Leeds United make the trip to Merseyside to take on Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night, but results elsewhere over the weekend have ramped up the pressure on Daniel Farke’s side.
West Ham’s win over Sunderland has trimmed Leeds’ cushion to five points, while Bournemouth’s 3–2 victory at home to Liverpool saw them climb to 13th.
Even so, Leeds head into the fixture in good form, having lost just once in their last nine outings, and will draw confidence from Everton’s four home defeats in the Premier League this season.
Still, the latest results have tightened the standings, and Leeds will be keen to come away with a positive result to keep a comfortable distance from the relegation zone for the rest of the campaign.
BBC MOTD pundit drops relegation verdict that should worry Leeds United fans
West Ham’s win over Sunderland on Saturday has set the cat among pigeons in the relegation dogfight, and suddenly Leeds are feeling some heat.
The Hammers have now won back-to-back games in the league, and Ashley Williams conceded that West Ham have renewed hope that they can survive in the Premier League this season.
He pointed towards Nottingham Forest as West Ham’s likely rivals in the relegation fight. However, a bad result at Everton on Monday night could easily bring Leeds back into the conversation.
Williams said on Match of the Day: “What they’ve done is, they given themselves a chance, they’ve given a bit of hope back to the fanbase, because at one point, I think we were all sitting here saying I think they’re going to get relegated, they’re not showing any signs of improvement.
“They’ve brought a couple of players in, I think the fact that now you’re getting that kind of performance from Fernandes might just be the difference with them staying up.
“Now they’re in touching distance of Nottingham Forest and the picture changes.”
Leeds should get something from their trip to Everton
Leeds have earned draws against the likes of Liverpool and Brentford, while their impressive form at Elland Road has helped lift them to 16th in the table. Their defeat at Newcastle came only after two late goals and a costly goalkeeping error that forced Lucas Perri off the starting eleven.
Another tough challenge awaits at Everton, but Leeds have shown enough in recent weeks to believe they can take something from Monday night’s trip.
| Record | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home form | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 1.36 |
| Away form | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1.55 |
| Overall | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 25 | -1 | 1.45 |
The Toffees sit 11th, seven points clear of Leeds, yet their struggles in front of goal have been evident, and the absence of Jack Grealish is likely to further dull their attacking edge.
With that in mind, Leeds will feel they have a realistic chance of returning home with at least a point, and possibly even a memorable away victory.
However, a defeat at Everton, and they may be looking over their shoulders because of West Ham’s last two results.
