A look at how and when Leeds United could secure their Premier League status following Saturday's win over Wolves.
Leeds United edged closer to retaining their Premier League status for another year thanks to Saturday’s 3-0 win at home to Wolves. A quickfire first-half double from James Justin and Noah Okafor put the Whites in control with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting a third from the penalty spot in second-half added-time.
Victory pulled Leeds onto 39 points, nine clear of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur initially, who then drew 2-2 with Brighton to close it to eight. Daniel Farke’s side are also currently seven points ahead of West Ham and six clear of Nottingham Forest, who have games in hand to come this weekend against Crystal Palace and Burnley respectively.
“A lot is achieved but nothing is done yet,” Farke insisted after full-time on Saturday. “It's a fantastic position to be in but the feeling is we probably need to win one or a few more points, we'll stay focused and want to win one or a few more points as soon as possible to have it mathematically done.”
Following up Monday’s historic win at Manchester United with another victory has hugely improved Leeds’ chances of survival. Below, the YEP takes a look at what they need to guarantee safety - and what they’ll likely require.
How many points do Leeds United need to survive?
With 39 points already to their name, Leeds are in a great position to avoid relegation. As things stand, they are currently eight points ahead of Tottenham in 18th. Spurs twice went ahead at home to Brighton later on Saturday but dropped two points thanks to a 95th-minute leveller from a certain Georginio Rutter.
In the unlikely event Tottenham win all five of their remaining games, they will finish on 46 points which means Leeds can guarantee survival with eight more points - That could be done with two wins and two draws. That would also require both West Ham and Forest to enjoy exceptional ends to the season too, though.
Realistically, Opta predict Spurs to finish the season on 37 points, with West Ham due to end on 38. Should those predictions prove accurate, then Leeds would theoretically already be safe.
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Predicted Premier League table
Following Saturday’s comfortable win, statistical experts Opta updated their Premier League predictions. It’s good reading for Leeds too, whose percentage chance of finishing in the bottom three now stands at just 0.27 per cent.
Opta expect Leeds to pick up a further seven points from their final five games, finishing the season in 15th on 46. They still have Tottenham to join Burnley and Wolves in dropping to the Championship on 37 points, with a 53.4 per cent chance of being 18th come the end of May.
Here is the full predicted bottom six, as things stand...
15th: Leeds United - 46 points
16th: Nottingham Forest - 41 points
17th: West Ham - 38 points
18th: Tottenham - 37 points
19th: Burnley - 25 points
20th: Wolves - 23 points
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