Sunderland
secured their Premier League survival on Wednesday with a 3-0 victory
over Everton that condemned bitter local rivals Newcastle United and
Norwich City to relegation.
It
was the fourth season in a row that Sunderland's fans had to endure a
gruelling relegation battle before popping the champagne corks, and
their victory was a crushing blow for Newcastle and Norwich, whose
4-2 win over Watford on Wednesday proved in vain.
Sunderland's
win, which came courtesy of two goals from surprise hero Lamine Kone,
moved them up to 38 points with one match remaining, four clear of
Norwich and Newcastle.
Sunderland
manager Sam Allardyce, a master of steering teams clear of danger,
led the Sunderland fans in celebration, pulling off his jacket and
flexing his muscles to the crowd after the final whistle.
"There
were a long few months winter months," he said. "We became
a team that was difficult to beat, who did not like losing and
continued the run constantly for the last few months."
Sunderland
came into the game knowing victory would secure their survival
regardless of other results and they dominated a lacklustre Everton
from the start.
The
win left boss Alex Neil cursing an end-of-season collapse that
condemned his team to the second tier.
"It
is severe disappointment," he said. "In recent matches we
have known it was going to be a difficult match. We had it in our
hands five matches ago but we came up short.
"The
story for us is that as a club, we have dropped short for a variety
of reasons. We have made vital errors in games at crucial times and
the recruitment has not been as good to strengthen the squad."
In
a very different atmosphere to the intensity of the relegation
battle, Liverpool's Christian Benteke headed a stoppage-time
equaliser in a 1-1 draw against last season's champions Chelsea at
Anfield.
Belgian
Eden Hazard had earlier lit up a mid-table clash between the
division's eighth and ninth-placed sides with a superb individual
goal.
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