Just when Tottenham Hotspur fans started to believe that never again would they see their side in the Premier League relegation zone, that could soon be the reality once more. On Monday night, Spurs could only draw 1-1 with Leeds United in N17, and a point just is not enough to substantially ease their relegation fears.
Mathys Tel's beautiful curler shortly after half time sparked wild scenes of celebration all around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but, by the end of the night, the Frenchman was the villain. Following VAR review, Tel was penalised for bicycle kicking Ethan Ampadu in the head, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin converting the subsequent spot-kick. Thus, 1-1 it finished, but only after a jaw-dropping save from Antonín Kinský in stoppage time; how crucial could that prove to be?
So, have Spurs edged a point closer to safety, or will they rue leaving two points on the table?
Tottenham and West Ham's remaining Premier League fixtures
Date | Tottenham's fixture | West Ham's fixture |
|---|---|---|
Sunday 17 May | Newcastle United (A) | |
Tuesday 19 May | Chelsea (A) | |
Sunday 24 May | Everton (H) | Leeds United (H) |
As it stands, Tottenham sit two points clear of West Ham with only two matches still to play. No one else is in the running to join Wolves and Burnley in next season's EFL Championship. Well, if the Hammers are able to beat Newcastle United at St James' Park on Sunday night, they would leap out of the bottom three.
That's because, Tottenham are not in action again until next Tuesday night, visiting Chelsea. Even though the Blues are in horrendous form, not a single Spurs fan will be confident of getting a result in that one. Tottenham have won only one of 41 visits to Stamford Bridge since 1990, with Christian Eriksen and then Dele Alli twice on target during a 3-1 victory for Mauricio Pochettino's team on April Fool's Day in 2018. The Chelsea support are ultra-motivated to relegate Spurs, so just imagine how rocking the Bridge will be if Tottenham are indeed in the drop zone by then.
On the flip side, had Roberto De Zerbi's team beaten Leeds and then West Ham were defeated on Tyneside, Nuno Espírito Santo's side would be down and the Spurs stress would be over. In reality, Tottenham's destiny remains in their own hands, following those back-to-back away wins over Wolves and Aston Villa. Nevertheless, having not won a home game since 6 December, failing in ten attempts since beating Brentford, they do not want to rely on a victory over Everton on the final day.
Tottenham and West Ham required points tallies to survive
If Tottenham pick up: | West Ham would need: |
|---|---|
No more points | A win |
1 more point | A win and a draw |
2 more points | Two wins |
3 more points | Two wins |
4 more points | Likely down at best on goal difference |
6 more points | Confirmed relegation |
Realistically, West Ham really need to win their final two matches, against Newcastle and then Leeds. Speaking after Monday night's game, De Zerbi said "Leeds played a good game. We hope they play like this against West Ham". Spurs' goal difference is also superior by 11, which could be crucial.
Nevertheless, according to the Opta Supercomputer, Spurs still have a 19.54% chance of being relegated, a number that plummeted to around 8% when they were 1-0 up on Monday. Thus, it is over to you West Ham, with every Tottenham fan nervously muttering Howay the Lads come Sunday night.
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