Everton’s Point Increase: The Impact on the Premier League Relegation Battle
News broke earlier this week that Everton’s point deduction had been reduced from 10 points to six. This obviously has a huge impact not only on Everton’s season, but the rest of the clubs in the bottom half.
Today we’re going to be looking deeper at what it means for those clubs fighting for survival at the foot of the Premier League table.
Everton: Survival Looms
With Sheffield United, Burnley, Luton Town, Brentford and Nottingham Forest all losing this week, Everton now sit five points clear of the relegation zone. The Toffees picked up a valuable point away at Brighton, where a late Lewis Dunk equaliser prevented them from taking all three.
This leaves Everton on 25 points from 26 games, meaning roughly 10 more points from their remaining 12 games should be enough to ensure survival.
Burnley and Sheffield United: Relegation Looms
This news just comes as another kick in the teeth for both Burnley and Sheffield United. After their losses to Crystal Palace and Wolves at the weekend, the two clubs currently sit on just 13 points from 26 games.
That leaves them 12 points behind Everton and 11 points from safety. I think its fair to say that both of these clubs won’t be anywhere near good enough to beat the drop come the end of the season.
Luton Town: So Close, Yet so Far…
The Hatters looked like they were ready to mount a serious bid for Premier League survival. Everton had previously been just one point above Luton, having played an extra game. However, now the Toffees sit five points clear.
Should Luton Town win their game in hand though, they would move back to just two points behind Everton. Rob Edwards’ side now sit just four points off safety, but this season is far from over yet.
Brentford and Forest: Nervy Times Ahead
With the arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo and the return of Ivan Toney, both teams seemed to have turned a corner. However, a run of poor results recently leave them low in the table once again. Both sides currently sit on 24 points from 26 games, just four points above Luton. However, I think both teams may have just enough to secure safety.
It is important to note though, that Nottingham Forest could face a point deduction that could flip this entire narrative on its head.
Relegation Prediction:
I think both Everton and Brentford will have enough to stay up. However, Sheffield United and Burnley will both go straight back down with a really poor points total. That leaves the final relegation spot between Nottingham Forest and Luton Town.
With the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White, I think Forest may have just enough to tip Luton in the end. However, because of how close it will be, any form of point deduction would see Forest drop into the bottom three.
