Leeds United’s breathing room in the Premier League survival race has been cut down after this week’s results pulled them closer to the relegation zone.
West Ham’s win over Fulham and Nottingham Forest’s draw against Manchester City on Wednesday night have only made the situation at the bottom of the table more competitive.
Leeds also made things harder for themselves with a home defeat to Sunderland on Tuesday. The result leaves them just three points clear of the drop with nine games still to play this season.
The Whites are now just three points from the relegation zone and have lost back-to-back league games for the first time since November, which is not a healthy sign.
Gary Lineker makes a positive Leeds United prediction
Leeds are still 15th in the Premier League table, and are backing themselves to get the job done in the final 10 games of the season. But there are causes for concern.
Gary Lineker has conceded that West Ham’s form is a problem for Leeds and other teams who are sitting just above the relegation zone at the moment.
He believes the fact that West Ham are again looking like a team that can get out of the bottom three is a problem for the Whites in the final stretch of the season.
However, he is expecting Leeds to do just about enough to survive in the Premier League and avoid going straight back down to the Championship.
“I think they’ll probably be alright”, Lineker said on the Rest Is Football podcast.
“But the form of West Ham has dragged so many teams into it because a few weeks ago, they looked gone.”
Tottenham seem to be in more danger than Leeds
Leeds have suffered consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time since November, and the results elsewhere this week have done little to ease the pressure.
That said, Daniel Farke’s side can feel particularly hard done by, with both losses influenced by controversial refereeing decisions.
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |  Leeds United |
29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 48 | -11 | 31 |
| 16 |  Tottenham Hotspur |
29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 39 | 46 | -7 | 29 |
| 17 |  Nottingham Forest |
29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 28 |
| 18 |  West Ham United |
29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 35 | 54 | -19 | 28 |
| 19 |  Burnley |
29 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 58 | -26 | 19 |
| 20 |  Wolverhampton Wanderers |
30 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 52 | -30 | 16 |
Over the course of the season, Leeds have arguably looked more organised and competitive than Tottenham, despite operating with only a fraction of the budget the north London club spent on assembling their squad.
Right now, West Ham and Nottingham Forest appear to pose a far more immediate threat to Leeds’ survival hopes than Spurs, who seem to be in the middle of a real downward spiral.
