London
Norwich have been relegated from the Premier League after suffering their 24th defeat of the season, losing 4-0 at home to West Ham on Saturday afternoon.
The Canaries needed to avoid a loss against the Hammers at Carrow Road to keep their slim hopes of survival alive.
Prior to the match, Farke admitted that his team were destined for the drop, telling reporters: “Even if we win the last four games, I would say with at least a 99 per cent guarantee it would not be enough to stay in this league.”
The German manager’s prediction proved correct, as Norwich got off to the worst possible start when Michail Antonio turned the ball into the net for the visitors following a Jarrod Bowen corner with just 11 minutes on the clock.
The home side didn’t allow their heads to drop after the opener as the game turned into a real end-to-end contest, but top scorer Teemu Pukki squandered their best chance when he headed a pinpoint Jamal Lewis cross wide of the post.
Farke then watched his side concede from another set-piece right on half-time, as Antonio latched onto Mark Noble’s expert delivery to divert a header past Tim Krul and into the far corner of the net.
Antonio completed his hat-trick early in the second half before adding a fourth to round off a comfortable 4-0 victory for West Ham, who have now moved six points clear of the relegation places.
Norwich’s relegation was confirmed at the final whistle, as they remain rock bottom of the table on 21 points with only three matches remaining.
Norwich can no longer mathematically make up the ten-point gap on 17th placed Watford, as they missed the chance to gain some ground on their rivals following the Hornets’ 1-1 draw with Newcastle at Vicarage Road.
Farke’s men have only won a total of five games all season, conceding 63 goals while only managing to score a measly 23 at the other end of the pitch.
Pukki’s prolific form in the first half of the campaign looked set to inspire the Canaries to safety, but results began to take a turn for the worse when the Finland international stopped finding the back of the net. Norwich have lost all six of their games since the resumption of the season on June 17, and they still have trips to Chelsea and Manchester United to come.—AP
