English Premier League
Manchester City 3-1 West Ham United
Manchester City 3-1 West Ham United. Imperious Manchester City beat West Ham 3-1 at Etihad Stadium to become the first team to win the English league title four seasons in a row.
With City needing a win to be sure of holding off Arsenal, who started the final day two points behind but with a better goal difference, Phil Foden put Pep Guardiola’s side ahead after just two minutes.
The England star added another before the break and although Mohammed Kudus pulled one back, midfielder Rodri restored the home side’s two-goal cushion with a shot from the edge of the area after 59 minutes.
City survived a late scare when West Ham had a second goal ruled out by VAR for handball.
However, their victory was never seriously in doubt
The win completed a staggering run of 19 wins and four draws since their last defeat in the league, at Aston Villa on 6 December.
City have now won six out of the past seven Premier League titles. Last term, they joined Huddersfield, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, twice, in winning the top flight three years in a row.
Now Guardiola’s team have achieved something no other men’s side has managed since the English league was formed in 1888, 136 years ago.
On 25 May they will aim to become the first side to complete the domestic Double in successive seasons when they face Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
It is 15 months since City were hit with 115 Premier League charges for alleged financial irregularity, which they strongly deny.
Foden has already collected the Football Writers’ Association and Premier League Player of the Year awards. Few would argue against a clean sweep when the Professional Footballers’ Association eventually confirms theirs.
At 23, Foden now has six titles to his name. He is still a long way behind Ryan Giggs, who holds the record with 13.
However, it is worth noting Giggs did not achieve his sixth until he was 26 and while the Welshman was 39 when he got his last, given City’s current dominance, Foden is likely to keep chipping away at that total in the short term.
Guardiola feels there is further improvement in the England international, but he has already developed his all-round game, makes better runs with and without the ball, and his close control is sublime.
James Ward-Prowse must have felt he was chasing shadows as he closed in to make a tackle when Bernardo Silva provided Foden with a square pass. But with one touch, Foden ghosted away from the West Ham man before delivering the perfect finish.
There was no real evidence of nerves in the crowd before kick-off. City had not lost at home all season and they had a 100% winning record against West Ham on home soil since Guardiola arrived in 2016.
The visitors had nothing to play for, manager David Moyes is leaving and top-scorer Jarrod Bowen was ruled out with tonsillitis.
But any home anxiety that did exist was rapidly swept away.
Foden’s second – his 26th goal of the season – wasn’t long in arriving as Jeremy Doku delivered a slide-rule, square pass through a crowd of bodies to the edge of the six-yard area. Foden was calmness personified in a frantic situation and found the net with a first-time finish.
Only a bit of bad luck and West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola prevented West Ham being completely swept away in the first half hour.
The France keeper turned away De Bruyne’s vicious free-kick, repelled Doku twice and also denied Manuel Akanji. Rodri, Erling Haaland, acrobatically, and Josko Gvardiol all missed the target from reasonably close range.
Guardiola spoke in the build-up about West Ham’s four brilliant attacking players, who could create something from nothing.
Bowen was absent but Kudus had already forced Stefan Ortega into a save before pulling a goal back with a superb overhead kick just before the break.
It was then that Guardiola turned into his most expressive on the sidelines as his insatiable desire to win took over.
The Catalan’s reaction to a near miss from Foden was to spin round with his head in his hands, while a seemingly routine passage of play down the City left immediately in front of him prompted wild applause.
As he saw Rodri’s shot hit the net – a goal reminiscent of his Champions League winner against Inter Milan in June – Guardiola clenched his fists and drew them to his body in satisfaction before turning round to pick out the familiar faces of chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano in the stand high above him in salute at another piece of silverware collected.
Guardiola has now won 12 league titles in 15 seasons as a manager, 16 years if you include the sabbatical he took when he left Barcelona in 2012.
It cannot be denied he has presided over top-class squads assembled at vast cost. However, that is to ignore the fact other clubs have spent just as much without achieving anything like the same success.
On the day Liverpool bade farewell to his old managerial adversary in both Germany and England Jurgen Klopp, there can be no debate in silverware terms who has won the personal battle. In recent English football history, only Sir Alex Ferguson can be mentioned as inhabiting the same stratospheric levels.
source – BBC
Sheffield United 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur. Ange Postecoglou said he “loved every minute” of his first season in charge of Tottenham Hotspur after they ended their inconsistent campaign on a high by thumping the Premier League’s bottom club Sheffield United to clinch a Europa League place.
After a prolonged search for Antonio Conte’s replacement, Postecoglou left Celtic to take over last summer and Spurs were touted as title contenders early in his reign but have fallen away to finish fifth.
“Contrary to my general demeanour, I have loved every minute of it,” said the Australian. “It is a great challenge in the Premier League, and taking over a big club. I have enjoyed it all season and I have some pretty lofty ambitions for the football club.”
The visitors were shaky early on at Bramall Lane as Ben Brereton Diaz fired over for the Blades in the opening two minutes and struck the post with an effort on the stretch.
But Spurs scored the opener with their first attack as Son Heung-min picked out Dejan Kulusevski’s run into the box and the midfielder drilled a cool finish into the far corner.
The Sweden international should have added to his tally shortly after but was denied by Wes Foderingham’s sharp save low down, while centre-back Cristian Romero struck a post.
Pedro Porro smashed in a scorching first-time finish to double Spurs’ lead in the second half, before Kulusevski managed to slide home his second of the game to condemn Sheffield United to their 28th defeat of an abysmal campaign.
In a season that promised so much in the opening few months, Spurs will regard their final position as a disappointment having gone – at the end of October – five points clear at the top of the table.
But a winless November and five defeats in their last seven games meant a return to the Champions League was out of reach by the end.
Postecoglou has delivered an improvement on the eighth-placed finish last term but concerns are starting to develop after calling out the “fragility” around the club and taking aim at supporters celebrating Manchester City’s goals against their own team on Tuesday night.
That result dented north London rivals Arsenal’s title ambitions and City’s victory over West Ham on Sunday meant Pep Guardiola’s side retained the trophy in Manchester.
That was not lost on the Spurs fans in attendance at Bramall Lane, chanting “shame about the Arsenal, ole ole…” as the scorelines filtered through from Etihad Stadium and Emirates Stadium.
Postecoglou said: “It has been good, eventful and a bit of everything. I am obviously not delighted with how we finished the season but we have been in the top five all year. We finished eighth last season and we have been competitive for the most part. I have had maximum effort from everyone.”
Spurs must assess during the close season how they can improve, and now head straight to Australia as they face Newcastle in a post-season friendly in Melbourne on Wednesday.
In between their goals, Spurs should have racked up a sizeable scoreline in south Yorkshire but Rodrigo Bentancur struck the woodwork and home goalkeeper Foderingham – on his last Sheffield United appearance – made impressive full-stretch saves to deny Son and Porro.
The final whistle drew to a close a thoroughly miserable season for Sheffield United, who will go down as one of the worst sides in Premier League history.
A campaign that started terribly with nine defeats and a draw in their opening 10 games left the Blades blunted at the bottom of the pile and staring at an inevitable return to the Championship.
The returning Chris Wilder could not arrest the slide after replacing Paul Heckingbottom in December as the team ended up winning only three of their games and picking up just 16 points – with only Sunderland (15) and Derby faring worse (11).
They have shipped 104 goals, the highest total in Premier League history and their goal difference of -69 is matched only by the dismal Derby side of 2007-08 which also finished rooted to the bottom.
Wilder has pointed to a big summer, and five exiting players including club legends Chris Basham, Ollie Norwood and Chris Baldock, as well as Foderingham and Max Lowe, waved goodbye at full-time as the club bid farewell to the top flight.
Wilder said: “The first half an hour summed our season up and after that there is a familiarity of what happened. We had some great chances and were the better side against a quality team with the magnitude of Spurs.
“We have not got enough personality in the team to put the opposition to bed. Goals change the atmosphere, it was positive before the game, it was a beautiful day when we got up and the sun was shining but hasn’t been a beautiful season.”
source – BBC
Luton Town 2-4 Fulham. Raul Jimenez scored twice as Fulham beat relegated Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on the final day of the Premier League season.
Adama Traore produced an unerring finish into the bottom corner as Fulham took the lead just before the break.
But after Calvin Bassey was adjudged to have fouled Chiedozie Ogbene, Carlton Morris rolled home a penalty to equalise.
Jimenez restored Fulham’s lead deep into first-half added time, slotting in a first-time effort from Harry Wilson’s pass.
The Mexico international then got in front of the Luton defence and headed home his second from a Harrison Reed free-kick minutes after the interval.
Alfie Doughty’s free-kick reduced the deficit but Marco Silva’s side restored their two-goal advantage when Wilson curled into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Luton can be proud of their general performances across the season, but their defending on the final day showed exactly why they will be returning to the Championship.
To underline the point, there were just 67 seconds between their equaliser and Fulham’s second goal.
The Hatters conceded 85 league goals this season – with only Sheffield United (104) and Darmstadt (86) letting in more across Europe’s top five leagues.
But while Luton failed to win any of their final six games, they did score in each of their last seven – highlighting the fact they did not go down without a fight.
Morris’ penalty meant he finished the season with 11 league goals – more than any other Luton player. Doughty, another of their top performers, signed off with his second goal of the season.
Their fans stayed behind long after the final whistle to ensure the players returned to the pitch to rapturous applause.
Rob Edwards’ side may have had a brief stay in the division but there is no doubt it has been a memorable one.
Speaking after the match, the Luton boss said: “We are a special club. We have got unique support – we have had that all season long. Everyone that has travelled has shown their best.
“We have given our best this year and ultimately we have just come up short. If one game could almost tell a season’s story, that would be today.
“We showed really good moments, created chances, didn’t take them, conceded from a mistake, then were punished with a brilliant finish, equalised and then conceded straight after.
“Full of endeavour, some really good quality at times as well, but just a little bit too fragile.”
Wilson was sublime against a Luton side who were unable to cope with him.
The Welsh winger scored once and provided two assists – becoming the first Fulham player to have three ‘direct goal contributions’ in a Premier League match since Dimitar Berbatov against Arsenal in November 2012.
He cut inside and passed to Traore for Fulham’s opener and found Jimenez in space for his first goal.
After the break, he struck the crossbar after Reed’s clever backheel from a free-kick.
But eight minutes later he scored the goal his performance deserved, curling home as Fulham finished the season with a flourish.
Fulham boss Silva said: “Some very good goals from ourselves.
“The fourth goal is another good example, a great open-play moment from us and a great goal from ourselves.
“There were some very good individual performances and the collective performance was good as well. We deserved [the result], we were the best team on the pitch.
“Unfortunately, we conceded two goals that we should avoid as well, but three points to end the season, away from home, it was important.”
source – BBC
Liverpool 2-0 Wolves. Jurgen Klopp’s final game as Liverpool manager ended with victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers amid emotional scenes at Anfield.
Liverpool’s fans made it their business to dedicate the whole occasion to giving thanks and paying tribute to the manager who has brought such success to the club in a nine-year reign.
And Klopp’s players delivered their part of the bargain with a comfortable three points in an atmosphere that was part carnival and part a sad farewell to the German, who was given a rapturous reception before kick-off and serenaded throughout.
Liverpool owner John W Henry flew in from Boston to pay his own tribute to Klopp, whose crowning achievements were winning the Champions League in 2019 – the club’s sixth win in the tournament – and their first league title in 30 years the following season.
The game itself was almost a sideshow.
Alexis Mac Allister headed Liverpool ahead in the 34th minute from Harvey Elliott’s cross, and Jarell Quansah added a second from almost on the goalline six minutes later as they finished the season third in the Premier League after winning the Carabao Cup.
The goals came after Wolves had Nelson Semedo sent off by referee Chris Kavanagh after a video assistant referee review for a high challenge on Mac Allister.
The Kop led the deafening tributes to Klopp as he cut a low-key-figure during the game, rarely prowling the touchline, preferring to stay seated alongside his loyal long-term assistants Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders, who will both leave Anfield with him.
It will now be the task of Klopp’s successor Arne Slot to build on the outstanding legacy he will take up.
This was a day that more about Klopp than Liverpool’s result or performance – but it was fitting the manager who has overseen so many memorable victories at Anfield should sign off his nine-year reign with a win.
Liverpool’s fans delivered a flavour of what lay in store as thousands lined Anfield Road to greet Klopp at the head of the team coach, and the manager was given a predictably rapturous reception as he came out for the warm-up.
Before kick-off, Liverpool’s fans unveiled mosaics on three sides of Anfield – one stretching along the length of the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand reading simply ‘Jurgen’ while another in the Anfield Road stated ‘Danke’.
Klopp listened intently to a rousing rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before embracing his backroom team one by one as they joined him on the bench.
The manager’s name was chanted throughout the first half but the volume was really turned up as the clock ticked down to the moment when it was time for Klopp to take his bows.
This was Klopp’s 491st match in charge and his 299th win, losing only 12 of 167 Premier League games at Anfield.
Klopp’s remarkable record has written him into Liverpool legend, as could be seen the tears, smiles and raw emotion that played out throughout the game.
The good news for Slot is Klopp has left him a squad in fine shape to push for further success with a blend of world-class stars and emerging youngsters for the coach, who is coming from Feyenoord, to take on next season.
This, however, was Klopp’s day and the Kop left him in no doubt how much they loved him and how much he will be missed.
source – BBC