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West Ham drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace on Monday, earning an important point in their fight to avoid relegation and ensuring the demise of bottom Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Wolves cannot collect enough points from their last five games to avoid relegation and will return to the Championship for the first time since 2018.
Relegation looked inevitable for the Midlands club for most of a woeful season, but even a series of more encouraging performances in recent months could not save them.
The end came far from home, in a listless match in south London.
West Ham had the better of the early exchanges, but the score remained goalless at half-time. Although Palace came alive in the second half, they did not create many chances and neither goalkeeper was very busy.
However, the point was welcomed by the Hammers, who twice pulled away from Tottenham Hotspur in 18th place.
“A point at the end of the day isn’t the worst thing in the world,” captain Jarrod Bowen said.
“We are trying to keep West Ham in the Premier League. We can’t depend on anyone else, we have to look at ourselves and keep fighting to stay in the Premier League.”
Palace, who have won just three of their last 26 Monday night Premier League matches, remained in 13th place.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s shutout was Palace’s 12th clean sheet of the season, a record only surpassed by the top two, Arsenal and Manchester City.
“(That record) is an incredible return for our position in the league,” Henderson said. “The defensive unit is so good, anyone who steps in has been excellent. That’s the foundation we’ve built and we’re hoping to add some goals at the other end.”
Associated Press report
