Key Takeaways
- Goalless draw in south London sends Wolves down and lifts West Ham four points clear of Tottenham.
- Dean Henderson’s flying stop from Konstantinos Mavropanos was the match’s standout moment.
- Adam Wharton missed the game after hurting his groin in Florence, but should face Liverpool next.
West Ham United left Selhurst Park with only a point on Wednesday night, yet it was enough to relegate Wolverhampton Wanderers and stretch the cushion above Tottenham Hotspur to four points with two matches left.
The contest never caught light. Crystal Palace, playing their first fixture since a raucous Conference League celebration in Italy, looked leggy and managed just one shot on target. West Ham, sharper on paper after ten days off, rarely found rhythm and must now beat Everton on Saturday to be sure of survival.
Dean Henderson kept his 12th clean sheet of the campaign when he clawed away Mavropanos’ looping header in first-half stoppage-time. Earlier, the keeper had almost gifted the visitors an opener when he flapped at a cross, but Taty Castellanos’ acrobatic follow-up was cleared off the line by Maxence Lacroix.
Palace’s £85 million January pair, Jørgen Strand Larsen and Brennan Johnson, wasted the hosts’ best chances. Johnson, still without a goal since leaving Spurs, glanced wide from six yards and later dragged a right-foot shot across the face.
West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo introduced Callum Wilson for the final quarter-hour yet the striker barely touched the ball. Ismaïla Sarr thought he had stolen victory for Palace when he tapped in late on, only for the goal to be ruled out after Jean-Philippe Mateta handled in the build-up.
“We fight every day,” Nuno said. “The table is tight, but our spirit is strong.”
The draw lifts West Ham to 35 points, four above Tottenham, who have taken just four from the last 36 available. Wolves, on 28, can no longer catch up and will play in the Championship next season.