The Premier League's relegation battle was in danger of looking like a foregone conclusion only a couple of weeks ago. Earlier this season, West Ham, Wolves and Burnley looked destined to be heading to the Championship at the end of the season. But only a couple of weeks after all hope was quickly being lost for the Premier League's worst-performing clubs, the battle for survival has taken several unexpected turns in the early weeks of 2026. Nineteenth-place Burnley have added to their tally with respectable draws against Liverpool and Tottenham and could close the gap to safety to eight points with a win against Sunderland on Monday. While Wolves still look nailed-on for a season in the Championship next term, Rob Edwards' side have at least stopped the rot in recent weeks and are no longer on course to record the lowest points total in Premier League history.

Source: BBC February 01, 2026 20:24 UTC