Relish final day drama of Liverpool and Manchester City… but don’t forget Edin Dzeko

Spare a thought for Edin Dzeko. Everyone remembers the Queens Park Rangers defenders collapsing around Sergio Aguero before he beat Paddy Kenny from eight yards. Everyone remembers commentator Martin Tyler famously stretching “Aguerooooo” from A to O as the striker tore his shirt off in celebration. Everyone remembers the look of utter disgust on Sir Alex Ferguson’s face as he learned of the news at the Stadium of Light, having been mere seconds away from the Premier League title.

Little remembered is Dzeko’s desperately late header in the second minute of stoppage time, leaping to meet David Silva’s in-swinging corner, which made a near-impossible victory even remotely possible. The BBC’s website report from that day in May 2012 made a faint reference to how “Dzeko rose to head the equaliser” but that was it, really.

Understandably, of course: nobody cares about goals one and two in a comeback from 2-1 down, especially during frantic match report rewrites in the ensuing pandemonium.

Apart from, perhaps, those who score them. “People always remember the Aguero goal,” Dzeko told Reddit readers in an “Ask Me Anything” chat last year. “But that is fine, because without my goal, that goal would not have been possible… and with both of them we won the league. So I am fine with that!”

It could go either way

In 2012, there were two Premier League trophies (there is always one kept in the Premier League’s HQ and one in the champions’ trophy cabinet) waiting to be presented. One was at the Etihad Stadium, where City hosted QPR, and one at the Stadium of Light, where Ferguson’s Manchester United were playing Sunderland. There were two sets of medals made, and two trophy presentation teams ready to bestow them upon the champions.

In other years, when the title could have been decided on the final day – a surprisingly frequent occurrence given the statistical unlikelihood of two teams accruing a near-equal amount of points over 37 previous games – a helicopter hovers in the sky, waiting to be diverted to either location. But this year, with 250-plus miles separating Brighton, where City will play, and Liverpool, where Anfield will host Wolves, there will be two sets of everything again.

Whether City win, lose or draw on Monday night against Leicester City, the trophy could still land either way come Sunday.

Final day drama

Since the Premier League’s inception, the title race has on average been decided on the final day of the season roughly every four years – this being the seventh time in 27 years. But it comes more in fits and starts than the regularity of a World Cup or Olympic Games. Three times between 1995 and 1999, three times between 2008 and 2012. This year, as prophetically called by Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp at the end of December (“It will be a race until the final day,” he said after Liverpool beat Newcastle on Boxing Day), is the first in seven years.

Liverpool were involved in 1995, but as opponents to the challengers, rather than potential title-winners themselves. Brighton and Wolves will find out how this feels on Sunday.

Liverpool almost denied Blackburn Rovers the title by beating them on the final day and therefore allowing United to win it with victory against West Ham, only for Ferguson’s side to be held to a disappointing draw in which Andy Cole missed two sitters.

A year later, Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle implosion concluded when his side, who had led at one stage by 12 points, drew against Spurs at the death and United strolled to victory against Middlesbrough. That was the closest we have ever come to a title-deciding play-off game, when two sides cannot be decided by points, goal difference or goals scored. The Premier League even printed off a batch of tickets with the match scheduled for 16 or 21 May.

In 1999, United claimed the first part of the Treble coming from behind to beat Spurs on the final day to pip Arsenal by a point. Nine years later, United’s win against Wigan – and Chelsea’s draw with Bolton – handed the title to Ferguson. In 2010, Chelsea thrashed Wigan 8-0 for final-day revenge.

Then two years later it was Aguerrroooooo. Oh, and Dzeko, don’t forget.