West Ham relegation prediction made as unwanted Premier League record repeat remains possible

Nuno Espirito Santo has warned that West Ham United’s relegation battle is far from over after the Hammers secured a precious Premier League point in a goalless draw with Crystal Palace on Monday night.

Just over a week on from thrashing Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 at the London Stadium, West Ham were unable to claim back-to-back victories as they had to settle for a share of the spoils in a fairly uneventful stalemate at Selhurst Park.

A point for the Hammers confirmed Wolves’ relegation to the Championship, while it moved Nuno’s men in 17th spot two points clear of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 18th with five games left to play.

While West Ham lacked ruthlessness in the final third against Palace, they showed great character and resilience in defence which impressed Nuno, keeping successive Premier League clean sheets for the first time since February last year.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, Nuno said: "That was a tough match, always is against Palace. We had some good moments in the first half and it started to go a bit side-to-side in the second half. A very tough, balanced match. It could have gone both ways."

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Relegation fight "will go all the way", says West Ham boss Nuno

Asked if the relegation fight will go to the final day of the season, the Hammers boss said: "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."

"We don't make points, we play games. We have a mission ahead and keep going,” Nuno added when asked how many points his side need to avoid the drop.

As quoted by Sky Sports, Nuno continued: “Every day is important and it is going to be a fight until the end,” he said. “I think (we have the characters).

“I think we’re proving that we don’t give up. We are committed. You can see today, even though it was not the perfect game for us, it was a game that we fight.

“We were organised, committed, had team spirit, the basics that I consider to keep fighting until the end. The players, they are aware and they are giving it all, so I am positive about it.”

How West Ham will view their draw with Palace will utimately be determined by whether or not they survive; Hammers fans can take positive from claiming at least a point, but victories are still needed to settle the nerves in East London.

West Ham, who have spent the last 14 seasons in the Premier League, currently have 33 points on the board from as many top-flight games, and in each of the last nine campaigns, teams who accumulated 36 points or more have avoided relegation.

However, this could prove to be a campaign where the traditional 40 points - the amount often cited as the key target to guarantee safety - are required, meaning West Ham would need to claim at least seven more points from their remaining five fixtures.

West Ham supporters know all too well that reaching the 40-point mark or exceeding it might not be enough to survive, though, as the Hammers suffered relegation in the 2002-03 season with 42 points – the highest point tally ever recorded by a demoted Premier League team in a 38-game campaign.

Nuno’s side will now turn their attention to a home encounter with David Moyes’s Everton on Saturday, before taking on Brentford, title hopefuls Arsenal, Newcastle United and relegation-threatened Leeds United in their final four fixture in May.