West Ham relegated as comfortable win over Leeds is in vain
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LONDON, May 24 : West Ham United were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday for the first time in 15 years despite a 3-0 home win over Leeds United, as Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 victory over Everton confirmed the Hammers' demotion from England's top flight.
The hosts needed a victory with Spurs losing to stay up, having started the game two points behind their relegation rivals with a far inferior goal difference.
West Ham were fortunate to be level when news of Spurs' first-half goal spread around the ground, quietening the London Stadium and leaving the Hammers reliant on an Everton comeback.
They rarely looked like scoring until Taty Castellanos gave them hope with a 67th-minute header.
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Jarrod Bowen doubled the lead with 10 minutes left to put the three points beyond doubt, prompting many fans to turn their attention to updates from Spurs' match across London.
Substitute Callum Wilson added a fine third in added time, but it was in vain as Spurs' nervy win condemned West Ham to their first relegation since the 2010-11 season.
"It's a horrible place to be in football ... relegation for a club like this, it hurts," Bowen told Sky Sports. "We did enough today in terms of our result but throughout the season we just haven't done enough consistently."
WEST HAM'S 39 POINTS NOT ENOUGH
West Ham finished on 39 points from 38 games, the highest tally for a relegated team since Birmingham City and Blackpool went down with 39 points in 2010-11.
The Hammers will look back on a dreadful start to the season, taking four points from their first nine games, as the cause of their demise.
Coming three years after their Conference League triumph, the Hammers' problems stem from years of mismanagement and poor recruitment. Fans put protests against the ownership to one side on Sunday until shortly after Castellanos' goal, when chants of "sack the board" rang out from the stands.
"Last season we were in a similar situation but managed to wriggle out of it, this season we haven't managed to wriggle out of it because we've been there all season," Bowen said.
"So it's not something that has just happened and it's fresh. It's been something, especially for the last couple of seasons, we have been really, really below the standards."
Top players are likely to depart over the summer, meaning West Ham may struggle to bounce straight back as they did after they last went down.
But coach Nuno Espirito Santo declined to comment on the future of his players.
"Now we have to go through this period of sadness, understanding the frustration and anger of the fans and rightly so," he told reporters.
Leeds finished 14th with 47 points in their first season back in the Premier League, having secured their top-flight status with relative ease.
"Everyone who's connected with Leeds United can look into a bright future because the foundations are there," coach Daniel Farke told reporters.
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