PA Media/dpa
Leeds
Leeds’ three-season stay in the Premier League is over after a 4-1 home defeat to Tottenham confirmed their relegation on Sunday.
Harry Kane and Pedro Porro scored early in either half to put Spurs 2-0 up and, although Jack Harrison reduced the deficit, Kane struck a game-clinching second in what could be his last game for the London club.
Tottenham substitute Lucas Moura rubbed salt into Leeds’ wounds by waltzing through a porous defence in stoppage time to complete their misery.
But eighth-placed Spurs missed out on the Conference League despite the win.
Leeds went into the final day needing not only victory, but for relegation rivals Everton and Leicester to drop points and, since they both won, the Yorkshire club’s 21st league defeat of the season was immaterial.
Interim boss Sam Allardyce said on BT Sport: “It’s professional suicide. You prepare for a game, you get the players down here, put in some tactics, you look at the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses and then try to play the game as best you can.
“But when you do what you do in the game, football in those moments, the errors are huge errors and Harry Kane is going to take full advantage. We messed up again.
“You want to go out with some pride but unfortunately I didn’t see that sadly.”
The hosts have not kept a clean sheet since February and their hopes of doing so on Sunday went up in smoke in just the second minute.
The ease with which Porro and Son Heung Min combined to carve open the defence typified Leeds’ season, with Kane finding space among headless chickens to hit the first nail into the home side’s coffin.
Leeds fans responded to Kane’s 28th league goal of the season with raucous defiance, ‘We’re going down’ being one of their chants.
Leeds’ players rallied and did their best to give something back to the Elland Road faithful, but in terms of confidence and quality they have long been running on empty.
Robin Koch spurned their best chance, heading wayward from in front of goal from Rodrigo’s brilliant cross before Pascal Struijk’s shot was deflected for a corner.
Adam Forshaw’s fierce drive was blocked by Davinson Sanchez and another Koch header curled the wrong side of a post.
Leeds boss Sam Allardyce cut a forlorn figure in the dugout and saw his side waste further first-half chances as Rodrigo headed Forshaw’s cross off target and Rasmus Kristensen volleyed over.
Premier League Sunday Results
Aston Villa 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Crystal Palace 1 Nottingham Forest1
Arsenal 5 Wolverhampton 0
Brentford 1 Manchester City 0
Chelsea 1 Newcastle United 1
Everton 1 Bournemouth 0
Southampton 4 Liverpool 4
Leeds United 1 Tottenham Hotspur 4
Leicester City 2 West Ham United 1
Manchester United 2 Fulham 1.
