Leicester relegated to League One decade after Premier League triumph

Leicester's Harry Winks
Leicester's Harry WinksGeorge Wood / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP

Leicester have been relegated from the Championship to League One following a 2-2 draw against play-off chasers Hull.

The Foxes needed to win Tuesday's clash at the King Power Stadium to prolong their chance of survival.

It is the club's second relegation in as many seasons and third in four years.

The occasion is an unwelcome full-circle moment for Leicester, who were unlikely champions of the Premier League in 2016.

They lost just one of their first 10 games this term under former QPR boss Marti Cifuentes, but results started to negatively shift at the turn of the year.

Worry increased when they were deducted six points in February for breaching the EFL's spending rules, which left them one place above the drop zone.

Cifuentes was swiftly sacked and Gary Rowett took over, although results have failed to improve with just one league win since taking charge.

Recent defeat to relegation rivals Portsmouth left them on the brink, with fans irate as they engaged in a spat with midfielder Harry Winks outside Fratton Park.

Fall from grace

Relegation bookends a whirlwind decade since they stunned the Premier League and all of world football.

The 5000/1 odds-defying triumph allowed them to qualify for the Champions League and they reached the quarter-finals while finishing 12th in the league.

Standings
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In 2021, Leicester won the FA Cup for the first time, but two seasons later, they were relegated despite a talented squad containing Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Youri Tielemans.

They stormed back to the Premier League at the first time of asking as they won the Championship title under Enzo Maresca, but a campaign of difficulty would await.

Maresca left to join Chelsea before the start of last season and a combination of Steve Cooper and Ruud van Nistelrooy couldn't prevent an immediate relegation.