Crystal Palace and West Ham shared the points after a goalless draw at Selhurst Park, in a match that lacked much excitement but resulted in Wolves being relegated from the Premier League.
There was a nervous edge from the outset, with both sides struggling to establish any rhythm. Palace saw early possession without creating anything of note, while West Ham looked the more purposeful when moving forward, particularly down the right flank.
The best opportunities of the first half fell to the visitors. Konstantinos Mavropanos came closest to breaking the deadlock when he met a dangerous delivery inside the six-yard box, only to be denied by a sharp reaction save from Dean Henderson.
They should have gone in front soon after. A loose moment in the Palace defence left Valentin Castellanos with a clear sight of goal, but rather than opting for a simple finish, he attempted an ambitious overhead kick.
Brennan Johnson showed flashes of intent and came closest for the hosts, curling narrowly wide from distance, but his final decision-making often let him down.
Much of Palace’s play broke down before it could develop into anything meaningful in the final third.
Similar patterns in the second half
The second half followed a similar pattern. West Ham continued to look the more likely side, enjoying spells of pressure and delivering a steady stream of crosses into the box, though without finding a decisive touch.
Palace, for their part, struggled to build sustained attacks, instead relying on moments in transition that rarely troubled the visiting defence.
As the match wore on, the tempo dipped and the game became increasingly fragmented. Substitutions from both managers failed to inject urgency, and a sense grew that one moment, rather than sustained pressure, would be needed to separate the sides.
That moment appeared to arrive late on when Ismaila Sarr found the net from close range, sparking celebrations among the home support.
However, those were quickly cut short, with the referee ruling out the goal for handball in the build-up by Jean-Philippe Mateta after a brief check.
West Ham pushed for a late winner and were handed one final chance deep into stoppage time with a corner, but Palace defended well to clear their lines.
The point moves the Hammers two clear of Tottenham, but both sides will feel like it was a missed opportunity.
