Queens Park Rangers will be playing Championship football next season after a Sergio Aguero hat-trick helped Manchester City to a 6-0 rout at the Ethiad Stadium.
Nothing short of victory on the day would be enough to keep Rangers up and so manager Chris Ramsey decided to risk starting players carrying injury concerns in Clint Hill, Steven Caulker and Bobby Zamora.
But their hopes suffered an early blow as Aguero latched onto Pablo Zabaleta’s pass to score his 23rd goal of the season only four minutes in. Aleksandar Kolorov added a second before the break with a sumptuous free-kick and two more from Aguero and further goals from James Milner and David Silva sent Rangers down with a whimper.
Agüero sets a new club record at Manchester by scoring 24 goals in a single Premier League campaign, and a new personal best for the striker in his career. It beats the club’s record tally for a player in a single PL campaign, held by Carlos Tevez (2009/10), and Sergio Agüero himself in 2011/12.
Victory for City all but guarantees them Champions League football next season. They are now three points ahead of Arsenal in second place, although the Gunners have two games in hand.
Queens Park Rangers become the second club to confirm relegation from the PL with a loss today, after Burnley yesterday. It is their fifth relegation from the top flight (after 1969, 1979, 1996, 2013).