EPL: Everton survives as Leicester and Leeds relegated

LONDON — Everton staged another last-day escape in the English Premier League to extend its 69-year stay in England’s top division as Leicester and Leeds were relegated.

rling Haaland was named the Player of the Season, after a record-breaking debut campaign in which Manchester City claimed their third straight league title.

The 22-year-old was also voted the league’s best young player, becoming the first person to win both awards in the same season. Haaland has scored 36 goals in 35 games this season, breaking the previous record of 34 in a single Premier League campaign shared by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer that had stood for nearly three decades.

Abdoulaye Doucoure smashed home a 57th-minute goal to earn Everton a 1-0 win over Bournemouth that was enough to keep the team two points above Leicester, whose 2-1 victory against West Ham was in vain.

Leicester is relegated seven years after winning the Premier League at preseason odds of 5,000-1 in one of sport’s great underdog stories.

Leeds lost 4-1 to Tottenham and also went down after three years in the league.

Everton, which has been in the top division since 1954, survived on the final day of the season in both 1994 and 1998.

Relegation was the main focus with the title having already been clinched by Manchester City and the four qualifiers for next season’s Champions League already decided.

Manchester United climbed above Newcastle to finish third thanks to a 2-1 win over Fulham, while Aston Villa sealed seventh place and a spot in the Europa Conference League after beating Brighton 2-1.

The wildest game saw Southampton and Liverpool draw 4-4.

Champions Manchester City left the majority of their first-choice players on the bench and were beaten 1-0 at Brentford, who signed off a brilliant season by completing the double over Pep Guardiola’s side — Ethan Pinnock scoring a late winner.

It was City’s first defeat in 26 matches in all competitions but their eyes are fixed on next Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United and then the Champions League final versus Inter Milan a week later in Istanbul.

“I said to the players after the game, today we finished the Premier League that you deservedly won, enjoy two days with your families, don’t see each other and on Wednesday we’ll prepare the first final,” Guardiola said.

Arsenal, whose title challenge collapsed under City’s relentless pursuit, at least ended on a high note as the runners-up crushed visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-0 with Granit Xhaka scoring twice.

Manchester United ensured they finished third with a 2-1 home win over Fulham while fourth-placed Newcastle United rounded off an impressive season with a 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

Seventh-placed Aston Villa grabbed the last European spot with a 2-1 victory against sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion to book a place in the Europa Conference League, leaving eighth-placed Spurs without any European football next season.

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi capped his strong end to the season with a sixth goal in four games in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace in the final round of the Premier League.