Supercomputer shares new Premier League relegation prediction after Wednesday night drama
The Premier League saw the battle for survival take yet more twists and turns on Wednesday night.
Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 victory away at West Ham on Tuesday night saw them make a major statement of intent in the race to beat the drop, and piled yet more pressure on their former boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Leeds then slipped to a 4-3 defeat away at Newcastle on Wednesday, despite leading the game as the clash headed into stoppage time.
There were also points for Burnley and Wolves, who fought their way back from deficits to earn draws with Manchester United and Everton respectively.
It was another action-packed round of action in the Premier League, and it has left the picture at the bottom end of the table looking distinctly clear ahead of the upcoming break for the FA Cup Third Round.
West Ham almost certain to go down
West Ham fell to defeat against Nottingham Forest on home turf on Tuesday night, in what was undoubtedly a relegation ‘six-pointer’ at the foot of the table.
Nuno’s men are now winless in their last 10 league games in a woeful run that stretches all the way back to 8 November.
Their inability to avoid defeat against their current closest rivals in midweek has seen them fall seven points adrift of safety, and Opta’s supercomputer has adjusted its predictions accordingly.
The Irons’ latest defeat has all but condemned them to Championship football next term in the eyes of the supercomputer, as it has now assessed them an 88.76 per cent chance of finishing in the bottom three.
| Rank | Team | Exp Points | Relegation Chance |
| 16 | Leeds | 41.19 | 7.49% |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 40.47 | 9.91% |
| 18 | West Ham | 30.18 | 88.76% |
| 19 | Burnley | 28.24 | 93.41% |
| 20 | Wolves | 22.1 | 99.27% |
By comparison, Forest’s chance of slipping into the second tier now stands at less than 10 per cent, while Leeds, regardless of their defeat in the North East, have a less than eight per cent chance of relegation.
On the other hand, the fates of both Burnley and Wolves are already effectively sealed despite their midweek draws, with the duo both having over a 90 per cent chance of going down at the moment.
Michael Carrick odds-on favourite to replace Nuno Espirito Santo
Michael Carrick is now the odds-on favourite for the West Ham job, as the pressure on Nuno has perhaps reached a new high.
The ex-Middlesbrough boss excelled in the Championship, and he could now be about to be given the opportunity to try and oversee a miracle in charge of his boyhood club.
The West Ham hierarchy have held off from showing Nuno the door for as long as possible, but with their chances of survival now looking graver by the day, they may finally be temped to pull the trigger on him.
Carrick may effectively then find himself walking into something of an impossible job this term, but he could be the perfect man to help lift the club back into the top-flight if they do go down.