Tottenham Hotspur beat a tenacious Burnley, with a late goal from Micky van de Ven condemning Vincent Kompany's team to relegation to the Championship.
The away supporters' dreams of a miraculous relegation survival were given a glimpse of hope as Jacob Bruun Larsen finished off a quick counter attack on twenty-five minutes.
Pedro Porro dampened the optimism seven minutes later with a strong strike from inside the area.
Ange Postecoglou's side remained on top for the majority of the second half as belief slowly ebbed away from the Clarets.
Spurs got closer to goal, coming close when Brennan Johnson missed an open goal at the back post from a whipped Heung-Min Son cross.
The deadlock was broken by van de Ven, who surged forward in a manner reminiscent of Cristian Romero in the North London Derby, to coolly finish from the edge of the box.
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Burnley are relegated
Despite winning the Championship at a canter last season, Burnley's relegation was confirmed with defeat today.
With only five wins this season, Kompany struggled to mount a substantial fight against the drop.
Against the grain of Sean Dyche's notable teams, the former Manchester City captain fostered a possession-heavy, attack-minded outfit that won the 2022/23 Championship season with only three losses.
However, the step up was far from clear cut as their more expansive style of play was exposed early on and the quality of the squad, or more pragmatic play style, to sure up the defence remained allusive.
This is the club's fourth relegation from the Premier League, with the last coming in 2021/22.
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Tottenham are (almost) in the Europa League
After claiming victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Newcastle drawing 1-1 with Brighton, Spurs are on the cusp of returning to European competition.
Six points ahead of the Magpies with two matches to go, the Lilywhites need only a point in their remaining double header - their final home match against Man City and a trip to relegated Sheffield United - to secure a spot in the UEFA Europa League.
It has been a difficult end to the season for Ange Postecoglou. Four consecutive defeats made UEFA Champions League football next season increasingly unlikely as Aston Villa look set to secure fourth place.
In his first season in English football, the Australian has seen a marked improvement on the eighth placed finish last year but may have some frustration over a lack of consistency after November time.
Should Spurs obtain a top five position it will be their first Europa League campaign since 2016/17 when - after dropping down from the Champions League - they were knocked out in the round of 32 by Belgian side Gent.
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Kompany has his first test
In his first season in charge, Kompany overperformed dramatically, accumulating 101 points in the club's title run.
With over £80 million spent in the summer, it was predicted that his forthright style would make Burnley a tough encounter and possibly replicate past promotion success stories such as Wolves and Leeds United.
It wasn't to be though with a perceived lack of quality in both defence and finishing chances in attack made any sort of momentum a rarity.
Now that Turf Moor will once again play host to second tier football, it is Kompany's first major challenge in management to bounce back to the Premier League another time.
While his desire for a passing-based game will be more achievable next year, a transfer clear out is likely and getting recruitment right this time round will be crucial.
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Tottenham need a striker. Again
With recent injury setbacks to forward Richarlison, captain Son has been tasked with leading the line for Tottenham.
Though the South Korean has spent majority of his time this year in a number nine position, it's clear that his powers have been limited through a combination of a dips in creativity from his teammates and opponents confiding him to a not-so natural poacher role.
With Postecoglou having his wingers stay wide and create rather than be goal threats specifically, it was questioned how Son would fit into such a style given his knack for cutting in and running at opposition defences.
Seventeen goals in thirty-two league outings prove that Son does definitely have capabilities as a striker though maybe on a sparser basis against teams that play with higher lines.
The uptick in form from Richarlison earlier in the year showcased what a strong centre forward could bring to this Tottenham side, but that area will likely need to be remedied once more come the summer.
