West Ham Manager Nuno Expects Relegation Battle to Go Down to the Wire

Nuno Espirito Santo believes the Premier League relegation fight will be decided on the final day after West Ham secured a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace. The Hammers arrived at Selhurst Park knowing a win would extend their lead over Tottenham to four points in the battle to avoid the drop. However, a tightly contested match saw neither side break the deadlock, with the combined expected goals tally at just 1.21 (0.68 for Palace, 0.61 for West Ham).

Following their 4-0 victory over Wolves—whose relegation was confirmed earlier in the week—West Ham have now recorded consecutive Premier League clean sheets for the first time since February 2025. They sit two points above Tottenham, with Opta’s supercomputer giving them a 38% chance of relegation, lower than Spurs’ 57.2%.

West Ham’s remaining fixtures include matches against Everton, Brentford, Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Leeds United. Nuno anticipates a tense conclusion to the season. "We performed well. We were organised and compact," he told Sky Sports. "It was a tough match. Our offensive process, the combinations didn’t quite go right—the final ball, the final touch. The game was very balanced."

He added, "It’s a tough shape to play against. It’s brought them a lot of success. They are good players, and you can’t find the gaps. They are a threat on the counter. We were solid. It’s going to be a fight until the end. It will go all the way, for sure—not just at the bottom but at the top. This season has been very tight."

When asked how many points West Ham need to secure safety, Nuno responded, "We don’t make points, we play games. We have a mission ahead, and we’ll keep going."

Captain Jarrod Bowen marked his 350th league appearance and 250th start for West Ham but had limited impact, attempting just one shot with an xG of 0.04. Bowen acknowledged the significance of the point, stating, "They are a really good side, on a high from Europe. We knew it would be tough, and we had to defend well. We had chances that on another day could have gone in. A point isn’t the worst result."

He emphasized the importance of unity, saying, "Quality alone won’t save us. It’s about team spirit, and we showed that with a clean sheet. We can’t rely on other results—we have to focus on ourselves and keep going."