West Ham United’s 14-year stay in the Premier League ended on the final day of the season – even as they beat Leeds United at the London Stadium. The victory proved meaningless, with results elsewhere condemning the club to the Championship.
On a day of high drama, Tottenham survived after narrowly beating Everton, while Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay, Jonathan Wilson and Jacob Steinberg gathered on the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast to unpick the carnage. Steinberg examined the failures behind West Ham’s decline, the future of the London Stadium and what comes next in the second tier.
“West Ham relegated from Premier League after 14 years despite beating Leeds on final day.”
The final day also saw Sunderland remarkably qualify for the Europa League, Bournemouth and Brighton secure European football, and Aston Villa finish fourth after spoiling Pep Guardiola’s farewell at Manchester City. There was heated debate about the rise of in-game guards of honour after emotional send-offs for Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and John Stones. Liverpool said goodbye to Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, while Chelsea prepare for life under Xabi Alonso. Elsewhere, Thomas Tuchel named his England squad, and Harry Maguire’s family reacted furiously to his omission.
For West Ham, however, the only question now is how quickly they can bounce back from the Championship.