Premier League’s basement boys braced for fierce finale

Tension is mounting at the foot of the English Premier League as the fight to avoid relegation builds toward a dramatic conclusion.

With just five games left, rockbottom Norwich City is seven points from safety and looks certain for a swift return to the second-tier Championship.

Bournemouth and Aston Villa, who currently fill the remaining two places in the relegation zone, are locked in a four-team battle for survival with fellow strugglers Watford and West Ham United.

AFP Sport takes a closer look at the teams scrapping to preserve their top-flight status:

Thrashed 5-2 at Manchester United on Saturday, Eddie Howe’s side is in free-fall after an eightgame win-less run featuring five successive defeats.

The second-bottom Cherries, one point from safety, face Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Manchester City in their next three games.

That sequence that will surely determine whether Bournemouth — a tiny south-coast club with a stadium capacity of just over 11,000 — can extend its five-season stay in the top flight for another year.

Bournemouth’s lack of goals has been a huge part of its downfall, with the starting lineup at Old Trafford managing just eight between them so far this season.

“Games are running out. If we’re going to stay in the division, we’re going to have to start picking up points,” Bournemouth winger Junior Stanislas said.

“We’ll have no excuses. We can’t keep talking. It’s time for action. There’s no reason why from now until the end of the season we can’t pick points up.”

A wretched run of nine matches without a win has left third-bottom Villa one point from safety.

Dubious preseason investment in several underwhelming signings has left Villa relying on young Manchester United-linked captain Jack Grealish to inspire their survival bid.

But Dean Smith’s side has lost three of its five games since the restart and still has to face United and Arsenal before a potential final-day shoot-out with West Ham.

The Birmingham outfit could count itself unfortunate not to have secured what would have been a point at Anfield in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against champion Liverpool.

That obdurate display offered hope that Villa could still avoid an immediate return to the Championship, but Smith knows they will have to be more ruthless to achieve that aim.

“I don’t want to be a valiant loser, we’re scrapping for points,” Smith said. “To out-shoot Liverpool at home at Anfield in terms of efforts on goal is excellent, but we need to take our opportunities.”

Saturday’s 3-0 drubbing at Chelsea condemned Watford to a third consecutive loss, leaving the Hornets perilously positioned one point above the bottom three.

Nigel Pearson’s fourth-bottom team has not won since a stunning 3-0 success against Liverpool on Feb 29. After five years in the top flight, the Hornets, who face Manchester City and Arsenal in their last two games, could find their fate settled by this week’s home clash with Norwich.

“The important thing is we understand our situation, that we don’t fear it,” said Pearson, whose men have managed just two goals in their last five games.

“We need to show fighting spirit, and we also need to have the ability to still make good decisions.”

Sitting four points clear of the relegation zone in 16th place, West Ham is breathing a little easier thanks to a surprise 3-2 win over Chelsea last week.

Twice blowing the lead in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle United was a setback in their survival bid, but David Moyes’ Hammers have control of their own destiny.

West Ham has now lost 24 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.

But with games against Norwich, Watford and Villa to come, Hammers forward Michail Antonio is confident of beating the drop.

“The mindset for our next few games is that we want three points from each of them, and that’s what we believe we can get,” said Antonio, whose club last played in the Championship in 2012.

“Now we’ve managed to show our attacking form and we are scoring goals, we need to shore up our back as well.”