- West Ham United face Leeds United in the Premier League’s final day on Sunday
- The Hammers remain in the relegation zone
- Relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also in action against Everton
West Ham United and London rivals Tottenham Hotspur will square off in a straight shootout on the final day of the Hammers’ battle for Premier League survival.
The Irons host Leeds on Sunday, and supporters at the London Stadium will be keeping an eye on what’s going on across the capital when Spurs play Everton at the same time at 4PM BST.
However, West Ham have Chelsea to thank: Spurs fell to a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge against the Blues at the start of the week, missing the opportunity to guarantee their place in the top flight with one game remaining. They are still the favourites to stay up, though, since only two certain combinations will allow West Ham to leapfrog them on Sunday, with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley already down.
What result does West Ham need to avoid Premier League relegation?
West Ham are currently stuck in the relegation zone in 18th place with 36 points, while Tottenham occupies 17th place with 38 points. As stated, on the last day of the season, the historic London clubs will engage in a nerve-wracking, two-way fight for top-flight survival.
For the Hammers to have any real chance of staying up at home, they must defeat Leeds. Regardless of how the Spurs fare in their clash, a draw or a defeat will doom them to Championship football. Then, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side will have to rely on former boss David Moyes’ Everton beating Tottenham Hotspur to have a realistic chance of survival.
Ultimately, West Ham’s fate is in Spurs’ hands. A win for the latter will mathematically ensure their safety, putting them on 41 points and out of reach of the Hammers. Given Spurs’ better goal difference, a draw would also be enough to keep them up, barring a very unthinkable 12-goal swing in West Ham’s direction.
Spurs currently have a 12-goal lead in goal differential (-10 to West Ham’s -22). Because of this enormous disparity, West Ham must effectively pass Spurs in total points, since a draw at 39 points would essentially keep Spurs’ Premier League status out of danger.
West Ham have not been out of the Premier League for 14 seasons, whilst Spurs have only been out of the English top flight once since 1950 (1977-78).
