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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

What Everton defeat and late Leeds goal mean for Premier League relegation battle

The scrap to avoid relegation from the Premier League is more fierce than ever heading into the final week of the season.

Just two points separate Everton in 16th and Burnley in 18th, with Leeds United lodged in-between the two clubs. Whites boss Jesse Marsch had Pascal Struijk to thank as his side rescued a valuable 1-1 draw against Brighton on Sunday afternoon.

The substitute rose at the back post to nod Joe Gelhardt's cross beyond Robert Sanchez to down the Seagulls, who had led for over an hour at Elland Road thanks to Danny Welbeck's first-half goal. Elsewhere on a busy Sunday of action, Everton suffered a damaging 3-2 defeat at home to Brentford despite leading twice.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin brushed in the opener 10 minutes into the match before Seamus Coleman's own-goal drew the Bees level after Jarrad Branthwaite was sent off for a last-man tackle on Ivan Toney.

Remarkably, Richarlison restored the 10-man Toffees' lead from the penalty spot just before the interval, but Yoane Wissa and Rico Henry completed the turnaround for Brentford in the second half.

While the Goodison Park faithful did their best to spur on Frank Lampard's side, their misery was compounded in the closing stages as Salomon Rondon was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Henry just four minutes after coming off the bench.

The results leave Everton on 36 points with two games to play: a home encounter with Crystal Palace on Thursday night and a trip to Arsenal next Sunday afternoon.

Which club will be relegated from the Premier League this season: Everton, Leeds United or Burnley? Have your say in the comments...

Leeds are hot on the Toffees' tail with 35 points and their final fixture of the season is an away one at Brentford on Sunday which also kicks-off at 4pm.

Burnley were in action in Sunday's early kick-off and fell to a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham. Like Everton, they have two fixtures remaining and will make the trip to Aston Villa on Thursday before hosting Newcastle on the final day.

As it stands, Leeds are the bookmakers' favourites to join Norwich City and Watford in the Championship next season, which is likely due to them having one fewer game to play compared to their rivals.

Pascal Struijk rescued a point for Leeds United (Getty Images)
Frank Lampard's Everton lost 3-2 at home to Brentford (Getty Images)

Two draws will almost certainly be enough for Everton to guarantee their safety due to their superior goal difference to the Whites, while Burnley will leapfrog the Yorkshire outfit if they get a point against Villa.

Whatever happens in midweek, the three-way relegation dogfight is set to go down to the final day. 15th-placed Southampton, meanwhile, are no longer in the mix as the weekend's results secured their safety.

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