Leicester City and Leeds United have been relegated from the Premier League after a dramatic final day that saw Everton stay up.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s second-half strike saw Sean Dyche’s side beat Bournemouth 1-0, while Leeds were thrashed 4-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Leicester beat West Ham United 2-1, but it wasn’t enough given Everton’s win.
The Athletic analyses a dramatic 90 minutes of nail-biting action at the bottom of the table…
Leeds go for six at the back in must-win game… and concede after two minutes in both halves
You need a win to stay up, and even that might not be enough. You could do with a big swing in goal difference too. So what do you decide to do? If you’re Sam Allardyce, you name a starting line-up with six defenders in it and very little in the way of recognised attacking players, aside from Jack Harrison and Rodrigo.
And then, as you settle into your position in the dug-out, you watch that defence-heavy team concede after one full minute of play; nobody tracking Harry Kane, who just doesn’t miss from the position you gift him. So begins a shambles of a performance, in a shambles of a formation.
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Leeds are so painfully limited and have been for most of the season. But perhaps this four-game period has put paid to the notion of Allardyce sticking around for any longer. There has been little, if anything, in his time in charge which has made him look like someone with his finger on the pulse.
And while it might be different if he was a permanent appointment with his own squad, presuming as much or trusting him is too great a risk to take. Leeds going down to the routine of Weston McKennie long throws… it really has been that bad.
Phil Hay
Dyche appointment pays off
The big dilemma for Sean Dyche heading into Sunday’s game was how he would plug gaps in his defence and attack. With no fit full-backs and no Dominic Calvert-Lewin, much of the week was spent experimenting with different formations, trying to come up with a solution.
Dyche settled on a change of shape to three at the back that was rarely pretty but ultimately successful.
Up against the dangerous Dango Ouattara, an Everton target in January, summer signing James Garner filled in gamely at right wing-back. The midfielder revealed after last weekend’s match against Wolves that he had not previously played in his new position, yet he was composure personified again at Goodison.
Garner snapped into tackles, passed intelligently and forced Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers into a superb first-half save. On the other side, Dwight McNeil was an effective, willing runner.
The absence of Calvert-Lewin hit harder. In the first half, dangerous crosses into the box went begging. All too often, they did not have the players or presence to make it count. But Doucoure’s wonder strike, which conjured memories of Gareth Farrelly’s equaliser against Coventry in 1998 that kept Everton up, made all the difference. By hook or by crook, Dyche had found a way.
His arrival at the end of January as a replacement for Frank Lampard proved to be the turning point in Everton’s season.
Patrick Boyland
Doucoure is vital for Everton
Football is never more theatrical than the final day, and Doucoure scoring the goal that kept Everton up is full circle from the midfielder being frozen out under former head coach Frank Lampard.
“He’s certainly someone that could help the club going forwards,” said his manager Dyche in February.
“Different managers see different things; different managers want different things,” he added. “He keeps working in both boxes, driving with his running that’s for sure. The signs are good.”
Doucoure played key roles in big Everton wins: driving forward in the first minute against Brentford to assist Dwight McNeil’s match-winner, as well as scoring twice in the first 30 minutes to set up a massive 5-1 away win against Brighton, and registering a goal and an assist in the late 2-2 draw against Chelsea.
Liam Tharme
Leicester relegated… despite scoring 51 goals
Leicester have become only the third side to be relegated from the Premier League (in a 38-game season) after scoring over 50 goals in a season.
Their 2-1 win over West Ham United at King Power Stadium wasn’t enough to keep them up after Everton’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth, but Harvey Barnes’ first-half goal took them to the half-century mark for the season, and Wout Faes’ second-half header meant they equalled Middlesbrough’s tally of 51 in 1996-97. The other team to score over 50 was Blackpool in 2010-11 (55).
But Pablo Fornals’ consolation meant they have conceded 68, the joint third-highest total in the division.
For many, it could be the last time they represent the club as they slip into the Championship. Youri Tielemans, Jonny Evans, Papy Mendy, Daniel Amartey, Ayoze Perez, Caglar Soyuncu and Ryan Bertrand are all now out of contract, while it is expected James Maddison and Harvey Barnes will be sold.
Kelechi Iheanacho seemed to wave to the crowd as he was subbed off, replaced by Jamie Vardy, who still has one year left on his contract. It was a big call from interim manager Dean Smith to leave out Leicester’s all-time record Premier League goalscorer for Iheanacho, although it didn’t impact the outcome.
The damage had already been done by this side’s poor defensive record, with just one clean sheet in their last 23 league games the main reason for their relegation.
Rob Tanner
Leeds’ wasteful finishing has cost them
If you concede first in 20 of your 38 Premier League this season, you’re bound to be in the relegation zone. Leeds’ faint hopes of survival were stamped on after just two minutes with a Harry Kane finish, but what followed was even more representative of their season.
Leeds had nine shots in the first half as they looked to claw back the result. Only once have they registered more efforts in the opening 45 minutes — versus Crystal Palace in April — this season. However, only one of those nine shots tested Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
In fact, just three of Leeds’ 19 shots hit the target across the 90 minutes.
Across the whole season, Rodrigo has performed well in front of goal — scoring 4.6 non-penalty goals above his xG — but, as a team, Leeds have not tested the goalkeeper as frequently as they should have all season.
Their share of shots on target stands at 31.4 per cent at the end of the season, which is the third-worst ratio of any Premier League side.
Working an opportunity is one thing, but it goes without saying that converting those chances is where you climb out of trouble from the relegation zone. If ever a single game encapsulated a team’s whole season, it was at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.
Mark Carey
This is how the table looked at the end of the day:
(Top photo: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)