Match ends, Leicester City 2, West Ham United 1.
Leicester City's nine-year stay in the Premier League came to an end as they were relegated in agonising fashion despite beating West Ham on the final day of the season.
The Foxes' fate was out of their hands heading into the last round of fixtures, and Everton's 1-0 victory over Bournemouth meant the 2015-16 winners slipped into the Championship by two points.
While Toffees fans were in ecstasy at Goodison Park, Leicester supporters at the King Power were left to rue a miserable campaign in which they won only nine league matches.
Interim boss Dean Smith said it was a "massive disappointment".
"I can only look at my seven weeks and eight games," he said. "I always felt coming in it was going to be tough. The confidence and belief was low.
"I felt we would need 11 points to stay up, it turned out to be 11 but we only got nine. In that regard, I have failed."
Knowing they needed a win to have any chance of staying up, Leicester went close early on when Kelechi Iheanacho exchanged passes with James Maddison before clipping the crossbar with a vicious, curling effort.
The hosts did break the deadlock through Harvey Barnes' cool finish from Iheanacho's pass to lead at half-time, and at that stage they were staying up on goal difference.
Jonny Evans almost headed into his own net in a nerve-jangling second half, but the stadium was silenced when word filtered through about Everton scoring.
Said Benrahma struck a delightful curling effort against the post for the visitors, before Wout Faes headed in Leicester's second goal.
Pablo Fornals pulled a goal back by stabbing in via the post as the Hammers finished 14th, six points clear of the relegation zone.
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Champions League to Championship
Leicester's game finished before Everton's, which meant the Foxes players had to wait on the pitch for confirmation to come through that they were relegated.
Some huddled around defender Victor Kristiansen's phone, but any glimmer of hope was extinguished when the full-time whistle blew at Goodison.
Many of the crowd jeered, but some did afford their players a generous ovation when they applauded the fans before heading down the tunnel and out of the top flight.
Leicester have been the architects of their own downfall, ending a wretched season with just three wins from their final 17 games and keeping just one clean sheet since November.
Smith's mandate when he was appointed in April was to preserve the status of a side that were shock champions only seven years ago, but nine points from his eight games in charge was simply not enough.
And that means relegation to the Championship just six years after they reached the Champions League quarter-finals.
Smith said he would speak to chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha in the next couple of days.
"The time and effort he puts in to the football is there to see," he said. "I am not thinking about my future at the moment. It is raw getting relegated and I will go and reflect on it.
"The raw materials are of an elite club. It feels raw, it hurts, but with the infrastructure it will bounce back. You have to improve on the things that let you down and I have no doubts the players will."
Barnes' delightful finish and a 1-0 half-time lead gave the Foxes optimism they may just stay alive.
But after Everton took the lead through Abdoulaye Doucoure's brilliant strike, Faes' goal mattered little as Bournemouth could not find a way through.
Leicester supporters did break out into cheers on a number of occasions as news spread of a Cherries 'equaliser' - but each time it was a false dawn.
A summer of upheaval follows for the Foxes, with Maddison and Barnes the most sellable assets, and seven players and manager Smith out of contract.
Hammers looking to European final
West Ham supporters were in fine voice throughout the game, knowing Premier League football was secure for another year, and they have a European final to look forward to.
As news of the scoreline from Goodison came through, they taunted the home crowd with chants of 'You're going down'.
Their team were second best for much of the contest, with Fornals netting a consolation and skipper Declan Rice possibly featuring in his last league game for the club.
This was their 20th league defeat of the season, but their focus was already on Prague, where they face Italian side Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on 7 June.
Victory would give them their first major trophy since they lifted the 1980 FA Cup.
Manager David Moyes said: "Getting to European finals don't come around too often for lots of top, British clubs.
"Manchester City are in the biggest one but the competition we earned being in, we got ourselves into the final of."
Player of the match
BarnesHarvey Barnes
Leicester City
Avg
- Squad number7Player nameBarnesAverage rating
6.85
- Squad number10Player nameMaddisonAverage rating
6.58
- Squad number14Player nameIheanachoAverage rating
6.36
- Squad number8Player nameTielemansAverage rating
6.20
- Squad number6Player nameEvansAverage rating
6.11
- Squad number27Player nameCastagneAverage rating
6.05
- Squad number31Player nameIversenAverage rating
6.03
- Squad number3Player nameFaesAverage rating
5.95
- Squad number22Player nameDewsbury-HallAverage rating
5.87
- Squad number42Player nameSoumaréAverage rating
5.74
- Squad number33Player nameThomasAverage rating
5.64
- Squad number24Player nameMendyAverage rating
5.35
- Squad number9Player nameVardyAverage rating
5.10
- Squad number21Player nameRicardo PereiraAverage rating
4.86
West Ham United
Avg
- Squad number10Player nameLanziniAverage rating
6.64
- Squad number20Player nameBowenAverage rating
6.64
- Squad number41Player nameRiceAverage rating
6.57
- Squad number8Player nameFornalsAverage rating
6.48
- Squad number11Player nameLucas PaquetáAverage rating
6.31
- Squad number33Player nameEmersonAverage rating
6.15
- Squad number22Player nameBenrahmaAverage rating
6.12
- Squad number1Player nameFabianskiAverage rating
6.08
- Squad number5Player nameCoufalAverage rating
6.01
- Squad number9Player nameAntonioAverage rating
6.01
- Squad number27Player nameAguerdAverage rating
5.94
- Squad number3Player nameCresswellAverage rating
5.93
- Squad number14Player nameCornetAverage rating
5.92
- Squad number12Player nameDownesAverage rating
5.87
- Squad number24Player nameKehrerAverage rating
5.80
- Squad number18Player nameIngsAverage rating
5.57
Line-ups
Leicester
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 31Iversen
- 27CastagneSubstituted forRicardo Pereiraat 90+1'minutes
- 3Faes
- 6EvansBooked at 66mins
- 33Thomas
- 42Soumaré
- 22Dewsbury-HallSubstituted forMendyat 71'minutes
- 10Maddison
- 8Tielemans
- 7Barnes
- 14IheanachoSubstituted forVardyat 77'minutes
Substitutes
- 9Vardy
- 12Smithies
- 15Souttar
- 18Amartey
- 20Daka
- 21Ricardo Pereira
- 24Mendy
- 26Praet
- 37Tetê
West Ham
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Fabianski
- 5Coufal
- 24Kehrer
- 27Aguerd
- 3CresswellSubstituted forEmersonat 71'minutes
- 41Rice
- 12DownesSubstituted forLanziniat 86'minutes
- 8Fornals
- 11Lucas PaquetáSubstituted forCornetat 72'minutes
- 22BenrahmaSubstituted forBowenat 62'minutes
- 9AntonioSubstituted forIngsat 62'minutesBooked at 67mins
Substitutes
- 4Zouma
- 10Lanzini
- 13Aréola
- 14Cornet
- 18Ings
- 20Bowen
- 21Ogbonna
- 28Soucek
- 33Emerson
- Referee:
- Simon Hooper
- Attendance:
- 32,183
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home48%
- Away52%
- Shots
- Home13
- Away16
- Shots on Target
- Home4
- Away3
- Corners
- Home3
- Away5
- Fouls
- Home8
- Away10
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Leicester City 2, West Ham United 1.
Post update
Offside, West Ham United. Thilo Kehrer tries a through ball, but Maxwel Cornet is caught offside.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Emerson (West Ham United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Pablo Fornals.
Post update
Attempt missed. Pablo Fornals (West Ham United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Danny Ings.
Substitution
Substitution, Leicester City. Ricardo Pereira replaces Timothy Castagne.
Post update
Offside, West Ham United. Declan Rice tries a through ball, but Maxwel Cornet is caught offside.
Post update
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Post update
Delay in match because of an injury James Maddison (Leicester City).
Post update
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Wout Faes.
Substitution
Substitution, West Ham United. Manuel Lanzini replaces Flynn Downes.
Post update
Foul by Timothy Castagne (Leicester City).
Post update
Emerson (West Ham United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Post update
Attempt missed. Maxwel Cornet (West Ham United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Emerson with a cross.
Post update
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Post update
Foul by Emerson (West Ham United).
Goal!
Goal! Leicester City 2, West Ham United 1. Pablo Fornals (West Ham United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Danny Ings.
Post update
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Emerson.
Substitution
Substitution, Leicester City. Jamie Vardy replaces Kelechi Iheanacho.
Post update
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Nayef Aguerd.
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Comments
Join the conversation
Do us all a favour and take Gary Lineker with you.
Leicester have been woeful and deserved to go.
But might listen for 5 seconds to see how upset he is.
Well done Everton, you've made my season. 😀
Players at fault. End off