Boss Sean Dyche called for one final push from Everton after they snatched a dramatic point in their fight for survival.
Yerry Mina’s last-gasp leveller earned a 1-1 draw at Wolves as the Toffees continued to cling to their Premier League status.
The equaliser, in the ninth minute of stoppage time, cancelled out Hwang Hee-chan’s first-half opener.
But if Leeds beat West Ham on Sunday, they will move above the Toffees and push them into the relegation zone – Leicester can also overhaul them with victory at Newcastle on Monday.
Everton – two points above the drop zone – host Bournemouth on the final day of the Premier League season but face a nervous wait to see if they will start the game in the bottom three.
“I was really pleased with the mentality of the players. There’s no excuses from me, no excuses from them,” said Dyche, who confirmed Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Nathan Patterson suffered hamstring injuries.
“This is the challenge right in front of us. I told them that at half-time. It’s not about shapes and tactics, it’s about mentality.
“I’m really pleased for them, we all got the reward for putting in a proper shift and trying and never losing the belief we could score.
“We need it for next week, quite obviously, but it’s a mentality which has grown and I’m very pleased with that side. It shows a strong sign of what the group has become.
“There was a lot of noise around the club (when Dyche arrived in January) and we calmed that a little bit. There was a lot of noise about the team, we missed some important players – one being Dom so there was a lot of noise about him.
“There have been a lot of challenges, I’m not bothered about making excuses. So what can we do? It wasn’t about ‘woe is us’ it was about ‘what can we do to affect this game?'”
Everton started well with Calvert-Lewin twice going close before getting caught on the break for the opener after 34 minutes.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s pass was seized on by Adama Traore who raced 70 yards, brushing off Amadou Onana’s challenge and forcing Jordan Pickford into a smart save – only for Hwang to gobble up the rebound.
Calvert-Lewin, who had been battling a groin problem, then limped off in stoppage time to add to Everton’s problems.
From then, it looked like curtains at Molineux as the Toffees struggled to create meaningful chances – with Alex Iwobi firing wide and Daniel Bentley saving from Demarai Gray.
Wolves had a degree of control and Pickford needed to save from Matheus Nunes as the game entered nine minutes of stoppage time.
Everton threw men forward and it eventually paid off in the final seconds.
Gray’s cross was kept alive by James Tarkowski as he challenged Bentley and Michael Keane knocked it back for Mina to stab in from five yards.
“Yes, a lot (of injury time). It was the first time I have seen it in the Premier League,” said Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui, who has guided the team to a mid-table finish.
“It’s done, it was a pity. Nine minutes is a lot but they scored the goal in the time, we have to defend better.
“It’s football, we won at Everton in the last minute and today we lost two points. Maybe we deserved to win more here than there. It wasn’t easy to play this kind of match, against a team who are fighting to survive. It’s a final for them.”
Striker Raul Jimenez was denied a possible farewell appearance as an unused substitute before walking down the tunnel before full-time.
Lopetegui added: “He was not happy but I always try to be honest with the players. You can’t make all the things perfect as a coach. You have to take the emotion out of the situation.”
Sporting CP boss Amorim apologises for holding West Ham talks
Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim has publicly apologised for holding talks with West Ham, who view the 39-year-old as a contender to replace David Moyes at the end of the season.
This week, widespread reports said Amorim had travelled to London for talks with the West Ham hierarchy, as they weigh up their options ahead of Moyes' contract expiring in June.
Moyes delivered the Europa Conference League trophy to the London Stadium last season but has long struggled to win over sections of the Hammers' fanbase, and a poor run of form has seen their hopes of European qualification fade in recent weeks.
Amorim, who led Sporting to the Primeira Liga crown in 2020-21 and looks likely to oversee another title triumph this term, has also been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool in the past.
He was roundly criticised for making the trip to London while still under contract, and on Saturday he admitted the visit was a mistake.
"So, let's get the elephant out of the room and I'll talk about it once," Amorim said in a press conference to preview Sunday's trip to Porto.
"The first thing is to say that the club was aware of my trip. It's important and changes the context.
"Then, let's talk about the 'cloak of secrecy' that surrounded the trip... I 'secretly' parked the car outside, secretly walked past 15 people and took photographs, then got on a plane behind the club's back.
"It didn't happen in secret or without permission. Obviously my trip was a mistake, the timing was completely wrong, it didn't seem right at the time.
"It was wrong, especially when I'm so demanding with my players and always the first to say that each one's actions can overpower the team. I have removed players from the squad for much less.
"It was my mistake, I have to accept it and live with it. It didn't seem so bad at the time but thinking about it later, it's very clear.
"Now it's time to move on. I apologise to the Sporting fans, the staff and, mainly, to my players for the mistake I made."
Wilder laments "complete lack of leadership" as Blades' relegation confirmed
Chris Wilder feels his Sheffield United side's "complete lack of leadership" has been a key factor in their relegation from the Premier League.
The Blades will be playing Championship football next term after a dismal one-season return to the Premier League in which they have won just three of their 35 league outings.
Sheffield United's 25th league defeat of the season confirmed their relegation as they were hammered 5-1 away at Newcastle United on Saturday despite Anel Ahmedhodzic putting them in front at St James' Park.
A drubbing ensued after Alexander Isak's leveller, and the final whistle condemned the Blades to the second tier with three games to spare.
In Wilder's view, the club needs to rectify a lack of on-field guidance if the Blades are to bounce straight back up, embodied by the tough outing at St James' Park.
Wilder told the BBC's Match of the Day. "There are plenty of games where we have been put to bed early but today we should have been 3-0 up at half-time. I'm scratching my head that it was 1-1.
"Newcastle up their game and get a head of steam. Then our old mistakes start to fall in and goals go from two to three to four to five pretty quickly.
"There's a reason why that happens. It's an incredibly young side and there is a complete lack of leadership out there. I thought at times I was going to have a heart attack in terms of trying to get the messages on."
Wilder acknowledged there could be tough times ahead for the club, though he hopes he retains the trust of the fans having been brought in for his second spell as Blades manager midway through the season following the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom.
"It's going to be a tough summer for everybody," Wilder continued. "We have not been good enough. The league has been too powerful for us right the way through the season.
"Sheffield United is a really good football club. I think everyone understands that but it's been a really poor season.
"I've still got another year left of my contract. I'd like to think that the supporters can trust me. I'm enthusiastic and committed along with my coaching staff to get it right. We know exactly what direction we need to go, what the culture is going to look like, what pre-season is going to look like."
Huddersfield Town all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off fate is decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellows strugglers Birmingham City.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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