West Ham United’s 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Monday condemned Wolverhampton Wanderers to relegation from the Premier League and boosted their own survival bid, leaving Tottenham Hotspur deeper in trouble.
Bottom-of-the-table Wolves have long been destined for the drop and their descent into the Championship was confirmed by the stalemate at Selhurst Park.
Wolves are 16 points behind fourth-bottom West Ham, with a maximum of 15 available from their final five matches.
Photo: EPA
After eight seasons in the top flight, Wolves succumbed tamely, winning just three of their 33 league matches to date this term.
Despite notable recent wins against Aston Villa and Liverpool, Wolves have looked relegation certainties for months and their eight-year stay in the Premier League is coming to an end.
Vitor Pereira, now in charge of Nottingham Forest, started the season in charge of the Molineux club, but the Portuguese coach was sacked in early November last year after a terrible start to the campaign.
Photo: Reuters
Former Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards was brought in, but he had an almost impossible task and has been unable to work a miracle.
Second-bottom Burnley look certain to join Wolves in the second tier next season.
They would be relegated if they lose against title-chasing Manchester City today.
The Hammers’ draw improved their own survival prospects, moving them two points clear of third-bottom Tottenham.
Tottenham’s 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday was a boost to West Ham, with the two London rivals having five games left in the fight to avoid relegation.
Tottenham, winless in their first two games under Roberto de Zerbi, have not played in the second tier since 1977-1978.
The north Londoners have gone 15 league matches without a win stretching back to December last year.
Last in the Championship in 2011-2012, West Ham’s biggest league win for three years, 4-0 over Wolves nine days ago, moved them out of the bottom three for only the second time this year.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side built on that result with a gritty point against UEFA Conference League semi-finalists Palace.
“It will go all the way, for sure. Not only at the bottom of the table but at the top. This season has been very tight,” Nuno said. “We have a mission ahead and keep going. It’s going to be a fight until the end.”
Palace’s win against West Ham in September last year sparked Graham Potter’s sacking and Nuno’s eventual appointment as his replacement.
Nuno has revived West Ham since then and from Jan. 17 onward, only four Premier League teams have picked up more points than the Irons.
West Ham threatened first when Valentin Castellanos fired over from the edge of the area.
Brennan Johnson should have put Palace in front from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross, but the unmarked forward headed wastefully wide.
Johnson tried to make amends, curling narrowly wide from 18m.
However, it was West Ham who finished the half the stronger side, with El Hadji Malick Diouf’s cross reaching Konstantinos Mavropanos for a towering header that forced a fine save from Dean Henderson.
Mavropanos had another header repelled by Henderson after the interval.
Palace winger Ismaila Sarr was denied a late winner when he slammed home from close-range, only for the goal to be disallowed for handball by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
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