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West Ham drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace on Monday and got a vital point in the game to avoid relegation and ensure Premier League bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers went down.
Wolves cannot collect enough points in the last five games to avoid the drop and will return to the Championship for the first time since 2018.
Relegation looked inevitable for the Midlands club for most of a woeful season, but even a string of more encouraging performances over the past few months could not save it.
The finish came far from home in a dull game in south London.
West Ham had the better of the opening exchanges but the score remained goalless at the break. Although Palace woke up in the second half, it did not create many chances and neither goalkeeper was particularly busy.
The point was nevertheless welcomed by the Hammers, who moved two ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in 18th place.
“A point at the end of the day is not the worst thing in the world,” said captain Jarrod Bowen.
“We are trying to keep West Ham in the Premier League. We can’t rely on anyone else, we have to look at ourselves and keep fighting to stay in the Premier League.”
Palace, who have won just three of their last 26 Monday night Premier League games, remained in 13th place.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s shutout was Palace’s 12th clean sheet of the season, a record only surpassed by top two Arsenal and Manchester City.
“(That record) is an incredible return for our league position,” Henderson said. “The defensive unit is so good, anyone who comes in has been outstanding. That’s the foundation we’ve built and hopefully added some goals at the other end.”
Report from the Associated Press
