Wolves have become the first team to be relegated from the Premier League this season after West Ham United earned a point from their visit to Crystal Palace on Monday night, to ensure Rob Edwards' team succumbed to the inevitable.

A really disappointing one for the club, who showed a lot of promise in the early years of their return to the top-flight, including back-to-back seventh place finishes in their first two seasons, which saw them qualify for, and reach the Europa League quarter-finals in the 2019-20 season.

Nevertheless, the relegation has been long coming for the West Midlands club, who managed to survive the drop last season thanks to the upsurge under Vitor Pereira, who took over midway through the season and achieved what can be regarded as an incredible feat.

Unfortunately, the Portuguese couldn't sustain his mojo this season and was shown the exit door as the 2017-18 Championship winners head towards the record for the worst start in Premier League history, an infamous record they wouldn't escape.

Despite a tough fight that saw them pick up points and wins against many of this season's heavyweights, they couldn't escape the inevitable, in a season where they never really got going.

In the wake of their return to the second division after eight consecutive seasons in the top-flight, we take a look at some interesting details fans should know about their resistance, before reality finally catches up with them.

All you need to know as Wolves' relegation is confirmed

1. Worst start in Premier League history

Wolves secured just two points from their opening 18 games, taking over the worst start in Premier League history from Sheffield United, who set the record in the 2020-21 season with just five points in as many games.

After Sheffield United, Southampton last season won just six points from their opening 18 games, and all three teams have shared a similar fate of relegation, with the previous two ending the season in 20th position.

2. Longest winless start to a Premier League season

Wolves failed to win any of their opening 19 games in the ongoing Premier League season, effectively beating the previous record for most, set by Sheffield United with 17 in the 2020-21 season.

A season that started under Vitor Pereira saw them fail to win any of their first 12 league games before the Portuguese was sacked in November, but his successor Rob Edwards couldn't break the jinx as he also failed to secure a win in his first seven league games to set the unwanted record.

3. First team to spend all days of PL season in dropzone

Following the confirmation of their relegation, Wolves will spend all 282 days of the Premier League this season, since their opening game, in the relegation zone, becoming the first side to spend 100% of their days in the drop zone in the new era.

In top-flight history, Wolves become the first since to do so in 56 years since Wolves themselves did so in 1964-65, spending all 250. ts daysat campaign in the relegation zone.

4. End of club's longest top-flight stay in PL era

Wolves have spent eight seasons in the top flight since their return to the Premier League at the end of the 2017-18 season, their longest stay in the new era, well surpassing their previous three which ended with their relegation in 2011-12.

Overall, this is their third-longest top-flight stay since their first year in the English football league in 1889-90, where they survived for 18 seasons before spending a year in the lower league and returning for a historic 35-year stay.

5. Rob Edwards proved a giant killer but no magician

Wolves never looked like they would escape the drop this season, but they surprised many under new coach Robert Edwards between the end of December and the start of the new year, when they went on a run of five unbeaten games across all competitions.

The run included their first win of the season, one that came in the form of a 3-0 scoreline against fellow relegation strugglers West Ham United, while they also earned a draw at Man United, Everton, and at home to Newcastle in that spell.

It was one of the highest points of their season, second only to the run that saw them beat Liverpool and Aston Villa and earn draws against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest between February and March.

Despite these incredible periods, their former player proved no magician, and will have to show whatever he is capable of in the Championship next season, and the Molineux landlords will hope for an immediate return to the top-flight.

6. The Derby County Comparison

Interestingly, the infamous Derby County in 2007/08 team, which still holds the record for the lowest total points in a season (11), actually had 7 points after 18 games, five more than Wolves managed at the same stage this season.

They started stronger than Wolves or the 2020/21 Sheffield United, and Southampton of last season, before completely collapsing in the second half of the season, where they could only win four points from 20 games.

Wolves were able to escape the unwanted thanks to some really unpredictable performances that saw them earn wins against the likes of Aston Villa, and Liverpool, while earning a draw against Man United and League leaders Arsenal.

What next for Wolves?

As the Molineux landlords prepare for life in the Championship, the focus shifts to a massive financial and structural restructure as a host of top players will look for new homes in the summer, with the club also keen to reduce their wage bill.

The transition will be grueling. Wolves faces an estimated £100 million hit to broadcast and commercial revenue, necessitating a ruthless audit of the current wage bill. 

With an eight-year stay ending, many high-profile stars likely have relegation release clauses, signaling a potential fire sale of the club's remaining high-value assets to balance the books, transactions that will ultimately take away their edge over their new counterparts.

The most pressing question remains the dugout, where the board must decide if Rob Edwards, a manager who has previously proven his ability to navigate the rigors of the second tier, is the right person to lead this transition.

Fans are demanding a clear blueprint for an immediate return, but the Championship is a notorious graveyard for former Premier League mainstays, evident with Leicester City's recent relegation to the third division.

Whether through a tactical overhaul or a renewed focus on the academy, Wolves must act decisively this summer to ensure their stay in the wilderness is a short-lived anomaly rather than a permanent decline.