The final day of the 2021/22 Premier League season produced fireworks on Sunday afternoon, with both title rivals falling behind in their crucial matches.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City fought back at the Etihad Stadium to defend their Premier League title, meaning Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Wolves wasn’t enough to keep their quadruple hopes alive.
Burnley knew a win against Newcastle United would ensure their top flight status, but a 2-1 loss to Eddie Howe’s side allowed Leeds United the chance to claim 17th, and a 2-1 win over nine-man Brentford means the Yorkshire side survived.
Elsewhere, Tottenham recorded an emphatic 5-0 win over Norwich to clinch fourth from north London rivals Arsenal, who themselves won 5-1 against Frank Lampard’s Everton side.
Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United will play Europa League football next season despite the Red Devils losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace on Sunday. West Ham’s 3-1 loss to Brighton was enough to keep Ralf Rangnick’s side in sixth.
Title race: Man City produce remarkable comeback, Liverpool quadruple hopes over
Ten years on from Manchester City’s miraculous comeback against QPR, the Citizens were at it again on Sunday, fighting back from 2-0 to win 3-2 and lift another Premier League trophy.
Matty Cash and Phillipe Coutinho gave Villa the lead, and for much of the afternoon it seemed Steven Gerrard was on his way to helping his former side win the league.
However a frantic five minutes saw City score three, with Ilkay Gundogan coming off the bench to score a brace – either side of Rodri’s superb striker.
Liverpool also fell behind to Wolves in their final match, but Jurgen Klopp’s side also found a way to turn it around with Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Andy Roberston all scoring in a 3-1 win.
Relegation battle: Leeds win at Brentford enough to leapfrog crumbling Clarets
Burnley went into Sunday knowing their Premier League fate was in their hands, but Newcastle dampened the spirit around Turf Moor early on, with Callum Wilson scoring from the spot after 20 minutes.
Wilson added a second for Howe’s side on the hour mark, and Maxwel Cornet’s goal in the 69th minute wasn’t enough to save Mike Jackson’s side from the drop.
That’s because Leeds United did enough to leapfrog the Clarets in the table. Raphinha handed Jesse Marsch’s side the lead on the 56th minute, but Sergi Canos’ header gave the travelling Yorkshire fans a scare with 12 minutes to go.
However, in a dramatic few minutes that saw much of the away fans glued to their phones watching the Burnley match, Jack Harrison gave his side the lead with a fantastic strike in injury time.
Battle for fourth: Spurs avoid slip up with emphatic Norwich win
Antonio Conte’s impact in north London has been huge, and a final day win at Norwich was enough to secure his side Champions League football for next season.
Arsenal made sure to pile the pressure on by going ahead early on against Everton, with Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah giving Mikel Arteta’s side the lead.
But Spurs put their Champions League qualification beyond doubt with a stunning performance at Carrow Road. Dejan Kulusevski continued his fantastic start at the club with another two goals, while Hueng-Min Son scored twice to go level at the top of the scoring charts with Mohamed Salah.
Europa League duel: West Ham let miserable Man Utd off the hook
Manchester United’s dire season ended fittingly with a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, but Ralf Rangnick’s side were let off the hook by West Ham, who themselves fell to defeat against Brighton.
Former Red Devil Wilfried Zaha scored the only goal of the game at Selhurst Park, while Michail Antonio handed the Hammers a first-half lead at the Amex Stadium.
However, Graham Potter’s side produced an impressive second half showing to turn the result on it’s head – Joel Veltman, Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck scoring after the break.
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