Gary Lineker has been discussing Sunderland, Burnley and Leeds United’s chances of staying in the Premier League.
Leeds United, Sunderland and Burnley all saw their chances of preserving their Premier League status written off before a ball had even been kicked this season.
For Sunderland, their long-awaited return to the top flight has been a dream as Regis Le Bris’ side ended the weekend in the top four of the table after Chemsdine Talbi’s first goal for the club gave them a dramatic 2-1 win at Chelsea that ensured the Black Cats have five wins from their first nine games of the campaign.
Burnley moved out of the relegation zone on Sunday with an eventful 3-2 win at fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers in another game that was decided by late drama. The Clarets raced into a two-goal lead thanks to a Zian Flemming brace - but were pegged back when Jorgen Strand Larsen and Marshall Munetsi both found the net just before half time. However, it was Scott Parker’s side that made it back-to-back wins as Lyle Foster struck the decisive blow five minutes into second half injury-time.
Leeds had set the tone for their former Championship promotion rivals as the Whites kicked off the Premier League weekend with what could be a crucial home win against West Ham United. All of the hard work was done inside the opening quarter of an hour as Brenden Aaronson and Joe Rodon both scored to put the Whites in control - and they held on for their first home win since the opening day of the season despite Mateus Fernandes giving the Hammers some hope of finding an equaliser that remained out of reach.
Former Match of the Day host Lineker assessed the performances and results from all three newly-promoted clubs and stressed Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley will produce a real positive for the Premier League if they can build on their solid starts and avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
Speaking on Monday’s episode of The Rest is Football podcast: “I think it’s good for the league this year, and it might change. The three teams promoted, none of them are in the bottom three. In fact, they’re all pretty comfortably away from the gap. Burnley five points clear, Leeds are six and Sunderland are flying high. That’s great.”
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