How things stand in the Premier League battle for survival
Here are the results of all the games from the Barclays Premier League involving the clubs fighting for survival in the top flight:
West Brom 2-3 Leicester City
Burnley 0-1 Arsenal
Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Chelsea
Southampton 2-0 Hull City
Sunderland 1-4 Crystal Palace
Tottenham 0-1 Aston Villa
Implications
Leicester remain rock bottom but their win against the Baggies gives them renewed hopes of survival. Burnley’s loss means they remain level on points with QPR whose thrilling 3-3 draw against fellow strugglers Villa have dented their hopes of survival. Nothing actually changed as Rangers lost their 6th match on the trot at Loftus Road during their match against table-toppers Chelsea.
The clubs just above the drop zone remain dangerously close to the same and Hull’s misery has compounded following the loss to the Saints. Sunderland, fresh from their derby victory against Newcastle are dragged into the relegation dogfight yet again for another season. Dick Advocaat’s side have not been in good form recently and their home losses to QPR and Crystal Palace don’t help their case. Tim Sherwood’s Villains are some points from safety but they must pick up wins to keep the momentum going.
Remaining fixtures
Leicester City – Swansea City (H), Burnley (A), Chelsea (H), Newcastle (H), Southampton (H), Sunderland (A), QPR (H)
Leicester have some favourable fixtures and some tricky ones like the trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley and the visit of high-flying Southampton. It remains to be seen whether they can pull off a miracle escape and survive in the top division. The likes of Leonardo Ulloa, David Nugent and Estaban Cambiasso have to be at their sharpest to ensure Premier League football remains at the King Power Stadium.
Form record (last 6 league games): DLDLWW
Burnley – Everton (A), Leicester (H), West Ham (A), Hull City (A), Stoke City (H), Aston Villa (A)
Tough luck for Burnley. Sean Dyche’s men have to deal with a series of very unpredictable and tricky round of fixtures in the coming days. Danny Ings, George Boyd, Ben Mee and Ashley Barnes have the quality to be good players but will have to play out of their skin to make sure of their team’s survival amongst the elite. Judging by their current form, Burnley have reasons to panic and if they do not step up their game, it will result in them going back to the Championship.
Form record (last 6 league games): LLWLDL
Queens Park Rangers – West Ham (H), Liverpool (A), Manchester City (A), Newcastle (H), Leicester (A)
QPR are worse off than Burnley. Chris Ramsey’s side’s away record has been pathetic and the trips to Anfield and the Etihad couldn’t have come at a better time. Eduardo Vargas is sidelined with injury and it puts the burden on Charlie Austin, Joey Barton, Bobby Zamora, Matt Philips and most importantly goalkeeper Rob Green to notch up wins and take points in every way possible to stay afloat. Their loss against Chelsea put further pressure on the team when after being so well organised and concentrated, a momentary loss of concentration cost them dearly.
Form guide (last 6 league games): LLLWDL
A fascinating battle
The above is only with respect to the current bottom three. They are perilously close to the dubious record accomplished in several previous seasons when the top three promoted from the Championship went down immediately next season.
But as the battle for survival heats up, the teams have to be on their toes every time. Hull, Villa and Sunderland cannot relax because they too are in a fight with the bottom three.
Hull have a dismal record of the last six league games with four defeats and two draws. Sunderland match them in the number of defeats with the saving grace being a win and a draw in the same amount of games.
The brightest side among the three teams above the bottom three are Aston Villa who, thanks to Christian Benteke’s scintillating form – he has scored five goals in their last three games coupled with a hat-trick against QPR – have notched up three wins, losing twice and drawing once in their last six league games.
This battle will now spice up because with the season reaching its twilight and with every passing weekend, the teams know that they have to be at their best. The fixtures also have some inter-relegation battles and it is sure that those will be feisty encounters.
The lucrative tag of a club playing Premier League football and the money and fame it brings to them makes it even more special for the battle to watch. With the title virtually already decided, the relegation dogfight will now be an interesting proposition for all to see.