West Ham have received a major reprieve in the battle to avoid relegation after Nottingham Forest and Spurs were both beaten on Sunday.
The Hammers followed up a disappointing home draw against Bournemouth with a 5-2 defeat at Liverpool to squander the chance to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone.
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A graphic showing the statistic that West Ham have conceded 15 goals from corners in the Premier League this season.
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But Nuno Espirito Santo and his West Ham side now know that is exactly what they will do with victory at in-form Fulham in midweek.
That’s after Nottingham Forest lost 2-1 away to Brighton and West Ham’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur were beaten by the same scoreline at Fulham.
West Ham faced an anxious wait over their relegation fate following the 5-2 defeat at Anfield.
A win for Nottingham Forest would have put the Tricky Trees effectively six points clear of the Hammers due to Nuno’s side’s inferior goal difference.
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Victory for Spurs at Craven Cottage would have put them effectively eight points clear of West Ham.
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With just 10 games to go, those gaps would have seemed like chasms.
Forward-thinking Sam Allardyce used to state that research showed it can take up to eight games to overturn a gap of six points or more.
So it seems the stars really are aligning for Nuno and the Hammers.
Nuno Espirito Santo during Liverpool v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Nuno targeted six games West Ham must win to stay up.
The Bournemouth game was one of those, making the dropped points all the more frustrating.
The Irons got away with that when Forest and Spurs lost to Liverpool and Arsenal respectively last weekend.
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Now West Ham have got away with their big defeat at Liverpool after Forest fell 1-0 and then 2-1 down to Brighton in an opening 15 minutes that contained all the action.
Spurs found themselves 2-0 down at half-time against Fulham but could not claw it back despite scoring with 15 minutes left to play.
Now comes West Ham’s big chance.
The Hammers can climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since November if they beat Fulham on Wednesday night and Forest fail to beat Man City at the Etihad.
That would also see West Ham pull to within a point of Spurs, who host Crystal Palace on Thursday evening.
West Ham must step up with Spurs vs Forest clash on horizon
The timing would not be better for the Hammers either.
While Nuno’s side do face difficult games against Man City and Villa after Fulham, there is a guarantee Forest and Spurs will drop points as they play one another soon.
After Man City, Forest face Fulham before a trip to Spurs.
Nuno knows he must have West Ham ready to take advantage when that game comes around.
Leeds United were beaten by Man City on Saturday night to keep them in the relegation picture for now too.
Here is a look at each side’s remaining 10 matches as Nuno and his men plot a new great escape.
Team Remaining 10 fixtures (Opponent + H/A)
West Ham United Fulham (A), Manchester City (H), Aston Villa (A), Wolves (H), Crystal Palace (A), Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle United (A) and Leeds United (H)
Nottingham Forest Manchester City (A), Fulham (H), Spurs (A), Aston Villa (H), Burnley (H), Sunderland (A), Chelsea (A), Newcastle United (H), Man United (A) and Bournemouth (H)
Tottenham Hotspur Crystal Palace (H), Liverpool (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Sunderland (A), Brighton (H), Wolves (A), Aston Villa (A), Leeds United (H), Chelsea (A) and Everton (H)
Leeds United Sunderland (H), Crystal Palace (A), Brentford (H), Man United (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A), Burnley (H), Spurs (A), Brighton (H) and West Ham (A)
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