West Ham edged themselves a step closer to Premier League safety with a scoreless draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Hammers moved two points clear of Tottenham, who sit inside the relegation zone in 18th, and confined last-placed Wolves to the drop as a result.
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It was former Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson, who had the best chance to give his former club a boost.
The Welshman, who scored the only goal in Spurs’ Europa League final triumph against Manchester United last year, is still yet to find the back of the net for his new club and had a golden chance to break that duck in the 19th minute.
Johnson was left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box from a corner, but somehow sent his free header five yards wide of the goal.
West Ham had their chances too.
Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson showed on the stroke of half time that the south London club were up for a fight despite having enjoyed a night out in Florence last Thursday after their UEFA Conference League quarter-final victory against Fiorentina.
Henderson made an excellent save to deny centre back Konstantinos Mavropanos’ powerful header.
That chance came shortly after Palace defender Maxence Lacroix cleared Taty Castellanos overhead kick off the line after a Henderson punch spilt to the Argentine forward.
“Probably feeling both frustrated and happy with a draw. They are a good side, on a high from reaching a European semi-final, but on another day we had some chances that we could have scored,” West Ham captain Jarred Bowen told Sky Sports.
“A point is certainly not the worst result. We play for West Ham United and we can’t rely on results elsewhere and fight to stay in the Premier League.”
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West Ham hearts were in mouths in the 82nd minute when the ball ended up in the back of their net.
The goal was quickly ruled out, however, as replays showed a clear handball by Jean-Philippe Mateta before setting up Ismaila Sarr.
With that scare avoided, there were plenty of positives for the East London club, who may have the destiny of the relegation fight and the title race in their hands.
If West Ham can finish the season strongly, they can condemn Tottenham to the drop.
While they also could deny Arsenal the title when the Gunners make the trip to the London Stadium next month.
One player who will be key in their remaining five games is 21-year-old Mateus Fernandes.
The Portuguese midfielder, who made his international debut earlier this month, was awarded the man of the match for a tidy display in the centre of the park.
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“We performed well. We expect the best but we were compact in a difficult place in Selhurst Park,” West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo told Sky Sports.
“Our final pass was not quite there, though. Palace are a tough team to play against, with a big threat on the counter attack. We kept the balance and we were solid. Saturday [against Everton at home] we go again. We know we have to do better. It’s very tight.”
Wolves were relegated from the Premier League after West Ham’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace sealed their fate.
The Midlands club are now 16 points behind fourth-bottom West Ham with just five games to go and are mathematically certain to drop down to the Championship.
Bottom of the table Wolves, managed by Rob Edwards since November, have endured a miserable campaign, winning just three league matches from their 33 games to date.
Despite notable recent wins against Aston Villa and Liverpool, Wolves have looked relegation certainties for months and their eight-year stay in the Premier League is coming to an end.
Vitor Pereira, now in charge of Nottingham Forest, started the season in charge of the Molineux club but the Portuguese coach was sacked in early November after a terrible start to the campaign.
Former Middlesbrough boss Edwards was brought in but he had an almost impossible task and has been unable to work a miracle.
Second-bottom Burnley look certain to join Wolves in the second tier next season.
They will be relegated if they lose against title-chasing Manchester City on Wednesday.
Tottenham came agonisingly close to climbing out of the relegation zone on Saturday but conceded a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Brighton.
The north Londoners have not won a Premier League match since December, with new boss Roberto De Zerbi winless in his first two games.
Nottingham Forest and Leeds are also in the relegation battle, but both won at the weekend to pull well clear of the drop zone.
Frank Lampard’s Coventry, currently top of the Championship, on Friday sealed their return to the Premier League next season after a 25-year absence.