West Ham Live to Fight Another Day as Wolves Fall Through the Trap Door

Monday night at Selhurst Park didn’t exactly set the world on fire with its football, but the goalless draw between West Ham and Crystal Palace certainly brought a few things into sharp focus for Irish football fans. This result, as cagey as it was, achieved two very distinct things. It kept West Ham’s head just above the Premier League relegation waters, and it finally, mathematically, confirmed what many of us had seen coming for months: Wolverhampton Wanderers are going down.

For those of us who track the Premier League alongside our beloved League of Ireland, this outcome has ripples. West Ham are far from safe, despite the point. Wolves are definitively gone. And the messy, nail-biting, three-way scrap for survival now truly begins in earnest between Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, and the Hammers themselves, with a mere five games left to play.

Still Plenty to Sweat About for the Hammers

Let’s be clear about the league table, because that’s where the true story lies. West Ham currently sit 17th with 33 points. Tottenham, rather surprisingly, are 18th on 31 points after a weekend stumble against Brighton. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are a point above West Ham on 36, putting them five points clear of the drop zone after a decent 4-1 comeback win against Burnley. This is the real relegation dogfight, and any one of these three clubs could join Wolves and Burnley in the Championship next season.

So, while that point against Palace was undeniably useful, no one connected with the London Stadium will be feeling comfortable. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, on paper, has the toughest remaining fixtures among the three contenders. Their next outing is a London derby at home against Everton, followed by a run of games against teams still chasing European spots. Being just two points clear of Spurs, especially with Spurs set to visit already-relegated Wolves this weekend, is not a comfortable position. It’s a temporary reprieve, a holding pattern.

A Cagey Affair: Exactly What We Expected

The match itself won’t be gracing any highlight reels at the end of the season. It was precisely the kind of Premier League fixture where both managers would have privately accepted a point before kick-off, and then spent 90 minutes ensuring they didn’t lose it.

Brennan Johnson, on loan at Palace from Tottenham after a hefty £35 million January switch, had the best chance early on. Unmarked from a Jefferson Lerma cross, he headed wide. The irony of the situation was probably not lost on any West Ham supporter in the stadium. Had Johnson scored, he would have directly helped his parent club, Tottenham, climb out of the bottom three at the expense of his current team. He’s still waiting for his first goal for the Eagles.

West Ham did have their moments too. Konstantinos Mavropanos connected with a cross, forcing a strong save from Dean Henderson, who was excellent all night and now boasts 12 clean sheets for the season. Taty Castellanos attempted an acrobatic shot that Maxence Lacroix cleared off the line after a misjudgment by Henderson. These are the small margins that often decide these tense encounters.

VAR Drama and a Crucial Let-Off

The moment everyone will be talking about came in the 82nd minute. Palace substitute Ismaila Sarr slammed the ball home from close range after it dropped in the West Ham box, and Selhurst Park erupted. The celebrations, however, lasted only about ten seconds. Jean-Philippe Mateta, another Palace substitute, had handled the ball in the build-up. The goal was correctly disallowed, a massive let-off for Nuno’s men.

If that goal had stood, the entire conversation today would be different. West Ham would be just one point clear of Spurs instead of two, and the pressure heading into the Everton game would be significantly higher. These are the moments that can define a season, and West Ham got a crucial break.

Wolves: The End of an Eight-Year Journey

For Wolverhampton Wanderers, Monday night's 0-0 draw was the official, mathematical confirmation of something that had felt inevitable for months. They’ve been rooted to the bottom of the table since the third week of the season and went 3-0 down at Leeds on Saturday before this result sealed their fate. This officially ends their eight-year stay in the top flight.

Rob Edwards took over from Vítor Pereira in November – incidentally, Pereira is now at Forest, fighting his own survival battle – and spoke of a "great escape." It never truly materialised. They managed only one league win before January and just three in total before their relegation was confirmed. Their return to the Championship will be their first since the 2017/18 season.

Interim executive Nathan Shi released a statement acknowledging that the club's fans "deserve better" and promising that work is already underway to rebuild for the Championship. How that rebuild actually takes shape will be critical for the next 18 months at Molineux. You can read more about the club's statement on Sky Sports.

What Happens Next

The second relegation spot remains wide open. Burnley, on 20 points, are still mathematically alive but would need a near-miracle to escape. The real fight is for 18th place, and it’s a fierce battle between West Ham, Tottenham, and Nottingham Forest.

Spurs travel to Wolves this weekend, which, on paper, presents their best chance for a first league win in 2026. Yes, you read that right, they haven't won a league game all calendar year. If Tottenham finally find their form and West Ham falter at Everton, that two-point gap will vanish. Forest, meanwhile, face a brutal run of fixtures, including Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United, alongside a Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa.

This one is absolutely going down to the final day. For Irish viewers, this is why Premier League relegation battles are so compelling: three clubs, five games, no room for error, and a fixture list that could swing the whole thing either way.

West Ham lived to fight another day. That’s all it was. The fight itself is far from over. For more Premier League news and updates, visit the official Premier League website. “`