London, United Kingdom | AFP |
Newcastle United and Norwich City were relegated from the Premier League on Wednesday as Sunderland secured their survival with a one-sided 3-0 victory over Everton.
Sunderland centre-back Lamine Kone’s first two goals for the club and a Patrick van Aanholt free-kick took Sam Allardyce’s side four points clear of danger with one game remaining.
A great escape… pic.twitter.com/rBNTf452Xh
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 12, 2016
Norwich returned to the Championship a year after promotion despite a 4-2 win over Watford, while Newcastle, Sunderland’s arch rivals, will play in the second tier for the first time since 2010.
It is the fourth season in a row that Sunderland have pulled off a late escape to avoid relegation and it guarantees the northeast club top-flight football for a 10th consecutive season.
Allardyce was the architect of their surge to safety, succeeding the sacked Dick Advocaat in October and overseeing a late-season run that has seen them take 11 points from a possible 15.