Everton fixtures compared to Leicester, Leeds & Nottingham Forest

Everton’s stubborn resolve eventually buckled in an ultimately convincing 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

Sean Dyche stressed that he wanted his side to “enjoy the moment” of beating Brighton 5-1 on Monday. However, he also warned: “But equally, you have to come down very quickly because the next one is the most important one.” Manchester City, with Ilkay Gundogan fiendishly operating the joysticks, certainly helped send Everton crashing back down to Earth.

The Toffees remain outside the dreaded drop zone but are just one point above 18th-placed Leeds United with two games remaining. Nottingham Forest may sit in 16th but haven’t entirely hauled themselves to safety while Leicester City are circling the plughole which Southampton have already slipped through.

Here’s what lies ahead for the four clubs scrapping for safety in the Premier League.

After the ominous task of a contest against reigning champions Manchester City, Everton have a pair of – theoretically – more inviting fixtures to close out the season.

Before the five-goal splurge against Brighton last Monday, the Toffees had the worst offensive record in the division. Wolves have taken up that mantle after Everton’s seaside shellacking and host their sporadically prolific opponents on the penultimate weekend of the season.

Bournemouth travel to Merseyside for the final game of a campaign that could be historic for all the wrong reasons if Everton slip out of the top flight for the first time in seven decades.

Since Dean Smith was appointed as Leicester manager, he has steered the Foxes to more Premier League points than Chelsea or Tottenham. However, that has not been enough to lift his new side out of the relegation zone.

Leicester come up against two of the division’s top five in their final three fixtures, hosting Liverpool on Monday before travelling to Newcastle’s St James’ Park. West Ham, who will surely be safe and may have a European final to focus on, make for less formidable opposition on the final day but Smith has to keep Leicester within arm’s reach of safety until then.

Current Premier League table, top scorers & upcoming fixtures

As the most polyamorous manager in Premier League history, it was a statistical inevitability that Sam Allardyce would face at least one of the eight clubs he has previously coached in England’s top flight.

Allardyce managed to wrestle a point off one of his former employers in his first home game in charge of Leeds United, emerging from a breathless 2-2 draw against Newcastle United with a point that wasn’t enough to move out of the relegation zone.

West Ham are the next foes to host the club’s former boss. Allardyce hasn’t spent any time at Tottenham but there is a vacancy in north London which – more than six weeks after Antonio Conte’s departure – is no closer to being filled. Julian Nagelsmann didn’t make the cut but could Big Sam?

After a sequence of seven points in four games, Nottingham Forest are on the cusp of securing Premier League safety for the first time this century.

Steve Cooper’s side face the daunting task of hosting an Arsenal side still gunning for the title before travelling to Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park – which has morphed into an idyllic realm of free-scoring, free-flowing football under Roy Hodgson – on the final day of the season. However, the Tricky Trees may have already accrued enough points to feature in the 2023/24 campaign.