West Ham boss Nuno predicts relegation battle will go to the wire

Nuno Espirito Santo is convinced the Premier League’s relegation battle will go to the final day, after West Ham battled to a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

The Hammers travelled to Selhurst Park knowing a victory would give them breathing space in the fight to avoid the drop, moving them four points clear of Tottenham.

However, there was nothing to separate the teams in a tight affair that saw them combine for a mere 1.21 expected goals (0.68 xG for Crystal Palace, 0.61 for West Ham).

And following their 4-0 rout of Wolves – whose relegation was confirmed by Monday’s result – West Ham have now kept back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since February 2025 (against Arsenal and Leicester City).

They are now two points clear of Spurs, with the Opta supercomputer assigning them a 38% chance of relegation, lower than the 57.2% likelihood assigned to Roberto De Zerbi’s men.

West Ham face Everton, Brentford, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Leeds United in their remaining fixtures, and Nuno expects a nervy finish to the season.

“We performed well. We were organised and compact,” Nuno 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.

“It’s a tough shape to play against. It’s brought them a lot of success. It’s hard because they are good players. You cannot find the gaps. They are a threat on counter-attacks.

“We were solid. It’s going to be a fight until the end. It will go all the way, for sure. Not only at the bottom of the table but at the top. This season has been very tight.”

The points are shared with Palace. pic.twitter.com/Dfm5Hf3LKn

— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 20, 2026

Asked how many points West Ham need to clinch safety, Nuno replied: “We don’t make points, we play games. We have a mission ahead and we’ll keep going.”

West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen made his 350th league appearance overall and registered his 250th start for the Hammers in all competitions, but he was held to a peripheral role, only attempting one shot with an xG value of 0.04.

The England international believes the point could be invaluable, saying: “They are a really good side, on a high from Europe. We knew it was going to be tough coming here and we would have to defend well.

“To be fair, we did have some chances that on another day could have gone in. We wanted to come here and win, but I don’t think a point is the worst thing in the world, either.

“Quality is not going to get you out on its own. It’s team spirit and togetherness and I think we did that with a clean sheet. We’ll take a point, with the situation we’re in.

“We can’t rely on results or look at everything else going on. We have to focus on ourselves and keep fighting.”