Ham

There are sure to be plenty more twists and turns in the final weeks of the season.

But, after their hard-fought and well-deserved win against Wolves, West Ham‘s players can at least breathe a sigh of relief as attention turns to their relegation rivals – Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Spurs – for the rest of the weekend.

Up first are Forest, who host Champions League-chasing Aston Villa at 14:00 BST on Sunday, after a gruelling Europa League quarter-final first leg against Porto on Thursday.

Later in the day, Spurs, as mentioned, will have to inflict just a fourth home defeat of the season on an impressive Sunderland side if they are to move out of the relegation zone at the first time of asking.

Leeds – one point and two places above West Ham – round off the weekend’s fixtures on Monday when they travel to Manchester United.

But it will not be easy against one of their fiercest rivals – Daniel Farke’s men have not won at Old Trafford in the league since 1981.

A favourable weekend of fixtures for the Hammers then?

It is little wonder West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen admitted he would be keeping a close eye on the television over the weekend.

“I’ve got three kids to entertain but I will keep an eye on the games,” added Bowen. “We have a bit of time before the game against Palace then go again.

“The spirit, the togetherness is so important in this situation. You can always have quality, but you need grit and desire and a will to win through the whole squad.

“The only thing we know as a club is to keep fighting and doing what we’re doing and take it into the next six games.”

Before they head to north London, those present in east London will remember this experience for a long time.

Leeds sold out their entire 9,000 allocation, taking up all the space behind one of the goals and contributing to a fantastic atmosphere.

For most of the game, the Whites looked in complete control. Japan’s Ao Tanaka gave them a first-half lead, with England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubling their advantage with a 75th-minute penalty that looked to have killed the game off.

But in the 11 minutes of injury time, Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi scored to take the tie into extra-time.

Taty Castellanos and Pablo both had goals ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee (VAR) in a breathless extra-time period, where Leeds also had two shots cleared off the line.

There was added drama as Areola suffered a leg injury at the end of injury time, meaning Herrick – who was on loan at fifth-tier Boreham Wood as recently as January – was handed a first Hammers appearance in the 120th minute and just before the shootout.

He saved from Piroe, but Perri ensured he would be the goalkeeping hero with his two saves.

“This is the magic of the cup, anything can happen and today was a crazy and memorable game. Happy that we won the match and we are into the semi-finals now,” said Perri.

“For this fanbase it shows the magic of them, the love they have for this team. It is a pleasure to play for this team.”