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It was hard not to feel defeated after West Ham’s controversial home loss to Arsenal on Sunday.
Failing to take at least a point from that game meant Tottenham had a chance to put a four-point cushion between them and the bottom three with just two games to play, when they hosted Leeds on Monday night. That would’ve left zero room for error for West Ham at Newcastle on Sunday.
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But Spurs’ 1-1 draw on Monday night means there’s still a lot of hope that the great escape is still on in east London.
Victory at St James’ Park will guarantee a tense final day of the season, even if Spurs do manage to record only their second ever Premier League win at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.
If it does go to the final day, then it’s hard to look past West Ham winning. West Ham have just one loss from their last seven home games (W3, D3). In addition, with the fans in a similar voice as they were against the Gunners on Sunday and with Leeds having nothing to play for, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will be clear favourites.
If the gap is still two points, then of course West Ham will need former boss David Moyes to do them a favour by beating Spurs away with Everton. A draw won’t do because West Ham’s goal difference is considerably worse. But an Everton win isn’t entirely out of the question, given they’ll likely need a win for a chance of qualifying for Europe, while Spurs have just two home wins to their name all season.
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Ideally, West Ham will need a win to guarantee survival on the final day, without needing Everton to get something at Spurs. If that’s how it’s set up, I back us to get the job done. If not, having to rely on results elsewhere is far from ideal.
Either way, this coming weekend is absolutely huge. West Ham could be relegated by Tuesday night, or they could be 90 minutes from Premier League survival.
Not sure my heart can take any more…
What are your thoughts on West Ham’s last two fixtures – and how confident are you that the Hammers will stay up?
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Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham
[BBC]
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