Premier League Newly Promoted Clubs Defy Expectations
Can they stay up? Premier League's newly promoted clubs make a strong start this season.
Burnley, Leeds, and Sunderland all secured victories this weekend, creating a comfortable buffer between themselves and the relegation zone. Burnley leads the trio, with Sunderland and Leeds following closely behind, as they sit five, six, and twelve points clear of the bottom three, respectively.
After nine matches, the newly promoted clubs have collectively amassed 38 points, marking the third-best total for teams ascending from the Championship since the Premier League's inception.
In contrast, the current bottom three consists of Wolves, who have had a disastrous start to the season with only two points from nine games—a position from which no team has ever managed to avoid relegation. West Ham has also struggled, with just four points, marking their worst start to a season in 52 years. Nottingham Forest is just one point ahead, having failed to score in their last 440 minutes of league play.
While the previous two seasons saw all three promoted clubs relegated, could this be the fifth instance in history where they manage to avoid the drop?
Sunderland's 'Unbelievable Start'
Sunderland has emerged as the biggest surprise of the season, following their 2-1 victory against Chelsea on Saturday. Just months after narrowly missing out on promotion via the Championship play-offs, they are set to finish October in fourth place in the Premier League.
With 17 points from nine matches, Sunderland has matched their best Premier League start since the 1999-2000 season. Only five newly promoted teams have accumulated more points in the same number of games, and all of them, including Sunderland in 2000, managed to avoid relegation.
"It's an unbelievable start and one that’s been well earned," said former Watford captain Troy Deeney on Final Score. "If you told Sunderland fans this a couple of months ago, they would have thought you were crazy."
Michael Carrick, the former Manchester United and England midfielder, added on BBC Radio 5 Live, "Anyone who is honest will say they never expected Sunderland to begin this well. Full credit to them for their impressive point tally, which they will look to build on."
Leeds' Home Advantage
Leeds United, who won the Championship last season, secured their third victory of the current campaign by defeating West Ham 2-1 on Friday, bringing their points total to 11 after nine matches. They can take comfort in the fact that no team has ever been relegated with that many points after nine games in the Premier League since the 2015-16 season.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke expressed his satisfaction with the win, stating, "Every team in this league is tough to play against. I'm a bit frustrated to concede late, but overall I'm delighted with the three points. It was crucial to maintain our momentum and make it challenging for teams to come here."
Farke's vision of turning Elland Road into a fortress is becoming a reality, as Leeds has won two, drawn two, and lost one at home, accumulating eight points from five league matches—better than Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham.
Burnley's Competitive Spirit
Burnley moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a thrilling 3-2 win over Wolves on Sunday, bringing their total to 10 points after nine matches. Historically, only 19 out of 460 teams with this tally at this stage have been relegated.
Despite relinquishing a 2-0 lead, Lyle Foster's last-minute goal secured Burnley's first away win and back-to-back victories for the first time since 2022. Manager Scott Parker remarked, "Back-to-back wins are significant for us, especially for such a young team. This victory will boost our confidence. We have been highly competitive this year, and today's performance reflects that."
With three wins out of nine matches, Burnley has already surpassed half of their total victories from their last top-flight season in 2023-24.