West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo stated that his team made a “significant stride” towards Premier League safety with a 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, which relegated Tottenham Hotspur into the Premier League drop zone.
This outcome lifted West Ham out of the relegation zone for the first time since December and positioned their London rivals in the bottom three for the first time this season.
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West Ham appeared destined for the Championship after suffering a home defeat to Nottingham Forest in January. That loss to their relegation competitors left them winless in 10 matches and seven points from safety, but five wins in the subsequent 11 games, along with Spurs’ noticeable decline, have significantly altered the situation at the bottom of the table.
“We are extremely happy,” Nuno remarked. “Everyone deserves a night like this, especially our supporters. London Stadium was incredible; it was filled with energy even during the challenging moments when the game was tough.
“I understand there is still much work ahead. We took a major step today, which was crucial for us, but nothing has changed.”
ValentΓn Castellanos netted two goals within three minutes midway through the second half after Konstantinos Mavropanos had given the Hammers a 1-0 lead with a header just before halftime.
Konstantinos capped off the scoring seven minutes before the end with an acrobatic volley from a corner.
Wolves remained at the bottom of the league and are nearly certain to face relegation.
This result highlighted West Ham’s resurgence under Nuno. The earlier match at Molineux in January was arguably the team’s lowest moment of the season as they lost 3-0, becoming the first team to fall to Rob Edwards’ side.
Following the defeat to Nottingham Forest, the team has not looked back.
“I hope [the best result] is still ahead of us,” Nuno expressed. “That day at Wolves was difficult for everyone at the club. Today we shifted the dynamic.”
Tottenham still holds a game in hand over West Ham in the struggle to avoid relegation but now faces the alarming possibility of dropping into England’s second tier for the first time since 1977.
This means new Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi will start his tenure away to Sunderland on Sunday while looking up at the dotted line.
The Associated Press and PA contributed to this report.
