about Bournemouth being on the verge of qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history? Their 1-0 success at Fulham has them in a lofty position, well ahead of some clubs with much deeper pockets
Two weeks remain and, at a time when VAR inconsistencies could yet play a decisive role at the top and bottom of the table, no division is more compelling. Sit back as I suspect there are still a few more Premier League 2026 highlights awaiting us over the next fortnight.
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