Norwich promoted to Premier League despite defeat as rivals drop pointsNorwich City clinched promotion to the Premier League with five games to spare on Saturday after rivals Brentford and Swansea City failed to win their Championship matches, guaranteeing Daniel Farke’s leaders one of the automatic promotion places.
The Canaries sealed an immediate return to the top flight — which has been worth at least 160 million pounds ($221.3 million) in previous seasons — having finished bottom of the Premier League in the 2019-20 campaign.
Not even a 3-1 defeat later on Saturday by playoff-chasing Bournemouth took the gloss of the achievement, sealed thanks to Brentford playing out a 0-0 stalemate with Millwall and Swansea City drawing 2-2 against bottom club Wycombe Wanderers.
Norwich boss Daniel Farke revealed that his players were following the earlier matches from their hotel rooms before the Bournemouth game but they had not expected to secure promotion without having to kick a ball themselves.
“It’s a bit surreal when you’re promoted a few hours before kick off,” the delighted German coach told Sky Sports before the evening kickoff. “You want to concentrate on the game but nevertheless it’s a great feeling.
“It’s a proud moment for the club and for us as a group. The lads have done a fantastic job. It’s such an important target and a difficult one to achieve. Then you also think of the hard work you put in.
Norwich have enjoyed an outstanding season and sit at the top of the second-tier standings with 90 points from 42 matches.
Second-placed Watford have 82 points but a 1-0 defeat at Luton Town means they still have some work to do to clinch the second automatic promotion spot.
Bournemouth moved level on 74 points with fourth-placed Brentford, who have a game in hand, while Swansea have 76.
STEADY PROGRESS
While most sides relegated from the top flight make wholesale changes in the following campaign, Norwich trusted Farke and the core squad that took them up in 2018-19.
After picking up four points from their opening four games, Norwich made steady progress to move top of the table with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in November and never looked back.
Their Finland striker Teemu Pukki has rediscovered his form to shoulder the scoring burden this season, recording 25 goals and three assists in 37 league appearances.
Meanwhile, centre back Ben Gibson, who joined on loan from Burnley at the start of the season, alongside Grant Hanley has provided Farke’s side with much-needed solidity in defence.
Norwich have matched the 27 wins achieved in their title-winning second division campaign of two years ago, and will aim to cross 100 points for the first time in the club’s history.
Only second-placed Watford, currently eight points behind, can deny Farke’s side the second-tier title.
Norwich took the lead against Bournemouth thanks to Emi Buendia but had Dimitrios Giannoulis red-carded shortly after.
Bournemouth’s Sam Surridge levelled early in the second half before Arnaut Danjuma gave them the lead. Lloyd Kelly sealed the win for the visitors with another sublime finish.
Despite the loss, midfielder Todd Cantwell, another important cog in the Norwich machine, said of their promotion: “It’s massive. It’s not an easy task when you get relegated to bounce straight back and today we’ve managed to do that.”
Sheffield United’s relegation from the Premier League was sealed when they lost 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday after a second-galf goal by Willian Jose at Molineux.
The defeat left the Yorkshire club 19 points behind fourth-bottom Burnley with a maximum of 18 up for grabs.
United finished in the top half last season on their return to the top flight but have looked relegation favourites after taking two points from their opening 17 games of this campaign.
Willian Jose’s first goal for Wolves did the damage in the 59th minute, meaning United now share the unwanted record of being relegated after 32 Premier League games set by Derby County and Huddersfield Town.
United became the first team to finish as high as ninth in the Premier League and go down the next season since Birmingham City finished ninth in 2009-10 and were then relegated.
Only Sunderland in 2005-06 and Derby in 2007-08, with 11 points, have had fewer points on the board after 32 games in a Premier League season than Sheffield United this term.
“It’s about results isn’t it,” interim manager Paul Heckingbottom told Sky Sports. “We have to go out with our head held high. I think we should have certainly got something from the game. It probably typifies our season.
“It’s those moments. The little bit of quality that you need to be there to win games. You have to keep the group of players together and look to build and enjoy the challenges of what will be another tough season in the Championship.”
Without their star man Pedro Neto through injury, Wolves struggled to break down the Blades in the first half, with defender Willy Boly’s flick onto the crossbar as close as they came to an opener.
The goal that set the visitors on their way to relegation summed up their season. Moments after missing a glorious chance, the Blades were carved open at the back, with Willian Jose, on his 12th Premier League appearance, tapping home.
Heckingbottom’s side had chances to get back into the match, but poor finishing once again let them down. United have scored just 17 league goals all season.
Wolves substitute Fabio Silva should have made the result more comfortable late on, but his struggles in front of goal continued as Nuno Espirito Santo’s 12th-placed side closed to within four points of the top 10.
“We started together (with Sheffield United) in the Championship,” Nuno told Sky Sports. “(Former United manager) Chris Wilder achieved promotion and their first season in the Premier League was amazing with the same players.
“I have big admiration for Sheffield. The character of their group of players is immense. I’m very sad, but I’m sure they’ll bounce back.”
West Ham United’s top-four hopes were dealt a big blow as Joe Willock’s late header earned Newcastle United a 3-2 home win in a see-saw clash on Saturday – a result that put the hosts within sight of Premier League safety.
The London club capitulated in the first half with an Issa Diop own goal and a Lukasz Fabianski blunder that allowed Joelinton to give Newcastle a 2-0 lead at the interval, while West Ham also had Craig Dawson sent off.
But the second half saw the London side, who could have moved into third spot with a win, produce a stunning revival.
Diop scored at the right end to give West Ham hope in the 73rd minute, and Jesse Lingard converted a penalty to make it 2-2 with little under 10 minutes remaining.
But there was a final cruel twist for the visitors as Newcastle substitute Willock headed home a late winner.
West Ham could not respond again. The loss means they stay in fourth place on 55 points from 32 games, one point above Chelsea and three above Liverpool, both of whom have a game in hand.
Newcastle’s second successive win after going seven games without one lifts them nine points clear of third-from-bottom Fulham and up into relative safety of 15th place.
West Ham’s unlikely challenge for a Champions League place has been a rollercoaster ride in recent weeks, and Saturday proved no exception.
In their previous three games West Ham had taken 3-0 leads in a 3-3 draw with Arsenal and 3-2 wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City.
At St James’ Park they reversed the pattern.
Nothing much happened for 36 minutes until Dawson, who had already been booked, lunged into a tackle after a poor touch. The ball broke for Allan Saint-Maximin, who advanced towards goal and released a weak shot that somehow got through Fabianski and Diop, with the ball going in off the French centre back.
Referee Kevin Friend then went back to give Dawson his marching orders for the tackle in the buildup.
Things went from dreadful to calamitous for West Ham five minutes later as Fabianski inexplicably dropped a routine corner and Joelinton pounced to sweep home.
West Ham were much-improved after the break, despite their numerical disadvantage, and Diop gave them a lifeline when he headed past Martin Dubravka.
Newcastle retreated further and further, and a few minutes later Ciaran Clark’s raised arm made contact with the ball as he challenged Tomas Soucek for a header.
Friend was instructed to check the incident on a VAR monitor and pointed to the spot. Lingard slotted home for his ninth goal for the club since joining on loan from Manchester United.
West Ham looked capable of claiming an amazing victory, but Newcastle responded immediately. First Jacob Murphy had a shot cleared off the line by Ben Johnson before Willock, who had only just come on, headed powerfully past Fabianski.
Nine days before the Carabao Cup final and 58 days before England’s European Championship opener, Kane limped off in stoppage time with an apparent ankle problem.
The striker seemed to land awkwardly after jumping for a header when defending a corner late on.
Manager Jose Mourinho said he did not know how serious the injury was.
“That’s also a question I want an answer to as soon as possible but it’s too early,” Mourinho said.
“For him to come out it is not because it’s nothing, it’s something.
“We all felt the same fears of something that stops him playing Wednesday [against Southampton in the Premier League] and especially Sunday [the Carabao Cup final] but we will see.”
Kane had earlier been at his clinical best, capitalising on two mistakes in the Everton defence to put Spurs ahead in the first half and grab a second-half equaliser.
In between Kane’s strikes Gylfi Sigurdsson levelled from the penalty spot and gave Everton the lead by finishing off a fine team goal.
Everton pushed hardest for a winner and had the best chance to win it but Joshua King’s effort was saved by Hugo Lloris and Richarlison fired the rebound over from 12 yards.
A draw suited neither side’s pursuit of European football, with Tottenham staying seventh, five points behind fourth-placed West Ham and Everton a point and a place worse off, though they do have a game in hand.
Eddie Nketiah’s goal late in stoppage time for Arsenal delivered a major blow to Fulham’s already slim Premier League survival hopes.
Until Nketiah’s 97th-minute effort, Josh Maja’s second-half penalty had looked likely to give the Cottagers a valuable three points in their battle against relegation.
The on-loan Bordeaux forward converted from the spot after Mario Lemina was fouled by Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel.
It was Fulham’s only shot on target and put them on course for their first away league win against the Gunners in 29 attempts.
However, Scott Parker’s side buckled under some late Arsenal pressure, with Nketiah tapping in after Dani Ceballos’ shot was initially saved by Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
The result leaves Fulham six points from safety, but with the added disadvantage of having played two games more than both Brighton and Burnley – the sides directly above them.
In a game of few clear-cut chances Arsenal, who remain ninth, merited their point.
Mikel Arteta’s side had Ceballos’ first-half goal disallowed after Bukayo Saka had strayed fractionally offside, while Gabriel Martinelli also found the back of the visitors’ net after the whistle had gone for offside against Emile Smith Rowe.
Substitute Nicolas Pepe and Saka also both went close to levelling the score before Nketiah’s late intervention.
Mason Greenwood scored twice as Manchester United saw off Burnley to close the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to eight points.
The 19-year-old watched his thumping opener after the break cancelled out moments later when James Tarkowski rose above Harry Maguire to level.
But Greenwood scored his second with six minutes remaining with a fierce left-footed strike that deflected beyond goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell at the front post.
Edinson Cavani then tapped in from close range in stoppage time to wrap up the victory at Old Trafford.
The visitors’ direct attacking play had caused United problems of their own and they had the ball in the net after 14 seconds.
Chris Wood beat goalkeeper Dean Henderson to a floated delivery on the edge of the penalty area and headed into an empty net, only to be correctly flagged offside.
It means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are now eight points behind leaders City in second place with six games to play, while Burnley remain 17th and six points above the relegation zone.
Liverpool dominated the first half and went ahead when Trent Alexander-Arnold latched on to Diogo Jota’s fine pass and squared it to Sadio Mane to slot into an empty net after Illan Meslier had rushed out of goal.
That was his first Premier League goal since January, a run of 10 games.
Leeds improved after the break and Patrick Bamford hit the crossbar before Llorente headed in his first goal for the club to draw 1-1.
Liverpool dominated the first half and went ahead when Trent Alexander-Arnold latched on to Diogo Jota’s fine pass and squared it to Sadio Mane to slot into an empty net after Illan Meslier had rushed out of goal.
That was his first Premier League goal since January, a run of 10 games.
Leeds improved after the break and Patrick Bamford hit the crossbar before Llorente headed in his first goal for the club.
