Wolverhampton Wanderers have been relegated from the Premier League after Crystal Palace and West Ham played out a goalless draw at Selhurst Park on Monday evening.
The result mathematically confirmed Wolves’ demotion with five games still to play, ending a campaign that offered very little hope of survival at virtually any point after autumn.
West Ham secured what was ultimately a critical point that lifts them two points clear of Tottenham in 17th, with the gap providing genuine breathing room ahead of a difficult run-in.
Crystal Palace winger Brennan Johnson had a free header in the first half that would have boosted the survival hopes of his former club Tottenham, though the offside flag would have been raised in any case.
Dean Henderson made a sharp save to deny Konstantinos Mavropanos before the break, while Ismaïla Sarr had a late effort ruled out at the other end in a game that never fully came to life despite the stakes.
Oliver Glasner’s Palace side are now four points behind Brentford in the Conference League play-off position, with a game in hand to play, keeping European football a realistic if difficult target.
For Wolves, Rob Edwards now faces a summer of significant decisions about which players will commit to a Championship rebuild and which will activate release clauses or push for exits.
The club have been bottom of the league for the vast majority of the season, and results never suggested a realistic escape route was available despite two managerial changes during the campaign.
Burnley in 19th are also virtually confirmed for the drop, sitting 12 points from safety with five games remaining, meaning two of the three relegated sides are effectively settled with Tottenham still fighting.
West Ham’s survival still requires work, but a two-point cushion and a manageable final run of fixtures has shifted the probability firmly in Julen Lopetegui’s favour heading into the last month.