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West Ham ended a record-breaking season with a 3-0 win over Southampton and a place in the Europa League.<\/p>\nWest Ham ended a record-breaking season with a 3-0 win over Southampton and a place in the Europa League.<\/p>\n
David Moyes\u2019 side, who were battling relegation last year, secured sixth place and their best Premier League points tally of 65.<\/p>\n
Two goals from Pablo Fornals and a third from Declan Rice made it a club record 19th Premier League win of the season, and a first top-six finish this century.<\/p>\n
A maiden appearance in the group stages of the Europa League now beckons for a side tipped to struggle again at the start of the season.<\/p>\n
Whether Moyes can build a squad capable of the grueling Thursday-night-to- Sunday slog is something to worry about another day. This was time to celebrate a notable achievement for the 58-year-old former Everton and Manchester United boss, now enjoying a genuine career renaissance.<\/p>\n
A crowd of 10,000 were finally allowed into the London Stadium to laud a team which has exceeded all expectations, even those of Moyes himself.<\/p>\n
Perhaps understandably they had a couple of jittery moments in the early stages, not least when a Southampton counter-attack saw Danny Ings and Stuart Armstrong combine to send Takumi Minamino through on goal.<\/p>\n
The on-loan Liverpool winger lifted the ball over the advancing Lukasz Fabianski but it floated just wide of the far post.<\/p>\n
West Ham almost profited from Alex McCarthy dropping a corner onto the shoulder of Kyle Walker-Peters, forcing Mohammed Salisu to hook the ball off the goal-line.<\/p>\n
Craig Dawson looped a header onto the roof of the net and Fornals volleyed over before the nerves were finally calmed on the half-hour mark, when Jarrod Bowen raced onto Michail Antonio\u2019s header and shot across goal.<\/p>\n
McCarthy could only palm the ball out to the feet of Fornals, who smashed home the rebound.<\/p>\n
Two minutes later the hosts were two ahead, Fornals again the man in the right place to turn in a low cross from full-back Vladimir Coufal.<\/p>\n
After the break Fabianski palmed an angled Minamino shot over the crossbar and, from the corner, acrobatically tipped away Jan Bednarek\u2019s header.<\/p>\n
Nathan Tella then had the ball in the net but a linesman\u2019s flag denied him a second goal in three matches.<\/p>\n
However, it was an underwhelming end to a streaky season for Southampton, a 15th defeat from their last 21 matches and an unwanted club record of most goals conceded in a single Premier League campaign.<\/p>\n
That tally reached 69 when Rice capped a memorable season personally with the third goal, five minutes from time.<\/p>\n
The young England midfielder, who has captained West Ham superbly throughout the campaign, collected a chip from Fornals, strode forward and stroked the ball past McCarthy to get the European party started.<\/p>\n