What Burnley and Leeds need on final day to survive Premier League's two-way relegation battle

The Premier League‘s three relegation places had long been decided heading into the last round of fixtures in 2020-21, but this season there will be some final-day drama at the bottom end of the table with one unwanted position still outstanding.

A nervy Sunday awaits fans of Burnley and Leeds, with the pair out to avoid joining Watford and Norwich in the Championship next season.

Burnley suffered immediate returns to the second tier on the first two occasions after earning promotion the Premier League, but at the third time of asking they are nearing the end of a sixth straight campaign and desperate to make it seven.

For Leeds, relegation would make for a short two-season stint in the top tier, and it would be an agonising drop back down for the club, who spent 16 campaigns in the Championship and League One after they last departed the Premier League in 2003-04.

What Burnley and Leeds need to survive

What had the makings of a relegation decider a few months ago could turn into a survival party at Turf Moor, providing Burnley match Leeds’ result on the final day.

A goal difference of -38 means Leeds simply cannot match Burnley, who have a goal difference of -18, unless both sides win and Leeds do so by a record-breaking amount, or likewise if both lose and Burnley do so heavily (by more than 20 goals than Leeds do…).

In short. If Burnley win they stay up. If Burnley draw, they must hope Leeds do not win. And if Burnley lose, they will go down if Leeds draw or win.

It was looking for all the world that Everton would be involved in the final-day tussle to avoid relegation – at half-time on Thursday evening, especially.

However, having trailed 2-0 to Crystal Palace at the break, a second-half comeback sealed a 3-2 win and a valuable three points that moved them four clear of Burnley and Leeds.

“We’ve had our mentality questioned and how much we care. It hurt,” Michael Keane, who scored their first goal before Richarlison’s equaliser and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s winner, told Sky Sports.

“We care about this club more than anything else in the world. We have let the fans down a lot this season. But you could see out there what it means to all the players. We did not want to take this club down.”

Calvert-Lewin added: “What a rollercoaster football is sometimes. It is why we love the game and why the fans love it. Ideally we wouldn’t be in the situation we have been but when it produces moments like that, to go from low to high, I’m not sure I’ll sleep tonight.

“The way they have been welcoming us into the ground is unbelievable. Blue flares everywhere. They have made the difference. When we got the first goal they made the difference. Some fans have questioned my commitment to the club but I always give 100 per cent and I hope my goal and how I worked showed that.”