**The nerves were simmering long before kick‑off last night, even if the numbers insisted this should be a routine home win.** A commanding 4–0 victory against [Wolve](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-run-riot-hammers-hammer-wolves-4-0-player-ratings/)s dragged the Hammers out of the relegation zone, and while I’ve always believed the club simply needs to focus on its own results and hit the 41‑point mark, attention now shifts to Tottenham’s trip to Sunderland, Forest’s visit to Villa Park, and Leeds United’s clash at Old Trafford.
When you break down the remaining fixtures, West Ham actually face the toughest run‑in of the four clubs, though still easier than nine other Premier League sides with an Opta difficulty rating of 91.2.
Leeds have the smoothest path with an average opponent rating of 89.0, followed by Spurs at 90.2 and Nottingham Forest at 90.8.
What makes things even more intriguing is that:
Leeds still have to face both Tottenham and West Ham, two genuine six‑pointers that could flip the entire relegation picture.
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Historically, since the league moved to 20 teams in 1995, the average points tally for 18th place is 34.5, meaning the expectation at the start of the season was that 36 points should be enough to survive. Over the last five seasons, though, that average has dropped to just 29.6.
Opta may need to revisit their projections after this weekend’s results. Before Friday, their model had West Ham going down on 37 points, with Spurs surviving on 38, Forest on 41, and Leeds on 42.
Stats are fascinating, but they’re not destiny and Nuno’s side are doing everything they can to rewrite the script.
One final nugget: Friday’s win over Wolves marked only the second time in Premier League history that two West Ham players scored 2+ goals in the same match. The last time was back in 1997, when Paul Kitson bagged a brace and John Hartson hit a hat‑trick against Sheffield Wednesday.
COYI!