The first team in this Premier League season officially relegated.

After many rounds languishing at the bottom of the standings, Wolverhampton Wanderers became the first team to officially bid farewell to the Premier League this season.

The sad fate of "The Wolves" was confirmed after West Ham only managed a draw against Crystal Palace, making the point gap between the two teams irrecoverable with only 5 rounds left in the season.

After 33 matches played, Wolves have only secured 17 points - a number too low to compete for survival. They are 16 points behind the safe zone, with only a maximum of 15 points left to gain. This means the Molineux-based team officially drops to the Championship after 8 consecutive years in England's top league.

This is a bitter end to a disastrous season for Wolves. The team has won only 3 matches since the start of the season, scoring 24 goals, the lowest in the league. A stagnant attack, an unstable defense, and instability in the coaching staff are the main reasons leading to the collapse.

Wolves entered the season with manager Vitor Pereira, who helped them successfully stay in the league last season. However, a poor run of results led to his dismissal in November when the team had only 2 points. The chosen replacement was Rob Edwards, with a long-term 3.5-year contract, showing the leadership had early preparations for relegation.

Under Edwards, Wolves showed some improvement by gaining 15 more points, even surprising with wins against Aston Villa and Liverpool, and a draw against Arsenal. However, those positive signs were not enough to salvage the situation. After the national team break, Wolves continued to disappoint with heavy losses to West Ham 0-4 and Leeds 0-3, thereby officially being "condemned".

Chairman Nathan Shi acknowledged this is a difficult time for the entire club, while committing to a strong rebuild to return to the Premier League soon. He emphasized the team had started planning reforms since December and will focus on rebuilding the squad, regaining trust from the fans.

From a team that reached the Europa League quarter-finals in 2020, Wolves now must start anew from the Championship. The journey ahead is certainly not easy, but with the existing foundation, they still have the opportunity to return if they know how to rise after this painful fall.