Marco Silva the saviour as rescue mission of doomed Hull City edges closer to completion

In his Premier League column this week, Steve Luckings looks at the intense battle for survival unfolding between Hull City and Swansea City.

Since Marco Silva's arrival, Hull City have won six and drawn one of their seven home games in the Premier League. Glyn Kirk / AFP

While most eyes will be fixated on the London Stadium on Friday night to see if Tottenham Hotspur can cut Chelsea’s lead at the top down to one point by securing three against West Ham United, two fixtures taking place on Saturday at the opposite end of the Premier League table are just as compelling.

Hull City, in 17th, take on already-relegated Sunderland before Swansea City, occupiers of the final relegation position in 18th, host Everton in the later game.

Such is the precariousness of both Hull and Swansea’s predicaments with just three games remaining and two points separating them, neither can afford to at least not match the other’s result.

__________________________________

More Premier League coverage

■ Predictions: Wins for Spurs and Chelsea keeps gap at four points

■ Team Talk: Tottenham hot on Chelsea's heels but is it too late?

■ Four issues: What is left to be resolved in the Premier League

__________________________________

If the form guide is anything to go by, Swansea could find themselves five points behind by Sunday. Hull — who go by the nickname of “Tigers”— have transformed their KCOM Stadium into a lion’s den since the turn of the year, one which even the top sides view with trepidation, let alone a demoralised club already condemned to the drop.

Swansea, on the other hand, host an Everton side with designs on finishing in the top six. Their home form has been patchy at best, with four wins, two defeats and a draw in their past seven league games at the Liberty Stadium.

But the topic of staying up might not have even been a conversation had it not been for both clubs making new appointments within days of each other at the turn of the year. Both would most likely have already been relegated with games to spare.

While Paul Clement’s initial appointment saw an upturn in results at Swansea, much of the credit for Hull’s revival must go to Marco Silva.

The turnaround in results, albeit exclusively down to their home form, has been exceptional. Before his appointment on January 5, Hull had accrued just seven points from their 18 games. In his 15 league games in charge, Hull have played seven at home, winning six and drawing one.

While Clement’s appointment was viewed as championing the cause of British managers, Silva’s was greeted with a mixture of bewilderment and vilification. The incredulity voiced in some quarters, most notably by Paul Merson, the former Arsenal and England forward-turned pundit, whose now infamous on-air diatribe that the Portuguese’s hiring was denying home-grown managers a chance to manage at the top level, was borderline xenophobic.

While many wondered how a manager who had led Sporting to a Portuguese Cup success and Olympiakos to the championship of Greece would apply himself to Hull’s plight, the club backed the courage of their manager’s convictions even when he sanctioned the sale of the club’s two best players — Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore — in January.

While Hull are still absolutely wretched away, they appear unpenetrable at home. If they are to survive it will be done on the back of points procured on their own turf.

They could find themselves five points clear after this weekend’s results and still with a home game — against title-chasing Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the season — to secure top-tier status.

With Swansea still to face Sunderland away in their run-in as well as West Bromwich Albion at home, a win for Hull tomorrow takes on even more precedence in their battle to beat the drop, guided by a manager has worked wonders in his four months at the club.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport