BURNLEY WERE RELEGATED from the Premier League after Micky van de Ven’s 82nd-minute winner earned Tottenham to a 2-1 comeback victory.
Vincent Kompany’s Clarets, who started with Republic of Ireland duo Dara O’Shea and Josh Cullen, had to claim all three points to keep alive their faint hopes of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship.
Jacob Bruun Larsen’s 25th-minute opener gave them hope in north London, but Pedro Porro equalised seven minutes later.
While Burnley were anticipated to finish strongly in pursuit of taking their Premier League survival bid to the final day, the opposite occurred.
After Ange Postecoglou watched his Spurs side squander a number of chances, a tactical switch-up with Van de Ven moved out to left-back paid off when the Netherlands defender curled home with eight minutes left.
It sent Burnley back to the second tier but also keeps Tottenham in the hunt for Champions League qualification after they closed the gap to fourth-placed Villa to four points.
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Luton were also left to almost certainly wave goodbye to the Premier League after a 3-1 defeat by West Ham as David Moyes said farewell to the London Stadium.
Albert Sambi Lokonga looked set to spoil Moyes’ party and give Luton a chance of taking the survival fight to the final day when he fired the visitors into an early lead.
But second-half goals from James Ward-Prowse, Tomas Soucek and teenager George Earthy gave Moyes a winning send-off in his final home match in charge and means Nottingham Forest can secure safety with a draw at home to Chelsea [5.30pm].
Elsewhere, Everton signed off their season at Goodison Park with an uncharacteristic, jeopardy-free 1-0 victory over relegated Sheffield United, who gave a Premier League debut to 18-year-old Ireland U21 international and former St Patrick’s Athletic defender Sam Curtis.
With safety already secured, and nothing to play for except a club record-equalling fifth consecutive home win without conceding, there was no nerve-jangling, nail-biting finale to their last game of the campaign in L4.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s first goal in five months ensured fans could, for the first time in a long time, enjoy their send-off to the players, with all the uncertainty reserved for matters off the pitch.
Twelve of the matchday squad are either out of contract in the next month or entering their final year, while Ireland captain Seamus Coleman is in talks about extending his stay for a 16th season.
For a number, this will have been their last appearance for the hosts at Goodison Park.
Two others – Jarrad Branthwaite and Amadou Onana – are already being linked with other clubs and 777 Partners’ proposed long-running takeover of the club appears to be on the brink of collapse.
