Unbridled relief for Everton, gut-wrenching realisation for Leicester City and Leeds United.
The Merseyside club did what they had to on a frayed final day of the 2022/23 season, just about squeezing past Bournemouth at Goodison Park to persist in the Premier League. The 1-0 win, secured by Abdoulaye Doucoure’s emphatic second-half strike, ensured a 70th successive top-flight campaign was theirs.
Leicester and Leeds, meanwhile, slid from the vista view. Needing Everton to slip and themselves to defeat West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively, neither got what they wanted.
Everton’s win rendered redundant those other results. Nevertheless, Leeds were lanced 4-1 at home to Spurs, but to their credit Leicester did what they had to. They saw off West Ham at the King Power, triumphing 2-1. Yet it proved futile.
Relegation confirmed, Dean Smith’s men became only the second Premier League champions after Blackburn Rovers to drop from the top tier of English football. Seven years on from their crowning glory, the feat that shocked the football world, Leicester were stunned. They were left reeling.
Everton, of course, had been here before. For a third time in three decades, they survived a potential final-day demotion, coming through the 100 minutes and more to emulated Graham Stuart and Co from 1994, and Gareth Farrelly et of four years later.
All afternoon, across the three teams staring into the abyss, the nerves were never far from the surface. Leeds, though, were almost out of it from the off. On two minutes, they afforded Harry Kane too much space inside their penalty area, leaving the Spurs striker to finish with aplomb - his 29th goal of the season.
He would later add another, not long after Pedro Porro had doubled the visitors' advantage three minutes into the second half and immediately after Jack Harrison's consolation for Leeds.
At the death, Moura signed off his Tottenham career with his team's fourth. Turning their ire from players to board, the Leeds fans chorused, with an expletive or two, for the club’s hierarchy to sell up and leave.
At Everton, it would be tense for the entirety. Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers, in for Neto after the Brazilian was granted compassionate leave following the death of his mother, was in inspired form, twice denying Idrissa Gueye as the Everton crowd grew ever more restless.
Not long past the hour, their anxiety swelled. News filtered through that Leicester had scored, Harvey Barnes following his give-and-go with Kelechi Iheanacho to slide his shot past West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. As it stood, Leicester were safe, Everton gone.
Perhaps pushing too frantically, Everton were nearly caught out. Marcos Senesi skewed his close-range shot across the home goal, while Dominic Solanke’s effort following James Tarkowski’s loose play was blocked by Yerry Mina.
In first-half stoppage time, Travers tipped over James Garner’s arrowed effort.
With Leeds seemingly down and out, it was left to Everton and Leicester to duke it out, 200 kilometres apart. At the former, Travers got down brilliantly to repel Gray’s point-blank header. In reality, the Everton winger should have done better.
But then, their reprieve. On 57 minutes, Doucoure latched onto a loose ball 20 yards out and thundered a half-volley past a rooted Travers. His fifth goal of the season was by some stretch his storied club’s most important this campaign. Potentially, for some time to come.
Doucoure was swiftly swallowed up by thankful teammates. All around them, Goodison Park erupted.
All Leicester could do was retain hope. They kept their side of the bargain, Wout Faes heading home a James Maddison free-kick from the left to make it 2-0, even if their superiority was short-lived. Pablo Fornals pulled a goal back for West Ham, but it would not be enough.
It wasn’t for Leicester, either. They had gleaned the hollowest of victories, their fate sealed by Everton’s narrow success.
Everton had done it, relying on an almighty endeavour and Jordan Pickford’s superb injury-time save from Matias Vina’s ferocious volley to get over the line.
The great escape was complete.
