Newcastle United have been handed a boost before a ball is even kicked against Southampton on Thursday night after the majority of the Magpies' relegation rivals dropped points.
Norwich City, Watford, Burnley, Leeds and Everton have all lost their most recent games, which makes Newcastle's 2-1 win against Brighton on Saturday all the more crucial. Although there is work to do yet, of course, Eddie Howe's side have moved seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Everton may have a game in hand on Newcastle, but the black-and-whites are still six points clear of Frank Lampard's side following a swing in results. To put that turnaround into perspective, back in mid-January, it was Everton who were seven points above Newcastle in the table.
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Howe will have no doubt kept an eye on how Everton set up against Spurs on Monday night, ahead of Newcastle's trip to Goodison next week, but the Magpies' head coach has preferred to focus his energy on his own players rather than worrying too much about other sides. That shows how much Newcastle's mentality has changed in recent months.
Indeed, instead of prioritising the opposition's strengths in team meetings, for example, Howe prefers to highlight how his side can hurt them when he speaks to his players. That change of approach was quickly apparent when Howe took charge last November, whether Newcastle were playing Brentford at home or travelling to Anfield to take on Liverpool, and it felt part of a process.
While there was not necessarily an immediate new manager bounce in terms of results, there were signs that approach would pay off as the players became fitter, better utilised and started to learn how to manage games again. Everton, in contrast, have looked a little lightweight under Lampard, particularly on the road, but the Toffees' boss is trying to stay upbeat.
"I'm confident, but that doesn't mean anything to say that now," Lampard told Sky Sports after the 5-0 defeat the hands of Spurs. "I'm confident. I know that there's a lot in this team.
"I know we haven't been here long and there's things. I didn't walk into the building with a magic wand and say, 'I'm actually going to make this team that's won one in 14 go on an unbeaten run and we'll be mid-table'.
"It's not possible and you've seen that with managers that have changed through the Premier League this year. It sometimes takes a bit of time to get the work together."
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