In this infancy before the competition can cultivate its own stars, the NWSL has been defined by those renowned talents the U.S. and Canada are paying to be in the league. So it’s perhaps apt that, days before those talents left to join their national teams, two of The N’s biggest names snared weekend headlines
The good came in Seattle, where Hope Solo’s early return from wrist surgery captivated hardcore U.S. Women’s National Team fans. Buoyed by their icon’s returned, Reign FC gave one of their most complete performances of the season, avoiding the type of in-game collapses that saw them enter Week 7 with a six-match losing streak. Unfortunately, an officiating error intervened to ruin Solo’s return, with Reign FC left to embrace a moral victory while their losing ways continue.
The bad news came in Boston, where Lisa Cole picked a team without attacking star Sydney Leroux. After the game, the Breakers’ coach alluded to a “bazillion” reasons why Leroux was held out, but having pulled the international off late the previous week in Kansas City, it was clear this might may have been a performance-related decision. From the outside, this looks like an attempted attitude adjustment, with Cole using an old coaching standard to send a message to one of her biggest stars.
NWSL Results
Date
Home
Score
Road
Fri., May 24
W. New York
2-1
Chicago
Sat., May 25
Boston
3-0
Washington
Sat., May 25
Kansas City
0-1
Sky Blue FC
Sat., May 25
Seattle
0-1
Portland
Any time you bench a talent like Leroux, you’re taking a risk, yet Cole was vindicated in Somerville, with Boston’s win keeping the Breakers among the league’s one-loss teams. With Sky Blue and Portland also winning, the league has a small caste of near-unbeaten teams at the head of its standings. Right on their heels, Western New York finished a perfect May with a Friday win over Chicago.
Here’s what else happened in Week 7:
TEAM THAT STOOD OUT
For the second time this season, Boston routed a team at Dilboy Stadium, pasting a 3-0 result on Washington that could have been much worse. Late, with the game already decided, Katie Schoepfer drew a penalty that should have made it a four-goal game, but perhaps still smarting from being takendown, the Breakers striker left a thigh-high try within reach of Chantel Jones, a relatively easy ball to keep out.
But nobody’s going to remember the penalty kick. What they’ll remember is the lofted ball that led to Heather O’Reilly’s opener. They’ll remember the easy finish Schoepfer had for the second. They’ll especially remember the blistering shot Kyah Simon put in the far side netting from the right of the box, deflating the already demoralized Spirit.
The league didn’t need Boston to show off the depth of their attack, but with Leroux riding the pine, that’s exactly when happened. Mike Jorden was undoubtedly disappointed with a poor performance from his defense, but as Chicago found out while giving up four to Boston on May 4, the Breakers can explode on anybody who takes a disorganized defense into Dilboy.
With 11 goals in six games, Boston has the best attack in the league (goals per game). And rebounding off their 2-0 loss in Kansas City, the Breakers showed they still need to be considered among the league’s elite.
MVP … OF THE WEEK
Breaker Lianne Sanderson has always been considered a highly skilled forward, but after joining Boston this winter, she’s been fully converted to an attacking midfielder. Playing behind the striker in what functions as a 4-2-3-1 formation, Sanderson has rivaled Lauren Cheney and Christine Sinclair as the league’s best at that position. The reputations of that company speak to how well Sanderson’s played.
On Saturday, she had her best performance of the season, collecting three assists as Boston routed visiting Washington, 3-0. The highlight was her first, a ball looped back over her head as she stood with her back to goal. Near the edge of the 18-yard box, Sanderson hit a bouncing ball back and to her right, dropping her pass between the defense (about 12 yards out) and goalkeeper Chantel Jones. Heather O’Reilly, cutting in from the left, leapt onto her volley, the top of her shin putting home Boston’s opening goal.
Sanderson now leads the league in assists, and it’s not even close. Her six helpers double the total of second place Cheney, forcing us to consider where she ranks among that elite group of NWSL playmakers. She may not possess Sinclair’s threat toward goal or provide Cheney’s all-the-little things contributions, but she’s contributing more to the bottom line. Her actions are creating goals; lots of them.
And in Week 7, she was the clear player of the week.
Also of note: Sanderson teammate Kyah Simon contributed to the season’s huge, early Australian influence; Abby Wambach’s up to four goals after scoring on Friday, with teammate Brittany Taylor contributing two assists;Lauren Cheney did everything but kind an equalizer for Kansas City; Karina LeBlanc may have been the weekend’s best `keeper; and don’t forget about our Unsung Hero, below.
ROUND’S BIG STORY
NWSL Standings
Pos.
PST
Rank
Team
GP
Pts.
+/-
1
5
Sky Blue
8
19
+8
2
4
Portland
8
19
+8
3
3
Boston
6
11
+5
4
2
W. New York
6
10
+1
5
1
Kansas City
6
10
+3
6
6
Washington
8
6
-5
7
7
Chicago
6
2
-8
8
8
Seattle
8
1
-12
You’re not a real league until your fans hate your officials. NWSL followers naturally did so from the beginning, an apparent blind obligation of every soccer fan, but in Week 7, the league gifted the curmudgeons two game-defining controversies.
In Kansas City, first place Sky Blue saw their game all but sealed mid-way through the first. Lisa De Vanna, her relentless effort getting the best of yet another center half tandem, forced Lauren Sesselman to grab her jersey as she linded up a nine-yard shot. The whistle blew, the official pointed to the spot, and to the surprise of KC’s Canadian international, a red card was shown. Sophie Schmidt converted for her league-leading fifth goal of the year, and after an hour of playing against 10, Sky Blue finished off a 1-0 win.
But should it have been a red card? The cynicism of Sesselmann’s move convinced many, but if that challenge occurs outside the penalty area, it’s a yellow card-worthy, professional foul. Players go into matches with that expectation, which is why Sesselmann was so surprised to be dismissed. Inferentially, the referee must have seen it as a denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity, but De Vanna was neither behind Sesselman nor moving toward goal. As De Vanna said after the match, a yellow card would have been enough.
The situation in Seattle was much worse. In the 83rd minute of a 0-0 game, Christine Sinclair chipped a ball to the edge of the area, the last part of a give-and-go with Allie Long. Long then ran into defender Kiersten Dallstream ahead Kaylyn Kyle’s clearance, only after which did the whistle blow. Occurring just inside the area, an otherwise innocuous collision drew a penalty, one that seemed a clear make-up call for the hand ball missed 15 minutes earlier. Moments later, Sinclair beat Hope Solo for the game’s only goal, and Seattle had their seventh loss in a row.
The call in Kansas City happens. It was a reasonable, if debatable interpretation on what was obviously a foul. The play in Seattle, however, was inexplicable – one that Laura Harvey justifiably (and perhaps, understatedly) labelled “a joke.”
Unfortunately, as bad as the call was, no post hoc solution will give Seattle the point they deserve.
UNSUNG HERO
Chicago and Seattle have been coupled since their 1-1 result in Week 1. Unfortunately, since that draw, the two clubs been linked for all the wrong reasons. They remain the NWSL’s only teams without a win, each struggling to find goals in lieu of obvious attacking threats. As their winless runs persist, the sides risk carving an unfortunate niche for themselves at the bottom of the NWSL’s standings.
But just as Seattle has Jessica Fishlock, Chicago has one player whose performance has transcended the Red Stars’ standing, and while in former years Lori Chalupny wouldn’t have qualified as unsung, the relative obscurity of the Red Stars’ start combine with her exile from the U.S. National Team means new fans know little about her.
Chalupny has 92 caps for the U.S. and has the honor of wearing the team’s armband, but since concussion symptoms sidelined her from the team in 2009, Chalupny hasn’t been called in. While she’s been cleared to play for the St. Louis Athletica (right), Atlanta Beat, Sweden’s AIK and Chicago, U.S. Soccer still hasn’t green lighted the former Tar Heel.
This being a health issue, we’re unlikely to ever hear U.S. Soccer’s side of the story, but in the professional ranks, Chalupny’s career goes on. On Friday, she helped spark and finish the counterattack that gave Chicago an early lead in Rochester, her activity and quality through the middle serving as the key to the Red Stars’ upset bid.
That bid fell flat, but as has been the case all year, Chalupny did not. For a team that was hamstrung by an unfavorable allocation, she’s provided national team quality. Whether deployed wide or playing through the middle, Chalupny has been one of the season’s unsung stars.
LINGERING QUESTIONS
League Leaders
Goals
Assists
Sophie Schmidt (SBFC)
6
Lianne Sanderson (BOS)
6
6 tied at
4
Lauren Cheney (FCKC)
3
6 tied with
2
What will it take for Portland to start changing things up? … How good can the Flash be with Carli Lloyd playing behind Abby Wambach in their 4-2-3-1? … How much of this is luck, and how much of this is Jim Gabarra manufacturing luck for Sky Blue? … Are Washington’s scoring problems back? Were they ever truly gone? … Can Brittany Cameron hold off Jill Loyden in goal for Sky Blue? … Which teams are best-situated to survive the national team callups? … Will Megan Rapinoe be able to build on Seattle’s Hope Solo boost?
LOOKING FORWARD
It’s a slow weekend in the NWSL, with only two matches ahead of two-mid week games next week. While Boston takes their high-octane attack to New Jersey to face a ever-stringy Sky Blue, Chicago makes a trip west, visiting JELD-WEN Field. We’ll use that game as an opportunity to take our first look at Rory Dames’ Red Stars in Friday’s PST NWSL Game of the Week feature.
Saturday, June 1
Sky Blue FC vs. Boston Breakers
Portland Thorns FC vs. Chicago Red Stars
Wednesday, June 5
Boston Breakers vs. Western New York Flash
Portland Thorns FC vs. FC Kansas City
Premier League 2022-23 season recap: Video highlights, results, analysis
Manchester United’s new-look side reclaimed a place in the top four, and so did Newcastle. Brighton and Aston Villa surprised by qualifying for Europe, while Liverpool dips into an unusual competition for its recent standards.
Teams were relegated. Managers were sacked. Goals were scored. And all the storylines are below.
Below are the answers to all of the questions you had around the Premier League fixtures and everything else you needed to know for the season, with full details on the Premier League TV schedule across the NBC family of channels and more.
The Premier League fixtures for the 2022-23 season were announced on Thursday June 16, 2022 at 4am ET. Below is the full schedule, as you can watch all 380 games across our NBC platforms.
The Premier League fixture computer decides who plays who and when, as teams located close to one another are usually playing at home on opposite weekends to help with policing, crowd control and transport congestion in those areas.
When did the Premier League take a break for the 2022 World Cup?
When did the 2022-23 Premier League season finish?
The final day of the season was Sunday, May 28, 2023.
Which teams competed in the 2022-23 Premier League?
These are the 20 teams which competed in the Premier League for the upcoming season:
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Predictions for 2022-23 Premier League season
We made a few bold predictions ahead of the Premier League campaign, which you can read in full here. And we’ve also predicted how we think the Premier League table will look at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. I’m sure you agreed wholeheartedly with these predictions… and aren’t judging us for their inaccuracies.
2022-23 Premier League TV schedule
Below are the Premier League fixtures in full, with all kick offs listed at 10am ET unless otherwise stated:
Matchweek 38 – Championship Sunday
Sunday 28 May – All games kicked off at 11:30am ET
Watch all 10 Championship Sunday games live on Peacock
LIVERPOOL – Everton saved themselves from a first-ever Premier League relegation on the final day of the season, as Abdoulaye Doucoure was the hero with his stunning winner against Bournemouth.
At half time Leicester were winning against West Ham which meant Everton were being relegated for the first time in the PL era and their hopes of extending their incredible top-flight active streak to 70-straight seasons were in real danger. Goodison was full of boos and images of doom at the final whistle.
But Doucoure smashed home a stunning goal with just over 30 minutes to go to send Goodison Park wild as Bournemouth pushed hard for an equalizer late on but Everton held on and got the win they needed to stay up.
Sean Dyche was a relieved man at the final whistle as Everton won five of his 17 games in charge to keep their pride top-flight history intact despite growing turmoil behind-the-scenes at the club.
They were set up with five at the back from the start and it was too negative. Dyche got it right though. All they needed was one loose ball to drop to the right onrushing central midfielder and it did in the second half as Doucoure hammered home. It was a brilliant finish in what wasn’t a brilliant game. But Everton and Dyche don’t care. With loads of injuries they found a way to get it done and the history books show that Everton have still never been relegated from the Premier League and only Arsenal have a longer active top-flight streak as they will be playing at England’s top table next season, their 70th consecutive at the top level. Off the pitch there are financial issues to solve which could impact them next season but Dyche has done his job and if Everton are smart they should give him the tools to rip things up and rebuild the squad. Just staying up like this can’t happen again to Everton. They said that last season but look what happened. This time they have to make sure they are never in the relegation scrap again. A club of Everton’s size should never be in this situation.
🔵🚨 From here at Goodison Park, this is the moment Everton survived relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season. #EFCpic.twitter.com/QrMequwsjz
How to watch Everton vs Bournemouth live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 11:30am ET, Sunday TV Channel: USA Network Online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Everton vs Bournemouth live analysis! – By Joe Prince-Wright at Goodison Park
THEY HAVE DONE IT! EVERTON HAVE SURVIVED! FULL TIME: EVERTON 1-0 BOURNEMOUTH – It is party time here at Goodison.
🤯🔵🆙 Reflecting on a CRAZY day here at Goodison Park, as Everton got the win they needed against Bournemouth to save themselves from a first-ever Premier League relegation ⤵️ #EFC#EVEBOU
SAVE! Jordan Pickford makes a fine save to deny a volley from Vina.
10 minutes of stoppage time. 10!
Bournemouth have a free kick as the clock ticks into the 90th minute…
Everton are doing their best to hang out but they are dropping deep. Bournemouth having a go. After Pickford was down for a wild getting treatment, there will be a lot of stoppage time.
GOALLLL! Everton 1-0 Bournemouth – Goodison Park has gone bonkers. Abdoulaye Doucoure smashes home a stunner to put the Toffees ahead.
ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE BLOWS THE ROOF OFF AT GOODISON PARK!
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 28, 2023
WHAT A CHANCE! A free kick is flicked on and it falls to Demarai Gray 6 yards out. He heads it straight at Travers. Then Bournemouth somehow scramble clear. The home fans can’t believe it.
The second half is underway. No changes for Everton. It is very tense here.
HALF TIME: Everton 0-0 Bournemouth – Half time here at their are loud boos from the home fans.
SAVE! Mark Travers with a good punch away and he then pushes over James Garner’s curling shot from the edge of the box.
A HUGE stop by Travers to keep Everton off the scoresheet just before the half!
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 28, 2023
BLOCK! What a block from Yerry Mina after Bournemouth made the most of some poor Everton defending. Excellent from David Brooks there.
You get the sense things were very defensive from the start from Sean Dyche as he stated with a back five.
CLOSE! Senesi squirms a shot wide of the far post after Bournemouth cause havoc in the box. The atmosphere is very, very quite here.
First, as it stands of today – Leicester City have gone 1-0 up against West Ham. With Everton drawing here at Goodison against Bournemouth, that means the Toffees are going down. Chants of “going down, going down!” from the Bournemouth fans in the away end. Everton’s fans are stunned.
BIG CHANCEEE! Idrissa Gana Gueye is played in but his shot is tipped over. Should be 1-0 to Everton. Moments later Travers tips away a shot from distance
A cross is whipped into the box but there isn’t an Everton player anywhere near it. Huge roars of discontent from the home fans. They want more attacking intent from their team.
The home fans are driving their team on. Everton seeing a lot of the ball but it is mostly from wide positions.
Demarai Gray with a half chance as he wriggles free but his shot/cross is cleared at the near post.
KICK OFF! We are underway and it has been a tense start. Everton’s fans are urging their team on but they’re in a back five. Bournemouth have had some good chances to whip it in from the right but the quality hasn’t been there on the final ball.
🔥🔥🔥 WHAT AN ATMOSPHERE! Welcome to Goodison Park. It is so loud here.
The nerves continue to build here at Goodison. 45 minutes until kick off. Everton fans just want to get this started. This has to be excruciating for them. Meanwhile in the away end the Bournemouth fans are having a lovely time in the sun. Completely opposite atmosphere.
As we sit in the press box in the main stand at Goodison, you can hear a wall of noise approaching the stadium from every angle. Great atmosphere building here.
Team news is out and there are two changes for Everton as Conor Coady comes in for the injured Nathan Patterson. Demarai Gray starts up top in place of the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Looks like Coady is at right back and McNeil is at left back. Bournemouth are without captain and star goalkeeper Neto who misses out due to personal reasons.
Hello and welcome to Goodison Park, where the nerves are jangling, the sun is shining and the flares are plentiful! The equation is simple for Everton: win and they will stay up. Lose or draw and their safety is out of their hands. Get ready for an intense few hours.
😬🔵☀️Welcome to Goodison Park!
Where the nerves are jangling, the sun is shining and the flares are plentiful.
An intense, and pivotal, day awaits on the final day of the season for Everton. Can they stay up and secure a 70th straight top-flight season? #EFC#EVEBOUpic.twitter.com/xOjxY0gyF8
Everton have really been through it with injuries in recent weeks and the fact that Calvert-Lewin is once again struggling means that Dyche may play without a recognized striker on the final day. Defensively they have issues at full back but they have hung in there and the home crowd has inspired them on several occasions as they are within one win of safety.
Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto has been exceptional, so too has Dominic Solanke and Dango Ouattara at the other end of the pitch as there has been a really nice balance about the Cherries over the last few months as they stayed up without much stress in the end. In the reverse game in November Bournemouth beat Everton 3-0 to spark ugly scenes in the away end as the Everton fans turned on their players and demanded and were hugely disappointed with the display.
Everton team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: Seamus Coleman (hamstring), Dele Alli (groin), Ruben Vinagre (achilles), Andros Townsend (knee), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (thigh), Nathan Patterson (thigh), Tom Davies (thigh), Vitalii Mykolenko (thigh), Ben Godfrey (groin)
The relegation picture took center stage in terms of headlines going into the final week of the Premier League season, but several clubs took their last game of the season to show fans what might be possible in the future.
Arsenal showed that there’s desire left in their tank despite a sad stretch run, Manchester United showed a seriousness to their comeback bid, and Southampton hollered down to the Championship to look out for Saints.
But, yes, all focus is on Goodison Park, where Everton did what it needed to claim another season in the Premier League and fans made sure the club knew that one day of success doesn’t make amends for two seasons of big struggles.
Here’s where our writers are living, as Joe Prince-Wright (JPW), Andy Edwards (AE), and Nicholas Mendola (NM) share their observations from across the most recent PL games.
10 things we learned in the Premier League – Week 38
1. Toffees shake off slow start, save Premier League status (Everton 1-0 AFC Bournemouth): Everton was set up with five at the back from the start and it was too negative. Sean Dyche got it right though. All they needed was one loose ball to drop to the right on-rushing central midfielder and it did in the second half as Abdoulaye Doucoure hammered home. It was a brilliant finish in what wasn’t a brilliant game (Dyche called it “hideous”). But Everton and Dyche don’t care. With loads of injuries they found a way to get it done and the history books show that Everton have still never been relegated from the Premier League and only Arsenal have a longer active top-flight streak as they will be playing at England’s top table next season, their 70th consecutive at the top level. Off the pitch there are financial issues to solve which could impact them next season but Dyche has done his job and if Everton are smart they should give him the tools to rip things up and rebuild the squad. Just staying up like this can’t happen again to Everton. They said that last season but look what happened. This time they have to make sure they are never in the relegation scrap again. A club of Everton’s size should never be in this situation. (JPW)
2. Too little, too late for Foxes as win not enough (Leicester 2-1 West Ham): “Too little, too late” may go down as the story of the Foxes season. Leicester did not get its recruitment plans correct — somewhat forced by Financial Fair Play — and then put too much faith in Brendan Rodgers to make things work. Dean Smith got some performances out of this men, few better than Sunday, but this ultimately feels like a fait accompli:Sometimes, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Despite big seasons from Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, this was that. There’s also the question of playing for a draw against Newcastle on Monday, but let’s not heap criticism on Dean Smith for taking a calculated risk. He deserves better. (NM)
3. Leeds final game of relegation campaign too familiar (Leeds 1-3 Spurs): It was a nightmare start for Leeds, who needed not only a victory of their own but also points to be dropped by both Everton and Leicester above them. Tottenham’s first foray into Leeds’ penalty area ended with Kane hammering the ball past Joel Robles. The second frame was a new half but same story for Leeds, who conceded once again barely a minute into the second half. Kane turned provider this time, as he lofted a blind ball into the channel for the overlapping Pedro Porro, who barely had a sight of goal with Robles smothering the near post. But, Porro placed a pinpoint strike just inside the far post from a tight angle. Big Sam couldn’t fix the defense and maybe it was unfixable. Leeds didn’t keep a clean sheet after February 25. At least they gave their fans a goal in nearly every game during that run to relegation. (AE).
4. Ten Hag’s men finish strong to reset standards (Manchester United 2-1 Fulham): It’s difficult not to talk big picture after a Championship Sunday like this where the top four was sorted before the matchday began in England. Manchester United is in as good shape as it’s been in some time because it had success this season while building upward from its foundation. Yes, the club still has some older key pieces in Casemiro and Raphael Varane, but Erik ten Hag’s system looks ready for finer ingredients and the boss will now have a great idea of what pieces work and what pieces are for someone else’s project. This was a successful year for Manchester United, the type that will make sure that success at Manchester United is measured in a relatively new but still very familiar way: by bigger ambition. (NM)
5. Gunners show glimpse that hunger for more remains (Arsenal 5-0 Wolves): It would have been easy for Arsenal to mail this one in given their poor finish to the season which stopped them from winning the Premier League title. But the young Gunners dug in and impressed as they finished with a flourish and proved they are hungry to close the gap on Man City next season. They can do it and with smart recruitment in midfield and defense this summer, Arsenal can acquire the extra squad depth they need to have more staying power next season. This was more than a 5-0 win. It was about showing they are here to stay. And they are. (JPW)
6. Saints show talent to come straight back up (Southampton 4-4 Liverpool): It was a sad day for Saints but in James Ward-Prowse, Carlos Alcaraz, and Kamaldeen Sulemana they showed they have talented players who can lead their Championship playoff push next season. But will those star players still be around? Saints now need to cut the deadwood, start again with a new manager, and try their best to keep the six or so players they have in their current squad who will be starters in the Championship. Saints need to follow the way Fulham and Bournemouth rebounded as they hit the reset this summer. There are stars at Saints but they needed defensive solidity, a clear playing style and more experience if they’re going to get the best out of their undoubted talents. (JPW).
7. Blues get taught familiar lesson in draw (Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle): At home against a Newcastle team down its top goalkeeper and starting several second-choice players including youngsters Anthony Gordon and Elliot Anderson, Chelsea should’ve been able to finish this season with a win. But the team without finishers again failed to finish and left the stadium with a 1-1 draw and their bottom half status still baffling their talent level. Mauricio Pochettino, should he arrive as expected, needs to get a clinical finisher, although let’s be honest: Chelsea’s probably going to get significantly better just by getting a manager of Pochettino’s renown in the club over Frank Lampard’s entirely forgettable tenure as interim boss .Is it August yet? (NM)
8. Bees finish with win over much-changed champions’ (Brentford 1-0 Man City): It was a long wait for the game’s only goal, but the Brentford fans got to celebrate once more as they closed out a brilliant second season in the top flight. Bryan Mbeumo laid the ball back to Ethan Pinnock, who came streaking into the penalty area completely unmarked. Pinnock guided a low strike out of Ederson’s reach to secure victory no. 15 on the Bees’ season. City started Rico Lewis, Kalvin Phillips, Cole Palmer, and Sergio Gomez, and its only sub was 19-year-old newcomer Shea Charles. They still out-attempted the hosts 17-11 while keeping 66 percent of the ball. (AE)
9. Cooper, Hodgson finish unexpected jobs well done (Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest): Neither Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper nor Palace counterpart Roy Hodgson would’ve seen themselves in this exact position earlier this season. Yes, Cooper might’ve thought his team would take time to adjust to the Premier League but did he expect a final few safe weekends without real repercussions? Probably not, but he did very well to navigate what became a dragged-out process and Forest did well to stick with the man who got them to the PL. Hodgson was retired at the start of the season and it surprised many that Palace cut ties with Patrick Vieira only to bring Hodgson back. The club legend did well right away, though, and he’Il only be more beloved should he decide to retire (again). (NM)
10. Emery gets Villa back into Europe (Aston Villa 2-1 Brighton): Aston Villa finished Unai Emery’s first (partial) season in charge by qualifying for the Europa Conference League with a 2-1 victory over Brighton at Villa Park on Sunday. Brighton (62 points – 6th place) entered the final day of the 2022-23 season having already qualified for next season’s Europa League, which will be the Seagulls’ first time in European competition in club history, and Villa was keen to join them. (AE)
Alan Shearer is the king of Premier League goal scorers, but Harry Kane is racing to challenge his crown.
Shearer scored 260 Premier League goals during his remarkable career with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, and that figure’s even more impressive when you consider his first professional seasons were played prior to the Premier League era with Southampton.
Wayne Rooney’s incredible career, played almost entirely in the Premier League, saw him become the second player to bag 200+ goals in the competition. The former Manchester United and Everton star counts 208 goals as his haul.
Now ahead of Rooney? Harry Kane, whose 213 goals are 47 behind Shearer.
Kane, 29, scored 30 goals this Premier League season and would be running away with accolades were It not for some fella named Erling Haaland bagging goal after goal for Manchester City.
Will the Tottenham legend stay in England in a bid to chase down Shearer and, if he does, will he do it?
Read the full list of the Premier League’s all-time goal scorers, after the jump.