West Ham Holds On For A Point At Crystal Palace, Wolves Relegated

The Hammers restored their two-point lead over Tottenham and the bottom three with the draw, but may view it as a missed opportunity after seeing Nottingham Forest and Leeds win and Spurs take a step forward in their performance. West Ham have given themselves another week outside the drop zone but face a tough run of fixtures, including games against Everton, Brentford, Arsenal, Newcastle, and Leeds. Nuno Espirito Santo's side failed to create a big opening in the second half and nearly conceded a late goal, only for Ismaila Sarr's strike to be ruled out for an unnecessary handball by Jean-Philippe Mateta. The point extends Crystal Palace's unbeaten run to four games, moving them up to 13th in the table. West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said, 'It's probably a bit of both. Palace are really good at home and on a high after getting into a European semi-final. We knew it was going to be really difficult and that we'd have to defend really well.' Former West Ham striker Dean Ashton added, 'It feels like a tiny opportunity missed for West Ham with the way Crystal Palace played, and even the way they themselves played in the first half.' West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo noted, 'We performed well. We were organised and compact. Tough match. Our offensive process, the combinations didn't quite go – the final ball, the final touch.' The result sets up a crucial weekend in the relegation battle, with Spurs traveling to already-relegated Wolves and West Ham facing European-chasing Everton.