Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Thu 22 January 2026 13:00, UK

West Ham and Nottingham Forest appear set to fight it out for Premier League safety in the coming weeks.

After Sean Dyche‘s team emerged victorious at the London Stadium at the start of January, West Ham looked certain to be relegated.

Nuno Espirito Santo‘s job appeared to be at serious risk, with the Irons cut adrift of safety and without a hope of turning it around.

However, West Ham’s shock 2-1 win over Tottenham last week has rocked the bottom of the Premier League table and removed any certainty.

Nottingham Forest held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the City Ground, but they will be worried about the Hammers’ resurgence.

West Ham’s chances of safety rise after Tottenham win

Wolves’ 0-0 draw with Newcastle United last week continued the transformation of their form, with Rob Edwards‘ side now unbeaten in five games across all competitions.

But there remains an acknowledgement at Molineux that the Championship awaits next season.

Wolves are 14 points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest and would need to produce the greatest escape the Premier League has ever seen to survive.

Opta‘s supercomputer has given them a 99.61 per cent chance of going down this season, and there is similarly bad news for Burnley.

While they produced a good draw at Anfield on Saturday, Scott Parker‘s team have not won a Premier League game since October.

Eight points now stand between the Clarets and safety, and the supercomputer has handed them a 94.21 per cent chance of relegation.

West Ham‘s own chances of relegation remain at 83.63 per cent, but there may be hope yet. Following the defeat to Nottingham Forest, that number had stood at 88.76 per cent.

A five per cent change is not major, but it does indicate a changeable situation. If the Hammers can put together a run, they could easily turn the race on its head.

Leeds United almost out of danger

At the end of November, Leeds United looked like a certain contender to go down, with Daniel Farke on the brink of the sack.

But over the last two months, the German has led his side to a miraculous turnaround, which now sees them eight points clear of the drop.

Wins against Fulham, Crystal Palace and Chelsea, combined with hard-fought draws with Liverpool, Sunderland and Man United, have left the Whites in a superb position.

The supercomputer now has them at just a 6.60 per cent chance of going down, although Farke may hope for more positive results to secure safety in the coming weeks.