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We have finally reached the conclusion of yet another season of enthralling Premier League action. What was slated to be a nine-month campaign stretched to almost a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but football fans must be satisfied with the quality football that was on display.
Liverpool, the deserved champions of England, finished off their campaign in style with a 3-1 victory over Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United. Although there was no title drama expected on the final day, places for both the Champions League and Premier League survival were up for grabs.
Chelsea and Manchester United both managed to resist stiff competition from Leicester City to book their places for Europe’s top competition next season. On the other end of the Premier League table, Aston Villa squeaked out a draw to guarantee their Premier League status for another season, while Watford and Bournemouth joined Norwich down in the Championship.
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As another season comes to an end, here are 5 talking points from the final gameweek of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign:
#5 Manchester City put on a five-star performance in their final Premier League game of the season
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City put five past an already relegated Norwich side to go past the 100-goal mark in the Premier League for the third time in their history. The Cityzens named a very strong lineup containing the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling & David Silva, and the Canaries would have dreaded on the prospect of facing the league’s top scorers.
And it didn’t take long for Gabriel Jesus to squeeze the ball in from close range to open the scoring for the former champions. A brace from Kevin De Bruyne and further goals by Sterling & Mahrez made sure that the Canaries would be heading to the second division with a whimper.
Meanwhile, Guardiola will be pondering on what went wrong for the Cityzens after losing a record nine league games this season, although he still has the Champions League to focus on. There is no doubt that Guardiola and his team will be back challenging for the league next season.
City’s five-star performance also meant that David Silva leaves the club on a high, as the Spaniard’s glorious 10-year association with the Premier League comes to a close with this season. A truly remarkable player and a brilliant servant of the club.
#4 Chelsea and Manchester United seal Champions League places
The day began with a three-way fight between Chelsea, Manchester United and Leicester City for the remaining two Champions League spots. And it ended with both Chelsea and United easing themselves into Europe.
Chelsea had the more comfortable ride of the two as first-half stoppage-time goals from Mason Mount and Olivier Giroud gave Frank Lampard’s men a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves.
Manchester United, on the other hand, faced direct rivals Leicester City knowing that if they avoided defeat, they would automatically qualify for the Champions League. It wasn’t a great performance from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men on the day, but aided by Leicester’s lack of cutting edge and defensive generosity, United came away 2-0 winners.
Bruno Fernandes slotted home his 8th league goal from the penalty spot after Anthony Martial had been blocked off by the Leicester defence (a record 14th penalty of the season) while Jesse Lingard wrapped up the win in the dying moments after Kasper Schmeichel’s uncharacteristic error.
Both Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City would be cursing their luck with injuries after spending a record 325 days in the top four.
#3 Aston Villa survive by the skin of their teeth as Bournemouth leave on a high
Similar to the top four race, three teams were battling to avoid the drop on the final day of the campaign. Aston Villa were 17th, just ahead of Watford on goal difference, while Bournemouth started the day three points adrift of the above two.
It was especially a tough ask for the Cherries as not only they had to win but also hope that West Ham and Arsenal did them a favour. Eddie Howe’s men did their bit on the day as goals from Josh King, Dominic Solanke and Junior Stanislas handed them a brief lifeline, inflicting Carlo Ancelotti’s first home defeat as Everton boss.
Watford, away at Arsenal, were blitzed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as his brace gave the Gunners a 3-0 lead within 35 minutes. Although the Hornets put in a valiant effort to make a comeback, it was too little too late as they succumbed to a 3-2 defeat.
Aston Villa, who took on West Ham at the London Stadium, knew they had to avoid defeat to stand any chance of survival. The game was a pretty dull affair with the Hammers in holiday mode after having secured their place in the Premier League for next season.
The game came into life in the last ten minutes as Jack Grealish and Andriy Yarmolenko traded blows to finish the game 1-1 and secure safety for the Villans - a remarkable effort from Dean Smith’s men that saw them pick up 10 points from their last four games.
#2 Sheffield United and Wolves lose on the final day but they can hold their heads high
Most pundits at the start of the season tipped Sheffield United to go straight back to the Championship, while Wolves were predicted to struggle after a fantastic first season back due to added European constraints.
Both teams have blown the predictions out of the water, as both finished the Premier League closer to the top four than to relegation places. Chris Wilder especially has done a fantastic job with a team that consisted mostly of the players who were integral during their promotion push. To be in the reckoning for a European spot in their first season of Premier League football has been a fantastic achievement.
Wolves, on the other hand, still have the chance to qualify for Europe if Chelsea beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final. Not to forget, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are still in the Europa League and could yet win the competition to qualify for the Champions League.
No wonder both managers are in the reckoning for the Premier League's Manager of the Year award, behind only Jurgen Klopp.
#1 The race for the Premier League's individual awards is settled
Apart from the Champions League and relegation spots, individual accolades were also there to be decided on the final day of the Premier League season. On the Golden Boot front, Jamie Vardy came into the weekend with a 2 & 3-goal advantage over Danny Ings and Aubameyang respectively.
While Vardy blanked against Manchester United, both Ings and Aubameyang got themselves on the scoresheet. Aubameyang, in fact, had notched up a brace in the first half itself, meaning he only needed a goal to equal Vardy. That goal was not forthcoming.
Thus, Vardy became the oldest player ever to win the Premier League Golden Boot award at 33 years of age – a truly remarkable effort by a top-class player.
The Man City duo of Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne walked away with the Golden Glove and Most Assists awards, with 16 and 20 respectively.
The Belgian international pulled level with Thierry Henry as the player with the most assists in a single Premier League campaign, while his teammate grabbed the Golden Glove for the first time in his career.
