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With Daniel Storey away on holiday, i‘s team of football writers have put The Score together in his place.
It all comes down to this. The final week of the season is upon us. Are you ready, Arsenal fans? Manchester City of course have been here before, and many times over for that matter.
Meanwhile at the other end of the table, Burnley will join Sheffield United in the Championship next season, with Luton Town all but relegated with one game left.
Scroll down for our verdict on every team (listed in table order).
Gameweek 37 results
Saturday 11 May
- Fulham 0-4 Man City
- Bournemouth 1-2 Brentford
- Everton 1-0 Sheff Utd
- Newcastle 1-1 Brighton
- Tottenham 2-1 Burnley
- West Ham 3-1 Luton
- Wolves 1-3 Crystal Palace
- Nott’m Forest 2-3 Chelsea
Sunday 12 May
Arsenal
One nil to the Arsenal has often been the start of something very special down the Premier League years for the Gunners.
Every Arsenal fans remembers where they were when Marc Overmars collected a long ball and beat Peter Schmeichel in 1998 to herald the dawn of a new Arsene Wenger-fronted era in English football, while Sylvian Wiltord’s winner in a 1-0 success that earned the Gunners the 2002 title in front of a stunned Old Trafford still comes up in North London pub conversations with regularity.
From each of their previous 1-0 Old Trafford Premier League victories, Arsenal have gone on to win the title. Through no fault of their own, Sunday’s success by the same scoreline is unlikely to end their long wait for another Premier League crown, given Manchester City have slipped into win-in-second-gear mode as they do at this time of year. That won’t stop Mikel Arteta’s men trying.
The battered and bruised egos of United were there for the taking, but after a gruelling season Arsenal didn’t have the legs to sweep their opponents away, playing the same starting XI for the fourth match in a row. They had to wait for their moment, which was always going to come against this disinterested United unit.
And the source of that crucial first-half winner has stepped up when it has mattered most, despite what the naysayers may say.
Since Kai Havertz moved into that centre-forward position in February, even with first choice No 9 Gabriel Jesus back fit, the numbers speak for themselves. His run and cross to create Leandro Trossard’s winner took him to 13 goal involvements – seven goals and six assists – in 10 games in the striker role. A serious return.
The German is not your archetypal hitman, nor is he a false nine. What he does have is the knowhow to pick his moments and make them count. Eight of Havertz’s goal contributions have come away from home – where titles are won and lost, ordinarily.
He didn’t do much else as Arsenal set in for a second half of containment in the driving Old Trafford rain, that in previous 1-0 successes may not have proven to be such a fruitful approach, but given the paucity of quality in the modern-day United ranks, the Premier League’s most dependable defensive duo of William Saliba and Gabriel did their thing.
Alejandro Garnacho tried as he might, taking the direct approach, but time and again, Saliba or Gabriel stuck out a leg and quashed any threat. No desperate, last-ditch slide tackles to see here, just consummate control, with Ben White providing ample support in the swatting away of red shirts at will.
Rasmus Hojlund just can’t catch a break. This is not the Manchester United he was sold in the brochure, starved of service and overly-depended on so early into his Old Trafford career.
On the odd occasion he did receive the ball on Sunday, you-know-who were there, not giving him a second to even breathe. When he wakes up in the morning, there will be two faces the Dane sees before he even opens his eyes this week.
Again, job done by Arsenal. No matter how it gets over the line. They have already taken eight more points than in 1997-98 and are one behind their total from 2001-02. Over to you, Tottenham, because in reality, the Gunners can do no more. By Pete Hall
Read more: Man Utd vs Arsenal player ratings – Havertz’s record 2024, Casemiro guilty again
Manchester City
One of the key reasons Manchester City have been so dominant for so long is that someone always steps up. When a crucial goal is needed, Rodri often finds a way. It is not so much Kevin De Bruyne’s ability to pick a pass which makes him great, it’s his ability to pick the perfect pass in the perfect moment. For one stretch in 2020-21, Ilkay Gundogan even reinvented himself to score 11 goals in 12 Premier League games.
And now, needing a perfect record to not just keep pace with Arsenal but topple them, it is 22-year-old Josko Gvardiol. Five goals in seven games is a remarkable run from a centre-back converted to left-back, as many as he managed in both his seasons with RB Leipzig.
As was almost inevitable given his £75m price tag, Gvardiol was criticised earlier in the season for his performances as he adapted to English football. Pep Guardiola believed he tried too hard to create something from nothing, was too often defensively sloppy, gave the ball away too often.
Even after he scored twice against Fulham on Saturday, Guardiola said: “In the second half he didn’t play good, lost a lot. Defending, many important things. Play so simple, that’s the most difficult thing.
“After if he scores goals, [it’s] welcome, but it’s not his job. His job is to be a defender, play safe. In the second half he played a lot of balls.”
But as Guardiola also conceded, all of that has been improving and will come with time and experience. What City have needed of late have been screamers against Real Madrid and Luton, a deadlock-breaker against Nottingham Forest and both the starter and palate cleanser against Fulham.
Gvardiol’s first at Craven Cottage demonstrated remarkable agility, his second an intrinsic understanding of timing and placement. A stocky, two-footed centre back, his reinvention as a goalscoring left-winger has been bizarre yet overwhelmingly successful when his side needed it most.
As Guardiola also said after the Fulham game, his near-namesake could be a key component of City’s defence for the next decade or more: “After Wolves I gave three days off, he was the only one who went to the training centre for his recovery. He lives for his profession. We make an incredible signing for many, many years to come.”
But for now, Gvardiol has been exactly what City have needed at a time they have needed it most. This is how they continue to start strong but finish stronger – their remarkable knack for reinvention and development under the greatest pressure. A fourth consecutive title now feels like an inevitability. By George Simms
Liverpool
Play Aston Villa on Monday night.
Aston Villa
Play Liverpool on Monday night.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven added another feather to his cap on Saturday, but is unlikely to be unleashed in his new role against Manchester City.
Speed merchant Van de Ven turned into the flying Dutchman in an attacking sense against Burnley after he was shifted out to left-back for the final 15 minutes.
It paid off when Van de Ven collected James Maddison’s pass, cut inside and bent an effort into the bottom corner for a fine 82nd-minute winner which secured a much-needed 2-1 victory for Spurs.
Social-media has recently been awash with suggestions that Van de Ven should play full-back in the wake of season-ending injuries for left-backs Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies.
Ange Postecoglou resisted temptation against Chelsea and Liverpool with right-back Emerson Royal used on his opposite flank, but the Brazil international struggled, especially against Mohamed Salah.
It resulted in Postecoglou experimenting with midfielder Oliver Skipp in the role against Burnley.
Skipp attempted to offer an outlet in attack but was at fault for Jacob Bruun Larsen’s 25th-minute opener and later booked in the second-half for a cynical foul on Wilson Odobert.
This led Postecoglou to roll the dice with Van de Ven and give the fans what they wanted with the Official Supporters’ Club’s Player of the Year used at full-back.
Even though the results were spectacular, Van de Ven’s two hamstring injuries this season mean Postecoglou will likely use Emerson there when City visit on Tuesday.
“I’ve been mindful with Micky that he’s had a couple of injuries,” Postecoglou explained.
“What’s more important is what we’re trying to build here and I was reluctant to put him out there for that reason alone.
“Playing full-back as opposed to centre-back is a lot different from a physical perspective, but yeah I thought for the last bit of the game it made sense.” By John Derek
Newcastle United
It is not quite make or break but there is a lot riding on the final week of the season for Newcastle United.
European qualification – whether it is the Europa League or the Conference League – is within their grasp but two away day examinations of their mettle await over the next six days, first at direct rivals Manchester United before concluding the season at Brentford. Even allowing for Saturday’s underwhelming draw with Brighton, they know if they win both sixth is theirs.
After a difficult, bruising season at St James’ Park, that would be every bit as impressive as the fourth place that brought with it Champions League football 12 months ago.
“If you look at the course of the season and the setbacks we’ve had, the ups and downs, to be in the position we’re in is unbelievable,” Kieran Trippier said.
Trippier – back from injury for a short cameo on Saturday ahead of a likely start at Old Trafford on Wednesday – was the first signing of the new era, a sign that Newcastle were intent on competing. He knows the symbolic and financial importance of ensuring they are annual fixtures in European competition.
“With the way the club is going you need to be in Europe, you need to be competing at the top of the table. It’s massive,” he added.
“We’ve got to be honest, we’ve got to be realistic as well – we are ahead of schedule but that comes with expectation, it comes with pressure, we’ve got to deal with that as players.
“We’ve got a great squad and if that squad was fully fit, I think you look at the first game of the season and me personally I think it would have been a different season.
“There were always going to be injuries this season but I think ours have been ridiculous.”
If they fail to get there – and Chelsea’s win at the weekend means only goal difference separates the three teams in the mix – it will be those issues that will be the focus of the end-of-season summit planned for after they return from a post-season trip to Australia. By Mark Douglas
Read more: Why Newcastle should heed Kieran Trippier’s ‘dangerous’ warning against Man Utd
Chelsea
Those chains that were holding Reece James back for the last five months must have been made of sturdy stuff, because when the shackles were loosened, an unrelenting beast was unleashed on a bewildered Nottingham Forest to leave Chelsea supporters wondering what might have been this season, had their captain fantastic stayed fit.
His timeline on Saturday was simply extraordinary. Less than a minute after coming on, on his first appearance of the calendar year following hamstring surgery, James played a part in Raheem Sterling’s 80th minute equaliser – the start of a quickfire Chelsea turnaround in the Nottingham sunshine.
119 seconds later and he was supplying the winner that even Nicolas Jackson couldn’t miss, guiding Chelsea to a victory that gives them a golden chance to secure an unlikely Europa League spot for next season, out of nowhere.
“Are you not entertained?” James asked his captivated X/Twitter audience after the match. The desperate yeses could be heard from the City Ground to Cobham. Chelsea’s beacon of hope is beaming brightly again, just in time for someone else, England at the upcoming Euros, to reap the rewards.
Other than Cole Palmer, Chelsea were distinctly ordinary on Saturday evening. Forest hit the woodwork three times in the second half before Callum Hudson-Odoi appeared to have curled the winner 16 minutes from time – a fitting way for the Blues’ recent upturn in fortunes to hit the buffers, a former player let go for peanuts coming back to haunt them.
Enter juxtaposed James. A player of the academy graduate’s dynamism is priceless, turning Chelsea from billion-pound bottle jobs into a team on the road back to their former grandeur. It would seem somewhat foolish to grant James the Player of the Match award that went to Palmer, again. But the 10 minute cameo still got him the silver medal.
The cross for Jackson’s winner was from a different realm to what the other Chelsea players were operating in. Someone that rusty, that out of practice, shouldn’t be able to plant the ball onto his team-mate’s head, having drifted the cross close enough to the goalkeeper to lure him off his line, but still too far for him to claim. But he did, an assist worthy of winning any game. By Pete Hall
Read more: Reece James’s Chelsea cameo proves that he should be in England’s Euros squad
Manchester United
Yes, this is a Manchester United squad decimated by injuries, with Erik ten Hag again rambling on at length about it in his programme notes, as if to keep reminding the new Ineos overlords the Old Trafford circus of buffoonery is anyone else’s fault apart from his own.
But one look at that team sheet on Sunday had everyone scratching their heads – how had it come to this? The fact Scott McTominay, a player likely to leave in the summer should the right offer come in, was chosen as captain spoke volumes.
A thrashing of epic proportions was surely on the cards. Sofyan Amrabat versus Declan Rice. Bukayo Saka against Casemiro. Wherever you looked it was David versus Goliath. Crystal Palace brought United to their knees on Monday night. Arsenal, finger on the trigger, were ready to provide that killer captive bolt.
Except Arsenal, after a gruelling campaign, mentally and physically, are spent and only had enough to get themselves into that famous 1-0 position they thrive in.
Once they had their opener, against a team who have faced over 20 shots per game since the turn of the year, Arsenal barely threatened, happy to sit back and let United come at them.
Time after time, given the fact a game plan still seems conspicuous by its absence around M16, United just gave it to Amad Diallo, making his first United start in 887 days and let him run at Takehiro Tomiyasu. Failing that, it was back to their failsafe.
Alejandro Garnacho should be allowed to blossom into the player he is capable of becoming, over time. Instead, the 19-year-old was passed the ball 40 yards from goal and with no runners either side, he set off on his weary expedition up the north face of an insurmountable mountain. Traversing past Ben White was hard enough, but then William Saliba and Gabriel made the task near impossible for one man with no guide ropes alone.
Garnacho had 14 touches in Arsenal’s penalty box, the rest of his team-mates mustered 10, between them all match. It was the same trick – cut inside and shoot for goal from distance – but what else could he do?
The crucial encounter in the title race was a serene scene, with the match feeling more like a pre-season game, United supporters keeping themselves amused with songs about heroes from a bygone era, helping them to forget the mediocrity before their eyes.
The only thing getting home supporters off their seats was the Argentinian firebrand, looking like Roy of the Rovers, covered in mud with his socks rolled down around his ankles. Each time he hit a Arsenal brick wall, he trudged back to his feet and readied to go again.
It shouldn’t have to be this way, but this is where United are at, relying on a 19-year-old, every single week, to inspire them to bigger and better things.
Kobbie Mainoo must not be able to believe his eyes. You come through United’s pristine youth academy from being just out of nappies, taken around the trophy room on a weekly basis and asked if you want to be part of this, and then when you make it to the first team, after thousands tried and failed to do the same, you are carrying seasoned professionals who can’t be bothered on your shoulders.
The bigger issue for Garnacho is that he has that goalscoring burden to deal with, too. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, watching on from the stands, knows a thing or two about saving ailing enterprises. Much more of this and Garnacho is going to need such support to get him back firing again some next term. By Pete Hall
Read more: Man Utd is the impossible job – that’s why Gareth Southgate is perfect
West Ham
If West Ham’s first-half performance illustrated why they are getting rid of manager David Moyes and replacing him with Julen Lopetegui, who will be officially appointed in the next fortnight, then the second half encapsulated just how much they will miss him.
Luton forward Albert Sambi Lokonga got between the painfully immobile centre-backs Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna and headed Alfie Doughty’s cross past Alphonse Areola after only six minutes, and a sluggish West Ham were booed off at half-time.
Yet, as throughout much of his four and a half years in charge, Moyes managed to get a tune out of some underperforming talent and goals from his summer signing James Ward-Prowse and his trusted lieutenant Tomas Soucek put West Ham ahead in the Scot’s final home game in charge.
Then, in a nod to the future on an afternoon when West Ham said a fondish farewell to the past, 19-year-old George Earthy climbed off the bench to score his first senior goal.
Earthy will remember his second Hammers appearance a lot more clearly than his first; the midfielder was knocked out cold two minutes into his debut against Fulham last month and taken to hospital.
“George is a really talented player. He came on and got the goal which is great for the boy, he’s a local boy and a fan of the club,” Moyes said.
Having had their say in the relegation battle, West Ham, assured of a third top-10 finish in four full seasons under Moyes, turn their attentions to the title race and next Sunday’s trip to Manchester City.
“It would be difficult to stop their under-14s winning the title,” Moyes added. “But I’ve said to the players that we’ll go and do everything. Professional would be the word I’d use. We’ll go there and do everything we can.” By Russell Harris
Brighton
Ever since Roberto De Zerbi started making noises about being backed appropriately at Brighton this summer, it’s felt like a rare sense of unease has descended on the Amex.
But it was events away from St James’ Park on Saturday that should focus his – and others’ – minds about the next steps for the Seagulls.
Burnley and Luton falling through the relegation trapdoor, and the travails of Brentford, Forest and Fulham this season, emphasise what an achievement it has been for Brighton to maneouvre themselves into a position where finishing 10th in the Premier League table feels a little bit underwhelming.
Not that Brighton’s noisy visiting support reflected that on Saturday. They made a heck of a noise, goading Newcastle about the Saudi source of their newfound wealth, and this is a fanbase that retains faith in the club’s hierarchy.
Injuries continue to bite deep but they have certainly rediscovered the spring in their step of late and caused Newcastle, fighting for Europa League football next season, plenty of problems. There is the basis of a squad that can do the same themselves next season and Paraguay international Julio Encisco – whose campaign has been curtailed by injury – showed signs that he can be a big player for the club in the future. He is only 20.
Brighton suffered for their best players being picked off last summer but the narrative should be different this time around. They are one of the few teams with no profitability and sustainability regulation issues and so, in theory, should be able to be proactive.
Why would De Zerbi, as ambitious as he might be, walk away from that? The grass isn’t always greener and Brighton look a good bet to be a force again next year. By Mark Douglas
Bournemouth
One of the many things VAR has spoiled is pre-arranged goal celebrations. You have just torn off your shirt, revealing a plea for your girlfriend to marry you, when you hear the announcement: “Goal check for possible offside.”
Or, in Dominic Solanke’s case, handball in the build-up. Solanke, who had thought he had scored his 19th of the season, had prepared an orange mask as worn by Obito Uchiha, a character in a Japanese comic book (Google The Fourth Shinobi World War for further details). If he felt slightly humiliated, Solanke did not let it show and duly scored his 19th with a minute left.
It should have been enough to have given Bournemouth a point only for Brentford to snatch the win in stoppage time.
Despite the defeat, there was a feeling that the season was closing at the Vitality Stadium in a much more optimistic frame of mind than looked likely on 21 October when a 2-1 home defeat to Wolves meant they had won none of their first nine games. Then, the decision to sack Gary O’Neil and replace him with Andoni Iraola appeared an act of monumental folly. Since then, there have been 45 points from 28 games and a nomination for Iraola as Premier League manager of the year. By Tim Rich
Crystal Palace
These days there is no team so thrilling to watch as Crystal Palace, who followed up the destruction of Manchester United with a sparkling display at Wolves.
Beginning with the 1-0 win at Liverpool, the combination of Jean-Philippe Maleta, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise has produced five wins in six games and perhaps it was a good match for the Wolves keeper, Jose Sa, who felt unwell before kick-off, to miss.
Olise, signed by Patrick Vieira, has always been seen as a talent at Selhurst Park – as a 21-year-old he made three assists in a 5-1 thrashing of Leeds last year. However, it has been his return from a hamstring injury and his linking up with Maleta and Eze in the 1-0 win at Liverpool that began Palace’s transformation.
The coolness he displayed when dropping his shoulder and shooting home from the edge of the box for the opener at Molineux is proof of an inner confidence. If this kind of momentum can be taken into next season, Palace might become a real force in the Premier League. By Tim Rich
Wolverhampton Wanderers
After the last game at Molineux, the Wolves manager, Gary O’Neil, was upbeat, arguing that Wolves had finished the season with more points, more goals and more wins than last season. This is true but it is not the whole story. Their season has not just fizzled out, it has had a bucket of water thrown over it.
The 3-1 defeat by Crystal Palace meant they have taken four points from their last nine matches – and those points came against Luton and Burnley. Two years ago, Southampton also stayed up comfortably, matching the 15th place finish they had achieved in 2021. However, they finished the season having taken five points from their final 12 fixtures and that dreadful run of form spilled over into the following season that saw Southampton relegated in last place.
The great danger for O’Neil is that this run of form will not end with their bit-part in the drama of Jurgen Klopp’s farewell to Anfield on Sunday. By Tim Rich
Fulham
In his pre-match programme notes before the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, Fulham owner Shahid Khan wrote: “What is certain is this marks three straight years in which my final notes of the season are ones of satisfaction and optimism. As I look back on this campaign, the theme that comes to mind is progress.”
That’s an admirably optimistic yet highly debatable statement. Had Everton not been deducted eight points, Fulham would currently be 15th, down from 10th last season. Their 44 points is enough to avoid relegation in any Premier League campaign, but they have picked up just 12 of their last 30 available.
Yes, they’ve had to deal with Aleksandr Mitrovic’s last-minute Saudi dash, but they managed to hold onto Joao Palhinha and Tosin Adarabioyo, something which seems unlikely beyond this summer. Rodrigo Muniz has been a revelation this season and Alex Iwobi a shrewd inclusion, but Marco Silva’s side are not better than they were in 2022-23 by almost any metric.
As Khan also pointed out, the completion of the new Riverside Stand – “the best matchday hospitality anywhere in the world” – will secure the club’s financial future, but this summer will be crucial to ensuring on-pitch success.
Getting the right fee for Palhinha, still among the most important individual players to any team in the top flight, and replacing him effectively will be fundamental, as will buying two new centre-backs. A genuine Mitrovic replacement to help and support Muniz will not be easy to find but would be instantly transformative.
In flashes against City, Fulham showed that Silva’s core philosophy is still as effective as ever: direct and slick and dangerous.
But while the Portuguese spoke of his ambition to not “stand still” after the game, this needs to be backed up by the board and managed within financial regulations. Resting on the laurels of a frankly underwhelming season, as Khan’s post-match notes show he risks doing, could be a one-way ticket to the Championship. By George Simms
Everton
There could have been very few Everton fans who could have expected the season to end this well. Goodison swimming in sunshine, the new stadium nearing completion on the Mersey, the ludicrous takeover bid from a group that appears to have no money on the brink of collapse, Liverpool’s title ambitions extinguished and Sean Dyche manager of the month for April.
This optimism will be tested next season but as the team walked around the pitch for its lap of honour after a fifth straight home win, the biggest cheers were reserved for Seamus Coleman. It is a given that when a crowd start chanting a player’s transfer fee it is in mocking disbelief that their board could have been so stupid to have agreed it.
Here, the shouts of “sixty grand” were not directed at the Irishman’s weekly wage but the fee David Moyes paid Sligo Rovers for the defender in 2009. If it was to be his last appearance at Goodison, Coleman would leave with the sounds of love and appreciation in his ears. By Tim Rich
Brentford
There is a lot to admire about Brentford and their stamina is a case in point. 15 of their last 18 goals have come in the second half and their season has equally ended strongly.
The 2-1 win at the Vitality Stadium, which might have been more had VAR not disallowed what seemed a clear penalty, meant Thomas Frank’s side has now lost only one of their last eight matches.
Winning at Bournemouth is some achievement. Only two teams outside the current top five have managed it – Wolves in October and now Brentford. Wolves, it should be noted, were playing against ten men for most of the second half.
Although the summer may mark Ivan Toney’s departure, there is something reassuring about seeing Bryan Mbeumo’s muscular runs. His goal, the opening one of the game, was, like his previous three, scored away from home. When Mbeumo’s shot hit the net, he pointed to an imaginary watch. There was still time for a Brentford second. By Tim Rich
Nottingham Forest
What gets lost in the furore that has been Nottingham Forest this season is that despite signing more players that some clubs have acquired in a decade, some of their spending has been very wise indeed.
Anthony Elanga has made Manchester United supporters question why he was allowed to leave for £15m when some of their current wingers couldn’t dribble past a training cone at the moment, Murillo has showed why Manchester City coveted him previously and why Liverpool are reported interested in cutting his City Ground stint short, while Chris Wood’s goals have been priceless to securing what should be a third successive season in the top flight.
But two former Chelsea academy graduates, signing for a combined £5m between them, are the real transfer success stories this season.
Ola Aina and Callum Hudson-Odoi deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday. After a rocky start, Forest’s left flank slowly started to eek away at the Blues’ fragile ego, and it was a fruitful partnership, as the visitors wilted in the Nottinghamshire sunshine.
Hudson-Odoi has had quite the career for one so young, but there was never any doubt the talent was there, the challenge was finding the appropriate platform for him to perform to the best of his abilities.
Selling him to Forest was always more appealing given 100 per cent of an academy graduate’s fee could all be registered as profit in the eyes of FFP, but pure profit could come at a cost as Hudson-Odoi’s expensive replacements continue to flatter to deceive.
His stunning goal on Saturday should have won the game for Forest and compounded his former employers’ woes – the curling strike would have certainly been worthy of such – but Reece James and Cole Palmer carried Chelsea over the line.
Nonetheless, with Aina providing ample protection behind – no player made more tackles across the 90 minutes of Saturday – Hudson-Odoi showed that his burgeoning abilities harvested in South London may not go to waste after all. Even if it is another club benefitting. By Pete Hall
Luton Town
Luton may have won hearts and minds but they ultimately lost their relegation battle and Rob Edwards now has to begin plotting another promotion bid.
The Hatters do not officially have an “R” next to their name yet but a three-point and 12-goal deficit between them and Nottingham Forest means they will be back in the Championship next season.
It turns out that an old-fashioned ground, a tide of emotion and a competitive yet at times chaotic brand of football is not enough to keep a team in the top flight. While 40 points used to be the benchmark for staying up, the fact Luton have mustered 26 with a match to go tells it’s own story.
Nevertheless, a banner reading “we’re proud of you” was unfurled in the away end. Sentimental? Of course. But it was only five months ago that their captain, Tom Lockyer, was lying stricken on the pitch at Bournemouth after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Injuries have been a theme throughout so the sight of a rejuvenated Ross Barkley limping off in the first half was depressingly pertinent. As for other key men, wing-back Alfie Doughty is destined for greater things and goalscorer Albert Sambi Lokonga will go back to parent club Arsenal.
Nevertheless, Edwards insisted: “This just fuels the fire to get back. We will be in a stronger position to attack it from the last time we were in the Championship.
“Then we got promoted with one of the smallest budgets. That won’t be the case now. We will be one of the stronger teams.
“We’ll take a couple of days to reset now but it’s going to be hard for everybody. We want to try and go out on a high and reward our brilliant supporters with something. That will be our aim, that’s what we’ll do. That’s all I know how.” By Russell Harris
Burnley
Vincent Kompany struck a defiant tone after Burnley were relegated on Saturday, but could be in for a rude awakening next season.
The Clarets took the Championship by storm two years ago and lost only three times on their way to 101 points, which secured promotion a month early.
It failed to translate into Premier League success, however, with the writing on the wall after Burnley tasted defeat in 11 of their opening 13 league games.
Relegation was confirmed after a 2-1 loss at Tottenham, but Kompany claimed work towards an instant return would start straight away.
“I can guarantee you one thing that [Sunday] is day one of us being successful again,” Kompany promised.
“Last year we were club number 21 in England.
“Now we’re 19 and hopefully we can remain 21 or 22 next season and the goal is to shoot out of the middle there where we are right now.”
Burnley will return to a seemingly stronger Championship though, with one of Leeds or Southampton definitely set to remain in the division or potentially both.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough and Coventry City made the play-offs during the Clarets’ promotion campaign, but narrowly missed out on a top-six finish this time around.
Newly promoted clubs Portsmouth and Derby County can also be expected to raise the level.
There are personnel problems for Kompany to solve too, given Charlie Taylor, Jack Cork, Josh Brownhill and Jay Rodriguez are out of contract.
Jacob Bruun Larsen, the club’s leading scorer after his goal at Spurs, is another expected to depart and return to Hoffenheim after his loan.
“There will be a day where we are sat here together talking about an unbelievable win and another trophy or something. And it will be because of what you saw today. I really believe that,” Kompany claimed.
We shall see in 12 months’ time. By John Derek
Sheffield United
When something looks irredeemably stricken, you look for signs of life and the fact is that Sheffield United played reasonably well in their final away game of a masochistic season.
There are some teams, who when relegated, relax, and deliver some surprising results and if this did not produce a repeat of their last away win in the Premier League – a 1-0 win at Everton in May 2021 – it was not the humiliation it might have been.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s goal did, however, mean Sheffield United left Goodison having conceded 101 goals over the season, more than any other top-flight club since Ipswich Town conceded 121 in 1963-64. Two years before, Ipswich had been champions of England. By Tim Rich
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