Luton will join Sheffield United and Burnley in the Championship next season. Photo: Getty Images/Richard Pelham .telegraph.co.uk/c7c17079-37f8-4193-91c7-0980e401d93a.html?direct=true&id=c7c17079-37f8-4193-91c7-0980e401d93a' class='tmg-particle sport-widget wrp-c7c17079-37f8 -4193- 91c7-0980e401d93a' title='Match summary: West Ham United vs Luton Town' data-business-type='editorial' loading='eager' scroll='no' Frameborder='0'allow='web-share' style= 'width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: relative; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;'>
Luton's relegation from the Premier League is all but confirmed. Defeat to West Ham on Saturday afternoon meant Rob Edwards' side would finish in the bottom three of the Premier League unless there were 12 goals between them and Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season.
< p >With Burnley's relegation confirmed on Saturday – thanks to defeat at Tottenham Hotspur – and Sheffield United already condemned to relegation, the relegation battle is effectively over with one game left in the season.
Playing away at the London Stadium, Luton scored the first goal through Albert Sambi Lokonga and led at half-time. However, the hosts' second-half blitz ended their slim hopes of Premier League survival. James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek scored within 10 minutes and George Earthy's third goal put the nail in Luton's coffin.
Edwards and some of his players wept, seemingly resigned to an immediate return. Championship as they applauded the away support after the final whistle.
Edwards was overcome with emotion at the final whistle Photo: Getty Images/Richard Pelham
Meanwhile, for David Moyes, Saturday was a farewell to the London Stadium . After months of speculation and just four wins from 21 matches since the start of the year, West Ham finally announced on Monday that Moyes was leaving after four-and-a-half years in charge.
Julen Lopetegui is set to usher in a new era in east London but Saturday gave West Ham fans, even those tired of Moyes and his supposed defensive tactics, a chance to thank the Scot for his second spell in charge with another win at the top. seven finishes, three seasons in Europe and, of course, that night in Prague last summer.
Unlike the Europa League-winning team, however, the first half was West Ham 2024 in a nutshell. – lethargic, sloppy, devoid of ideas and defensively suspicious.
Just five minutes had passed when Alfie Doughty crossed into the box and Lokonga dived ahead of Angelo Ogbonna to fire home from six yards.
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Luton, still fighting for its life despite , who had been plagued by injuries all season, suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in the battle for victory.
Meanwhile, Moyes and his players were accompanied by a few cheers as they headed down. tunnel during a break.
This was Moyes's last game at the London Stadium. Photo: CameraSport/Rob Newell
However, the mood of the fans changed eight minutes into the second half when Jarrod Bowen raced down the right flank and his cross was half saved by the boot of Thomas Kaminski.
The ball fell to Ward -Prowse. , who fired low and hard past the grounded Hatters keeper from 14 yards.
Bowen almost gave the hosts the lead when he intercepted Gabriel Osho's back-header, but could only flick the ball into Kaminski's hands.
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Kaminski then saved two successive headers from Michail Antonio, with Bowen parrying the ball home. a second inch from goal.
West Ham's goal was approaching and Soucek struck in the 65th minute after Lokonga had saved Ward-Prowse's shot.
Then came the sweet moment for Herti, who came on as a substitute a month after his debut, lasted just two minutes before he collapsed and was taken to hospital.
The 19-year-old will certainly remember his second appearance, scoring his first senior goal within a minute of coming on to raise hopes for a future as West. Ham bid a fond farewell to the past.
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