Leeds pull clear of trouble, Bournemouth sink Newcastle
James Justin struck as Leeds moved towards Premier League survival (Darren Staples) Leeds beat Wolves 3-0 to open up a nine-point cushion in the battle for Premier League survival before Tottenham aim to dig themselves out of trouble at home to Brighton on Saturday. Fresh from a first league win away at fierce rivals Manchester United since 1981, Leeds all but secured their top-flight status. Two goals in two first-half minutes from James Justin and Noak Okafor pushed Wolves to the brink of relegation before Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty in stoppage time rounded off the scoring.
Rooted to the foot of the table, with just three wins from 33 games, Wolves will be mathematically relegated if Spurs break their 14-game winless run in the Premier League against the Seagulls. Tottenham's woeful campaign has been compounded by an impressive return to the top flight by Sunderland and Leeds, to buck the trend of recent seasons. For the past two years all three promoted sides have gone straight back down.
However, Daniel Farke's men not only look set for survival, but could reach a first FA Cup final since 1973 should they beat Chelsea in next weekend's semi-finals. Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi faces his old club in his first home game in charge as Tottenham aim to avoid falling out of the top tier for the first time in nearly 50 years. The return of James Maddison, who is named among the Tottenham subs, for the first time this season after a serious knee injury is a boost for De Zerbi.
- Howe under pressure - Bournemouth piled more pressure on Eddie Howe's future as Newcastle manager with a 2-1 win at St. James' Park. The Cherries showed no ill effects from the news that Andoni Iraola will depart as boss at the end of the season.
Marcus Tavernier and Adrien Truffert struck for the visitors to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to 13 matches. Bournemouth climb to eighth and within four points of the Champions League places. Newcastle, by contrast, remain in 14th with their hopes of European football next season all but over.