West Ham relegated as comfortable win over Leeds is in vain

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.

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