With relegation confirmed for Wolves and Burnley, Nottingham Forest recorded an astounding 5-0 win away at Sunderland to move just a point behind Leeds and go a long way to securing their place in the Premier League for 2026/27. The good form of Forest and Leeds had seemed to turn a four-way battle to avoid the final relegation spot into a straight fight between teams from the east and north of London.
However, on Saturday afternoon, both of those two teams registered crucial victories. West Ham beat Everton 2-1, while Spurs won away at Wolves by the narrow margin of a goal to nil. Both were desperate for a win, and with them both kicking off at 3 pm, the matches really had that end-of-the-season feel, with fans well aware of what was going on in the other game.
We have seen so much incredible drama in the footballing world recently. The events of the final game of the National League season between Rochdale and York will take some topping. But the rollercoaster of emotions felt by supporters of West Ham and Tottenham won’t have been all that far behind those experienced by followers of the two lower league rivals.
Spurs Win at Last
Over the past 12 weeks, so much has been written about Spurs’ inability to win in the league. Consequently, we won’t drill down too much into the numbers and details, other than to say that with May around the corner, they remained winless in the Premier League in 2026. An astonishing stat for a team that aspired to join a breakaway European Super League!
Their dismal run finally came to an end with a nervy, barely deserved victory against one of the worst sides in Premier League history. Wolves have taken just 17 points from 34 games, and have been awful all season, aside from a six-game spell where they won nine of their points.
Tottenham knew they had to win this game, irrespective of the results elsewhere. They got the job done, but only just. The game was a real stinker and remained 0-0 until the 82nd minute. Away from home, they created little, mustering just two shots on target. It was a scrappy clash as both sides fought hard without looking like breaking the deadlock.
There were far more bookings (seven) in the game than there were shots on target (four), but Roberto Da Zerbi and co will not care a jot about the stats. The only thing that matters for them is the three points. Even so, they face a real challenge to maintain their PL status.
The Hammers’ win must have felt like a hammer blow for the Tottenham faithful. It leaves them mired in the bottom three, still two points adrift, though if things go to goal difference, they currently have a six-goal advantage. Unfortunately for Spurs, their remaining fixtures look tough, with trips to Aston Villa and Chelsea, plus home games against Leeds and Everton. That Monday night game against Leeds on the 11th of May looks like a must-win fixture.
An important win in Wolverhampton pic.twitter.com/WUFs5SGaqz
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 25, 2026
Emotions Aplenty in East London
West Ham came into the round of fixtures in a strong position thanks to their two-point cushion over Spurs and their superior form. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men had, after all, managed to win in 2026. Five times in fact. And they headed into a home clash against Everton having taken eight points from the last 15 available.
They knew that a similar return from the remaining five games would almost certainly be enough to keep them up. So far, so good, as a win over an Everton chasing European football next term gave them three more crucial points, but that certainly does not tell the whole story.
The London Stadium has often been a febrile, hostile place this term, and the Hammers have, like Spurs, been poor at home. However, for much of the clash with the Toffees, managed by former West Ham boss David Moyes, the crowd were relaxed, happy and confident.
The Hammers did not muster a shot on target in the first half, but they edged things, with Crysencio Summerville regularly looking a threat. However, they took the lead early in the second period through Czech Tomas Soucek. With Spurs still level in the Black Country, it was looking like a very good afternoon for the Hammers.
That changed to some extent when news filtered through that Tottenham had scored, but things quickly went from bad to worse as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall fired home an equaliser for Everton in the 88th minute. It was no less than the Toffees deserved as they had been knocking on the door and were denied a clear penalty just minutes before they scored. All of a sudden, it seemed that rather than gaining two points on Spurs, they might end the day in the bottom three.
But the rollercoaster would dip and rise again, as the Hammers scored a late, late winner. Just a couple of minutes after the fourth official indicated there would be eight minutes of added time, Callum Wilson, on as a sub, bagged a goal that might just go down in West Ham folklore.
Some West Ham fans had already left the ground, but the ones inside celebrated enough for everyone. So it is as we were at the bottom, although the two wins mean that Forest and even Leeds are not quite as safe as they might have felt and could still have a little work left to do.
Continuing the momentum pic.twitter.com/NwZJkZt7rV
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 26, 2026