WEST Ham’s final-day win over Leeds was not enough as they slid to relegation from the Premier League.
The Hammers needed a victory and for Tottenham to lose at home to Everton to stay up and send Spurs down instead.
They kept their side of the bargain as second-half goals from Taty Castellanos, Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson sank 14th-placed Leeds 3-0 yesterday.
But Spurs beat Everton 1-0 to survive the drop by two points.
It brought to an end West Ham’s 15-year stay in the top flight, with relegation coming a decade after the controversial move to the London Stadium and the hollow promises from the owners that came with it.
Their brief revival under Nuno Espirito Santo, who replaced Graham Potter as manager in September, began too late and fizzled out too early.
“We sold our soul, for this ****hole” rang around the former Olympic Stadium yesterday as fans turned their anger towards chairman David Sullivan.
As for the match itself, Leeds almost sucked the hope out of the building in the opening moments when James Justin shanked a shot across goal, but Lukas Nmecha was unable to divert the ball home.
Nmecha then jinked his way into the West Ham penalty area and squared for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but Mads Hermansen came out to make a vital block.
The Hammers found some momentum and Pablo Felipe’s shot was headed over by Pascal Struijk while Mateus Fernandes saw a drive beaten away by Karl Darlow.
Then, two minutes before half-time, the news filtered through that Joao Palhinha had put Spurs ahead, and the energy was sapped out of the home crowd.
Pablo, the Portuguese striker signed in January for £21million who contributed no goals whatsoever, was replaced at the break by Callum Wilson.
Some hope arrived in the 67th minute when Bowen swung in a corner and Castellanos rose at the far post to bury a powerful header.
Wilson struck the third in stoppage time shortly after Fernandes had sent Bowen scampering through to score.
That meant the Hammers captain was at least able to say a likely farewell to the club with a goal.
West Ham and Wolves, along with Burnley, have gone down, leading to a remarkable statistic.
Next season, for the first time in the 138-year history of English league football, there will be no team beginning with 'W' in the top flight.
