The battle for Premier League survival continued on Tuesday as Newcastle beat Everton 3-1, Burnley secured a point against Man Utd and Watford slipped to defeat at West Ham – but which team is best placed to avoid the drop?
Only five points separate the five sides at the bottom of the table – and basement boys Burnley have at least one game in hand on their rivals.
An upturn in results for Norwich, who have won two on the spin, and Newcastle has seen Everton, who slipped to defeat at St James’ Park in Frank Lampard’s first Premier League game in charge, dragged into a relegation scrap. For Newcastle, however, it was a confidence boosting win that saw them climb out of the relegation zone.
Burnley have slipped four points adrift of safety after Newcastle’s win and their own draw at Turf Moor against Manchester United, but it could well prove to be a crucial point for Sean Dyche’s side. Meanwhile, Watford slipped to defeat at West Ham, leaving Roy Hodgson still looking for his first win since taking over at Vicarage Road.
After Tuesday’s results, Norwich now have the opportunity to make their own mark in the battle to beat the drop when they take on Crystal Palace at Carrow Road on Wednesday evening. A win for Dean Smith’s side would see them over take Newcastle and jump out of the relegation places.
Here, we take a look at the state of play, odds and key fixtures as the relegation picture hots up…
Image: Frank Lampard is the new manager of Everton
Position: 16th
Games played: 21
Points: 19
Current form: DLLLL
Next fixture: Leeds (h)
Relegation Sky Bet odds: 9/2
Key fixtures to note: Feb 26: Man City (h), Mar 19: Watford (a), April 23: Liverpool (a)
Image: Newcastle signed four players in the January transfer window
Position: 17th
Games played: 22
Points: 18
Current form: LDDWW
Next fixture: Aston Villa (h)
Relegation Sky Bet odds: 9/4
Key fixtures to note: Mar 12: Chelsea (a), April 23: Norwich (a), April 30: Liverpool (h), May 7: Man City (a), May 22: Burnley (a)
Image: Norwich have put together back-to-back wins
Position: 18th
Games played: 22
Points: 16
Current form: LLLWW
Next fixture: Crystal Palace (h)
Relegation Sky Bet odds: 1/6
Key fixtures to note: Feb 12: Man City (h), Feb 19: Liverpool (a), April 9: Burnley (h), April 16: Man Utd (a), April 23: Newcastle (h), May 22: Tottenham (h)
Image: Watford are set to appoint Roy Hodgson
Position: 19th
Games played: 22
Points: 15
Next fixture: Brighton (h)
Current form: LDLDL
Relegation Sky Bet odds: 1/4
Key fixtures to note: Feb 26: Man Utd (a), April 2: Liverpool (a), April 23: Man City (a), April 30: Burnley (h), May 22: Chelsea (a), TBA: Burnley (a),
Image: Maxwel Cornet will be key to Burnley's survival chances
Position: 20th
Games played: 20
Points: 14
Next fixture: Liverpool (h)
Current form: LLDDD
Relegation Sky Bet odds: 4/9
Key fixtures to note: Feb 13: Liverpool (h), March 5: Chelsea (h), April 2: Man City (h), April 9: Norwich (a), April 30: Watford (a), May 22: Newcastle (h), TBA: Watford (h)
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The post Premier League relegation battle analysed: Who is going down? first appeared on 1 News Day, breaking news, sport, business, politics, Science & Health.