A cagey start to the game was unsurprising under the circumstances, and nerves for the majority inside the London Stadium transferred onto the pitch. Indeed, it was the visitors who carved out the first opportunity when Lukas Nmecha prodded his effort well wide of the target in the seventh minute.
The Hammers lacked urgency, and the crowd voiced their frustrations as they didn’t muster their first chance until the 16th minute, when Pablo’s half-volley inside the box was headed over the bar by Pascal Struijk.
In the 23rd minute, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men then finally registered their first shot on target, with Mateus Fernandes’ strike from range stinging Karl Darlow’s palms.
A moment of quality from the boot of Fernandes was a rare highlight for West Ham during a disappointing first half, and they were almost behind when Mads Hermansen quickly rushed out to smother Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s shot from six yards in the 35th minute.
The Englishman, who has 14 Premier League goals this term, then saw his powerful strike blocked by Konstantinos Mavropanos before James Justin hit the side netting from Calvert-Lewin’s pass.
Leeds had already secured their survival with a win against Burnley in April, but they looked the more likely to break the deadlock until the hosts mustered two chances on the stroke of half-time.
Firstly, Taty Castellanos saw his header sail over the bar before El Hadji Malick Diouf’s cross dropped invitingly to Pablo, who struck the side netting with the angle against him.
Nuno made a substitution at the break, with Callum Wilson replacing Pablo, and the veteran made an immediate impact shortly after half-time. He played a neat through ball into Taty’s path, but he stumbled in the box, and his resulting shot was off-balance and weak.
But having missed multiple chances to score, Taty finally converted one of them in the 66th minute as he headered Jarrod Bowen’s corner past Darlow to give West Ham a crucial lead.
A period of dominance continued for the hosts, and Bowen doubled his side's advantage 12 minutes from time.
West Ham’s captain latched onto Fernandes’ superb through ball before brilliantly converting from a tight angle on his weaker right foot.
Wilson then rounded off the scoring in emphatic style in the 94th minute with a drilled strike from the edge of the box after missing a sitter just moments earlier.
An improved second-half performance and three goals couldn’t prevent the Hammers from sliding into the Championship, though, as Tottenham’s 1-0 victory over Everton confirmed their relegation.
This means the Irons will be playing in the second tier for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign. As for Leeds, a 14th-place finish in the Premier League and a run to the FA Cup semi-final can be regarded as a success on their return to England’s top flight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mateus Fernandes (West Ham United)
