Images from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Arsenal relief as Rice secures narrow win over Newcastle
Arsenal snapped a season-long jinx against Newcastle United with a nervy 1-0 win in their last Premier League home game on Sunday, all but securing runners-up spot and a place in next season's Champions League.
Three defeats against Eddie Howe's side during the campaign could easily have become four had the visitors converted a flurry of early chances, but Declan Rice calmed the nerves.
Rice punished Newcastle for their first-half profligacy when he connected sweetly with Martin Odegaard's pass to rifle a curling effort from outside the area past a helpless Nick Pope in the 55th minute.
Arsenal, winless in their last three league games, were indebted to keeper David Raya in the first half as he made saves from Bruno Guimaraes, Tino Livramento, Harvey Barnes and Dan Burn as the visitors dominated.
Whatever was said at halftime appeared to wake them from their lethargy though and with an away game to finish at bottom club Southampton next weekend a third successive second-placed finish looks guaranteed, albeit this time a distant one.
Arsenal have 71 points from 37 games and only sixth-placed Manchester City, who have two games remaining, can match that.
"We had a few objectives today. The Champions League spot and runners-up spot and finishing in front of our people in the right manner and we've managed to do that," Arteta told reporters after an emotional address to fans on the pitch.
Newcastle remain in third place with 66 points but only one point separates them from seventh-placed Nottingham Forest as the battle for the other three Champions League spots will go down to the wire next Sunday.
They will qualify for the Champions League if they beat Everton at home next Sunday.
"It's going to go to the end and who knows what twists and turns there will be, we need one big effort in the last game," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said. "We need to be calm."
Arsenal's season promised so much but a League Cup semi-final defeat by Newcastle, a flimsy attempt to chase Liverpool in the title race and a Champions League semi-final exit against Paris St Germain meant their campaign fizzled out.
They went into Sunday's game knowing victory would guarantee them a top-five finish and a Champions League spot.
Yet on the flip-side one win in their last six league games had raised the unthinkable spectre of finishing sixth in what for most of the season looked like a two-horse title race.
The absence of Newcastle's prolific striker Alexander Isak because of a groin injury was a boost for Arsenal but they looked edgy, understandably considering they had not scored a goal in three games against Eddie Howe's side this season.
Newcastle were all over them in the opening stages and only Raya prevented the visitors taking the lead.
First the Spaniard denied Guimaraes and then Livramento should have done much better but shot too close to Raya.
Arsenal invited Newcastle pressure and Barnes was allowed to run through unchallenged before his low shot was turned around the upright by the unsighted Raya.
The pick of his first-half saves though was a reflex effort to palm away a towering header by Burn.
Arsenal's attack lacked fluency and Nick Pope was not seriously tested in the opening period but the tension around the Emirates was lifted 10 minutes after the break.
Martin Odegaard played the ball towards the midfielder and he swept a sublime first-time shot past Pope.
It was Arsenal's 52nd shot against Newcastle this season and the first one that found the net.
Newcastle threatened less after the break but former Arsenal player Joe Willock did wriggle through but smashed an angled shot over the bar.
Forest down West Ham
Nottingham Forest kept alive their hopes of Champions League football next season with a 2-1 Premier League win at West Ham United on Sunday as goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic kept them in touch with the top five.
Forest are seventh in the table on 65 points from 37 games, one point off the three teams currently placed third to fifth in the Champions League spots and level with Manchester City. Their last game is at home to Chelsea, who are fourth, next Sunday.
Gibbs-White settled the visitors' nerves with an early goal after 11 minutes when he collected a stray pass from West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to fire into an empty net.
Forest kept pressing for a second and were rewarded just past the hour mark as Anthony Elanga's free-kick ended up in the net off the back of Milenkovic, before Jarrod Bowen smashed in a late consolation for 15th-placed West Ham, who have 40 points.
The game had a farcical end with a long VAR check due to a technology breakdown, scuffles and time-wasting leading to an additional 17 minutes.
"The main objective was to start game aggressive, start strong and go for it," Gibbs-white told Sky Sports. "We knew we had to win this game. We left it a bit nervy for ourselves towards the end.
"It's a do or die (against Chelsea), one last push and we have to give it everything - the fans, the staff and us."
Forest went in front following a stray pass from Areola, who tried to pick out Guido Rodriguez just outside the box but Gibbs-White intercepted and finished into an empty net.
The visitors continued to look the brighter side and scored their second after 61 minutes when Elanga’s free-kick from the left went into the net off the back of Milenkovic.
Following a six-minute VAR check for offside, the goal was given. The semi-automated offside technology was not available to the VAR, while there were also issues with communications to the on-field officials.
It was an 11th assist of the season for Elanga, which matched the club’s Premier League record set by Bryan Roy in 1994-95.
Bowen set up a grandstand finish when his superb volleyed finish rocketed into the net after 86 minutes, with the drama far from over.
West Ham substitute Niclas Fuellkrug might have equalised when his powerful header was brilliantly saved by Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels deep into added time.
"We started with an error we didn't need to make but sometimes that happens," West Ham manager Graham Potter said.
"The goal affected us a bit too much and they step up in confidence and quality, and they have a good team and good players. We stayed in it as well as we could."
Wilson stunner sinks Brentford
Fulham beat Brentford 3-2 away in a roller-coaster Premier League encounter on Sunday to complete the double over their West London rivals after Harry Wilson came back to haunt them with yet another winner.
Wilson, who had also scored twice in added time in a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture in November, got on the scoresheet moments after coming on at 2-1 down by curling in a shot from nearly 30 yards out as Fulham scored two in two minutes.
As Marco Silva's side moved up to 54 points -- a record points tally for the club in the Premier League -- they sit in 10th place, a point behind eighth-placed Brentford with the fight for a spot in Europe still up for grabs.
Fulham went ahead in the 16th minute when Raul Jimenez grabbed his 12th goal of the season after the Mexican striker climbed over Nathan Collins with a towering header to direct Adama Traore's cross past the glove of Mark Flekken.
Brentford equalised when they won the ball back in midfield and Bryan Mbeumo played a one-two pass with Yoane Wissa before dribbling into the box and firing into the bottom corner.
Brentford won a penalty minutes later when Joachim Andersen clipped Kevin Schade and Mbeumo stepped up for the spot kick, but the Cameroon international was denied his 20th goal of the season as Bernd Leno made the save.
Wissa escaped a second booking for a foul on Antonee Robinson and as Fulham fumed over the decision, the Congo forward made it 2-1 two minutes later.
Michael Kayode launched a throw-in into the box which fell to the far post, where Christian Norgaard's header slipped through Leno's hands and Wissa prodded the ball over the line.
But the visitors equalised in the 68th minute when a deflected cross looped over the defence and skipper Tom Cairney rose into the air to direct a header home.
Exactly two minutes later, Fulham's comeback was complete when Wilson came on and scored his third goal against Brentford this season.
As Brentford searched for an equaliser, Norgaard nearly levelled the game in the 86th minute when he powered a header on target but Leno was up to the task with a fine reflex save to deny the Danish midfielder and secure the three points.
The victory also marked Fulham's first league double over Brentford since 1948.
Vardy scores on farewell as Leicester beat Ipswich
Leicester City great Jamie Vardy marked his final game for the club with his 200th goal in their colours as they beat fellow relegated side Ipswich Town 2-0 at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
Playing his 500th game for Leicester exactly 13 years to the day since he signed from Fleetwood Town, the 38-year-old Vardy opened the scoring in the 28th minute, calmly slotting past goalkeeper Alex Palmer after James Justin drove forward from midfield and fed him the perfect pass.
The former England striker then celebrated by raising a finger to shush the visiting fans as the King Power Stadium erupted in delight.
Winger Kasey McAteer saw his effort hit the post before doubling Leicester's lead with a powerful strike in the 69th minute when Wilfred Ndidi played a first-time ball to him.
With little more than pride left to play for, the win moved Leicester above Ipswich into 18th in the standings with 25 points, three points ahead of Kieran McKenna's side.
Ipswich had responded well to going down, creating chances that tested Jakub Stolarczyk in goal as Omari Hutchinson and Leif Davis went close to scoring an equaliser.
Davis had the ball in the back of the net in the dying moments of the game but the Ipswich left back's celebrations were cut short when the assistant referee's flag went up for offside.
Vardy received a guard of honour from his teammates and a standing ovation from the adoring home crowd when he was taken off for Patson Daka in the 80th minute.
Leicester's greatest player of the modern age who led them to a Premier League title against all odds in 2016 as well as an FA Cup victory in 2021, Vardy will leave the club at the end of the season.
While Leicester will visit Bournemouth next Sunday for their final game of the season, the East Midlands club had confirmed Vardy would play his last game at home against Ipswich.
Ndiaye double sparks cheers amid the tears for Everton
Everton gave Goodison Park a fitting farewell after Iliman Ndiaye scored twice to hand the home side a 2-0 victory over already-relegated Southampton on Sunday as the "Grand Old Lady" hosted its final Premier League game after 133 years.
Everton's win in their penultimate match of the season -- but last game at Goodison before moving to a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock -- left David Moyes' side 13th on 45 points. Bottom-placed Southampton have 12 points from 37 games.
"This team will be remembered in history as the one who played the last game," Moyes said.
Cheers and tears greeted Everton's team introductions to their "Z-Cars" anthem on an emotional day, with Ndiaye sparking bedlam after six minutes as he took the ball on the half-turn before driving towards goal and curling a shot into the net.
The 25-year-old Senegal international completed his double in first-half injury time when Dwight McNeil played a ball through two defenders and Ndiaye beat goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale with a dummy and then tapped into the empty net.
Ndiaye had said in a pre-game interview that he was motivated by the words of his daughter, saying he could become the last Everton men's player to score a goal at Goodison.
"It's very special (to be the last one)," Ndiaye said, with the game ball tucked under one arm. "It means a lot and I wanted to score a hat-trick. Since the day I came in they have been great, I wanted to give the fans a win today.
"The roar (after the first goal) was amazing. It's an amazing day. They deserve it," he added.
With Tim Cahill, Wayne Rooney, Duncan Ferguson and dozens of other Everton greats watching, the hosts ran roughshod over Southampton, who did little to spoil the party.
The win was Everton's 17th over Saints at Goodison, making them the club's favourite home Premier League opponents.
The scoreline could have been more lopsided as Beto had two goals given offside four minutes apart in the first half.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to make a save late on to deny substitute Cameron Archer and ensure the final goal scored was not a Southampton one.
The afternoon went almost perfectly for Everton although they did lose their captain Seamus Coleman, who has made over 350 league appearances for the club, when he was forced off in the first half with what Moyes said was a thigh injury.
"I'm gutted for him," said Pickford, who wore the captain's armband for the rest of the match. "What a legend and character he is around the place."
Sunday capped an emotional run-up that many Everton fans had been dreading and the stadium's finale -- Game 2,791 -- certainly did not fail to deliver one more to remember.
Thousands of supporters showed up well before the team's bus arrived at the ground, with dense blue smoke filling the narrow terraced streets. Even fans without tickets turned out to be part of history, the end of an era.
Supporters belted out "Everton, you never shone so brightly!" The club's flag flew at half-mast above the Bullens Road Stand.
"The last game at Goodison will take some time to soak in," Pickford said. "We would have liked to score four or five. We will go down in history as the last team to win at Goodison. That's what the manager asked of us today.
"The fans have been brilliant."
Everton announced earlier this week that their women's team, who play in the Women's Super League, would make a permanent move to Goodison, beginning next season.
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