Everton ensured their Premier League safety with a crucial 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in a tension-filled match at Goodison Park.
Sean Dyche’s team knew that a win would secure their survival regardless of other results, but they found themselves in the relegation zone for a period while struggling to break down Bournemouth, as Leicester City led against West Ham United.
After a deadlock lasting 57 minutes, Abdoulaye Doucoure unleashed a powerful right-footed strike from 20 yards, leaving Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers with no chance of saving it.
The goal ignited an explosion of elation and relief among the emotionally-charged Goodison Park crowd.
As the tension escalated, Everton endured a few close calls from Bournemouth and endured a nerve-wracking 10 minutes of stoppage time before finally confirming their continued presence in the top tier of English football for the 69th consecutive year.
Meanwhile, Leicester City’s nine-year stay in the Premier League came to a devastating end, despite their victory over West Ham on the final day of the season.
Leicester’s fate was no longer in their hands going into the last round of fixtures, and Everton’s 1-0 triumph against Bournemouth condemned the 2015-16 champions to relegation by a mere two points.
While Everton fans celebrated in ecstasy at Goodison Park, Leicester supporters at the King Power Stadium were left to lament a dismal campaign in which their team managed to win only nine league matches.
Leicester made an early attempt to secure victory and their top-flight status when Kelechi Iheanacho combined with James Maddison, narrowly missing the target with a curling effort that struck the crossbar.
The home side eventually broke the deadlock before half-time, as Harvey Barnes coolly finished off an assist from Iheanacho, putting them ahead on goal difference.
During a nerve-wracking second half, Jonny Evans nearly scored an own goal, sending shivers through the stadium.
However, silence descended upon the crowd when news arrived of Everton’s goal. Bournemouth’s Said Benrahma struck a delightful curling effort against the post, and Wout Faes headed in Leicester’s second goal.
Pablo Fornals managed to pull one back for West Ham by stabbing the ball in off the post, securing a 14th-place finish and a six-point cushion from the relegation zone.
In a disappointing turn of events, Leeds United’s final game of the season ended in defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, resulting in their relegation from the Premier League.
The fans at Elland Road expressed their frustration with both the team and the club’s owners, as Leeds’ three-year stay in the top flight concluded meekly and pitifully.
Leeds needed a victory to maintain their Premier League status but fell behind within the opening two minutes due to an excellent finish from Harry Kane. Pedro Porro doubled Tottenham’s lead early in the second half with a strike from a tight angle.
Jack Harrison briefly revived Leeds’ hopes with a goal, making it 2-1, but Kane’s 30th league goal of the season restored Tottenham’s two-goal advantage.
In injury time, Lucas Moura sealed the victory with a superb solo goal, although it couldn’t salvage European qualification for Tottenham, who missed out for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
However, the damage for Leeds goes far beyond relegation. Chairman and majority owner Andrea Radrizzani was absent from the game, but the Leeds supporters made their dissatisfaction clear, demanding that he sell the club.
Chants of “sack the board” echoed in the latter stages of the match. A pitch invader was removed by stewards, and the fans chanted “he’s got more fight than you,” delivering a scathing.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United secured a third-place finish in the Premier League after staging a comeback to defeat Fulham at Old Trafford.
Fulham took an early lead in the first half as Kenny Tete headed in Willian’s corner at the near post. They had an opportunity to extend their lead, but Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty was saved by David de Gea.
Manchester United responded strongly, with Alejandro Garnacho hitting the crossbar with a curled shot. Their efforts paid off when Jadon Sancho poked in the equalizer after a burst into the area by Fred.
In the second half, Bruno Fernandes put the hosts ahead early on. Fred sent him clear, and he skillfully finished beyond Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno. It was a farewell to the Premier League for Southampton as they engaged in a thrilling 4-4 draw against Liverpool at St Mary’s.
Liverpool opened the scoring through Diogo Jota, who capitalized on Romeo Lavia’s poor pass. Roberto Firmino added another goal, marking his final match for the Reds.
James Ward-Prowse pulled one back for Southampton, and Kamaldeen Sulemana scored his first goal for the club to bring them level. Sulemana completed the comeback shortly after halftime, and Adam Armstrong made it 4-2 in favor of Southampton.
Liverpool fought back, with Cody Gakpo scoring a tap-in in the 72nd minute, followed by Diogo Jota’s second goal a minute later to equalize. Mohamed Salah hit the post with a lobbed effort, but neither team could find a fifth goal in the highly entertaining contest.
Arsenal concluded their impressive Premier League season with a resounding victory over Wolves at Emirates Stadium.
Already guaranteed second place, Mikel Arteta’s side finished the campaign with 84 points, their highest tally since the ‘Invincibles’ team claimed the title with 90 points in the 2003-04 season.
Despite their recent downturn in the title race, Arsenal displayed their best form and capitalized on passive opponents.
Granit Xhaka, who has been linked with a move to the Bundesliga, opened the scoring by heading in Gabriel Jesus’ early cross from the right.
The Swiss midfielder, who expressed gratitude to the Gunners on Instagram before the match, added a second from close range after Wolves defender Max Kilman unintentionally deflected the ball into his path.
With Wolves struggling to contain Arsenal’s fluid play, Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard combined to set up Bukayo Saka, who brilliantly curled in the third goal. Arsenal continued their dominance in the second half, with Jesus heading in their fourth at the back post from Trossard’s precise cross.
Brentford also defeated Champions, Manchester City by 1-0 while Chelsea and Newcastle played out a 1-1 draw.