The final day of the Premier League season promised plenty of drama, as there were still two Champions League spots on the line for three teams desperate to land a top-4 spot. Liverpool faced Crystal Palace, Chelsea played Aston Villa, and Leicester City hosted Chelsea in the three-team race for the final two top-4 spots in the league, and by the middle of the day’s games, it appeared Leicester and Liverpool would be heading off to the Champions League.
Liverpool had little trouble with Crystal Palace, winning 2-0 on a pair of Sadio Mane goals, and early in the second half, Leicester took the lead after a second make from the penalty spot from Jamie Vardy.
VARDY FROM THE SPOT AGAIN.
As it stands now, Leicester City are now in the top 4! #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/MJDpKUoiaA
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 23, 2021
All the while, Chelsea, which entered the day in third, were trailing against Villa and seemed destined to fall to fifth. Still, Leicester needed a win to guarantee themselves a spot in the Champions League, as a draw wasn’t going to be enough as they were not going to match the goal differential of Chelsea or Liverpool should they find themselves in a tie for fourth. All they had to do was hold their water for the final 40 minutes of the second half, but a goalkeeping blunder from Kasper Schmeichel saw their Champions League dreams collapse, as their keeper mistimed a punch on a corner, having it graze off the outside of his hand and bound into his own net.
Schmeichel came for it, and he missed it!
As it stands now, Chelsea will be in the top 4, and Leicester will be in fifth place. pic.twitter.com/3hhs4sl7m7
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 23, 2021
It is a brutal mistake, and as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, Leicester’s hopes of a Champions League appearance slipped further and further away. Gareth Bale put two final nails in their coffin with a pair of late goals to send Liverpool and Chelsea into the Champions League and knock Leicester out of the top 4.
GARETH BALE!
If the results hold, Spurs will finish in 7th place and Leicester will fall to fifth. #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/VxL9kj183K
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 23, 2021
Bale secures the victory for Spurs!
Leicester City will miss out on the top 4. #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/GKlvCGtm2X
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 23, 2021
The result is a fifth place finish for Leicester, once again off to the Europa League rather than the Champions League, and they’ll have plenty to ponder about how they closed their season over the next few months before the start of the new league year. Liverpool jumped to third with a win and Chelsea, despite a loss to Aston Villa, hangs on to take fourth and join Liverpool, Manchester United, and the league champs Manchester City in Europe’s biggest club competition.
