West Brom have been relegated to the Championship following a 2-0 defeat against Liverpool.
West Brom (0) 0 Liverpool (1) 2
West Brom have made an immediate return to the Championship following defeat to Liverpool at the Hawthorns.
Tony Mowbray's side went into the game knowing only a win would guarantee them a slight chance of safeguarding their Premier League status on the final day of the season.
Their great escape mission was given a setback after 28 minutes when newly-crowned Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year Steven Gerrard scored his 24th goal of the season.
When Shelton Martis gifted the ball to Gerrard 25 yards out, the Anfield captain wasted no time in sprinting away to beat keeper Dean Kiely.
After 63 minutes, Liverpool struck again. Gerrard fed Dirk Kuyt and the Dutchman surged at retreating defenders before drilling the ball past Kiely from the edge of the box.
West Brom were intent on going down fighting but it was a bizarre exchange between Jamie Carragher and colleague Alvaro Arbeloa which proved to be the major talking point of the afternoon.
Carragher and Arbeloa squared up to each other in the penalty area with Xabi Alonso called on to keep the two Liverpool players apart.
West Brom's Marc-Antoine Fortune then had an effort disallowed for offside as they mounted a last-ditch charge, while Ryan Babel and Lucas missed gifts at the other end.
Albion kept going to the end, but this time the great escape was beyond them as they suffered relegation from the top flight for the third time in seven years.
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