West Ham relegated, emotional farewells for Salah and Guardiola on final Premier League day
Al Jazeera Staff
Tottenham secured survival with a 1-0 win over Everton, while West Ham's 14-year stay in the English top flight ended. The final day also featured tearful departures for Pep Guardiola and Mohamed Salah. West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 but could not escape relegation because Tottenham also won.
West Ham United have been relegated, while Tottenham Hotspur preserved their Premier League status on an emotional final day of the season that saw Pep Guardiola and Mohamed Salah bid farewell to English football after record-breaking eras.
West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 on Sunday but could not escape the drop zone because fourth-from-bottom Tottenham also won, 1-0 at home against Everton, to maintain a two-point gap over their London rivals.
Spurs went into their match against Everton effectively needing only a draw to avoid relegation for the first time since 1977 – they held a two-point lead over the Hammers with a vastly superior goal difference.
Joao Palhinha relieved the tension at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just before half-time, tapping in after a header came back off the post.
That meant West Ham's 14-year spell in the Premier League was over, while Tottenham will extend their run in the top flight to a 49th consecutive season.
Guardiola’s decade-long reign at Manchester City – which brought six Premier League titles – ended with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, after which Bernardo Silva and John Stones, two pillars of Guardiola’s tenure, were given a guard of honour. The manager embraced both and wiped away tears with his shirt.
At Liverpool, Salah received a thunderous ovation – and kissed the Anfield turf – when he was substituted in the second half of his 442nd and final appearance for the Reds, where he provided an assist in a 1-1 draw with Brentford. The Egyptian forward ends nine years at Liverpool with 257 goals. The result secured Liverpool a place in next season's Champions League.
Meanwhile, champions Arsenal – crowned for the first time since 2004 – closed their campaign with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
Sunderland became the fifth team in Premier League history to qualify for Europe in their first season after promotion, defeating Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday. Sunderland will join Bournemouth (who drew 1-1 at Nottingham Forest) in next season's Europa League, while Chelsea missed out on European football altogether after finishing 10th – just 10 months after winning the Club World Cup.
The Conference League place went to Brighton, who finished eighth despite a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United. United, with star Bruno Fernandes scoring and providing his record-breaking 21st assist of the season, had already secured a Champions League place alongside champions Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa. Crystal Palace could also win a Europa League spot if they beat Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final in Leipzig on Wednesday.
In other Sunday matches, already-relegated Burnley and Wolves drew 1-1, while Fulham beat Newcastle 2-0.
Haaland wins Premier League Golden Boot
Erling Haaland won his third Golden Boot in four seasons at Manchester City on Sunday, despite not playing in Guardiola's farewell at the Etihad after being omitted from the matchday squad. The Norwegian scored 27 goals in 35 Premier League appearances this season as City fell just short in their attempt to deny Arsenal the title. Haaland joins Alan Shearer and Harry Kane as a three-time winner of the award, trailing only Salah and Thierry Henry – the only players to have won it four times in the Premier League era. Brentford's Igor Thiago finished second with 22 goals, earning a call-up to the Brazil squad for the World Cup.