The Premier League relegation race took another twist on Sunday as Leeds United dropped into the bottom three following a 2-1 defeat to Champions League-chasing Arsenal at the Emirates. Jesse Marsch's side went 2-0 down in the early stages of the first-half before right-back Luke Ayling was sent off for a robust challenge on Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli.
It means Leeds will be without one of their key players for the remainder of the campaign, with Ayling now missing games against Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford. To make things worse for Marsch, Everton, who sat five points behind Leeds until last weekend, picked up an impressive 2-1 away win against Leicester, meaning they climbed above both the Whites and Burnley into 16th place.
The Toffees' had lost their seven previous away matches and won just six points on the road all season prior to their visit to the King Power Stadium.
READ MORE: Leeds United player ratings as Meslier and Ayling errors pave the way for Arsenal win
Everton have a game in hand on both Leeds and Burnley and will face off against Watford in midweek away, who have the worst home record in the Premier League this season. A win for Everton there will almost secure their safety leaving Leeds and Burnley in a straight shootout for survival.
Leeds and Burnley are now both level on 34 points having both played 35 games. The Clarets have a much better goal difference than Leeds however which could hamper the latter in the Premier League survival race.
Burnley's goal difference sits at -17 while Leeds is -35. It is unlikely that Leeds will be unable to claw back that difference in the final three games of the season, meaning points are a premium.
Leeds face off against Chelsea in midweek at Elland Road, who have suffered a real downturn in form of late. They have failed to win in their last three games and squandered a late 2-1 lead against Wolves on Saturday. That could give Leeds some hope in the fight for survival.
They finish the season with games against Brighton and Brentford, two teams that will be looking to finish as high as possible given their successful campaigns this season. Leeds will hope that their ties against Chelsea and Brighton, both at home, will give them an extra boost. Elland Road should be rocking for both games and Leeds will have to find a way to channel that support into something positive.
Burnley are Leeds' closest rivals now. Mike Jackson's side looked to be the form side out of the three relegation candidates but lost 3-1 to Aston Villa on Saturday which brought them back down to earth. Perhaps positively for Leeds, Burnley's last three games sees them face both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa away before taking on Newcastle United at Turf Moor on the final day of the season.
Given their recent loss to Aston Villa at home, and the fact Spurs are chasing a top-four spot, they could prove to be tricky fixtures for the Clarets.
