Premier League: The greatest escapes from Premier League relegation

Luke Ayling’s injury-time winner for Leeds last Friday against Wolves was enjoyable for neutrals as they basked in the pandemonium that ensued between the Leeds players and fans at Molineux.

However for Watford, Burnley and Norwich, Ayling’s goal could not have been worse. Coupled with the previous evening’s drama at Goodison Park where an Alex Iwobi injury-time finish secured a crucial win for Everton, fans of those three clubs were maybe starting to plan next season’s Championship trips to Preston or Millwall.

Watford and Norwich both have nine games remaining while Burnley have 11 but time is running out. All three however can take heart from previous late season escapes from relegation.

Teams in similar positions have transformed their campaigns including topping the form table over the last nine games, being 20 minutes from the drop and sitting bottom going into the final day.

For Watford, Burnley and Norwich, Luke Ayling’s winner for Leeds could not have been worse

West Brom (2004-05)

After promotion the previous year West Brom struggled from the get-go. They had only 10 points by Christmas which included the acrimonious departure of Gary Megson. No team had ever survived before in that position but the January signings of Kieran Richardson and the evergreen Kevin Campbell gave life to a survival push.

Three wins in four in March and April included a 4-1 victory at Charlton where Robert Earnshaw scored a 17-minute hat-trick after coming off the bench. Earnshaw remains one of only six players to achieve such a feat in Premier League history.

Bryan Robson celebrated on the pitch after West Brom stayed up on the final day in 2005

Geoff Horsfield’s opener against Portsmouth set West Brom on their way at The Hawthorns

Ahead of the final day Albion were bottom. Relegation rivals Norwich City (17th), Crystal Palace (18th) and Southampton (19th) were all within reach and 2004-05 remains the only season where no teams had been relegated before the last day.

A remarkable climax ensued as every team occupied 17th place at one point. Norwich self-destructed at Fulham and lost 6-0 while Southampton went down 2-1 to Manchester United. 

West Brom did all they could as Geoff Horsfield and Richardson goals put them 2-0 up at home to Portsmouth. 

But Crystal Palace had come from behind to lead at Charlton before a late Jonathan Fortune goal succumbed Palace to relegation. West Brom held on and safety was secured. Their 34 points remains the lowest points tally for survival in Premier League history.

A capacity crowd flooded onto the pitch to celebrate when West Brom’s safety was secured

West Ham (2006-07)

West Ham were 10 points adrift of safety with just nine games to play before a revival was inspired by the controversial Carlos Tevez. West Ham’s signings the previous summer of both Tevez and Javier Mascherano were covered in confusion. 

Both had starred for Argentina at the 2006 World Cup and West Ham’s statement announcing their arrivals included ‘all other aspects of the transfer will remain controversial and undisclosed’.

Mascherano departed in January to Liverpool after a limited impact but Tevez had a key role to play. Having failed to score in his first 16 games, he netted seven in his final 10 as West Ham picked up 21 points in their last nine games, one more point than they had collected in their previous 29 games. 

This included a final day 1-0 win at Manchester United where Tevez scored the winner to secure survival for the Hammers. 

Carlos Tevez (left) and Javier Mascherano arrived at West Ham on the final day of the transfer window in September 2006

However that wasn’t the end of the saga as Sheffield United, who lost to Wigan on the final day to be relegated, took West Ham to court. The Hammers were fined £5.5million by the Premier League in April 2007 after they had broken third-party ownership rules. Ownership rights to both Tevez and Mascherano were attributed to be held by renowned agent Kia Joorabchian.

Rival teams wanted a points deduction but instead Sheffield United were awarded a £20m out of court settlement in 2009 – two years after Tevez’s goals had sent them down and saved West Ham.

Tevez inspired West Ham to a great escape from relegation, scoring here against Bolton

Fulham (2007-08)

By February 2008 Fulham had won two league games and despite replacing Lawrie Sanchez with Roy Hodgson in December 2007 they looked doomed. This campaign marked Hodgson’s return to English football 10 years after his last stint at Blackburn.

Fulham’s form picked up but they were 20 minutes from relegation as they were 2-0 down at Manchester City with just over two games left. 

Roy Hodgson oversaw a dramatic final-day great escape to avoid top-flight drop at Fulham

A late Diomansy Kamara double and a Danny Murphy strike ensured a dramatic 3-2 win. Coupled with a Liverpool equaliser at relegation rivals Birmingham, Fulham never looked back. They beat Birmingham 2-0 before a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth. Both Birmingham and Reading picked up just four points from their final three games and were relegated.

Fulham were only above Reading on goal difference as the Royals won 10 games, more than all their relegation rivals. Birmingham were one point further back. Fulham kicked on and this team provided the basis for the memorable side that reached the 2009-10 Europa League Final.

Wigan (2011-12)

Roberto Martinez secured safety for Wigan in the 2011-12 season

Wigan Athletic had a knack of a late season survival push. The 2011-12 campaign was no different as they were bottom with nine games left and still had to play Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. The Latics had struggled throughout the season which included an eight-match losing streak between September and November 2011 and just four league wins after 29 games.

They secured memorable wins against Liverpool, United and Arsenal along with victories against Stoke City and Newcastle United as Roberto Martinez won April’s Manager of the Month award. Their final two games were against relegation rivals Blackburn and Wolves and they defeated both as safety was secured by seven points.

Franco Di Santo, Victor Moses and Shaun Maloney were instrumental in their survival push as they topped the Premier League form table over the final nine games with 21 points. 

They went on to lift the FA Cup the following season but were relegated and have bounced between the Championship and League One ever since.

Leicester (2014-15)

When reflecting upon Leicester’s title win in 2015-16 – one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time, it is easy to forget the precarious position the Foxes found themselves in a year before. With nine games remaining they were seven points adrift of safety and despite a bright start that season had lost 17 of the previous 24 games.

A late Andy King winner against West Ham sparked them into life before subsequent last-minute victories against West Brom and Swansea. 

The pressure was still on however as demonstrated by Nigel Pearson’s bizarre rant when he labelled a journalist an ‘ostrich’ following a defeat against Chelsea.

Leicester’s players celebrate after they drew at Sunderland to secure their top-flight status

Jamie Vardy scored a pivotal winner in the 3-2 away victory at West Brom in April 2015

Leicester won three of their last four games which included a final day 5-1 thrashing of QPR. In total they were victorious in seven of their nine games and picked up 22 points and topped the form table. 

While many remember Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez as key figures over this spell, the impact of Leonardo Ulloa can’t be forgotten as he scored 11 goals over the season, six more than Vardy. Leicester also spent 140 days in 20th place – the record number of days to be bottom of the league and avoid relegation.

The escape was as a turning point for the club and laid the foundations for the memorable title win. They have subsequently competed for trophies and played in Europe which wouldn’t have been possible without this turnaround.

To Norwich, Burnley and Watford fans – anything can happen.