West Ham United managed to keep their two‑point advantage over Tottenham Hotspur and the other clubs fighting relegation by holding Crystal Palace to a goalless stalemate, a result that also sealed Wolverhampton Wanderers' descent from the Premier League. The 0‑0 draw at Selhurst Park not only confirmed Wolves' fall after eight seasons in the top flight, making them the first team to be relegated this campaign, but also gave the Hammers a brief breathing space outside the danger zone. Tottenham endured a tough weekend, yet the point they earned at Palace keeps their survival hopes alive as they prepare for Saturday's encounter with the already‑relegated Wolves.
For Roberto De Zerbi’s side, that match could prove decisive in their own battle to stay up. Meanwhile, West Ham can look back on the draw as a mixed bag: they avoided defeat, but they also missed a clear opportunity to widen the gap after seeing Nottingham Forest and Leeds United secure victories and watching Spurs make a noticeable step forward in their performance. According to Opta, West Ham face the most challenging run of fixtures among the clubs near the bottom of the table.
Their upcoming schedule includes trips to Everton, Brentford, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Leeds United – all teams with ambitions either for European qualification or, in some cases, the title itself. This demanding itinerary means that the points they collect in the next few weeks will be crucial. In the second half at Selhurst Park, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side struggled to create a decisive opening.
A late chance was almost given away when Ismaila Sarr’s effort was disallowed for a handball by Palace substitute Jean‑Philippe Mateta, an incident that could have swung the match in West Ham's favour. Earlier, West Ham’s Taty Castellanos produced an acrobatic strike that seemed destined for the net, only to be cleared by Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, who had just returned from an injury scare.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson, after a mis‑timed punch that nearly left the goal mouth wide open, redeemed himself with a fine save to deny Konstantinos Mavropanos. Mavropanos, who had scored twice in West Ham’s earlier win over Wolves, was unable to make a bigger impact, his header falling short of the keeper. The match also featured former Tottenham winger Brennan Johnson, who has yet to find the net since his £35 million move in January.
Johnson missed a golden opportunity to give Palace the lead, heading wide from an unmarked position in the box. Despite the pre‑match chatter about Palace potentially losing momentum after their celebratory trip to Florence for the UEFA Europa Conference League semi‑finals, Oliver Glasner’s side finished stronger, extending their unbeaten run to four games and climbing to 13th place in the table. The line‑ups reflected the tactical battle: Crystal Palace started Dean Henderson, Luis Munoz, James Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Jaydee Canvot, Jordan Mitchell, Conor Hughes, Pablo Lerma, Brennan Johnson, James Pino and Strand Larsen, with substitutes Kamada, Sarr, Mateta and Devenny on the bench.
West Ham fielded Alvaro Hermansen; a back four of Aaron Walker‑Peters, Konstantinos Mavropanos, William Disasi and Cheikhou Diouf; a midfield trio of Victor Soucek, Lucas Fernandes and Jarrod Bowen; and a forward line of Pablo Bryan, Jare‑Mitt Summerville and Taty Castellanos, with Wilson and Kante as substitutes. Jaydee Canvot was named Player of the Match for his defensive contributions. Captain Jarrod Bowen told Sky Sports that the result was a blend of factors: "Palace are very strong at home and buoyed by their European run. We knew it would be a tough match and we had to defend well.
We had chances that could have gone in on another day, but a point here isn’t the worst outcome." Former West Ham striker Dean Ashton echoed that sentiment, calling it "a tiny opportunity missed" given Palace’s performance and the Hammers' own chances in the first half. He noted that scoring at Selhurst Park is never easy, so a draw remains a positive outcome for now. Nuno Espírito Santo praised his team’s organization and compactness, admitting that the attacking combinations fell short of the final touch needed to break the deadlock.
He highlighted the balance of the game and the difficulty of finding gaps against a well‑drilled Palace side that poses a serious threat on the counter‑attack. Glasner, for his part, emphasized his players’ focus and commitment, rejecting any notion that his side would be fatigued.
He said the answer lay with the players, who showed they could stay disciplined and work hard until the final whistle. Sky Sports analyst Zinny Boswell warned that whether West Ham truly missed a chance will only be clear on the final day of the season, especially if Nuno’s prediction about a tight race holds true. The timing of points is crucial in a relegation battle, and while Spurs failed to secure a win, they displayed signs of improvement before Brighton’s late equaliser. Had West Ham turned the draw into a win, they would have stretched their lead to four points and forced Tottenham into a precarious position that only five teams have ever escaped from in Premier League history.
Instead, the Hammers now sit just outside the drop zone, with their next test against already‑relegated Wolves – a match that could provide Spurs with their first league victory of 2026. West Ham, meanwhile, travel to Everton, a side chasing European qualification, making both fixtures on Saturday pivotal. Looking ahead, West Ham’s schedule remains the toughest of any club fighting relegation.
Their next three opponents – Everton, Brentford and Arsenal – are all either pushing for European spots or competing for the title. Notably, every one of West Ham’s eight league wins this season has come against teams currently positioned in the lower half of the table, underscoring the challenge of securing points against stronger opposition. Predicting Tottenham’s performance against Wolves is a gamble, but a win would lift a weight off their shoulders and could shift momentum in the survival fight.
For West Ham, the hope is that Spurs do not secure that win on Saturday, allowing the Hammers to maintain their narrow cushion above the relegation zone. In summary, the goalless draw at Selhurst Park was a missed chance for West Ham to create a more comfortable buffer, but it also kept them afloat as the season enters its decisive phase.
With Wolves already consigned to the Championship, the battle now narrows to a handful of clubs where every point, every goal, and every missed opportunity will be scrutinized until the final whistle of the campaign.