By Leicester City’s Premier League journey came to a crushing end on Sunday, April 20, 2025. A 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool confirmed their relegation to the EFL Championship. The news, first shared by GHOne TV on X at 20:41 GMT, marks a somber moment for the Foxes. They join Southampton as the first two teams relegated this season.
For Ghanaian stars Jordan Ayew and Fatawu Issahaku, the drop represents a bitter setback in their careers. Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy now faces an uncertain future at the club. The 2024/25 season has been a relentless battle for Leicester City. They returned to the Premier League after a single year in the Championship. Despite flashes of promise, the Foxes secured their 2nd away win of the season against Tottenham.
This victory briefly lifted them to 17th place. They were just one point above the relegation zone, as noted in a Wikipedia entry on the season. However, the Foxes struggled to find consistency. A seven-game losing streak earlier in the campaign, coupled with only two wins from their first 12 matches, led to the sacking of manager Steve Cooper in November 2024, following a 1-2 home loss to Chelsea.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, appointed as Cooper’s replacement on November 29, 2024, as reported by ESPN, was unable to turn the tide, with Leicester ultimately finishing 19th in the standings. Sunday’s match against Liverpool was emblematic of Leicester’s season-long woes. Facing a rampant Liverpool side on the verge of clinching the Premier League title, the Foxes held firm for much of the game but succumbed to a late strike, as detailed in a Reuters report from April 20, 2025.
Leicester’s defeat left them with just 25 points from 38 games. This tally was insufficient to keep them in the top flight. Southampton, relegated earlier on April 6 after a 3-1 loss to Tottenham, finished bottom with a record-breaking low of 10 points from 31 games, per Wikipedia’s 2024/25 Premier League overview. The third relegation spot remains contested, with several teams still in danger as the season concludes.
For Ghanaian internationals Jordan Ayew and Fatawu Issahaku, Leicester’s relegation is a personal blow. Ayew, a veteran forward, had been a key figure in the squad, notably scoring a stoppage-time penalty in a 2-1 loss to Chelsea earlier in the season. Issahaku, a 21-year-old winger on loan from Sporting CP, showed flashes of brilliance but struggled for consistent game time. Both players now face uncertain futures as they prepare for the Championship, with Ayew potentially attracting interest from other clubs and Issahaku’s loan situation under scrutiny.
Leicester’s downfall can be traced to several factors: defensive frailties, a lack of clinical finishing, and an inability to sustain momentum after rare victories. Opta stats from the 2024/25 season reveal that Leicester conceded 62 goals, one of the highest tallies in the league, while their expected goals (xG) underperformed by 8.4 compared to their actual output—a sign of missed opportunities in front of goal. The mid-season managerial change, while intended to spark a revival, failed to deliver the necessary stability, with Van Nistelrooy winning just 4 of his 19 league matches in charge, according to Sky Sports data.
The broader context of the Premier League this season underscores the unforgiving nature of the competition. With Manchester City suffering their worst run since 2008—four consecutive league defeats, including a 0-4 thrashing by Tottenham on November 23, 2024, as per Wikipedia—the 2024/25 campaign has been one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. For promoted teams, the challenge has been even steeper. Leicester, Southampton, and last season’s relegated trio (Luton Town, Burnley, and Sheffield United) highlight a troubling trend: the last time all three promoted teams went straight back down was in 1997/98, a stat that Leicester couldn’t escape repeating.
Looking ahead, Leicester City must regroup for a grueling Championship season. Van Nistelrooy, whose contract runs until the end of the 2026/27 season, told Reuters post-match that he intends to “resolve his future at the club quickly” as discussions with the board loom. The Foxes’ fanbase, still haunted by the club’s miraculous 2015/16 Premier League title win, will demand a swift return to the top flight, but the road back will be far from easy in a division known for its depth and competitiveness.
For now, Leicester City’s players, staff, and supporters are left to reflect on a season of missed opportunities. As the Premier League waves goodbye to the King Power Stadium for at least a year, the focus shifts to rebuilding—and hoping that this relegation is merely a chapter, not the end, of their top-flight story.
