Leicester City vs West Ham United. Premier League.
The King Power StadiumAttendance32,183.
Match report and highlights as Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure's strike against Bournemouth seals a 1-0 win to send Leicester down; Foxes end five-game winless run but cannot avoid the drop; Harvey Barnes and Wout Faes put the Foxes 2-0 up before Pablo Fornals halved the deficit
Monday 29 May 2023 07:06, UK
Leicester have been relegated from the Premier League just seven years after being crowned champions despite beating West Ham 2-1 on the final day of the season.
Dean Smith's side started the day in the relegation zone, two points behind Everton in 17th, but Harvey Barnes stepped up for Leicester in their time of need and slotted in a crucial opener (34) after combining with Kelechi Iheanacho to momentarily lift them out of the bottom three.
The King Power Stadium went quiet though after Abdoulaye Doucoure's stunning strike at Goodison Park gave Everton the lead against Bournemouth. Not even Wout Faes' first goal for Leicester (62) - a header from Youri Tielemans' corner - could lift the mood as their destiny was out of their hands.
Pablo Fornals then turned the heat up on Leicester as he halved the deficit in the closing stages (79). The hosts were able to hold on as they ended a five-game winless run but it was too little too late for the 2016 champions. The fairytale story is over.
Leicester needed to win and were relying on Everton slipping up against Bournemouth at Goodison Park. Having not won for more than a month when they beat Wolves at the King Power, it seemed to be a tall order for the Foxes.
However, Leicester put their nerves to one side to produce the type of performance that has been lacking for most of the relegation scrap. Iheanacho was at the heart of Leicester's attacking play as he brought others into the game and nearly opened the scoring, shaving the bar instead.
Iheanacho was involved when Leicester eventually took the lead through Barnes. The Leicester striker played a swift one-two with the goalscorer before he delivered a composed finish from an angle having come in off the left wing. Advantage Leicester.
Jonny Evans nearly undid all of Leicester's good work early in the second half as he lost his bearings and almost headed into his own net from a corner. Other than that Leicester were largely comfortable. Doucoure then spoiled the party at the King Power when he put Everton ahead.
For all of 43 minutes, Leicester were out of the relegation zone. Faes then doubled Leicester's advantage as he headed in his first goal for the club five minutes on from Doucoure's strike but celebrations were muted. It was not enough to save them from relegation. They needed a Bournemouth goal.
On more than one occasion word of a goal from Goodison spread like wildfire in the stands at the King Power. The fans, who had let out roars of celebration, soon discovered that it was fake news. Fornals then set up a nervy finish for Leicester with an effort from range but the hosts saw out the game as all eyes turned to Goodison Park.
The players gathered around in a huddle to watch the final moments of the game on a screen. Bournemouth's Matias Vina nearly delivered in stoppage-time but his volley was expertly stopped by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Leicester's fate was sealed. After nine years, the Foxes are headed back to the Championship.
Leicester manager Dean Smith told Sky Sports: "I thought that was our best performance today. We deserved the win. We put some pressure on but it wasn't to be. I thought when I came here for the final eight games that we'd need 11 points.
"We've fallen two short of that with nine points and it ended up being 11 points. I will look back at the Leeds game and the Everton game but it is over a long season anyway. Disappointed for the owner, the staff and the players. It wasn't to be.
"I'm sure there'll be a review club-wise from people within the club that have been here all season and will understand it [about why Leicester are here] but it's disappointing. Mine has been a remit to come in for seven weeks and eight games to try and keep the team in the Premier League and, unfortunately, I've fallen a little bit short."
Asked if he would like to stay, Smith added: "That's not a question for now. If I get asked then I will have to think about it, but at the moment it is raw because we've just been relegated."
Sky Sports' Alan Smith:
"Leicester did what they had to do but Everton responded. It's a sad day. They've had nine great seasons in the Premier League, the miracle of winning the title and then the FA Cup. It's been a marvellous period in the club's history. Leicester have always been a yo-yo side - even when I joined in 1982.
"Leicester played well today. When you see James Maddison pulling the strings and the pace of Harvey Barnes you think they shouldn't be in this position. They have a lot going for them when in this mood. And fair play to them for playing well in these circumstances - it was as good as they've played for a couple of months. Leicester did their bit but there was an air of resignation.
"They must build a team capable of scrapping twice a week in the Championship. A big overhaul of the playing staff is coming. They should generate some money from the sales. It's a big, big challenge. I hope they can build a team that can challenge to come back up at the first attempt. It's a big club with great support."
Sky Sports' Lewis Jones:
Leicester City were crowned Premier League champions just seven seasons ago. But fast-forward 2,557 days and they have become the second side to carry the unwanted tag of 'Champions to Championship' - following on from Blackburn Rovers.
It was hard to see this fall from grace coming. Leicester have finished in the top half in each of the previous five seasons, missing out on Champions League qualification on the final day in both 2019/20 and 2020/21, prior to an eighth-place finish last season. But this league can swallow you up. Make one wrong key decision in terms of recruitment or strategy and teams will motor past you. The opposition boardrooms are just too shrewd now. One slip is all it takes.
Leicester's recruitment is where it has all gone wrong. There has always been a next along the production line, a Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire, Wesley Fofana, N'Golo Kante or Ben Chilwell. The cupboard has run dry on that part. Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare and Wout Faes for £67m has been good money spent very badly. James Maddison and Harvey Barnes have flirted with season-saving performances, but both have faltered in the heat of a relegation battle, while Jamie Vardy's legs went last season so a reliance on him has proved fruitless.
It is the Championship now. It could be a long road back if the common theme of bad boardroom decisions continues.
Sky Sports' Zinny Boswell:
It's been a season to forget for West Ham domestically but could end up being one of their greatest in a generation if they're successful in next month's Europa Conference League final in Prague.
David Moyes' side wilted under the weight of expectation following back-to-back top-seven finishes and a summer expenditure exceeded only by Chelsea and Man Utd. This was meant to be a season of progression, instead Hammers fans were met with regression. It nearly cost Moyes his job.
Reports suggested he was one game from the chop in January. But Moyes was triumphant in the game against Everton dubbed El Sackico as he bested Frank Lampard, who was let go by the Toffees a few days later. Moyes just about clung on and those days seem like distant memories now.
Often derided as a 'Mickey Mouse Cup', the Europa Conference League has provided salvation for West Ham and their manager this season. A near-perfect record in the competition has been the only redeeming facet of an otherwise substandard campaign.
Now Moyes and his players are one game from writing their names in West Ham history alongside the likes of Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst, who were part of the 1965 European Cup Winner's Cup-winning side. It would be the perfect farewell for their captain, Declan Rice, too.
Beat Fiorentina on June 7 in Prague and all will be forgiven. Heck, with Europa League qualification and a trophy in the bag, it would be looked back on as a season to savour.
The Premier League season will kick-off on August 12 and conclude nine months later on May 19, 2024.
The start is one week later than the 2022/23 launch as the schedule returns to normal following the Covid-19 pandemic and the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which provided disruption during the previous three seasons.
However, the fixture list provides for a return of the mid-season player break which will take place between January 13-20.
Fixtures for the new Premier League season will be revealed at 9am on Thursday June 15 and you can follow the announcements on Sky Sports News and across Sky Sports' digital platforms.
