West Ham relegated, Arsenal lift Premier League trophy on emotional final day

LONDON: Arsenal finally got their hands on the Premier League trophy and Tottenham Hotspur managed to stay up to bring joy to all sides of North London on Sunday, but there was despair in the east of the city as West Ham United were relegated on the final day of the season despite a 3-0 home win over Leeds United.

Having secured the title when Manchester City dropped points in midweek, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal received the trophy at Selhurst Park following a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

Arsenal finished top on 85 points, seven clear of Manchester City in second, with Manchester United seven points further back in third after a 3-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion.

“That was beautiful,” Arteta said. “Look at the joy of all of the people, they have been waiting for this for so long. We have had difficult moments along the way, but it is all worth it when you see that kind of reaction.”

Villa’s win over City secured fourth place and Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Brentford secured fifth place and Champions League football next term, but all eyes were on Pep Guardiola, who is departing after a trophy-laden 10 years in charge of Manchester City.

“I leave with an incredible sense of peace, I gave everything. Good things, bad things, it’s part of the sport. I feel so much love, that is the truth,” Guardiola told the BBC after his emotional farewell to the home fans.

At the other end of the table, Tottenham survived a late onslaught to emerge with a 1-0 win over Everton that condemned West Ham to the drop, alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley who played out a 1-1 draw.

It was a day of departures for big-name players as Mohamed Salah got the assist for Liverpool’s goal against Brentford before making an emotional exit, with full back Andy Robertson also leaving the club.

One of the bigger milestones of the day came in the north-east, where Sunderland beat Chelsea 2-1 to finish seventh and secure European football for the first time in more than half a century.

“Coming up to the start of the season, I don’t think anyone gave us a chance to stay up, let alone Europe. We’ve worked our socks off and fully deserve that,” Sunderland goal-scorer Trai Hume told the BBC.

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