Everton, Leicester, West Ham: Ranking the Premier League’s greatest ever relegation escapes

It’s all too easy to focus attention on the goings on at the very top of the Premier League.

With the quality only increasing to even further nosebleed-inducing standards each year, plus the inevitable ‘race’ for a top four spot which feels a little overdone at this point, the battle to avoid the drop can sometimes feel overlooked.

That is criminal.

Avoiding relegation in any league is a massive ordeal, not least in the most lucrative in the world. The Championship is a dog fight, and with those parachute payments only going so far, it can be endlessly difficult for clubs to find a way back up into the Premier League if they can’t avoid the drop.

Sometimes relegation is a foregone conclusion and clubs can look all but down rather early into the season. And while that can often be a tad underwhelming, it’s all the sweeter when they find a second wind and neutrals are treated to a dramatic dart to the finish between the clubs at the bottom of the table.

With that in mind, GIVEMESPORT has ranked some of the greatest escapes that the Premier League has witnessed.

Despite going all the way to the final of the EFL Cup and losing 2-1 on the day to a far superior Manchester City, Aston Villa’s league season was far from a success. Spending well over £100m upon their promotion from the Championship and breaking their club record for Wesley, Dean Smith’s side relied massively on hometown hero Jack Grealish to keep their head above the water, while flirting with the drop zone all season. Four points adrift of safety with four games to play, they went unbeaten in that run-in, winning twice and crucially drawing with West Ham on the final day, to secure safety by a single point.

A great escape in its inaugural season, Oldham proved