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Premier League wrap: Liverpool pip Chelsea for Champions League spot

Liverpool have qualified for the Champions League, claiming fourth spot on the Premier League ladder – at the expense of Chelsea – on the last day of the season.

In other games, Manchester City beat Southampton to become first team to reach 100 points in a Premier League season, Arsenal farewelled Arsene Wenger with a rare away win, and Michael Carrick left Old Trafford on a high.

Here is a wrap of all the last day's action.

Arsene Wenger says farewell to Arsenal fans one last time.

Photo: AP

Liverpool back in Europe with win over Brigthon

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Mohamed Salah crowned a superb season with a new scoring record as Liverpool hammered Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 at Anfield.

The 25-year-old Egyptian, who arrived on Merseyside from Roma last summer, struck in the 26th minute, tucking away a left-foot strike to give his side the lead and become the first player to score 32 goals in a 38-game Premier League season.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his side's first goal against Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.

Photo: PA

Dejan Lovren made it 2-0 with a header just before the break and Salah then provided the assist for Dominic Solanke to rifle home his first goal for Liverpool just after halftime.

Andrew Robertson fired home the fourth in the 85th minute as Liverpool rounded off a dominant display.

With the Champions League final against Real Madrid still to come, the win over Brighton put Liverpool in fourth place on 75 points, five clear of Chelsea who slumped to a 3-0 defeat away to Newcastle.

Manchester City hit the magic 100

A dramatic 94th-minute winner from Gabriel Jesus gave champions Manchester City a 1-0 win over Southampton to ensure they became the first team ever to reach 100 points in an English top-flight season.

But Southampton still ended up celebrating as their narrow defeat combined with Swansea's 2-1 defeat by Stoke City guaranteed them Premier League football next season.

Southampton's Dusan Tadic gave all his clothes to supporters after the game against Manchester City at St Mary's.

Photo: AP

For much of the match, City, who fielded four changes from midweek and played Raheem Sterling in an unfamiliar centre forward role, struggled to find their familiar rhythm and failed to register a single shot on target in the first half.

Dusan Tadic had an effort cleared off the line in the second half when City brought on Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz to ensure the pair notched up their fifth Premier League appearances of the season to qualify for a medal.

Saints looked to have secured the draw but, with time virtually up, Jesus latched on to Kevin de Bruyne's excellent floated cross to produce a perfect lobbed finish past the advancing Alex McCarthy.

The goal sparked wild celebrations, with City boss Pep Guardiola joining in on the sidelines, leaping from the dugout and punching the air.

City's magnificent campaign has ended with a record 16 away wins and 106 Premier League goals.

Chelsea miss Champions League spot

Chelsea were denied a place in next season's Champions League when they were well beaten 3-0 at Newcastle.

It left last year's champions with only Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester United to redeem a season in which they have finished a poor fifth.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte watches Champions League football slip away.

Photo: PA

Manager Antonio Conte made eight changes with the final in mind and saw an unimpressive performance.

Newcastle deservedly ended a run of four successive defeats under former Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez to earn a top-10 finish.

Dwight Gayle scored the opening goal in the first half and Spanish striker Ayoze Perez added the second and third after the break.

Conte agreed his team had looked "less determined" than Newcastle.

"At the start we lost every single ball," he said. "To finish this way is not good. But if we didn't have this will and desire, I'm the first person to answer (for it)."

The Italian denied reports he would leave in the close season.

Benitez was delighted to finish on a high for his club's supporters and make the top half of the table 12 months after coming up from the Championship.

"When you have the fans behind the team all season, this is the best way to finish," he told Sky Sports. "With good spells and bad spells through the season we are happy to finish 10th."

Old Trafford farewells Carrick

Manchester United treated their stalwart Michael Carrick to a memorable farewell after a first-half goal by Marcus Rashford gave them a 1-0 home win over Watford.

Manchester United's Michael Carrick salutes the fans as he leaves the field after his final playing appearance.

Photo: PA

Carrick, who is unlikely to be picked for Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea and will assume a coaching role at United next season, was treated to a guard of honour by both teams before kick off.

The 36-year-old midfielder also received a standing ovation from the fans when he was substituted in the 85th minute by Paul Pogba, drawing the curtain on a trophy-laden career at United since he joined them from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006.

Once described by former United captain Nemanja Vidic as "the glue that holds it all together," Carrick said he was looking forward to a new role in the dugout next to the club's manager Jose Mourinho.

"Its not a sad goodbye by any means, Ive got a lot to look forward to," said Carrick. "Im looking to create more memories on the other side of the fence with Jose and his staff and bring success back to this club.

"The reception was incredible. Ive had ups and downs at the club over the years. Its the greatest club in the world so its been beyond my wildest dreams as a young kid."

Carrick has won five Premier League titles with United, the 2008 Champions League and the 2017 Europa League.

United's second-place finish in the Premier League is their best since they won their 20th title under Alex Ferguson in 2013.

Although both teams seemed to go through the motions on a sunny day at Old Trafford, a moment of magic from Carrick settled the contest when he rolled back the years to delight the home crowd.

He found Juan Mata with a delightful pass and the Spaniard squared it back for Rashford to tap the ball in from close range in the 34th minute.

United's stand-in goalkeeper Sergio Romero pulled off a fine double save on the stroke of halftime, keeping out a close-range header by Richarlison and then smothered a Gerard Deulofeu shot with the game fizzing out after the break.

Carrick added it was an emotional farewell as he captained United one last time, having walked on to the pitch with his children.

"Its an emotional day," he said. "This morning it hit me a little bit. I was fine once I got here but in the hotel before I left, it was mixed emotions.

"It was nice to play and win, the reception was very special. Being out there with the kids is something that you always cherish."

Gunners send Wenger off with a win

Arsene Wenger enjoyed a rare away victory as Arsenal's fans and players saluted the end of his managerial reign with a 1-0 win at Huddersfield Town.

Frenchman Wenger, who is leaving the club after almost 22 years in charge, was given a guard of honour by both sets of players before the kickoff and then walked to the visiting Arsenal supporters to acknowledge them.

Arsenal fans thank outgoing manager Arsene Wenger at Huddersfield Town on Sunday.

Photo: PA

The decisive goal came when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slid in at the back post to convert a low cross from Aaron Ramsey in the 38th minute.

Arsenal ended the season in sixth place, their lowest finish during Wenger's time at the club, but at least they managed their first away win of 2018.

"We wanted that away win. We hadnt managed to do that yet so it was important to end Arsenes final game with a win," said Ramsey.

"He told us to go out, play how we wanted and win. It is going to be strange without him next season but he has been brilliant and we will forever be thankful," he added.

With Huddersfield celebrating survival at the end of their first Premier League campaign, acknowledgment of Wenger's final – and 1235th – game in charge took place before the kickoff.

Once the action was under way, a plane flew over the ground carrying the banner "Merci Arsene – we'll miss you".

In the 22nd minute, the entire ground stood to applaud Wenger, whose achievements – including three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups and a 49 game unbeaten run – were celebrated in song by the travelling north London supporters.

"Of course it is very emotional after 1235 games for the same club. To enjoy it we had to win it, winning football games is what makes me happy and the boys did it. It was a good day for everyone with Huddersfield staying up too," said Wenger.

He added that there was no sense of relief that his farewell period had come to a close.

"Not really, I'm sad," he said. "At some stage it has to end, I wish everyone well, the fans have been great until the end and I wish the club well for the future.

"It will be hard to adjust of course but I will have to deal with that. I want to wish this group of players well and the staff coming in, I will remain an Arsenal fan above everything else."

Lanzini fires Everton home against West Ham

Manuel Lanzini scored goals either side of the break to help West Ham United to a 3-1 win over Everton.

Argentine playmaker Lanzini, who had a penalty saved at Goodison Park earlier this season, picked up a misplaced pass from Cheikhou Kouyate and found the net from outside the box six minutes before halftime at London Stadium.

Everton boss Sam Allardyce responded with the introduction of midfielder Davy Klaassen at the break, but it was West Ham who doubled their lead with a fierce shot from Marko Arnautovic.

The visitors pulled one back through striker Oumar Niasse before Lanzini applied the finishing touches to a West Ham victory five minutes from time with a curling finish.

West Ham secured a 13th-placed finish as David Moyes celebrated his first league victory as manager over his former club Everton in six attempts.

Swansea join Stoke in relegation misery

Swansea's seven-season EPL stint is over after the Welsh side lost at home to already-relegated Stoke City.

The final-day "miracle" that Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal required didn't happen, with the Welsh club losing 2-1 to Stoke to end its seven-year stay in the league and Southampton staying up.

Swansea had needed to win and Southampton to lose to Man City, with a 10-goal swing in goal difference.

So it didn't matter that Southampton conceded late to lose 1-0 to City.

Spurs beat Leicester in nine-goal epic

An end-of-season classic saw Tottenham say farewell to their temporary Wembley home by coming back from 3-1 down to beat Leicester City 5-4 and secure third place.

Appropriately, it was Harry Kane who delivered the final goal of Tottenham's campaign, curling in his 30th of the league season to complete a dizzying afternoon of attacking football.

Kane, who ended the season two goals behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah as he just failed to claim a third successive Premier League Golden Boot, was also on target in the first half in which Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez put Leicester 2-1 ahead.

Kelechi Iheanacho's stunning shot put Leicester two clear just after halftime but it provoked a furious Spurs response in which Erik Lamela struck twice either side of an own goal by Christian Fuchs, who deflected Lamela's shot in off his knee.

Vardy, who will almost certainly be on the plane with Kane as part of England's World Cup squad in Russia this summer, slammed in an equaliser for Leicester after a deft pass by Mahrez.

A draw would have dropped Tottenham below Liverpool into fourth spot but Kane enjoyed the last laugh in the battle of the England strikers when he cut in from the left to curl a trademark effort past Leicester keeper Eldin Jakupovic.

Tottenham, who have finished the season as London's top team for the first time in 23 years, will begin life in their new 62,000-seater stadium as a Champions League club again.

Getting there for the third season in a row is a commendable feat by manager Mauricio Pochettino but he still awaits his first silverware.

The temporary move to the imposing national stadium was widely-expected to hamper Tottenham's top-four ambitions at the start of the season but 14 wins, four draws and only two defeats there have underpinned their season.

As farewells go, Sunday's clash was a humdinger.

"It was incredible – one of those games at the end of the season where both teams want to attack," Kane said.

"It has been a good season with everything that has gone on with Wembley. The main aim was to qualify for the Champions League for next season."

With Kane scoring 30 league goals – surpassing the 29 he gor last season – and Salah bagging 32 for Liverpool it is the first Premier League season in which two players reached the 30-mark since Andy Cole and Alan Shearer in 1993-94.

While Kane showed a return to his razor-sharp best, Mahrez and Vardy revived memories of Leicester's unlikely march to the title in 2016, although whether or not they will be linking up in blue shirts next season remains a doubt.

Manager Claude Puel's future is also uncertain despite a solid ninth-placed finish.

"We should have won this game. It is crazy to lose this game when we scored four goals away," he said.

"I make no comments about speculation around me. I try to keep my concentration on the team."

Palace finish on a high

Crystal Palace ended their season with a 2-0 home victory over already-relegated West Bromwich Albion, leaving the visitors bottom of the Premier League.

Wilfried Zaha met Patrick van Aanholt's cross on the volley from close range to break the deadlock in the 70th minute after a bursting run through the middle from Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Dutch left back Van Aanholt then completed a marvellous team move by rounding goalkeeper Ben Foster to score the second eight minutes later, inflicting a first defeat on West Brom in six games since caretaker manager Darren Moore took over at the start of April.

Palace finished the season 11th in the standings on 44 points.

Bournemouth come back to beat Burley

Callum Wilson delivered a stoppage time winner as Bournemouth edged Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor.

The 26-year-old striker snatched an opportunity from close range after being played in by fellow substitute Jermain Defoe to ensure a strong finish to the season for Eddie Howe's side.

Burnley, who were guaranteed a seventh-placed finish before the kick off, broke the deadlock in the first half after Ashley Westwood's shot inexplicably struck Chris Wood on its way into the net in the 39th minute.

But the Cherries, who stay 12th in the league table, responded after the break with a curling finish from Joshua King before Wilson completed the comeback.

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