Soccer

    Leeds now favourites to fill final relegation spot after Everton grab Premier League lifeline

    Paul OkeyPaul Okey2 May 2022
    Jesse Marsch Raphinha Leeds Apr22

    Jesse Marsch Raphinha Leeds Apr22

    With Arsenal and Chelsea next up for Leeds, bookies fear for Jesse March’s side.

    Leeds United are the new favourites to be relegated from the Premier League following a dramatic couple of days at the bottom end of the table.

    On a weekend which saw Norwich's drop to the Championship confirmed and Watford as good as joining them, Everton breathed new hopes into their survival fight with a Jordan Pickford-inspired 1-0 win over Chelsea.

    With Burnley having come back to beat the Hornets the previous day, it left Leeds just two points above the drop zone in 17th having played a game more than the Toffees.

    Aston Villa, meanwhile, climbed to the dizzy heights of 13th following their 2-0 win over Norwich and look to have confirmed their top-flight status for another season.

    The bookies, who had Everton as odds-on to suffer their first Premier League relegation ahead of the Chelsea game, have now installed Leeds as 5/4 favourites to join Watford and Norwich in the second tier next season.

    Leeds travel to an Arsenal outfit desperate to secure Champions League football next up before a home clash with a Chelsea side for whom a top-four finish is still not guaranteed.

    A home clash with Brighton and a trip to Brentford look a lot more appealing but with goals hard to come by and a defence that has now been breached 72 times - the most in the division - the signs don't look good for Jesse Marsch's side.
    Everton are 7/4 for the drop with Planet Sport Bet following on from a win over Chelsea that Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp described as "incredible".

    Richarlison scored the only goal of the game just after half-time but it was Jordan Pickford who came away with the plaudits following a string of saves, including a breathtaking stop from Cesar Azpilicueta.

    The Toffees travel to Leicester on Sunday before a trip to Watford on May 11.
    Home games with Brentford and Crystal Palace then follow before a final-day trip to Arsenal.

    A resurgent Burnley are now 9/4 to go down after two goals in the dying stages turned their clash with Watford on its head. Josh Brownhill scored the 86th-minute winner at Vicarage Road as the Clarets recorded their third successive win to climb above Leeds.

    And, with two games still to play against Aston Villa, and Newcastle at home on the final day, a trip to Tottenham on May 15 represents the trickiest of their four remaining fixtures.

    READ MORE: 'There is a long way to go', Frank Lampard remains cautious about survival despite Chelsea win

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