Every Premier League season begins with the same question: can the three promoted teams survive? The odds are rarely in their favour. Over the past few seasons, the top flight has been ruthless to newcomers, with all three promoted teams going straight back down in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons. But this season feels different. Sunderland’s superb start, coupled with Wolves’ alarming decline and several others having slow starts, this year’s relegation battle has a different complexion, one where the promoted sides may finally have the upper hand.
Sunderland’s Rise, Wolves’ Collapse, and a Premier League Survival Story in the Making
Sunderland Defying the Narrative
Among the three promoted clubs (Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley), it’s the Black Cats who have stolen the headlines. Régis Le Bris’ side have begun life back in the Premier League with impressive organisation, intensity, and belief. Their 2-0 win over Wolves at the Stadium of Light was not just another three points; it was a statement. Sunderland were tactically disciplined, physically dominant, and efficient in front of goal.
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That victory lifted them into the top half of the table, sitting seventh after eight games, the best start to a season by a promoted side since Wolves in the 2018/19 season. Le Bris has built a side capable of adapting between compact defensive shapes and fluid attacking transitions, and his approach has translated seamlessly to the top flight. Their energy, pressing, and unity make them look far from relegation fodder. Momentum is crucial in survival battles, and Sunderland has it in abundance. Their early results have created a buffer, both psychological and mathematical, which could prove invaluable when the season’s grind intensifies after Christmas.
After an unbelievable upset away at Chelsea, they now sit fourth, just a point off second, and deservedly so.
Wolves Struggles Changing the Dynamic
While Sunderland have been one of the league’s most uplifting stories, Wolverhampton Wanderers have been one of its bleakest. Wolves have endured a miserable start under Vítor Pereira, losing to both Leeds United and Sunderland in recent weeks. Those defeats have not just hurt morale; they’ve exposed how far Wolves have fallen behind their rivals. Their 3-1 home loss to Leeds was particularly alarming. Wolves were disjointed in midfield and passive in defence, while Leeds looked sharper and more confident. Two games later, Sunderland punished them again with a 2–0 win, capitalising on Wolves’ lack of tempo and cutting edge.
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After a last-minute loss to Burnley at home (3-2), Wolves have gone winless in their opening nine matches, and the numbers are damning. They’ve struggled to create clear chances, lack cohesion in possession, and their defensive errors have been relentless. For a club that not long ago was pushing for Europe, they now resemble a side running out of ideas and, perhaps, luck. This collapse changes the relegation dynamic entirely. Suddenly, it’s not the promoted clubs clinging to hope but the established ones in freefall.
Leeds and Burnley: Reasons For Cautious Optimism
Leeds United and Burnley have also shown flashes of resilience. Both sides entered the season with a clear plan: Leeds with youthful energy and pressing intensity, Burnley with a pragmatic, structured approach. Leeds’ win at Molineux was the perfect confidence booster, proving they can pick up points away from home and compete physically in the Premier League.
Burnley, meanwhile, have been more conservative, but their experience under Scott Parker could give them a platform to grind out results in the long run.
After both sides won this weekend, the two sit above the relegation zone, by five and six points respectively, ahead of sides like Fulham and Nottingham Forest.
Why This Season Might Finally Be Different
For years, the Premier League’s promoted clubs have been trapped in a vicious cycle of being underfunded, underestimated, and overwhelmed. But Sunderland’s early momentum, Leeds’ competitive spirit, and Burnley’s tactical maturity suggest that this year’s trio may be breaking that mould. They’re organised, fearless, and crucially capable of beating established Premier League sides.
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Meanwhile, Wolves, West Ham and even Nottingham Forest’s struggles highlight how fragile top-flight stability can be. They’ve become the mirror image of Sunderland: once confident and cohesive, now disjointed and desperate. When clubs like Wolves slip, it opens the door for ambitious newcomers to take their place.
The Premier League’s survival race is rarely predictable, but this season’s storyline feels refreshingly inverted. The promoted sides are thriving, while Wolves are floundering. Sunderland’s form has injected belief into the notion that Championship momentum can translate into Premier League success, while Wolves’ crisis serves as a warning that tenure offers no guarantees.
If Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley continue on this trajectory, they might not just survive, but they could redefine what it means to be a promoted team in the Premier League. And for Wolves, the uncomfortable truth is that their luck may already be running out.
Featured image credit:
IMAGO / NurPhoto
Recording Date
21.09.2025
Media ID
1066794000
Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England, on September 20, 2025. Sunderland Tyne and Wear United Kingdom Copyright: xMIxNewsx originalFilename:fletcher-sunderla250921_npd1p.jpg
