Six games into the new Premier League season, Hull City, Ipswich Town, and Coventry City have collected 24 points between them — and the clubs most at risk of relegation may not be the ones anyone predicted before a ball was kicked.

Hull City and Ipswich Town both sit on nine points, while Coventry City — buoyed by a stunning 4-1 demolition of Newcastle United on Monday night — have six. Together, these three newly-promoted sides are forcing a fundamental rethink of who is actually fighting for survival.

A historic trend on their side

The numbers offer genuine encouragement for the promoted trio. No newly-promoted Premier League club since 1995/96 that accumulated at least 10 points from its first six matches has subsequently gone down — a run spanning nine clubs. The last nine newly-promoted sides to reach nine or more points from their opening six games have all survived the season.

That statistical record bodes well for Hull City and Ipswich Town in particular. Coventry City, meanwhile, have shown a dramatic change in fortunes. Frank Lampard's side began the campaign with four straight defeats and no goals scored, but back-to-back wins have completely altered the atmosphere around the club.

Ipswich Town demonstrated the kind of late-game resilience that defines survival bids, snatching a dramatic winner against Fulham. Hull City, too, have strung together a run of results that prove they can compete against established top-flight opposition.

The established order under pressure

If three promoted clubs stay up, three other sides must go down — and the early-season standings expose some alarming signs among supposedly secure clubs. Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bournemouth currently occupy the bottom three positions, all winless after six games.

Sunderland, who also won promotion last season, carry the additional burden of a European campaign and have only a single win — against Fulham — to show for their efforts so far. Aston Villa and Newcastle United are navigating difficult transitional periods, adding to the anxiety among their supporters.

Manchester City face a different kind of pressure entirely. The bookmakers list them as third favourites for relegation, with the prospect of a points deduction looming after an independent commission found them in breach of the Premier League's financial rules. City have denied any wrongdoing and lodged an appeal.

The danger for all these clubs is well understood: poor form combined with heavy fixture lists — particularly for those in European competition — can erode confidence rapidly. Once the pressure builds, a difficult run can turn into a genuine crisis.

Nobody should assume anything

Hull City, Ipswich Town, and Coventry City are refusing to follow the pre-season script. Two consecutive seasons — 2023/24 and 2024/25 — saw all three promoted clubs relegated, but Leeds United and Sunderland helped break that pattern last term. The lesson is clear: with the right recruitment, organisation, and mentality, survival is entirely achievable for newly-promoted sides.

The early evidence suggests this is a collective shift in the balance of power, not simply one promoted club riding a wave of momentum. This season, the relegation equation has changed — and some established Premier League names may be in far greater danger than they ever anticipated.