West Ham United’s hard-earned 0-0 draw away at Crystal Palace means Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have extended their advantage over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League relegation zone.
Well, ever so slightly.
The Hammers missed the chance to deliver a ‘huge dent’ to Tottenham’s survival hopes in South London. What could have been a four-point gap between 16th and 17th is, with five matchdays remaining, stands at a precarious two.
Do you feel BETTER or WORSE about West Ham’s survival chances after gameweek 33? 🤔
The Hammers stayed two points clear of Spurs…
Yet, West Ham United have the substantial advantage of knowing their fate is in their own hands. Win all of their remaining matches – as unlikely as that may be – and Premier League football will return to the London Stadium in 2026/27.
West Ham United can relegate Tottenham from the Premier League
If Roberto de Zerbi was to lead Tottenham to a staggering run of five successive wins between now and the end of May, Spurs will finish on 46 points.
The highest tally West Ham can finish on is 48.
While the 2002/03 ‘too good to go down’ side were extremely unlucky to be relegated on 42, one suspects that an identical tally would be enough to guarantee survival nearly a quarter of a century later.
The Hammers may need only eight points from fifteen
As their goal difference is inferior to Tottenham’s at this stage, the maximum amount of points West Ham need right now to avoid the drop is 14. Given that there are only 15 to play for, Nuno is probably right when he says the relegation battle will be ‘a fight until the end’.
Jamie Carragher says West Ham need 40 points! Do you agree? 🤔
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But should Tottenham lose away from home at both Chelsea or Aston Villa – two teams with European aspirations – only eight points from their final five matches will be enough for West Ham.
Opta’s so-called Supercomputer crunched the numbers on Monday night and concluded that West Ham have a 38 per cent chance of relegation at this stage. Tottenham, however, are staring down the barrel with a 57 per cent chance of starting next season as a second-tier outfit.
If Spurs lose even two of their final five matches, home wins over Everton and Leeds, plus a point apiece away at Brentford and Newcastle, will guarantee survival for the Hammers.