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As one of the biggest and richest clubs in England, it was a shock to see Tottenham Hotspur embroiled in a relegation battle down the stretch run of the 2025/26 season.
Spurs have been miserable throughout much of the domestic campaign, even as they reached the Champions League Round of 16.
Fighting for their Premier League lives until the final day, Tottenham were pushing to avoid catastrophe with Roberto De Zerbi now aboard as the club's third manager of the season.
Spurs managed to survive in the end, even as it went down to the last match of the campaign.
MORE: Have Tottenham ever been relegated?
Tottenham 2025/26 Premier League run-in fixtures, schedule
Tottenham's run-in began on April 12 with a road trip to 11th-place Sunderland, who had won two of their previous three and generally impressed throughout the campaign. It was no great surprise to see the Black Cats claim a 1-0 victory.
Next came a home game with Brighton and Hove Albion, a team on a three-game winning streak on the road and with only one league loss in seven. Twice Spurs took the lead, the second one a fabulous Xavi Simons strike, but the game ended 2-2, Georginio Rutter scoring a 95th-minute equaliser.
Joao Palhinha's late goal snatched a first Premier League win of 2026 for Spurs at already relegated Wolves and backed that up with a 2-1 victory over an Aston Villa side with one eye on their Europa League semifinal second leg against Nottingham Forest.
Nerves still appeared to have a hold on Spurs as they drew 1-1 despite taking the lead against a comparatively carefree Leeds United. They then had a chance to secure safety at Chelsea, but a 2-1 loss meant it would go to the final day.
Once again, it was Palhinha who was the hero for Tottenham, as the Portugal international was left off his country's World Cup roster but gave his club all he had on the final day. His goal just before halftime gave Spurs a 1-0 victory, meaning that West Ham's 3-0 win over Leeds wasn't enough to save the Hammers.
Tottenham final Premier League fixtures, results in 2025/26
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
| Apr. 12 | Sunderland | A | L 1-0 |
| Apr. 18 | Brighton | H | D 2-2 |
| Apr. 25 | Wolves | A | W 1-0 |
| May 3 | Aston Villa | A | W 2-1 |
| May 11 | Leeds | H | D 1-1 |
| May 17 | Chelsea | A | L 2-1 |
| May 24 | Everton | H | W 1-0 |
West Ham final Premier League fixtures, results in 2025/26
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
| Apr. 10 | Wolves | H | W 4-0 |
| Apr. 20 | Crystal Palace | A | D 0-0 |
| Apr. 25 | Everton | H | W 2-1 |
| May 2 | Brentford | A | L 3-0 |
| May 10 | Arsenal | H | L 1-0 |
| May 17 | Newcastle | A | L 3-1 |
| May 24 | Leeds | H | W 3-0 |
Tottenham Premier League standings
Table updated after the final day of the season on May 24. Percentage chance via Opta reflecting the odds prior to the final day of the campaign.
| Pos | Club | GP | Pts | W-D-L | GD | % chance |
| 15. | Crystal Palace | 38 | 45 | 11-12-15 | -10 | 0.00% |
| 16. | Nottingham Forest | 38 | 44 | 11-11-16 | -3 | 0.00% |
| 17. | Tottenham | 38 | 41 | 10-11-17 | -9 | 14.48% |
| 18. | West Ham — R | 38 | 39 | 10-9-19 | -19 | 85.52% |
| 19. | Burnley — R | 37 | 21 | 4-9-24 | -37 | 100% |
| 20. | Wolves — R | 37 | 19 | 3-10-24 | -41 | 100% |
MORE: See the full Premier League standings (USA and Canada) | Full table (UK, Australia, India)
What did Tottenham need to avoid relegation?
Impressive late-season form from Leeds and Nottingham Forest left Tottenham's fight for survival as a race to the finish with West Ham.
West Ham's heavy defeat at Brentford began a sapping run of three consecutive defeats at the worst time imaginable.
On the final day of the 2025/26 season, the Hammers' vastly inferior goal difference meant Spurs taking a point from their final match against Everton would effectively see them to safety. In the end, they left no doubt with a 1-0 win over the Toffees to seal safe passage.
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