Liverpool bag last spot
Liverpool clinched the English Premier League’s final Champions League spot, Swansea’s relegation were confirmed and champions Manchester City finished with 100 points on a goalpacked final day of the football season.
Mohamed Salah scored his 32nd league goal of the campaign as Liverpool beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0, securing fourth place, five points above Chelsea, who were beaten 3-0 at Newcastle.
Swansea needed a miracle to stay up at the expense of Southampton but their 2-1 defeat at home to already-relegated Stoke put paid to any dreams of survival.
Manchester City finished with a record points haul after a 1-0 win at Southampton, leaving them 19 points ahead of Manchester United, who beat Watford 1-0, with Tottenham, who edged out Leicester City 5-4, four points further back in third.
Liverpool warmed up for this month’s Champions League final against Real Madrid with goals from Salah – who won the Golden Boot as league top scorer with a record total for a 38-game season – Dejan Lovren, Dominic Solanke and Andrew Robertson sealing a place in next season’s top-tier European competition.
The Reds have struggled in recent matches, losing 1-0 at Chelsea and drawing with Stoke and West Bromwich Albion – two relegated teams – to take the fight for fourth place to the final weekend
‘‘Perfect,’’ Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said. ‘‘That is for us like a little pre-season. Everyone can imagine the boys need a bit of rest. We give them two days and then go to a camp. Then five days again to prepare the last game. That is what we need.
‘‘We showed the kind of football we couldn’t show the last few games. The boys are humans, not machines.’’
Liverpool’s result rendered Chelsea’s match at Newcastle irrelevant to the Champions League battle and Antonio Conte’s side went down 3-0 at St James’ Park.
Swansea needed a 10-goal swing – beating Stoke and seeing Southampton hammered Manchester City – to stay up.
But Xherdan Shaqiri’s penalty gave Stoke victory at Swansea and the Welsh side will join Stoke and West Brom in the Championship next season.
‘‘It was an emotional day,’’ Swansea defender Angel Rangel said. ‘‘We knew it was impossible to stay up. We lost.
‘‘It’s been the hardest season. From start to finish we have been down there. It’s been unfortunate, because it’s such a great club. We need to build again.’’
Gabriel Jesus grabbed the only goal deep in injury time to give Manchester City the win at Southampton, who nevertheless stayed up.
Spurs needed to match Liverpool’s result to secure third spot and they did in dramatic fashion, coming from behind three times to clinch a 5-4 win over Leicester. by
Jamie Vardy, Riyah Mahrez and Kelechi Iheanacho gave the visitors a 3-1 lead, but two Erik Lamela goals, an own goal by Christian Fuchs and Harry Kane’s second of the day won it for Spurs.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger signed off after 22 years and 1235 games in charge with a 1-0 win at Huddersfield, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbing the winner.
‘‘To enjoy it we had to win it – winning football games is what makes me happy and the boys did it,’’ Wenger said.
‘‘Do I feel relief? Not really, I’m sad. At some stage it has to end, I wish everyone well, the fans have been great until the end and I wish the club well for the future.’’
Manuel Lanzini scored twice as West Ham beat Everton 3-1, while Crystal Palace beat bottom side West Brom 2-0 and Bournemouth won 2-1 at Burnley.