Former England forward Chris Sutton doesn't think that Leeds United are safe from relegation following the 1-0 defeat against Newcastle United.
This is despite back-to-back victories over Burnley and West Ham United earlier this month which has left the Whites in 15th, seven points above the bottom three.
Marcelo Bielsa's side could've stretched the gap between them and 18th-place Newcastle with a positive result at Elland Road, however, Jonjo Shelvey's second-half strike gave the Magpies the win.
Ahead of the two-week winter break, Sutton has delivered his verdict on the battle to survive the drop and has claimed that the Whites aren't completely out of the race just yet.
He told the Daily Mail: "He does! And let's not discount Everton as a relegation contender. They're in such a bad state, surrounded by toxicity, that they aren't out of the woods yet. The same goes for Leeds.
"But I take the point that the bottom four are currently the prime candidates to go down.
"Burnley have the experience. Newcastle have the money. Watford have sacked Claudio Ranieri and, who knows, they may yet burn through another manager or three before the end of the season.
"It won't be easy but I'll back Norwich to stay out of that relegation zone. You may say I'm biased because I played for the club and live in Norfolk. To that I say - you're right!"
Meanwhile, Everton continued their recent struggles with a 1-0 loss against Aston Villa but do face Newcastle in a vital game towards the foot of the table after the winter break.
Rock bottom Burnley picked up a crucial point against Arsenal on the weekend, while Norwich City climbed out of the drop zone with a 3-0 win at Watford, who have since sacked manager Claudio Ranieri.
With just four points separating 20th and 17th in the division, this could be the tightest relegation battle in years and former Arsenal captain Martin Keown has backed Newcastle to get out of trouble if they get their transfer business right.
He said: "If Newcastle can get the right players - and this is going to be a very big week for the club - then they can get themselves out of trouble under Eddie Howe.
"But I have to give great credit to Dean Smith. He must be giddy looking at that table showing Norwich above the red line right now.
"If Smith can guide them to safety, after the disappointment of being sacked by Aston Villa, he deserves the freedom of the city!"
