West Ham boss Slaven Bilic voiced frustration after his side's 2-1 loss at Stoke left him having to rely on Manchester United.
Victory at the Britannia Stadium in their final Premier League game of the season would have ensured European football for the Hammers next term, and they took the lead through Michail Antonio.
But they failed to convert a host of other chances, and Stoke turned the game around thanks to Giannelli Imbula's strike in the 55th minute and a header from substitute Mame Diouf two minutes from time.
It means West Ham will only qualify for the Europa League if United beat Crystal Palace in next Saturday's FA Cup final.
Bilic said: "Of course we want them to win, so for those 90 minutes that would probably be right -- we will be Manchester United fans, hoping they win the game, because I think we really deserve to be in Europe given the way we have played this season."
West Ham had lost only one of their last 12 league games prior to this one, and Bilic said: "I'm gutted, given the way we played.
"I would like to congratulate Stoke because they didn't steal it from us -- they just took their chances.
"One part of me is really disappointed, gutted, angry -- but the other half is like I can't be unhappy after these games because the way we played, it was like we were different class after we scored the goal until the end of the first half.
"We should have been more than one up. We said at half-time that if it was basketball we would have been 15 or 20 points clear, but it is football.
"Then, like so many times in football, you concede a goal. So it is just one of those games that makes you really frustrated."