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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Arthur Ferridge

West Ham: Nuno Espirito Santo issues relegation battle rallying cry after Crystal Palace stalemate

Nuno Espirito Santo - (PA)

Nuno Espirito Santo insists his West Ham squad is more committed than ever as they continue their fight to avoid relegation.

The Irons sit 17th in the table, just outside the drop zone, but secured a goalless draw away at Crystal Palace on Monday night to restore their two-point advantage over Tottenham and send Wolves back to the Championship after eight seasons in the top flight.

West Ham were not at their best at Selhurst Park, but were perhaps unlucky to score after Dean Henderson saved well from both Konstantinos Mavropanos and Taty Castellanos in the first-half.

Speaking at full-time, Nuno refused to overanalyse West Ham’s standing in the table, simply saying he wanted his side to finish the campaign on form with the relegation battle set to go down to the final day.

“That was a tough match, always is against Palace,” he reflected. “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.

A fine performance from Dean Henderson ensured a stalemate at Selhurst Park (PA)

“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.”

Nuno continued, affirming that he and his players know what needs to be done to avoid relegation.

“We are committed. We know that we have a mission. We are a big club, and the players are being committed, working very hard and trying to achieve their best levels.

“Today, defensively, we were spot on. Offensively, we had a couple of chances, good saves from Dean (Henderson) also. On that point, there is no arguing. Commitment all the way.

“The situation doesn’t change. We know we have to do better. We know we have to play and perform. It will be a fight to the end so let’s not think about anything else except improvement and commitment.

“Just look at the table. It is very packed all over the place. All these teams are hard to play against. We have a week to work and focus on the next one. Let’s forget about what happened here.”

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