Dramatic equaliser for Leeds doesn’t convince the bookies who say: You’re still going down

Paul Okey
16 May 2022

Pascal Stuijk Leeds equaliser vs Brighton May22

Leeds remain odds-on to be in the Championship next season, while Tottenham are now favourites for fourth ahead of what is building up to be a dramatic final day in the Premier League.

Leeds United's last-gasp equaliser against Brighton on Sunday guaranteed the relegation battle will go down to the final game of the season, although whether it will involve two or three teams remains to be seen.

Following a 1-0 defeat for Burnley against Tottenham in the early game, Leeds knew they would escape the bottom three if they could get anything from their clash with the Seagulls.

That looked unlikely as a distinctly second-best home side trailed to a 21st-minute Danny Welbeck goal. However, Pascal Struijk's dramatic stoppage-time equaliser salvaged a point for the Elland Road side and changed the complexion of the relegation battle.

Jesse Marsch's side remain 4/6 favourites with Planet Sport Bet to join Norwich and Watford in the Championship next season, but know that if Burnley fail to pick up anything from their final two fixtures - away to Aston Villa and home to Newcastle - they will definitely be safe.

A win for Leeds in their final match at Brentford would mean Burnley, who are 6/4 to go down, need to pick up at least four points from their last two games to guarantee survival.

Premier League - bottom

		P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
16	Everton	36	10	6	20	39	59	36
17	Leeds United	37	8	11	18	40	78	35
18	Burnley	36	7	13	16	32	50	34
19	Watford	37	6	5	26	33	75	23
20	Norwich City	37	5	7	25	23	79	22

Everton remain in the equation after seeing two players sent off as they let slip a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 to Brentford.

Victory at home to Crystal Palace on Thursday night would see the Toffees safe and is reflected in the 7/1 on offer for them to go down.

Arsenal then lie in wait but even should they lose their final two matches, it would still need Leeds to beat Brentford on the final day and Burnley to pick up two points from their last two matches to condemn them to the drop.

For Everton's rivals, the good news is that Arsenal should have plenty of motivation for the final day, with Tottenham's narrow victory over the Clarets having cranked up the pressure in the race for a top-four finish.

Arsenal now trail Spurs, in the final Champions League spot, by two points having played a game less. They can reclaim fourth spot on Monday night with victory over Newcastle.

But with the momentum seemingly with Antonio Conte's side, have seen their top-four odds drift to 21/20 having been odds on last week. Spurs, who finish their campaign with a trip to Norwich, are 3/4.

It’s all in our hands..Looking forward to the game next weekend 💙⚽️ pic.twitter.com/116WJTBSJo
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) May 15, 2022

It was almost a dream weekend for Liverpool who picked up a second trophy of the season by overcoming Chelsea on penalties in the FA Cup and then saw Manchester City fall 2-0 down to West Ham on Sunday. It wasn't quite to be, with Pep Guardiola's side fighting back to draw 2-2.

However, it offered the Reds a chink of light ahead of their game in hand against Southampton on Tuesday evening. A chink of light that still has them 6/1 to win the title.

Premier League table - top

		P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1	Manchester City	37	28	6	3	96	24	90
2	Liverpool	36	26	8	2	89	24	86
3	Chelsea	36	20	10	6	73	31	70
4	Tottenham Hotspur	37	21	5	11	64	40	68
5	Arsenal	36	21	3	12	56	45	66
6	Manchester United	37	16	10	11	57	56	58
7	West Ham United	37	16	8	13	59	48	56

Nevertheless, they know that should they beat the Saints, they will only trail City by a point going into their final-day clash at home to Wolves (Man City entertain Aston Villa).

And, with Manchester United and West Ham still battling it out for a top-six spot, it could mean there is something riding on eight of the ten final-day fixtures.