The High-quality Relegation Battle More Like A Title Race

By beating Chelsea 3-1 astatine Stamford Bridge connected Monday, Nottingham Forest extended their unbeaten tally successful nan Premier League to 7 matches.

It moved them six points clear of 18th-placed West Ham, and restored their five-point advantage complete Spurs successful 17th.

Although not confirmed mathematically, nan 3 points should beryllium capable to seal Forest's spot successful nan Premier League adjacent season.

After a play marred by 3 managerial changes astatine nan City Ground, Forest will beryllium indebted to Vitor Pereira if endurance is achieved.

Since replacing Sean Dyche successful February, nan 57-year-old has mislaid only 2 of his 9 Premier League matches successful charge.

Pereira's broadside are unbeaten successful matches against Manchester City, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Chelsea.

In their past 3 games, Forest person remarkably scored 12 times and conceded conscionable doubly to amended their extremity quality from -12 to -2. It could efficaciously enactment arsenic an other constituent astatine nan extremity of nan season.

Spurs, connected nan different hand, followed up a first Premier League triumph of 2026 past week by earning a captious triumph against a much-changed Aston Villa broadside connected Sunday night.

After 3 matchdays successful nan relegation zone, nan triumph meant Spurs, past season's Europa League winners, climbed retired of nan bottommost 3 and leapfrogged West Ham.

Speaking connected Monday Night Club, erstwhile Manchester City and Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given said: "It's truthful tight now. It's betwixt two, realistically. The remainder are location and dry. Maybe not mathematically, but they are done and dusted.

"It's a immense week for Tottenham. Forget astir nan tactics, hide astir nan managers, hide astir nan boardroom. It's astir nan result. It's 3 points - nan assistance that will springiness nan lads.

"Imagine them going into training today. A fewer weeks back, nan Spurs stadium has been astir quiet towards nan extremity of games. You could spot them successful nan distant extremity yesterday - nan spot was rocking.

"It's conscionable that feeling, nan quality emotion of 'we've won a crippled of football. We're retired of nan relegation zone. We've flipped pinch West Ham'."

However, it is not each punishment and gloom for nan Hammers contempt their precarious position.

They person really improved importantly successful nan past 3 months and, since suffering back-to-back defeats successful January, person only mislaid 4 of their past 14 Premier League matches.

But if immoderate nine are alert that it tin sometimes beryllium excessively little, excessively late, past it is West Ham.

The eastbound Londoners person nan unwanted grounds of accumulating nan astir points successful nan last 8 games of nan play (15) of immoderate broadside to beryllium relegated from nan Premier League.

In much caller times, Newcastle United - nan past squad to beryllium relegated from nan Premier League pinch 36 points aliases much - clasp nan grounds for nan longest unbeaten tally astatine nan extremity of a play (six games) by a squad relegated to nan Championship.

If Forest, Spurs and West Ham support their existent tally of form, 1 of nan 3 could extremity nan play pinch a likewise unwanted spot successful nan Premier League grounds books.