LONDON: Arsenal secured Champions League qualification thanks to a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday as Everton said farewell to Goodison Park with an emotional 2-0 victory over Southampton. Declan Rice scored the only goal at the Emirates in the battle between second and third to guarantee the consolation of a top-five finish for Mikel Arteta’s men at the end of another trophyless season. Rice continued his goalscoring form with a stunning strike from outside the box on 55 minutes. Defeat means Newcastle still have work to do to join Arsenal in the Champions League next season. Just one point separates the League Cup winners in third from Nottingham Forest in seventh.

Victory over Everton next weekend should be enough for the Magpies due to their much superior goal difference over fifth-placed Aston Villa. Forest maintained their push for a first appearance in Europe’s top competition for 45 years after winning 2-1 at West Ham. Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic struck for the visitors at the London Stadium as Forest showed support for striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who needed urgent abdominal surgery this week.

Forest must beat Chelsea on the final day of the campaign and hope other results go their way to finish in the top five. Everton’s home since 1892, Goodison Park played host to the club’s men’s team for the final time before they head to a new 52,000 capacity stadium next season. Former England captain Wayne Rooney was among the Toffees’ former greats in attendance as Iliman Ndiaye produced two fine first-half finishes to ensure there was a happy ending to the Goodison era.

Jamie Vardy brought down the curtain on his Leicester career with his 200th goal for the club in Sunday’s 2-0 victory against Ipswich. Vardy was making his 500th and final appearance for the Foxes after a remarkable 13-year spell including a fairytale Premier League title triumph in 2016 and FA Cup glory in 2021. Fulham won 3-2 at west London rivals Brentford to remain in the hunt for a top-eight finish, which could yet be enough for European football. 

The 38-year-old, who started his career in non-league football, will leave at the end of the season and agreed not to play in next weekend’s final game of the season to ensure his last Leicester appearance came at the King Power Stadium.

With both Leicester and Ipswich long since condemned to relegation, the full focus was on Vardy and he took just 28 minutes to make it an unforgettable day as he sprinted onto James Justin’s pass to unleash a typically predatory finish. Kasey McAteer bagged his first Premier League goal in the 68th minute, firing home to ensure Vardy would bow out on a winning note.

Raul Jimenez, Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson were on target for Marco Silva’s men to close to within one point of eighth-placed Brentford. – AFP