Aston Villa narrowly avoid relegation as Watford, Bournemouth go down

Aston Villa barely survived relegation on the Premier League's final day after Sunday's 1-1 draw at West Ham United.

Bournemouth beat Everton 3-1 at Goodison Park, meaning that another goal for West Ham would've sent Aston Villa back to the Championship. However, Dean Smith's side kept West Ham at bay in the final minutes to earn a vital point.

Watford joined Bournemouth in the relegation zone after they were defeated 3-2 by Arsenal.

Aston Villa seemed to preserve their top-flight status when Jack Grealish lashed a superb effort past Lukasz Fabianski in the 84th minute, but, just as those celebrations were dying down, West Ham leveled when Andriy Yarmolenko's deflected shot looped over Pepe Reina. The equalizer resulted in a nervy finish for the away side.

Bournemouth did their bit on the last day, but it wasn't enough. The Cherries engineered their fourth win of 2020 with goals from Joshua King, Dominic Solanke, and Junior Stanislas on Merseyside but dropped after five years in the Premier League.

Eddie Howe, the manager who masterminded each of Bournemouth's three promotions to reach the top flight, oversaw some famous victories during their Premier League stay. They put their first points on the board with a 4-3 win at West Ham in August 2015, and also fashioned notable wins over Chelsea (3-0 in January 2018 and 4-0 in January 2019) and Liverpool (4-3 in December 2016), while also registering their recent 4-1 triumph at Leicester City that temporarily reignited Bournemouth's survival bid.

Bournemouth's defense wasn't the main problem for Howe this term - they'd conceded more goals in three of their previous four seasons - but their attack dried up, culminating in a modest 40 goals.

Watford also concluded half a decade in England's first rung. Unlike Bournemouth, the Hornets haven't relied on stability during their third spell in the Premier League, with six different managerial regimes gracing the dugout since the start of the 2015-16 season - and that doesn't include Hayden Mullins' two caretaker stints this term.

Watford's three full-time managers over this campaign - Javi Gracia, Quique Sanchez Flores, and Nigel Pearson - were all unable to arrest the Hornets' slide into the second tier. Pearson was the closest to dragging Watford to safety, collecting a commendable 26 points from 22 matches before his surprise dismissal earlier this month.

Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion have already confirmed their ascents to the Premier League for next season. The last promotion place will be determined in the Championship playoffs, which feature Brentford, Fulham, Cardiff City, and Swansea City. The final will be held at Wembley Stadium on Aug. 4.