Everton survived relegation by the skin of their teeth to preserve their top-flight status for a 70th successive season after overcoming Bournemouth 1-0 on a final day fueled with drama at a raucous Goodison Park.
The Toffees, one of six ever-present clubs in the Premier League since the competition’s inception in 1992, were in the bottom three for much of the opening hour on Sunday after Leicester took the lead against West Ham. But Abdoulaye Doucoure’s superb strike from the edge of the box (57) dragged his side back out of the relegation zone to break Leicester hearts, as the Foxes join Leeds in dropping to the Sky Bet Championship.
Bournemouth, who finish in 15th place, threatened an equaliser when Kieffer Moore’s header was scrambled clear, while Jordan Pickford saved well from Matias Vina, but following an interminable 10 minutes of stoppage time caused by a hand injury to Pickford, Everton held on.
A breathless Pickford told Sky Sports: “I’m knackered! Doucs find a strike from somewhere. It’s massive for the club. We didn’t want it to go down to the wire but we keep going.”