Jamie Carragher highlights huge Leeds United role in relegation picture amid Tottenham & West Ham hope
Leeds United will have a big say in who joins Burnley and Wolves in the Championship.
Leeds United will play a massive role in the Premier League relegation battle despite all but securing their own safety, according to Jamie Carragher.
Daniel Farke’s side pulled to within touching distance of safety following Friday’s 3-1 win at home to Burnley. Goals from Anton Stach, Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin sent the Whites nine points clear of 18th and even saw them climb a place to 14th in the league.
They remain 14th after the weekend’s action concluded and are now seven clear of the final drop zone, which is now occupied by West Ham. Defeat for the Hammers against Arsenal on Sunday would see Leeds mathematically safe.
But with Tottenham and West Ham still to play, Farke’s side will play a huge role in effectively helping to decide which of the two will drop. And Carragher has highlighted how each will be relying on their long-time relegation rivals to do them a favour.
“Are they going to beat Arsenal? I find that difficult to believe,” the former defender said of West Ham on Sky Sports. “They’ve almost got to hope that Leeds go there [Tottenham] and get a point. Could they get a point at home to Arsenal? Yes.
“If they match Tottenham’s result, I go to here [gameweek 37]. Both tough games, but you can imagine the motivation inside Chelsea and their supporters wanting to send Tottenham down. Imagine that.
“Then you’re looking at them two fixtures thinking ‘could we get a better result than [Spurs v] Chelsea?’ This situation here [gameweek 36] gives Tottenham a great opportunity to almost put it to bed. West Ham have got to hope that they can get it to the last day.”
Leeds United set for huge role in Premier League relegation scrap
Should West Ham take it to the final day, then their meeting with Leeds will have immediate relegation implications as many expected all season. The only difference to those pre-season predictions is only one team is likely to have survival riding on that game.
But that is not to say Farke’s side will roll over. Leeds will be desperate to at least stay in their current position of 14th while also looking up, with the possibility still - albeit slim - of climbing into the top half, with each position in the table worth millions of pounds in Premier League merit payments.
"The main thing is to stay in this league," Whites boss Farke said following Friday’s win. "If we do this and are able to celebrate this, it would be a major achievement. We won't play in Europe but I would rather finish 11th than 12th, or 12th than 13th.
“Even if I wasn't a professional, I hate to lose even in the garden with my mates. Even if we're mathematically safe we'll fight for each and every point. We want to finish as strong as possible to enjoy the last game."