Norwich relegated from Premier League as four-goal Antonio lifts West Ham
Norwich were condemned to a record fifth relegation from the Premier League as Michail Antonio's four-goal blitz fired West Ham to a 4-0 win at Carrow Road on Saturday.
A seventh successive league defeat for Daniel Farke's side sealed their fate as Antonio's ruthless display boosted West Ham's own survival bid.
Norwich are 13 points from safety with only three games left, meaning they are certain to make an immediate return to the Championship after last season's promotion campaign.
The Canaries have become accustomed to relegation in the Premier League era, going down on four previous occasions in 1995, 2005, 2014 and 2016.
Farke was already resigned to relegation before this weekend given Norwich had lost every game since the coronavirus hiatus.
"We wanted to beat the odds again but when the dust settles the outcome is more or less what was expected. It doesn't take anything away from the fact that we are disappointed," Farke said.
"From the first day after promotion our chances to survive were perhaps 5 percent so in 19 out of 20 cases you will go down. If you have luck and no injuries then you have a chance.
"When we are 100 percent we are competitive but when it's 96 or 97 percent then it sometimes looks like men against boys. That's what I expected."
With all games being played behind closed doors, some Norwich fans might have been relieved not to have to watch the embarrassment of their limp demise in person.
In truth, they have looked out of their depth among the Premier League elite from the moment they paid the price for a naively attacking game-plan in a 4-1 defeat at Liverpool on the opening day of the season.
Farke was hamstrung by Norwich's decision not to spend big money on new signings following their promotion.
Since Teemu Pukki's early-season goal rush dried up, they have been on a relentless slide towards the Championship.
A 3-2 win over Manchester City was a rare highlight but just weeks later a 5-1 home defeat against Aston Villa underlined the problems undermanned Norwich would endure all season.
Norwich face losing promising youngsters Todd Cantwell and Max Aarons to Premier League clubs when the transfer window opens.
West Ham's second win in four games was a huge lift to their hopes of staying up.
David Moyes' side are six points above the bottom three with three games left against Watford, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Troy Deeney scored two penalties as Watford improved their survival prospect with a 2-1 win against Newcastle at Vicarage Road.
Fourth bottom Watford are now six points clear of third bottom Bournemouth, who face Leicester on Sunday.
Second bottom Aston Villa are seven points adrift of safety before Sunday's clash with Crystal Palace.
READ ALSO:
Free-scoring Man Utd 'a different team', says Solskjaer
United became the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive games by a three-goal margin as Mason Greenwood continued his rise to stardom with another thunderous finish after Bruno Fernandes's controversial penalty opened the scoring.