Jurgen Klopp insists he does not need a break from Premier League management following a disappointing campaign with Liverpool.

The Reds missed out on Champions League qualification after finishing outside the top four for the first time in a full season under the German.

Sunday’s thrilling 4-4 draw at relegated Southampton stretched Liverpool’s unbeaten top-flight run to 11 games but the late resurgence was not enough to make up for earlier poor results.

Klopp, the division’s longest-serving manager, maintains he is “full of energy” and ready to revive the club’s fortunes going into the summer.

Asked if he needs time off, the Reds boss replied: “No, no, no, not at all. Honestly, I’m completely fine.

“If you’d asked me 11 games ago, ‘do you want to have a break?’, I would have thought about it, to be honest.

“But I’m absolutely fine, full of energy.

“I have a break – I don’t have training and these kind of things. But a really busy period hopefully starts now in a different area of the game. I’m more than happy to do that.

“I will find time to reenergise and then we start again in July.”

Liverpool’s fifth-placed finish was their lowest since they finished eighth in 2015-16 – the season during which Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers at Anfield.

The Reds looked destined to sign off this term in style following early strikes from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino at St Mary’s.

But quick-fire second-half finishes from substitute Cody Gakpo and Jota were required to avoid a major shock after Kamaldeen Sulemana’s double and goals from James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong turned a chaotic contest in Southampton’s favour.

Klopp believes his club has stuck together during some difficult moments and is determined that they regain a fear factor for rival sides.

“There is not a lot to learn (from the season) but a lot of clubs when the expectations are as high as ours when things don’t go well pretty quickly you start blaming each other,” he said. “That didn’t happen here.

“The better you behave in a crisis, the better you get out of it – and I really thought that was the case for us.

“We’re really, really not happy about it and for a club like us it’s massive not to qualify for the Champions League.

“If we improve, we are all of a sudden again a team nobody wants to play against and that’s what we have to become again.

“There were a lot of games in the season where I think teams were happy to face us. That’s actually the worst thing that can happen to you and I hated these moments. But that’s over and now let’s start again.”

Southampton are preparing for life in the Sky Bet Championship following an exhilarating end to a dismal season.

Saints manager Ruben Selles, who will leave the club and is likely be replaced by Swansea boss Russell Martin, conducted a performance review ahead of his departure.

“We discussed the points we can do better, the points we need to hold,” said the Spaniard.

“We needed to end in a professional way and that’s not a discussion because it’s not about us as a technical staff, it’s about Southampton and the information we can pass to the future people working here is key in not repeating the same mistakes.

“If they find themselves in the same situations that we did, at least they have this footage and experience of what we did.

“We did our review as a technical staff together. We got some conclusions for us and somebody will present it in the proper place to present it.

“It’s not for us to decide for the future but it is for us to say what we think can be different next season.”

Everton’s escape from relegation will not automatically free them from problems which caused that predicament and proposed new investment will have to inevitably bring changes at boardroom level, according to a leading academic.

While Premier League revenue has been secured for another season – extending their top-flight stay into a 70th season – a club which has cumulative losses of more than £430million in the last four years will have to make significant changes.

And while American investors MSP Sports Capital are poised to buy into the club, Kieran Maguire – from the University of Liverpool Management School’s Centre for Sports Business – believes that will not come without strings attached.

Fans who have been protesting against what they claim is mismanagement by the current board, including chairman Bill Kenwright and CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale in particular, will welcome that prospect but what impact it has on owner Farhad Moshiri’s approach remains to be seen.

“Someone suggested £150million for 25 per cent, which would value the club around £600m. Newcastle went for £300m,” Maguire, speaking about the new investment, told the PA news agency.

“If a new person was coming in, they’d be looking for board representation, more concessions from Moshiri and then where does it leave him: owning three-quarters of a football club and he’d walk away with a big loss.

“MSP are looking to bring two directors onto the board and for there to be changes on the existing board.”

However, a new, albeit partial, boardroom will not sweep away all Everton’s issues.

There are deep-rooted problems at the club which the £600m Moshiri has spent on transfers alone have failed to solve.

That means it will take some turning around and – after back-to-back seasons of narrowly avoiding relegation – it could be a painful and complicated process with a squad overhaul likely to have to take place on a budget, potentially funded by existing player sales.

“It is not Football Manager where you think ‘It’s not going too well, I’ll delete and reset’,” added Maguire.

“You have costs in terms of the infrastructure, legacy costs in terms of player recruitment.

“There won’t be a lot of money to buy players but you still have the issue of wages at 90 per cent of turnover and this overhang of the Premier League charges.

“We don’t know how long that will take to conclude – and the worst-case scenario is a points deduction.

“Football is a talent game and the talent follows the money. It could be you do a Brentford or a Brighton and you succeed at a point in the market but there is no evidence to suggest Everton are capable of doing that.

“How do you get around that? You pay them more money – and that extra money doesn’t exist.”

On the horizon is the new 53,000-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock but that, too, will be no panacea for finances.

“It will start to kick in for 2024, but it is not going to move the dial a huge amount,” said Maguire.

“And Everton have a fanbase who are traditional supporters from Liverpool so monetising the corporate element may be more difficult.”

Sean Dyche is nothing if not realistic and within minutes of achieving his sole aim of saving Everton from relegation he delivered his verdict on the state of the club – and it will have made for difficult listening for his bosses.

The 51-year-old has built a career on plain speaking and pragmatism but until another season in the top flight – the club’s 70th in succession – was secured he had to keep his own counsel, at least in public, on the state of affairs he inherited from predecessor Frank Lampard.

But in the immediate aftermath of the 1-0 win over Bournemouth which safeguarded the Toffees’ future, Dyche laid bare the extent of the problems he feels have riddled the club and outlined what needs to be done to change.

Whether owner Farhad Moshiri, whose £600 million-plus spend on players in just over seven years has almost hastened rather than failed to prevent back-to-back relegation scraps, will listen remains to be seen.

But Dyche knows throwing money at the problem is not the answer, especially as it has now effectively run out with the club making losses of over £430m over four years and facing sanctions next season for breaching profit and sustainability rules.

“The fans have been amazing, they want the club to be in the top end of the market but the club currently is not at the top end of the market,” he said.

“We need solid thinking going forwards. We are not ready to be up there yet, that is quite evident.

“It is going to be building and progress and I need the Evertonians to understand that. I’ll be very surprised if they (the club’s board) say ‘Here’s another war chest, sign who you like’.

“It’s not going to happen so we have to be wise, recruit wisely and recruit players who, if possible, understand this club.

“They have to be able to handle what it is to be part of Everton. I’m learning that all the time and we have to be able to get that heartbeat and also talent as well.

“I’ve tried to be realistic since I’ve been here but the problem with realism is not many people want it because it sounds boring.

“But at the end of the day it is time for that. There was a time when this club went from ‘Let’s just do everything’ but there is a time for realism, that’s what I’ve learned.”

Dyche is already starting to sound like his old self during his decade-long stay at Burnley before his sacking last season in a relegation scrap from which they failed to escape.

He worked miracles on a small budget at Turf Moor, making the club a Premier League regular against the odds, and believes he can turn things around at Goodison Park.

But he needs the people in charge – Moshiri, chairman Bill Kenwright and chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale – to accept his version of what the future should look like and abandon lofty but unrealistic ambitions fuelled by influential agents, the owner’s inexperience and a lack of joined-up thinking on a club ethos and recruitment strategy.

This is a club which are on their eighth permanent manager and third director of football since the billionaire took over in 2016.

Dyche, who admitted managing up was as much a part of his job as leading those below him, said on him being the driving force: “Someone has got to. That’s usually the manager.

“Now at least I can bring some of it to the fore and I can say ‘OK, I’ve given you the first step and it’s a big step’ but I need a bit of reality from fans that they don’t think next season we win the first 10 on the trot.

“That’s highly unlikely from a club which has been edging downwards.

“There’s that beautiful stadium down the road (at Bramley-Moore Dock) which someone has to pay for.

“There has to be a reality (about money) because we are trying to build a stadium, they are doing things in the community, and you have to get a team to win.”

On transfers, he added: “Fans want development but really they want first-team footballers who can play and win and that usually implies money.

“But we know about the financial stuff, that has to be realigned, so not yet, I don’t know but I will know at some point.

“Evertonians remember when they had an ‘earthy’ team, a team that gave everything – they are good things even in modern times. Let’s applaud it.

“And of course we want to play good, attacking, pleasing football that can win games. Not easy.”

Former Everton captain Alan Stubbs says he was left feeling both relief and anger after the club secured Premier League survival on Sunday and has called for “major changes from boardroom level down.”

The final day of the season saw the Toffees claim the victory they needed for safety as Abdoulaye Doucoure’s stunning 57th-minute strike sealed a 1-0 win over Bournemouth and Leicester and Leeds were relegated.

Stubbs told BBC Radio 5 Live: “There are two (feelings) – one is relief and the other is anger.

“It was a horrible 90 minutes as an Everton fan, watching that and the emotions you were going through. The players did really well – to play under that pressure, it’s not easy and the manager (Sean Dyche) deserves a lot of credit as well.

“But now…Everton need to make some major, major changes from boardroom level down. It’s got to happen.”

Regarding Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, Stubbs added: “I have to applaud him in terms of he’s invested in the club, but he’s been really poorly advised by people on the board and probably people he’s trusted in as well, and he has to take a step aside because he’s not a football person so he shouldn’t be getting involved in any football decisions.

“That’s got to be left to people and trust them to do the job, and if he doesn’t trust them they shouldn’t be there in the first place.

“(Chairman) Bill Kenwright, (chief executive) Denise Barrett-Baxendale, thanks very much but it’s time to go because you’ve failed this football club, on and off the pitch, and the owner has to make those decisions, because if he doesn’t, the animosity among the fanbase… they’ve had enough.

“This is where everyone’s waiting with bated breath, to see what the next steps are. I’d be surprised if there’s nothing coming from Everton today in terms of resignations. Everton is broken, and it can be fixed but there has to be major changes for that to happen.”

Leicester went down despite concluding their campaign with a 2-1 home win over West Ham.

Former Foxes skipper Steve Walsh told Sky Sports it had been a “sad day”, adding: “It really hurts, it does.

“The alarm bells were ringing after 10 games, we were in a bit of trouble, so you sensed something could happen, but you never believed it would because of the quality that was in the squad.

“These owners have won so much. Hopefully we can bounce straight back, but there’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes that has to be done and the club know that.”

Leicester defender Jonny Evans does not know what the future holds following their relegation to the Championship.

The Foxes became just the second former Premier League champions to be relegated when their 2-1 win against West Ham was deemed meaningless by Everton’s victory against Bournemouth.

A large number of players, including Evans and Youri Tielemans, are out of contract while the likes of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes look set to be sold to help balance the books.

Evans revealed the squad had said their goodbyes in the dressing room ahead of a likely summer exodus.

Evans, 35, said: “It is a tough thing to take.

“There was silence for a long time in the dressing room afterwards. We know there are a lot of players out of contract.

“There are going to be a lot of changes in the football club.

“It was an opportunity for everybody to say goodbye really. A lot of us don’t know where we are going to end up.

“I said to the boys it has been an amazing five years but the club now have decisions to make.

“I don’t think they probably know what they are going to do.”

Defeat for West Ham concluded a disappointing Premier League campaign in which they finished in 14th, just six points above Leicester.

But their attention is firmly on next week’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in what could be Declan Rice’s last game for the club.

The England midfielder looks set to be sold this summer and if the game in Prague is to be his farewell, boss David Moyes wants him to go out on a high.

“I thought he played great. It was another swashbuckling performance from him at times,” Moyes said of his performance at the King Power Stadium.

“I am really pleased how well he has played for us over the season, he has been exceptional and a credit to himself.

“And now he has the big moment to see if he can lift a trophy for West Ham and he needs to try and get ready to see if he can help us do that.”

Leeds were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday after a three-year stay in the top flight.

The Yorkshire club had needed to beat Tottenham on the final day and hope other results involving Everton and Leicester went their way, but they were beaten 4-1 at Elland Road.

The result meant Sam Allardyce’s side finished 19th in the table, five points behind 17th-placed Everton. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the reasons why it went wrong.

Bielsa legacy casts shadow

Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani, former director of football Victor Orta and chief executive Angus Kinnear received huge acclaim when the club ended their 16-year Premier League exile in 2020. They played a masterstroke by appointing Marcelo Bielsa as head coach in 2018 but their legacy was always going to be defined by how they filled the vacuum after sacking the Argentinian in February 2022. The board felt they had to act after a poor run of results but, since then, they have got most of their key decisions wrong and the wheels have now fallen off.

What exactly did the board get wrong?

Bielsa’s successor Jesse Marsch was hailed as a natural replacement but performances and results did not improve. Leeds survived relegation last season on the final day and when Marsch was sacked in February this year, he left the club in a worse position in the table. The board’s failed, ill-conceived bids to hire Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola and Feyenoord’s Arne Slot led to accusations of panic and, after a fans’ backlash, they also reneged on appointing former Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder. So in came Javi Gracia for his ill-fated stint. The club admitted they had erred by parachuting Allardyce into Elland Road with four league games remaining.

Can relegation be blamed solely on the managers?

No. After Leeds defied the odds to finish ninth under Bielsa in their first season back in the top flight, they have failed to sufficiently strengthen their squad. A lack of cover for an injury-prone Patrick Bamford and midfielder Tyler Adams is a prime example. It has also been an imbalanced squad with wide players in abundance but no depth in other key areas. Some signings since promotion, such as Raphinha, Adams, Luis Sinisterra and Willy Gnonto, have been a success, but too many others have failed to make an impact, while the arrival of club-record signing Georginio Rutter has left fans scratching their heads.

Has the ownership issue muddied the waters?

The last-ditch appointment of Allardyce was symptomatic of Leeds’ mis-management and of a club in limbo since the investment arm of San Francisco 49ers increased its stake to 44 per cent at the end of 2021. 49ers Enterprises has an option to own 100 percent by January next year and the ownership issue has not helped decision-making. Orta’s resignation in protest over Gracia’s sacking has left Leeds without a director of football and, if Allardyce departs as expected, they will be without a long-term head coach. How relegation will affect the takeover remains to be seen, while Radrizzani has been linked with a move to buy Sampdoria. The club’s future direction is not clear.

Wales will play South Korea at home in a September friendly.

It will be the first time the two nations have met at senior men’s level and will take place at Cardiff City Stadium on September 7, four days before Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifier in Latvia.

South Korea, who are captained by Tottenham forward Son Heung-min, reached the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Former Germany and United States boss Jurgen Klinsmann was appointed South Korea head coach in February.

“Many teams are tied up in Europe with qualifiers and it’s not always easy to get strong opposition during the few occasions we get the chance to play friendlies,” said Noel Mooney, chief executive of the Football Association of Wales.

“So to have the likes of Son Heung-min – Ben Davies’ teammate at Spurs – and many other high quality players coming to Cardiff is great for us.

“They had a really good World Cup getting to the knockout stage and it’s important we keep testing ourselves against different styles of football.

“South Korea offers us a really interesting chance to do that, and I’m sure we’ll have another great crowd to cheer on Cymru before the ‘Red Wall’ head for Riga a few days later.”

Wales plan to play an October friendly against Gibraltar at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground.

A March 2019 friendly against Trinidad and Tobago is the only time Wales men’s senior team have played at the Racecourse – the world’s oldest international football stadium that still hosts matches – over the last 15 years.

Wales manager Rob Page announces his squad on Tuesday for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey having taken four points from their opening two games in March.

What the papers say

As the Premier League season comes to an end, the summer transfer season is just beginning and Newcastle will have to fight to keep midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Barcelona. The Times says Barcelona believe it will cost them around £87million to sway Newcastle to let go of the 25-year-old Brazilian.

Chelsea will be looking to put this season behind them after securing former Tottenham and Paris St Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino on a three-year contract, according to the Guardian. The Blues finished 12th this season.

The Sun says promoted Sheffield United are looking at 24-year-old Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien, who is currently out on loan to DC United in MLS, to help bolster their squad for the top flight.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: Liverpool have sights set on the Lazio midfielder with the Serbian’s contract set to expire in 2024, according to Goal.

Kim Min-jae: Manchester United and Newcastle are interested in signing the 26-year-old South Korean defender from Napoli, according to Spanish outlet Fijaches and Givemesport.

Jamaica’s wait to qualify for a FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup has been prolonged, as the young Reggae Girlz suffered a second-consecutive 0-4 defeat, this time at the hands of United States, at the Concacaf Under-20 Championships in Dominican Republic on Sunday.

A hat-trick from Madeline Dahlien (10th, 47th and 79th) and one from Tessa Dellarose (49th) saw the reigning seven-time champions to victory which secured them a semi-final berth along with Canada, who earlier registered a 5-0 win over Panama.

Both United States and Canada, are on six points each and will decide Group A winners in a top-of-the-table clash on Tuesday, while the Jamaicans and Panamanians are to meet in a contest of academic interest on the same day.

While it was a much-improved showing from the young Reggae Girlz in part, when compared to their 0-4 opening loss to Canada, they simply lacked the pedigree of their United States counterparts.

The Hugh Bradford-coached Girlz showed more heart defensively and did manage to show some semblance of individual flair when in possession, but again offered very little on the attacking front.

It took only 10 minutes for US to break the deadlock when Dahlien breached the backline and fired past Liya Brooks.

They continued to apply consistent pressure and found a few more openings but faulty shooting proved their undoing as they failed to hit the target.

That coupled with the fact that the young Reggae Girlz were more organized at the back, resulted in the score remaining 1-0 at the break.

However, the Girlz first half accomplishments quickly went out like a candle in the wind, as the US attackers went straight to work on the resumption. A weighted cross from Onyeka Gamero was expertly met by Dahlien beating Brooks to her left, two minutes in.

And before the Girlz could regroup, they found themselves further behind when Dellarose’s delightful left-footed strike from about 20-yards out, gave Brooks no chance at a save.

Brooks was better positioned to deny substitute Jill Flammia’s effort from just outside the 18-yard box in the 54^th minute, as she got down well to her right to parry onto the upright.

But Dahlien eventually secured her third and a fourth for the US with another easy finish beyond Brooks.

US, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico are set to contest the semi-finals.

The two finalists and third-place team will qualify for next year’s Under-20 World Cup.

Gary Lineker has congratulated Everton after his former club survived in the Premier League at the expense of his boyhood team Leicester.

The two clubs had been in jeopardy heading into the final round of fixtures on Sunday but ultimately Everton’s 1-0 victory over Bournemouth ensured they avoided the drop.

At one stage it looked as though it could be the Foxes who stayed up as they took an early lead against West Ham but their eventual 2-1 win was rendered academic by Everton’s result.

The Toffees ended the season in 17th place, two points ahead of Leicester, while Leeds were also relegated after a 4-1 loss to Tottenham.

Former England striker Lineker, who began his career at Leicester before spending a season at Everton in the mid-1980s, tweeted: “Absolutely gutted, but glad it’s Everton. Have a lot of love for that great football club. Congratulations.”

Leicester’s relegation comes seven years after they were crowned Premier League champions and just two years after they won the FA Cup.

Lineker added: “A word on Leicester. If eight years ago, you’d have given me the option of winning the Premier League and the FA Cup and then get relegated, I’d have snapped your hand off. Also I’d have told you not to be so utterly ridiculous.”

It has been a dismal season for Leicester and TV pundit Roy Keane was not sure how quickly they could recover.

The former Manchester United midfielder said on Sky Sports: “They didn’t seem to get any momentum into the season from a bad start. It’s no surprise to see them where they are.

“Clubs can bounce back but it isn’t easy. I think it is a rebuilding job at Leicester.”

Leeds’ three-year stint in the Premier League ended in a whimper as they were thrashed by Spurs at Elland Road.

The club had brought in Sam Allardyce in a last-ditch attempt to escape relegation with four games remaining but the former England boss was unable to engineer a recovery.

The team collected just one point from Allardyce’s games and finished in 19th position, five points behind Everton.

Keane was scathing of their performances.

He said: “They’ve looked weak over the last month or two, even with Sam coming in.

“They were fighting for their lives today and conceded four goals at home. That’s nowhere near good enough.

“Sam obviously came in too late. Defensively they look so weak. Some of the goals – it’s almost pub team defending.

“Not strong enough mentally, that desire – nowhere near good enough.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, aimed a parting shot at Leeds on social media.

Rivalry between those two clubs dates back to some hard-fought clashes in the 1960s and 70s.

In August, Leeds trolled Chelsea on Twitter during their 3-0 victory over the London club.

In that game, Chelsea tweeted the Blues were “starting to assert ourselves” just moments before Leeds opened the scoring and quickly followed with a second goal.

“Life comes at you fast!” Leeds tweeted in reply.

Now, nine months later, Chelsea have got their own back.

“It certainly does,” they tweeted.

Jeff Stelling revealed singer Sir Elton John was among his well-wishers this week as the presenter signed off from the “best job that anybody could possibly have wished for” at Soccer Saturday.

Stelling announced last month his intention to stand down as anchor of the Sky Sports programme after almost 30 years and earmarked the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday as his last show.

In the days leading up to his swansong, Stelling divulged he had messages of support from the likes of Gordon Strachan and Neil Warnock, plus a phone call from John, former chairman and director of Watford.

Stelling, an unapologetic Hartlepool fan who frequently celebrated their goals on Soccer Saturday, said: “Somebody asked me the other day if I’d ever been starstruck and yeah, I was starstruck when Elton John rang me at home to say ‘Thank you very much for all you’ve done’.

“He said ‘Every week I watch the show and every week you tell me Watford are losing and every week you tell me Hartlepool are losing so I feel like we’re kindred spirits’. There’s something in that, isn’t there?”

After touching tributes from colleagues past and present in a video montage, Stelling was given a standing ovation by the punditry panel of Paul Merson, Clinton Morrison, Kris Boyd and Michael Dawson.

Stelling, who had planned to quit last year before reversing that decision, briefly hid his emotions with a mask of himself and quipped: “This is tricky because I’ve changed my mind – just kidding.

“I haven’t changed my mind this time.”

Stelling was clearly moved by the highlights package Sky televised in the final minutes of the show after Everton retained their top-flight status and confirmed the relegations of Leeds and Leicester.

Merson, Alan Mullery, Frank McLintock, Clive Allen, Charlie Nicholas, Phil Thompson and Matt Le Tissier passed on their congratulations, as did Chris Kamara, who in a nod to the catchphrase that has become synonymous with the pair and the show, said: “You are unbelievable, Jeff!”

Stelling looked back fondly on his 30-plus years with Sky, in which he not only covered football but live snooker, darts, greyhound racing, pool and thanked everyone with whom he had worked.

In his farewell monologue, he added: “It’s been the best job that anybody could possibly have wished for. My wife takes great pleasure in saying ‘You are the luckiest man ever to take a breath’ and you know what? I don’t tell her this often but she’s right.

“The principle success of Soccer Saturday is you lot at home, who have given us unswerving support – both for the programme and for me personally.

“So that’s it. Soccer Saturday will be back next season. I’ll be watching – when Hartlepool are not playing. From me, goodbye.”

Espanyol were relegated from LaLiga after a dramatic draw with fellow strugglers Valencia on Sunday.

Luis Garcia's side will not be playing top-flight football next term after Samuel Lino's 93rd-minute goal snatched a 2-2 draw for Valencia, sending Espanyol down.

The White and Blues will join already relegated Elche in dropping down to the Segunda Division, while a host of other teams, including Real Valladolid, Celta Vigo, Almeria and Valencia, remain in danger.

Valladolid are in 18th place with one game remaining, one point behind Celta and Almeria, and two points adrift of Valencia, Getafe and Cadiz in a congested battle for survival.

Milan secured a top-four Serie A finish with a 1-0 win at Juventus as Olivier Giroud's header dealt a knockout blow to the Bianconeri's own hopes of Champions League qualification.

Still reeling from their 10-point deduction and Monday's miserable 4-1 defeat at Empoli, Juve required a win at Allianz Stadium to take the top-four battle to the season's final matchday.

However, the Bianconeri's lack of attacking thrust was on full display once again, with Giroud scoring the only goal of the game with an outstanding header as half-time approached on Sunday.

The Rossoneri were comfortable from there as they ensured Juve's chaotic season will end on another sour note, piling more pressure on embattled head coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Sandro Tonali headed Junior Messias' delivery over as Milan started brightly, but Juve soon improved, with Angel Di Maria failing to hook Moise Kean's cut-back home on the stretch.

More Bianconeri chances came and went as Federico Chiesa hammered over and Kean worked Mike Maignan from distance, but Juve found themselves behind five minutes before half-time.

Davide Calabria's hanging cross from the right was met with a textbook header from Giroud, who planted the ball beyond Wojciech Szczesny's despairing dive.

Adrien Rabiot forced a comfortable save from Maignan as Juve toiled after the restart, failing to make any attacking headway without injured striker Dusan Vlahovic.

Szczesny stuck out a leg to deny Alexis Saelemaekers and Rafael Leao fired over on the break, while Danilo had a close-range effort blocked in a goalmouth scramble as Juve's bid for Champions League football ended with a whimper.

What does it mean? Milan profit from Juve woes

When Juventus' 10-point deduction was confirmed earlier this week, Milan were the chief beneficiary after being propelled into the top four.

Stefano Pioli's men were determined not to let that advantage slip here, the Rossoneri weathering the Juve storm midway through the first half and deserving the three points after Giroud's goal. 

Milan thus completed just their third Serie A double over Juventus in the last 50 years, also doing so in the 1990-91 and 2009-10 campaigns.

Giroud the man of the moment

Giroud has so often been the man for the big occasion for both club and country, and he gave Szczesny no chance with a firm header just as Juventus looked to be in the ascendency.

The 36-year-old striker has now scored 12 times in Serie A this season, his best return in one of Europe's top five leagues since he hit as many Premier League goals for Arsenal in the 2016-17 campaign.

Fatal blow for Allegri?

Allegri has faced stern criticism for most of the campaign, and the pressure may just become intolerable now they will finish outside of Italy's top four for the first time since 2010-11 (when they finished seventh).

Having also fallen short in the Europa League semi-finals, the Bianconeri have suffered three successive defeats for the first time since doing so in 2011 under Luigi Delneri.

What's next? 

Milan wrap up their Serie A season against Verona next Sunday, while Juventus will be playing for a Europa League place when they visit Udinese on the same day.

Real Sociedad claimed a place in the Champions League despite a 2-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid in LaLiga on Sunday.

Fifth-placed Villarreal’s loss at Rayo Vallecano by the same scoreline meant Sociedad could not be caught in fourth spot.

Antoine Griezmann and Nahuel Molina were on target for Atletico at the Civitas Metropolitano with Alexander Sorloth hitting a late reply for the visitors.

Atletico’s victory took them back within a point of second-placed city rivals Real Madrid.

Raul de Tomas and Isi Palazon struck either side of the hour-mark for Rayo Vallecano against Villarreal at the Vallecas Stadium. Giovani Lo Celso gave the Yellow Submarine hope seven minutes from time but it was not enough.

At the other end of the table, Espanyol were relegated after conceding a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at Valencia.

Samuel Lino struck three minutes into added time to seal Espanyol’s fate after they had replied to Diego Lopez’s opener with goals from Cesar Montes and Martin Braithwaite.

Valladolid remain in the bottom three with a game remaining after drawing 0-0 with another troubled side, Almeria, who are just a point above them.

Cadiz boosted their survival hopes with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Celta Vigo and Getafe did likewise as they saw off Osasuna 2-1.

Champions Barcelona, meanwhile, extended their unassailable lead at the top of the table to 11 points with a 3-0 win over 10-man Mallorca at the Nou Camp.

Ansu Fati opened the scoring in the first minute before doubling the lead after the dismissal of Mallorca’s Amath Diedhiou. Gavi wrapped up the win 20 minutes from time.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic struck an 89th-minute winner as Lazio moved back into second place in Serie A with a 3-2 victory over relegated Cremonese.

It was the Serbian’s second of the game at the Stadio Olimpico with Elseid Hysaj also on target for the Rome side.

Cremonese had hit back from 2-0 down through Pablo Galdames and a Manuel Lazzari own goal.

Hellas Verona remain in the bottom three after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser to draw 1-1 with Empoli.

The hosts had led at the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium through Adolfo Gaich but Giangiacomo Magnani turned into his own net in the sixth minute of time added on.

Their survival fight will still go to the final day, however, with the result having pulled them level on points with Spezia.

Jeff Stelling signed off from the “best job that anybody could possibly have wished for” as the presenter bade farewell after almost 30 years of fronting Soccer Saturday.

The 68-year-old announced last month his intention to stand down as anchor of the Sky Sports programme and earmarked the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday afternoon as his last show.

After touching tributes from colleagues past and present, Stelling was given a lengthy standing ovation by the punditry panel of Paul Merson, Clinton Morrison, Kris Boyd and Michael Dawson.

Stelling, who had planned to quit last year before reversing that decision, briefly hid his emotions with a mask of himself and quipped: “This is tricky because I’ve changed my mind – just kidding.

“I haven’t changed my mind this time.”

Stelling was clearly moved by the highlights package Sky televised in the final minutes of the show after Everton retained their top-flight status and confirmed the relegations of Leeds and Leicester.

Merson, Alan Mullery, Frank McLintock, Clive Allen, Charlie Nicholas, Phil Thompson and Matt Le Tissier passed on their well wishes and congratulations, as did Chris Kamara, who in a nod to the catchphrase that has become synonymous with the pair and the show, said: “You are unbelievable, Jeff!”

Stelling revealed he had been contacted by the likes of former Scotland player and manager Gordon Strachan as well as singer Sir Elton John, a noted supporter and former chairman and director of Watford.

Stelling, an unapologetic Hartlepool fan who frequently celebrated their goals on Soccer Saturday, said: “Somebody asked me the other day if I’d ever been starstruck and yeah, I was starstruck when Elton John rang me at home to say ‘Thank you very much for all you’ve done’.

“He said ‘Every week I watch the show and every week you tell me Watford are losing and every week you tell me Hartlepool are losing so I feel like we’re kindred spirits’. There’s something in that, isn’t there?”

Stelling looked back fondly on his 30-plus years with Sky, in which he not only covered football but live snooker, darts, greyhound racing, pool, and thanked everyone with whom he had worked.

In his final monologue, he added: “It’s been the best job that anybody could possibly have wished for. My wife takes great pleasure in saying ‘You are the luckiest man ever to take a breath’ and you know what? I don’t tell her this often but she’s right.

“The principle success of Soccer Saturday is you lot at home, who have given us unswerving support – both for the programme and for me personally.

“So that’s it. Soccer Saturday will be back next season. I’ll be watching – when Hartlepool are not playing. From me, goodbye.”