West Ham United faced a dilemma after their lackluster 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Monday, with many questioning whether they gained a point or lost two. This result leaves them precariously positioned just above the Premier League relegation zone.

A win would have allowed Nuno Espirito-Santo's revitalized team to establish a four-point cushion above third-from-bottom Tottenham Hotspur with only five matches remaining, but the stalemate has put them at risk.

West Ham remains in 17th place with 33 points from 33 matches, while 18th-placed Tottenham has 31 points from the same number of games, along with a poorer goal difference.

This Saturday, West Ham will host Everton, while Tottenham faces bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, whose relegation was confirmed by the draw at Selhurst Park.

"It was a very tough, balanced match that could have swung either way," the West Ham manager, whose squad was seven points adrift of safety in mid-January, told Sky Sports. "This will go down to the wire, for sure. It’s tight at both ends of the table this season.

"We have a mission ahead, and we must keep pushing."

The London derby was closely watched in north London, with Tottenham hoping for Crystal Palace to aid them in the relegation battle.

West Ham's best chance came from a powerful header by Konstantinos Mavropanos, following a cross from El Hadji Malick Diouf, which forced a reflex save from Dean Henderson. Taty Castellanos also had a bicycle kick blocked.

Despite having their sights set on a Conference League semifinal, Palace struggled in the first half but should have scored when Brennan Johnson, Tottenham’s hero from last season's Europa League final, inexplicably headed off-target, prolonging his goal drought.

Johnson did have a better attempt that curled just wide.

Palace controlled the second half, with substitute Ismaila Sarr finding the net, but the goal was disallowed due to a handball by Jean-Philippe Mateta.

This marked Palace's sixth 0-0 draw of the season, extending their unbeaten run in the league to four games and keeping them in 13th place with 43 points.

Manager Oliver Glasner voiced his support for Johnson, who has yet to score in 19 appearances for Palace since transferring from Tottenham in January.

"He was a significant threat today. Scoring isn’t the only contribution attackers make; he performed well off the ball. It was a positive step forward," he said.

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