Everton's safety secured as Doucoure screamer beats Bournemouth

Tom Pritchard

Abdoulaye Doucouré’s stunning second-half strike helped Everton preserve their top-flight status for a 69th straight season, as the Toffees edged past Bournemouth 1-0 at a raucous and relieved Goodison Park.

While the Cherries’ survival had already been secured weeks ago, Sean Dyche’s men were heading into the final day with their fate yet to be sealed for the first time since 1998.

There was an understandable tension inside Goodison, with the home fans keeping an eye on events elsewhere as much as they were on what was unfolding in front of them.

The first two sights on goal went the way of Everton, with Demarai Gray’s speculative effort from range not far away, before Idrissa Gueye broke into the area and sent a shot just over the crossbar when he should have hit the target.

The Toffees’ attacking play was doing little to alleviate the concerns of their fans, and shortly after the half-hour mark, they were stunned into silence when the news of Leicester's opening goal against West Ham dropped Everton into the relegation zone.

There was almost a double whammy for the Merseysiders with HT approaching when Bournemouth won the ball back and David Brooks broke into the area before squaring to Dominic Solanke, who had his shot blocked.

James Garner had an effort from outside the area tipped over the bar by Mark Travers in stoppage time, as Everton were booed off by their fans as they headed into the break.

Key stats from the match at full-timeFlashscore

While their performance was stuttering at best, Everton have been a tough nut to crack under Dyche, with only champions Manchester City getting the better of them across their last four league matches.

And they were nearly handed a gift six minutes after the restart when the Cherries failed to clear their lines, giving Gray a free header from point-blank range, but Travers was able to get down and make the crucial save.

With the clock ticking towards the hour mark, things were looking increasingly desperate for Everton.

However, out of nowhere, Doucouré sent a sizzling half-volley from just outside the area past Travers and into the net to spark wild scenes inside Goodison and lift his team out of the drop zone.

Everton have only been relegated twice in their entire history, and Leicester’s second goal only added extra tension in the closing stages, which were prolonged due to a lengthy stoppage for a Jordan Pickford injury.

When the fourth official indicated a minimum of 10 added minutes, it was simply unbearable for the home faithful.

The Cherries refused to sit back and accept defeat, but a stoic defensive display saw Everton over the line as a miserable campaign ended in joyous scenes in the Merseyside sunshine.