As Sunderland and Cardiff City meet, we look through the history books for some great escapes.
Everton - 1993/94 Premier League
Everton's record of consecutive top-flight seasons, which stretches back to 1954, nearly came to an abrupt halt 40 years in when they had just 66 minutes to save their season. Few would have predicted Everton would be in a relegation dogfight after they won their first three games of the season, but then things started to fall apart. They only won four more games from September until mid-January, although they were still looking comfortable in 16th, seven points above the drop zone. A run of four games unbeaten appeared to ensure they would be looking at a mid-table finish, but then a disastrous period of seven losses in 10 games dropped them into 20th and needing at least a point on the final day as well as hoping at least one other result went their way. It was looking like Everton would need to prepare for the First Division when Wimbledon went 2-0 up at Goodison Park inside 20 minutes, but the Toffees roared back to half the deficit at half-time, equalise just after the hour and then Graham Stuart hit the winner with nine minutes left, with their survival ensured by none of the teams around them getting more than a point.
Brighton & Hove Albion - 1996/97 Third Division
Ever the barometer for how well teams are playing, Christmas Day 1996 was not a happy one for Brighton fans. They spent the festive period six points from safety having won just four and drawn four of their 24 games, and looking in the mire. In the end, home form in the second half of the season proved to be the saviour of the club. Despite horrendous form away from the Goldstone Ground, which saw them claim just three points, the Seagulls took an astounding 26 home points from 30 available to stay up by the finest of margins. Despite this, heading into final day they weren't safe, although a 1-1 draw at Hereford United kept them up at the expense of the team they had just played. Brighton nearly ended up going down though, as they were docked two points for a pitch invasion by their fans against Lincoln City in October. Fortunately for them they were two points above the drop zone and stayed up on goals scored.
Carlisle United - 1998/99 Third Division
How different things might have been for Carlisle United if not for an on-loan goalkeeper by the name of Jimmy Glass. After a poor season which saw them garner just 46 points in their first 45 games of the season, including a meagre 10 wins, it all came down to the final day for the Cumbrians. Just one point behind Scarborough, they knew they had to win their match at home to Plymouth to have any chance of remaining in the Football League, as well as hope that Scarborough didn't claim victory against Peterborough. With time ticking down towards the end of the season, both games were deadlocked at 1-1, with the Scarborough game ending before Carlisle's at that scoreline. News filtered through to Brunton Park that a draw would not be enough, and in the 95th minute, goalkeeper Glass, on loan from Swindon Town, went up for a corner and swept home to ensure their survival and go down in Carlisle history.
Eintracht Frankfurt - 1998/99 Bundesliga
One point above the relegation zone at the winter break, Eintracht Frankfurt weren't in the worst position in the world, especially as they had a seven-point cushion on last place. However things weren't looking any rosier by the time they registered their fifth win of the season at the start of April, with the former champions still flirting with relegation. Even a 1-0 win over Bochum meant they were only safe on goal difference, and a month later they were suddenly four points from safety, despite beating relegation rivals Werder Bremen. However it was that result that sparked a four-game winning streak to end the season, which included wins over Schalke and Dortmund, culminating in a 5-1 final day destruction of fourth-placed Kaiserslautern which secured their survival by virtue of having scored four more goals than Nurnberg.
Bradford City - 1999/00 Premier League
15th April 2000. Bradford City have just lost their sixth game in a row, sit 19th in the table and are six points from safety with five games to go. It always threatened to be a bad season for the West Yorkshire side after they won a mere four games from 22, although there was always that glimmer of hope as, even after that poor run, they remained just two points from safety. They then drew level on points with Derby in 17th when they beat Watford and shocked title-chasing Arsenal with a 2-1 success, however, normal service was resumed when they lost seven of their next 10, and only drew the other three. Just to continue their unpredictability, the Bantams won their next two to move out of the relegation zone, but fell back into it the week after with a 3-0 loss at Leicester. Knowing they had to get a result against Champions League-chasing Liverpool, Bradford shocked the league with a 1-0 triumph which was enough for another season in the top flight after Wimbledon failed to get a result at Southampton.
West Bromwich Albion - 2004/05 Premier League
Prior to 2005, no team had ever been bottom of the Premier League on Christmas Day and survived. That was, until West Bromwich Albion defied the odds and pulled off one of the greatest escapes in football history. The Baggies had won just a single game until late January when they beat Manchester City 2-0, and even after that result they were still five points from safety. By mid-March they were still five points behind, but then a 4-1 demolition of Charlton, courtesy of Rob Earnshaw's hat trick, a 1-0 win at home to Everton and then two draws to Aston Villa and Spurs gave Albion hope. Despite draws to Blackburn and Manchester United, West Brom were still bottom on the final day and staring down the barrel. Knowing only a win over Portsmouth could save them, they duly obliged with a 2-0 success. Combined with Crystal Palace's draw at Charlton, Southampton's loss to Manchester United and Norwich's 6-0 defeat to Fulham, West Brom had stayed up in improbable fashion.
West Ham United - 2006/07 Premier League
One of the most controversial survivals in Premier League history, West Ham stayed up thanks to the goalscoring prowess of Carlos Tevez, who became embroiled in controversy following his transfer from Corinthians after it emerged he was owned by two third-parties. However the Argentinian didn't have much of an influence on the season until March; before then it was Bobby Zamora, who scored five goals in the first four games as the Hammers climbed to ninth in the table. Things soon fell apart though, with the team losing their next five without registering a goal. More losses followed, although things appeared to pick up when they beat Manchester United in December. But by the time they next picked up three points, in March, West Ham were propping up the table and faced a ten-point deficit. Step up Tevez. After registering his first goal in a 4-3 defeat to Spurs, Tevez scored in the next two matches and Zamora in the next as West Ham took nine points to move within two of safety. After another two victories they were a point from safety with two to play, and they finally dragged themselves into 17th with a 3-1 win over Bolton. However a point was still needed in their final match at Old Trafford, and they got three with Tevez scoring the winner to ensure their survival.
Fulham - 2007/08 Premier League
Four games into the 2007/08 Premiership season and, somewhat unsurprisingly, Fulham were already in the mix to go down, having lost three and only above Derby County in the standings. Even after six draws in their next seven games, the Cottagers were only three points above the relegation trap door. Whilst it may have been too early to call them candidates for the drop, what happened in their next 12 games all-but seemed to secure their fall. The club lost eight and won one to find themselves in 19th, five points from safety, and the December hiring of Roy Hodgson not justified. Another pair of losses sandwiched a 2-2 draw at lowly Derby, a set of results which seemed to seal their fate with just five games left. Despite winning at Reading, they then lost at home to Liverpool and were still five points from safety. They looked dead and buried when they went 2-0 down inside 21 minutes at Manchester City, however, an astonishing comeback gave them all three points. A 2-0 win against Birmingham propelled them into 17th, but only on goal difference, before a late Danny Murphy goal at Portsmouth secured their survival on goal difference despite Reading's 4-0 win on the same day, who went down in their place.
Wigan Athletic - 2011/12 Premier League
Just 11 games into the season and Wigan Athletic were already looking like ending their seven-year Premier League stay without a fight, having lost eight matches in a row and scored a league-low seven goals. By the middle of March, the Latics had only won four of their 29 games, yet were still only three points from safety. Then an incredible run followed as Wigan won seven of their next nine, beating Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Stoke, Blackburn and Wolves. Even a controversial 2-1 loss to Chelsea, in which both of the London club's goals appeared to be offside, and then a defeat by the same scoreline to Fulham, couldn't disrupt their romp to safety, which they secured with a game to spare.
FC Augsburg - 2012/13 Bundesliga
The German winter break usually provides time for teams to assess their season so far, and make a plan of action for the second half of the campaign. The meetings at FC Augsburg will not have been pleasant ones, with the Bavarian outfit sitting second-bottom in 17th, having won a solitary game in their opening 17. By mid-February, they had still only added one more win to that tally and were 10 points from avoiding the relegation playoff, despite going on a five-match unbeaten run. They did win three of their next four to haul themselves away from the foot of the table, but were still five points from assured safety. Things continued to look bleak when they lost their next two matches, but a 2-0 win over Champions League-chasing Eintracht Frankfurt pulled them ever closer to another Bundesliga season, and then a 3-0 triumph over Stuttgart put them on the cusp of 15th. Despite losing their next two matches, they beat already-relegated Greuther Furth 3-1 on the final day to pull off the unlikeliest of survival stories.
