Wolves relegated as West Ham edge towards safety after goalless draw at Crystal Palace | OneFootball

West Ham’s goalless yet action-packed draw with European semi finalists Crystal Palace confirmed Wolves’ relegation from the Premier League, putting an end to their eight-year stint in the top flight.

Palace winger Brennan Johnson had two good chances to put his side in front days after they earned their spot in the Europa Conference League semi finals, but failed to get his header and curling effort on target.

Ismaila Sarr came off the bench to rifle home what he was certain was the opener, only for it to be ruled out for a handball by Jean-Philippe Mateta in the build up, leaving the Hammers just two points above Spurs and Palace five points off of Europe.

Now 16 points adrift with 15 left to play for this season, the bottom club’s nigh inevitable fate was confirmed as the Hammers missed the chance to go four points clear of the drop zone.

As it happened

The encounter first saw Jorgen Strand Larsen’s flick at the near post run wide seven minutes in and Argentine striker Taty Castellanos send a shot over the top as the ball broke to him from a fast break through the middle.

Brennan Johnson would rue a brace of missed chances, first heading wide after the Hammers gave the 24-year-old a free header inside the six yard box and then curling a promising effort past the post.

Jefferson Lerma was robbed of possession just before the half-hour mark, trying to meet the crowd’s plea to shoot from halfway after Mads Hermansen came off his line to clear and the ball bounced into the midfielder’s path.

Spearheading the counter-attack, Jarrod Bowen moved it on quickly to Summerville but the Dutchman’s shot was blocked.

West Ham were finding their feet and almost edged themselves in front when Castellanos went for the spectacular with an overhead kick to meet Dean Henderson’s punch that didn’t quite have the required distance, but Maxence Lacroix made the block.

Tyrique Mitchell was alive to read a loose pass in the midfield in first half stoppage time and drove a low effort wide from the left once he reached the penalty area unchallenged.

Oliver Glasner turned to his bench on the hour mark, bringing on Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr, and Daichi Kamada, who were all rotated out of the side that beat Fiorentina to reach to the Europa Conference League semi finals in midweek.

Palace enjoyed a decent spell of pressure, but it was almost for naught when a slip from Lerma, having intervened to stop Summerville’s through ball to Pablo, allowed Castellanos in but he couldn’t sort his feet out and fell to ground inside the box.

The hosts thought Sarr would prove to be the substitute when he lashed into the roof of the net at point blank range with nine minutes of regular time left, only for the referee to spot a handball by Mateta to set up his Senegalese teammate.

West Ham pushed for a crucial winner that would send them four points clear of rivals Tottenham in 18th place and at risk of joining Wolves in the second tier, but their last-minute corner was well defended by Glasner’s side to confirm the inevitable for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Crystal Palace analysis: balancing act takes toll once more with Europe the priority

Oliver Glasner saw fit to make four changes to the side that edged ever closer to a first European trophy, beating Serie A side Fiorentina 4-2 on aggregate to reach the Europa Conference League semi finals.

Given Palace’s early struggles this season and their current league position of 13th, five points off of qualifying for next year’s competition with a game in hand, the decision to field a weaker team made absolute sense. And it didn’t have as detrimental an effect as before.

As pointed out by BBC Sport, Palace have lost six of their 10 Premier League games that came straight after a match in the Conference League, with the last four resulting in two wins, a draw, and only one defeat.

Though rotation players like Brennan Johnson will regret not making his chances count as a means of signalling his worth as a candidate for a regular place in the first team going forward, the London side have gradually improved at the balancing act as the campaign approaches the end where it matters most.

As frustrating to some as those missed chances may have been, it was nonetheless a solid performance when taking into account the one-game advantage for Palace over the European contenders above them.

If Glasner adds a third piece of silverware to what was a barren trophy cabinet at Selhurst Park at the start of last season, ensuring qualification to the Europa League, few fans will look back on this result with much anguish at all.

West Ham analysis: a solid point or missed opportunity?

Nuno Espírito Santo’s men may well be kicking themselves for missing out on the chance to go four points clear of Tottenham, heaping further pressure on Roberto De Zerbi to lead the surprise strugglers to a first win of 2026.

Glasner’s hand was forced to make changes to ensure his best talents get the rest they need ahead of one of the biggest games in the club’s rapidly growing history, and chances weren’t amiss for the Hammers – particularly in the first half.

The visitors’ 0.61 expected goals was just 0.07 lower than Palace, with Taty Castellanos and Crycensio Summerville lively outlets on the break. Jarrod Bowen was the spearhead of several attacks looking to catch the hosts out of shape, but the quality of shot or final pass wasn’t quite there to grab a hugely beneficial victory.

It won’t be enough to cause panic among supporters nor players and staff at the London Stadium, with Spurs in such catastrophic form at the worst point of the season, but West Ham will need to show the same clinical edge they did against the now-relegated Wolves if they aren’t to join them in the Championship next season.