REPORT: Southampton lose at West Ham

Southampton limped into the Premier League off-season on the heels of back-to-back defeats after losing 3-0 at West Ham on Sunday afternoon.

Saints had a pair of chances to take an early lead, but failed to do so after Takumi Minamino shot wide of the post before Kyle Walker-Peters drew a save from close-range.

Against the run of play, however, Michall Antonio played Jarrod Bowen into space with the winger’s initial shot being saved by Alex McCarthy, but only as far as Pablo Fornals who converted rebound to make it 1-0 on 30 minutes.

Fornals doubled his tally three minutes later by firing past a flat-footed McCarthy after Vladimir Coufal intercepted a weak clearance from Nathan Redmond before crossing into the middle of the box.

Declan Rice made it 3-0 by wrong-footing McCarthy and shooting into near corner four minutes from full-time.

Saints, who never threatened the goal after half-time, finished the season in 15th place on 43 points, taking 12 wins in their 38 matches.

James Ward-Prowse became the first player in Premier League history to play every minute in consecutive seasons.

West Ham secured Europa League football with the win after finishing in 6th place on 65 points ahead of Arsenal.

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Cresswell, Ogbonna, Dawson, Coufal; Rice (Diop 90+2), Soucek; Fornals, Lingard, Bowen (Noble 85); Antonio (Benrahma 69)

Unused subs: Randolph (GK), Johnson, Yarmolenko, Fredericks, Balbuena, Odubeko

Goals: Fornals (30, 33), Rice (86)

Bookings: None

Southampton (4-4-2): McCarthy; Salisu, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Walker-Peters (Romeu 60); Redmond, Diallo, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong; Minamino (Tella 62), Ings (Obafemi 85)

Unused subs: Forster (GK), Walcott, Stephens, N’Lundulu, Ferry, Djenepo

Goals: None

Bookings: Bednarek (48), Diallo (67), Salisu (73)