Tottenham Hotspur hosted Everton on the Premier League final day needing a win or draw to stay in the top flight. A loss, paired with a West Ham win over Leeds, would send Spurs into the Championship and end a 49-year run without relegation.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Lineups
The lineups were out before kickoff at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tottenham named Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Porro, Palhinha, Bentancur, Tel; Gallagher; Richarlison, while Everton started Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Iroegbunam, Garner; Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry.
That left Spurs with the simplest possible task and the hardest possible consequence. One point would keep them up. Anything less put them at the mercy of the West Ham-Leeds result and the rest of the final-day table, where 10 Premier League matches were being played at the same time.
Roberto De Zerbi Welcome
Roberto De Zerbi received an unusually strong fan welcome at Tottenham before kickoff. The reaction stood out in a stadium where the stakes were already high, and it came as fans also reacted strongly to the absence of any notes from executive level in Tottenham's programme.
There was no extra room for drift in the build-up. Arsenal were set to lift the trophy at Crystal Palace, but Tottenham's focus was on a result that would spare them from a first relegation from the top flight of English football in 49 years.
West Ham And Leeds
West Ham's match against Leeds sat alongside Tottenham's result in the same relegation picture. If Spurs lost and West Ham won, Tottenham would drop into the Championship with Wolves and Burnley already listed among next season's second-tier clubs.
The final-day setup left Tottenham with no margin. One result at home could settle the club's league status and protect a record that had held for nearly half a century.
