Sunderland game cost £6m and 3 places
The Irons finished the 2016/2017 season in eleventh place yesterday on 45 points but just one point separated the next three places. West Brom finished in tenth place with 45 points on better goal difference than the Irons while Bournemouth finished ninth and Southampton eighth both on 46 points each.
Back in mid-April West Ham were leading the now relegated Sunderland 2-1 before an injury time equaliser by Fabio Borini denied the Hammers all three points.
Andre Ayew opened the scoring for the Hammers at that day, prodding past Jordan Pickford after a scuffed Andy Carroll volley fell to him in the penalty area. Sunderland levelled it up with Wahbi Khazri’s corner flying straight in for the Black Cats’ first goal in more than 11-and-a-half hours. James Collins headed in from a Robert Snodgrass corner to put West Ham in front add it looked that would be enough to win the game before Borini levelled spoiled the victory party in injury time.
A win over Sunderland last month would have meant West Ham would have finished in the eighth spot in the Premier League table with 47 points earning £25m in merit prize money.