Tottenham Bottom and Winless as One-Point Relegation Scrap Takes Shape

Five matches into the new Premier League campaign, the relegation battle is already remarkably congested. According to the Premier League table, the four sides from 17th to 20th are covered by a single point, the nine clubs from 12th to 20th by just three, and goal difference — not points — is currently keeping 17th above 18th and Fulham above bottom club Tottenham Hotspur.

A winless bottom two

Tottenham sit 20th on two points, still searching for a first win after two draws and three defeats. The numbers behind the start are bleak: two goals scored in five matches, eight conceded, and a form guide ending on two straight defeats.

Fulham are also winless and also on two points in 19th, with only a superior goal difference keeping them above Spurs. Two draws to open the campaign gave way to three straight losses, and J. King — the only Fulham player in the division's top scorers chart, with two goals — has been a rare bright spot.

Coventry's win already a distant memory

Coventry City, 18th on three points, are the only side in the bottom four with a victory to their name, and it came in their opening fixture. Four straight defeats have followed. One goal scored and ten conceded leaves them on -9, the worst goal difference of any side in the Premier League. That, rather than any points deficit, is what separates them from 17th place.

AFC Bournemouth hold the final safe spot, level with Coventry on three points but seven goals better off. They, too, are winless, though three draws from five matches have kept them within touching distance of the sides above.

The congestion does not stop there

Crystal Palace in 15th and Aston Villa in 16th both sit on four points, and both arrive on the back of two straight defeats. Sunderland, 14th, are also on four, with Brian Brobbey's three goals — half of Sunderland's total of six, per the division's scoring charts — the standout feature of their start. Nottingham Forest in 13th and Manchester United in 12th are level on five points, with Ipswich Town 11th on six. Even 10th-placed Chelsea, on seven points, have conceded more goals than any other side in the division — twelve — a reminder of how tightly packed the middle and lower reaches of this table remain.

What the form guides show

• Coventry carry the longest losing run in the bottom four: four straight defeats.
• Fulham have lost three on the bounce since their opening two draws.
• Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa have each lost their last two matches.
• Bournemouth have drawn three of their five, though their most recent outing ended in defeat.

Margins measured in goal difference

The upshot, according to the Premier League table: Spurs are just one point behind 17th-placed Bournemouth, two adrift of Palace and Villa, and four short of Ipswich in 11th. Five matches is a small sample, but at the foot of this table the gaps are already being settled by goal difference as much as by points — and for Tottenham and Fulham, the search for a first win of the season goes on.