The battle to avoid relegation is effectively a four-horse race following Tottenham's latest defeat, this time at home to Crystal Palace.
With interim manager Igor Tudor unable to provide any kind of 'managerial bounce' since replacing Thomas Frank - having overseen three of Spurs' five consecutive Premier League defeats, including this evening's 3-1 reversal - and Wolves (12 points adrift of safety) and Burnley (nine) almost certainly doomed to the drop, the four teams currently 15th-18th effectively face a mini, nine-match season.Leeds United, with 31 points already banked (and a goal difference of -11), enter this crucial period with a two point advantage over Tottenham (29, -7), who begin with a one point lead over both Nottingham Forest (28, -15) and West Ham United (28, -19), who begin at the bottom of the pile by virtue of an inferior goal difference.
And while it has been widely suggested that West Ham have the most difficult fixtures remaining of the four involved, Nuno Espirito Santo's side have a clear edge when assessing current form; West Ham's last six league matches have returned eight points, Leeds' five, Forest's three and Spurs'?
Just one solitary point. The remaining fixtures - and current standings - are as follows:
Matchweek 30: West Ham Utd v Man City; Crystal Palace v Leeds Utd; N Forest v Fulham; Liverpool v Spurs
Matchweek 31: Leeds Utd v Brentford; Aston Villa v West Ham Utd; Spurs v N Forest
Matchweek 32: West Ham Utd v Wolves; N Forest v Aston Villa; Sunderland v Spurs; Man Utd v Leeds Utd
Matchweek 33: Leeds Utd v Wolves; N Forest v Burnley; Spurs v Brighton; Crystal Palace v West Ham Utd
Matchweek 34: Sunderland v N Forest; Bournemouth v Leeds Utd; West Ham Utd v Everton; Wolves v Spurs
Matchweek 35: Aston Villa v Spurs; Brentford v West Ham Utd; Chelsea v N Forest; Leeds Utd v Burnley
Matchweek 36: N Forest v Newcastle Utd; Spurs v Leeds Utd; West Ham Utd v Arsenal
Matchweek 37: Chelsea v Spurs; Leeds Utd v Brighton; Man Utd v N Forest; Newcastle Utd v West Ham Utd
Matchweek 38: N Forest v Bournemouth; Spurs v Everton; West Ham Utd v Leeds Utd
And we'll update this mini-league after each matchweek to track the progress of all four clubs, as they battle to avoid joining the two bottom clubs in the Championship next season - unless a sudden resurgence from either Wolves or Burnley necessitates a revised table!
Nine-Game League Table
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