Sir Alex Ferguson's final game as Manchester United manager ended in a crazy 5-5 Premier League draw at West Bromwich Albion.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson acknowledges the fans after his final game in charge of the club. (Reuters photo)
United raced into a 5-2 lead just after the hour mark, but three goals in the last 10 minutes saw Albion snatch a point in a remarkable encounter.
Half-time substitute Romelu Lukaku scored a hat-trick, including the equaliser as Ferguson's farewell turned into a football farce.
But it was all smiles at the end as Ferguson and the United players, including the retiring Paul Scholes, enjoyed the noisy acclaim of the visiting supporters after full-time.
Ferguson received a guard of honour and warm applause from around the Hawthorns before kick-off.
It was a nice touch in an increasingly tribal game, but the West Bromwich respect appeared to carry over into the game.
Fernando Torres scored his first league goal since December as Chelsea secured third place in the table and an automatic place in the Champions League group stages with a 2-1 home win over a fine Everton side at Stamford Bridge.
It was a breathless and brilliant contest that could have gone either way.
With London rivals Arsenal winning 1-0 at Newcastle, Chelsea needed a second goal to ease the tension around the ground and Torres provided it with a fine winning goal on 76 minutes as he volleyed into the net after substitute Victor Moses had provided him with a cushioned header from Oscar's cross.
Arsenal held off Tottenham to claim fourth place and Champions League football for next season with a 1-0 win at Newcastle United.
Laurent Koscielny scored the crucial winner with an acrobatic volley after 52 minutes as Tottenham's 1-0 win over Sunderland thanks to a late strike from Gareth Bale went unrewarded.
Arsenal's win ensured they avoided the disappointment of finishing behind their great rivals for the first time since 1995 and an impressive end to an otherwise difficult campaign means they enter the Champions League at the final qualifying stage next season.
Tottenham Hotspur missed out on a Champions League place again despite Gareth Bale's stunning winner against Sunderland in a 1-0 success, meaning North London rivals Arsenal finish fourth.
Despite controlling the game from kick off, Andre Villas-Boas's side could not find a way past a packed Sunderland defence, which was superbly marshalled by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Tottenham also had three penalty appeals waved away, two correctly, although one of them should have been a free-kick and not a booking for diving for Gareth Bale, while another was a clear handball by Carlos Cuellar that Andre Marriner somehow missed.
They also hit the woodwork, had efforts cleared off the line and spurned several opportunities as Sunderland somehow clung on.
With time running out Bale hit a long-range thunderbolt to ensure Spurs claimed victory, but Newcastle's 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal meant the Gunners qualify for the Champions League qualifying round.
A Jonny Howson wonder goal secured Norwich City a surprising but deserved 3-2 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Howson ran from inside his own half, skipped past three players, and calmly placed home in the 65th minute for the fifth and ultimately final goal of the match.
City must now plan for life with a new manager – although their fans did show their appreciation for the sacked Roberto Mancini throughout by chanting his name and unfurling banners.
For Norwich's part, they finished the season with two victories to claim a more than respectable 12th-placed finish in the table.
Liverpool marked an emotional day for retiring legend Jamie Carragher with a comfortable 1-0 win over relegated QPR.
Though the winning goal belonged to Philippe Coutinho, the day of course belonged to the retiring Carragher, who received a hero's welcome, a hero's farewell and even managed to provide the moment of the match by smashing a 30-yard second-half drive against the woodwork.