Sports Desk, May 28 (EFE).- On the final day of the Premier League season, three teams were relegated to Second Division: Southampton, Leeds United and Leicester City.
Although Arsenal had spent more than 35 weeks in the No. 1 spot on the Premier League table this season, it was Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who walked away with the title for the third year in a row, after a 25-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, although No. 9 Brentford blanked them 1-0 on a marvelous goal by Ethan Pinnock in the final match on Sunday.
It was the fifth time in the past six years that the powerhouse Manchester squad had taken the title.
City striker Erling Haaland wrapped up the season with 36 goals in 35 league outings, thus becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Golden Boot award as top league scorer at age 22.
Second-place Arsenal – managed by Mikel Arteta – had lost its previous two matches, thus enabling City to reclaim the title for back-to-back trophy wins, but crushed Wolverhampton 5-0 in the final match, with the probably-departing Granit Xhaka scoring twice in the 11th and 14 minutes, the first time on a header and the second on a fortuitous ball snag in the box following a failed clearance.
Scoring the other three tallies were Bukayo Saka for the 3-0 in the 27th minute, Jesus heading in another in the 58th after a cross from Leandro Trossard and defender Jakub Kiwior sinking the fifth off Wolves netminder Jose Sa.
Although Arsenal roosted at the top of the table for most of the season, an overall lack of depth on the squad ultimately allowed City to overtake them by five points in the last three outings. Nevertheless, the surfeit of talented young players ensures that the team will be in the running in the years to come.
Manchester United with Erik ten Hag at the helm ended the season in third place, beating No. 10 Fulham 2-1 on Sunday, closing out the year in the top four clubs for the first time in two decades. Next Saturday, Man United will got up against their crosstown rivals, Manchester City, in the FA Cup final match.
No. 4 Newcastle United battled Chelsea to a 1-1 draw in their last league outing, while fifth-placed Liverpool engaged in a thrilling 4-4 goalfest with bottom-of-the-barrel Southampton, who clawed its way back from being down 2-0 to sit temporarily pretty at 4-2, only to have Liverpool gain momentum again to end the day at four-all.
Even a win on Sunday would not have enabled No. 7 Aston Villa to vault over No. 6 Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, although they did deliver a 2-1 victory at home, the win securing Aston Villa the final European spot in the Conference League in 2023-2024.
Eighth-ranked Tottenham Hotspur downed Leeds 4-1 at home, while Crystal Palace drew Nottingham Forest 1-1, Leicester beat West Ham United 2-1 and Everton just escaped relegation by defeating Bournemouth 1-0 on a 57th-minute tally by Abdoulaye Doucoure.
EFE –/bp
