Nottingham Forest are now one of the teams Leeds United are looking to overhaul in the battle to avoid relegation. Steve Cooper's side moved out of the relegation zone with a huge home victory over basement side Southampton on Monday night.
Taiwo Awoniyi's brace, along with a penalty for Morgan Gibbs-White and a second-half strike from Danilo sealed a 4-3 win for the hosts. The defeat effectively condemns the Saints to Championship football next term, with Leeds and Leicester City also currently sat in the bottom three.
Forest's win followed an emphatic away victory for Everton the day before, with Sean Dyche's side registering a 5-1 win at Brighton. The Toffees leapfrogged Leeds in the table, ahead of facing league leaders Manchester City on Sunday.
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Now sat two points adrift of safety with three matches to go, United's fate no longer lies in their own hands. Sam Allardyce's side must earn results from home fixtures against Newcastle United and Tottenham on the final day, with a trip to West Ham United to come on May 21, and hope they pick up more points than either Forest and Everton.
The Toffees have two matches to go at Goodison Park, with a final-day clash against Bournemouth following a trip to Wolves. From Leeds' perspective, it is perhaps Forest's schedule which should give the most hope.
The City Ground has proven to be a huge asset to Forest's bid to avoid an instant return to the Championship. Cooper's side actually sit 12th in the home table for the campaign, picking up 27 points and suffering only five defeats.
However, Forest also have the worst away record in the Premier League, with only six points earned and a solitary victory on their travels. Leeds sit second-bottom in this regard, having picked up only three more points away from Elland Road.
Forest's record on the road could open the door for the likes of Leeds and Leicester in the battle for survival, given two of their remaining three fixtures are away from the City Ground. Cooper's team face trips to face Chelsea and Crystal Palace, either side of their final home match of the campaign against title challengers Arsenal.
No matter what, Leeds will be relying on other clubs to do them a favour in their bid to earn survival. But while Forest are currently on a high following their victory over Southampton, their fixtures and record suggests they could be the side who the Whites could yet overhaul.
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