Tottenham’s odds of surviving relegation from the Premier League have been slashed after Newcastle subjected West Ham to a 3-1 defeat on Sunday.
The Irons were far from their best at St James’ Park and trailed 2-0 with less than 20 minutes on the clock after Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to start in a back-three backfired.
He moved quickly to make changes, withdrawing Jean-Clair Todibo before half-time, but it was too little, too late.
Read more: How Tottenham can confirm their Premier League survival AND relegate West Ham this week
The defeat leaves West Ham 18th in the table, two points adrift of 17th-placed Tottenham, the only other team still in relegation contention. West Ham have one match left to play, at home to Leeds on the final day of the season, while Spurs have two.
The first of those two matches comes on Tuesday night, when Roberto De Zerbi’s side visit Chelsea knowing a win will confirm West Ham’s relegation to the Championship.
As West Ham’s situation grows increasingly precarious, the boffins at Opta have revved up their supercomputer to update their relegation predictions.
The results do not make nice reading for those of a claret persuasion. West Ham’s chances of relegation - in the eyes of Opta - have ballooned to a whopping 93.83 per cent.
Correspondingly, Tottenham’s have been slashed to just 6.17 per cent.
Provided Spurs fail to beat Chelsea, the relegation battle will be decided on the final day of the Premier League season. All 20 teams will play simultaneously, with Tottenham and West Ham hosting Everton and Leeds, respectively.
Should Tottenham win at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, West Ham’s relegation will be confirmed, and, subsequently, so too will Tottenham’s safety.
A draw between Chelsea and Tottenham would leave West Ham three points adrift ahead of the final day, but their weak goal difference would leave their chances of securing safety all but shot.
