WEST Bromwich Albion was relegated from the Premier League as a result of Southampton’s 1-0 win at Swansea on Wednesday morning — but the result could be the death knell for Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield.
Manolo Gabbiadini converted a close-range shot in the 72nd minute as Southampton moved three points above the relegation zone and virtually guaranteed its place in the Premier League next season.
Swansea stayed third from last — the final relegation place — and now must beat already-relegated Stoke on the final day of the season and require 17th-place Huddersfield to lose to Chelsea on Wednesday and Arsenal on Sunday.
Huddersfield now sits in 17th spot equal with the Saints on 36 points, but trail on goal difference. Southampton’s (-18) guarantees their safety even if Swansea (-27) wins and they lose in the final round — unless The Swans had a thumping win and the Saints a drastic loss.
Huddersfield has a game in hand on Swansea (33 points) — but Mooy’s side faces the toughest of tasks in Chelsea and Arsenal — fifth and sixth respectively.
The game is up, however, for West Brom, which cannot escape the bottom three heading into the final weekend.
West Brom did well just to survive this long, with relegation looking a certainty for months until Darren Moore took over as caretaker manager in early April in place of the fired Alan Pardew.
Under Moore, West Brom is undefeated in five games and has beaten Manchester United and Newcastle away and Tottenham at home. The side needed a draw between Swansea and Southampton to keep alive its faint hopes, but Gabbiadini put paid to that.
The Italy striker has been used mostly as a substitute in recent months and he came off the bench again in the 68th minute against Swansea, with Southampton heading toward an unsatisfactory draw.
Four minutes later, he was in the right place at a corner to turn the ball home — with the aid of a deflection — after Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski pulled off a reflex save from Charlie Austin’s volley.
Southampton plays Manchester City in its final match and only has to avoid a heavy loss to extend its six-year stay in the Premier League.
