Leicester City’s Premier League nightmare was confirmed, as a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool sealed their relegation with five games to spare an all-too-familiar collapse that marks their second drop in just three seasons.
The decisive blow came from Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose second-half strike for the league leaders underlined just how far Leicester have fallen. But in truth, their fate was sealed long before that moment. A run of just four points from 18 games had left them clinging to hope, not expectation.
Off the pitch, tensions boiled over. A plane circled above the King Power ahead of kick-off carrying a stark message: “Sack the Board.” Inside the stadium, there was little resistance to Liverpool’s control, just another chapter in a season defined by protest, turmoil and underachievement.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, appointed in November after Steve Cooper was dismissed, was meant to be the solution. His arrival brought brief optimism: a win over West Ham, a gritty draw with Brighton. But the bounce faded fast, replaced by a spiral of 15 defeats in 16.
January’s surprise win at Tottenham offered fleeting relief, but it proved an exception in a sequence of losses that exposed a brittle backline and toothless attack. Leicester have now lost nine consecutive home matches without scoring, a stat that says it all.
Van Nistelrooy’s own journey has been turbulent. Beginning the campaign as a coach at Manchester United, he was thrust into the Leicester job amid chaos, inheriting a squad stripped of belief and cohesion. The club’s off-field instability has only compounded the mess on it.
This relegation feels heavier than the last. It’s not just about results, it’s about identity. From the fairytale title in 2016 to protests in the sky, Leicester’s fall from grace is as dramatic as it is sobering.
Now, with Championship football on the horizon and a fractured fanbase demanding change, Leicester face a summer of reckoning.
