How the relegation fight between Spurs and West Ham could play out this week | OneFootball

A nail-biting season for Spurs and West Ham fans has left both clubs in relegation danger in the final week of the campaign, with the Premier League trapdoor days away from opening for one of the London clubs.

With West Ham suffering a 3-1 loss to Newcastle on Sunday evening, their third consecutive loss in a row, they head into their final game of the season against Leeds United on the back foot. Tottenham on the other hand, have picked up seven points in their last three matches, putting them in a more convincing position.

The Hammers’ loss at St James’ Park on Sunday evening leaves them trailing two points behind Spurs with only one game left to play, while the north London side have two games left to play.

Looking ahead to Tottenham’s game at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, De Zerbi’s side have had eight days to prepare for one of their most important games of the season.

Their opponents Chelsea, just coming off the back of narrowly losing the FA Cup final 1-0 to Manchester City, have only had three days to prepare for their penultimate game of the season. Although Spurs have had more time to prepare, history is not on their side.

Spurs have only prevailed once in their last 35 league visits to Stamford Bridge. That sole success was 3-1 victory in April 2018 under future Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino. If Spurs can come away from the game on Tuesday evening with a win, they are guaranteed to avoid relegation. If not, their fate will be decided on the final day of the Premier League season.

In summary, Tottenham need to gain one point from either of their final two games to escape relegation, presuming that West Ham will not be able to close the 13-goal difference between them and Spurs in their final game against Leeds on Sunday. If Tottenham can secure three points against Chelsea, they can wave goodbye to any relegation worries.

If De Zerbi’s side come away with a loss on Tuesday evening, which league they will be playing in next year will boil down to the final day of the season. West Ham will host Leeds at home, a side that has not lost in the Premier League since March 3rd.

The Hammers will be praying for Spurs to lose their final two games, and that combined with a win for West Ham at home would save them from relegation. Despite it being possible for West Ham to stay in the Premier League, on the final day of the season Tottenham will host Everton at home, giving them another chance to get that all important one point and further banish West Ham’s hope of survival.

So the stage has been set for Tottenham. One point will give them a near guarantee of staying up, three points will mean definite survival, and no points will leave their fate in the hands of West Ham. After putting their committed fans through a severely disappointing season, Spurs have to deliver.

What do the fans think?

Hayters spoke to fans of both clubs to see how they are feeling ahead of a defining week…

West Ham fan Matt Parker of Barking, East London, said: “We had all the momentum, clawing back 13 points on Spurs since January, when everyone thought we were already down. It’s heartbreaking because it feels like we did all the hard work. Only to throw away the chance we had of survival.

“Nuno has been terrific for us, but it looks like the stress of it all has even reached him. We’ve taken no points from our last three games at the business end of the season, and the manager started with the wrong team against Newcastle.

“I don’t blame the fans for booing the team, because in a “must-win” game we just froze. The least you expect is fight and passion. Nuno made early substitutions acknowledging he got the line-up wrong, but by then it was too late.

“Relegation is now inevitable. I hope we keep Nuno to try and bring us straight back. But it will be far from easy- especially as we will clearly sell our better players. Fernandes and Bowen are too good for the Championship.

“The club has been a mess. Next season, other teams will view a trip to our 60,000- seater stadium as a Cup Final. And Millwall will be lying in wait for us. We will get what we deserve.”

Spurs fan Bob Cowell of Barnet, Herts said: “If we pull off the miracle of survival, then they need to build a statue of Roberto De Zerbi.

“He has simply been sensational. We were at a lost cause until he came in. The appalling appointments of Thomas Frank and Ivan Tudor have been shown up by the Italian. They were frozen like rabbits in headlights, offering the players poor coaching, displaying weak communication, and being dismissive of the fans. De Zerbi has been a breath of fresh air, telling the players how good they are- and the difference has been stark.

“I was more nervous after West Ham’s defeat to Newcastle. The Great Escape is purely down to us now- one point in two games and we are safe. But going to Chelsea is a regular ‘L’ on the coupon. Generations of fans can’t even remember us winning at Stamford Bridge but it’s there for the taking.

“There’s time to get angry about the plight of the club, and how bad we have been for so long. But serious issues with the owners can wait – we just need to knuckle down and eek out another point to stay in the prem.”