Brighton vs Leicester: Seagulls soar over disheveled Foxes

By and Sep 4, 2022, 11:25 AM EDT
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A first-minute Leicester City goal was a distant memory for Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes by the end of a 4-2 Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium that felt just as lopsided as the final score line.

Alexis Mac Allister scored a terrific free kick after converting from the penalty spot, joining Leandro Trossard, Moises Caicedo, and a Luke Thomas own goal on the score sheet.

Patson Daka had a goal and an assist for Leicester. Kelechi Iheanacho also scored as the Foxes had it 1-0 and later 2-2 before falling apart.

WATCH BRIGHTON vs LEICESTER FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM

Brighton’s going to finish another weekend inside the Premier League’s top four, boasting a 4-1-1 record and sitting three points clear of fifth-place Chelsea.

Leicester has a point through six matches. The Foxes have conceded 16 goals.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

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Premier League 2023-24 season: Dates, teams, fixture release, how to watch...
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10 things we learned in the Premier League – Week 38

What we learned from Brighton vs Leicester

Someone weird is going down this year, and Leicester has to internalize that: The Foxes won the Premier League in recent memory and have been to European competition more than once. But the investment and relative strength of two newly-promoted clubs and a pair of wins for the third seem to indicate that we’ve reached an age where a more traditional Premier League club could go down this year. Leicester’s defending was ravaged on Sunday. There’s no other way to put it, and it’s fair to say that the Foxes as currently constructed are probable to be in a relegation fight all season.

Brighton has hope for Europe: As much as this writer’s nagged the transfer spirits to allow Brighton a traditional-firing striker to send their season into European competition, the Seagulls have only been shutout once this season (0-0 vs Newcastle) and are in the top-quarter of teams for xGA. This season’s performances are a total team effort and there isn’t much suggesting that Brighton is incapable of keeping this up over 38 games.

Leicester’s fullbacks have brutal day: It started with Luke Thomas adjusting his shin guard and slowing his way into action when James Maddison gave the ball away at midfield on a Brighton goal and never really let up. James Justin was caught out of position almost as often as Thomas, who had already recorded an unlucky own goal. Justin and Thomas are good going forward so maybe the idea will be to go to a three-CB set at some point, but at constructed? Well, look out.

Brendan Rodgers reaction
(Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)

Brendan Rodgers reaction: Not listening to outside noise

“I don’t listen to it,” Rodgers said after the loss. “My focus is on the football and trying to give the players the confidence and structure to our game to get back to winning. We will arrive with a new energy, focus, and hopefully confidence to the game next week. You put the hard yards in now and work, not shirk responsibility. The results are down to me, I am the manager, and we need to go away and work even harder and get that first win.”

Alexis Mac Allister free kick goal video

What a hit.

Tactical focus

Potter’s bonus-striker magic touches everyone: Not sure what to call Brighton’s plan for forwards, which usually includes a player we know to be a striker (today, Danny Welbeck) and someone perhaps less recognizable for their skill in that position. Pascal Gross has done a lot of this but Sunday saw Enock Mwepu in the role. Last season’s impressive midfielder was, instead, mostly up top. It’s working, whether Mwepu, Gross, Trossard, and maybe soon (if it clicks) Pervis Estupinan.

Stars of the show

Leandro Trossard

Pascal Gross

Patson Daka

Alexis Mac Allister

 

What’s next?

Leicester City hosts Aston Villa at 10am ET Saturday, while Brighton’s off to Bournemouth at the same day and time.

How to watch Brighton vs Leicester live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 9 am ET, Sunday
TV: USA Network
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium

Key storylines & star players

Of course, as has been the case for the entirety of Brighton’s time in the Premier League, the goals aren’t yet flooding in at the other end of the field, leaving the margins much too fine on far too many occasions. Would-be wins become draws, and draws become defeats. Of the Premier League’s non-big six sides, no club has a higher expected goals per 90 (tied-4th, with Brentford) or lower expected goals against per 90 (4th-best) than Brighton.

As for Leicester, “misery” comes to mind when describing the Foxes’ start of the 2022-23 season for Brendan Rodgers’ side. It’s hard to disagree with Rodgers’ assessment that Leicester are a worse off side now than when the transfer window opened, when so many other mid-table and bottom-half sides did plenty of business to get better.

Brighton team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Jakub Moder (knee), Adam Lallana (calf), Jeremy Sarmiento (knee)

Leicester team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Ricardo Pereira (achilles), Ryan Bertrand (knee), Daniel Amartey (undisclosed)

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U20 World Cup schedule: How to watch live, groups, calendar, dates, times, fixtures

By May 30, 2023, 12:43 PM EDT
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The U20 World Cup takes place in Argentina from May 20 until June 11 as 24 teams full of the best young players on the planet go head-to-head to be crowned World champs.

[ LIVE: Watch the U20 World Cup en Espanol ]

And of course, the USA have plenty of talented youngsters so all eyes will be on Mikey Varas and his squad as they aim to go better than the quarterfinal spot they’ve reached in each of their last three U20 tournaments (2015, 2017, 2019) and they won Group B with three wins from three to reach the knockout rounds.

England, Brazil and hosts Argentina are among the favorites to win the tournament as Argentina stood in at the last minute to host the event after the tournament was moved from Indonesia.

Below is everything you need for the U20 World Cup.

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2023 U20 World Cup schedule, start time, dates, how to watch live

  • When: May 20 to June 11
  • Group stage kick-off times: 2pm ET, 5pm ET
  • Location: Argentina
  • TV channels en Español: Telemundo, Universo
  • Streaming en Español: Telemundo, Online via NBC.com

2023 U20 World Cup schedule

All kicks off times ET

Round of 16

Match 38: Tuesday, May 30: USA vs New Zealand – 1:30pm
Match 37: Tuesday, May 30: Uzbekistan vs Israel – 5pm
Match 40: Wednesday, May 31: Brazil vs Tunisia – 1:30pm
Match 42: Wednesday, May 31: Colombia vs Slovakia – 1:30pm
Match 39: Wednesday, May 31: England vs Italy – 5pm
Match 41: Wednesday, May 31: Argentina vs Nigeria – 5pm
Match 44: Thursday, June 1:  Gambia vs Uruguay – 1:30pm
Match 43: Thursday, June 1: Ecuador vs South Korea – 5pm

Quarterfinals

Match 46: Saturday, June 3: Winner Match 37 vs Winner Match 40 – 1:30pm
Match 47: Saturday, June 3: Winner Match 42 vs Winner Match 39 – 5pm
Match 48: Sunday, June 4: Winner Match 43 vs Winner Match 32 – 1:30pm
Match 45: Sunday, June 4:  Winner Match 38 vs Winner Match 44 – 5pm

Semifinals

Match 49: Thursday, June 8: Winner Match 45 vs Winner Match 46 – 1:30pm
Match 50: Thursday, June 8: Winner Match 47 vs Winner Match 48 – 5pm

Third-place game

Match 51: Sunday, June 11: Loser Match 49 vs Loser match 50 – 1:30pm

Final

Match 52: Sunday, June 11: Winner Match 49 vs Winner mtahc 50 – 5pm

Group stage results

Group A

 

Saturday, May 20: Guatemala 0-1 New Zealand – 2pm
Saturday, May 20: Argentina 2-1 Uzbekistan – 5pm
Tuesday, May 23: Uzbekistan 2-2 New Zealand – 2pm
Tuesday, May 23: Argentina 3-0 Guatemala – 5pm
Friday, May 26: New Zealand 0-5 Argentina – 5pm
Friday, May 26: Uzbekistan 2-0 Guatemala – 5pm

Group B

Saturday, May 20: USA 1-0 Ecuador – 2pm (92nd minute winner from Jonathan Gomez)
Saturday, May 20: Fiji 0-4 Slovakia – 5pm
Tuesday, May 23: USA 3-0 Fiji – 2pm
Tuesday, May 23: Ecuador 2-1 Slovakia – 5pm
Friday, May 26: Slovakia 0-2 USA – 2pm
Friday, May 26: Ecuador 9-0 Fiji – 2pm

Group C

Sunday, May 21: Israel 1-2 Colombia – 2pm
Sunday, May 21: Senegal 0-1 Japan – 5pm
Wednesday, May 24: Senegal 1-1 Israel – 2pm
Wednesday, May 24: Japan 1-2 Colombia – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Japan 1-2 Israel – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Colombia 1-1 Senegal – 5pm

Group D

Sunday, May 21: Nigeria 2-1 Dominican Republic – 2pm
Sunday, May 21: Italy 3-2 Brazil – 5pm
Wednesday, May 24: Italy 0-2 Nigeria – 2pm
Wednesday, May 24: Brazil 6-0 Dominican Republic – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Brazil 2-0 Nigeria – 2pm
Saturday, May 27: Dominican Republic 0-3 Italy – 2pm

Group E

Monday, May 22: England 1-0 Tunisia – 2pm
Monday, May 22: Uruguay 4-0 Iraq – 5pm
Thursday, May 25: Uruguay 2-3 England – 2pm
Thursday, May 25: Iraq 0-3 Tunisia – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: Iraq 0-0 England – 2pm
Sunday, May 28: Tunisia 0-1 Uruguay – 2pm

Group F

Monday, May 22: France 1-2 South Korea – 2pm
Monday, May 22: Gambia 2-1 Honduras – 5pm
Thursday, May 25: France 1-2 Gambia – 2pm
Thursday, May 25: South Korea 2-2 Honduras – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: South Korea 0-0 Gambia – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: Honduras 1-3 France – 5pm

PST’s Big 2022-23 Premier League Awards post

By May 30, 2023, 12:40 PM EDT
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The 2022-23 Premier League season featured so many shocks that even an outcome predicted by many wound up feeling a bit like one.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ] 

When it comes to the official Premier League awards dished out, Erling Haaland was named the Player of the Year and the Young Player of the Year awards. And rightly so. He set a new record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League season. Enough said.

Manchester City won its third-straight Premier League title after spending most of the season looking up at surprise package Arsenal, while almost everyone else had an unpredictable season.

Seriously, look at the table. Did you have Chelsea with the fourth-fewest goals in the league and the sixth-fewest wins? Did you have Tottenham entering the final week with Europe not assured? How about Liverpool needing a red-hot surge to likely finish fifth?

Did you have Newcastle, Brighton, and Brentford as season-long competitors for European places? How about Leicester City, West Ham, and Wolves as bottom-half for most of the campaign?

Twelve teams changed coaches at least once. The Premier League single-season goals record was smashed. Liverpool won games 7-0 (against Man Utd!) and 9-0 but lost by three or more goals thrice and twice went four matches without a win.

In other words, the Jim Halpert “What is going on?” gif was the unofficial sponsor of the 2022-23 season.

So who and what really were the best and worst parts of this wild and woolly season? Our lead writer Joe Prince-Wright was joined by Andy Edwards and Nick Mendola to pick everything from Best XI to Biggest Disappointment.

Premier League news

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Premier League 2023-24 season: Dates, teams, fixture release, how to watch...
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Arsenal transfer news, live! Latest reports, rumors, updates

Goalkeeper of the Year

JPW: Nick Pope – Key man in Newcastle’s top four finish and made some stunning saves as the Magpies were so solid at the back.

Nick Mendola: Alisson Becker — Only Bernd Leno prevented more goals than the Liverpool backstop, and the Reds are currently more than 11 goals better than xGA.

Andy Edwards: David Raya

Defender of the Year

JPW: William Saliba – What a season from the French center back. Arsenal’s late-season collapse coincided with his injury and that tells you how important he is.

Nick Mendola: Saliba — Ruben Dias was the best part of the league’s best defense and Kieran Trippier a sexier pick, but Arsenal’s steep drop-off without Saliba says it all.

Andy Edwards: Kieran Trippier

Young Player (U23) of the Year

JPW: Bukayo Saka – Tore teams apart all season long and was unplayable at times. He and the other Arsenal youngsters are so in-sync.

Nick Mendola: Saka — Faded badly down the stretch but is still just 21 and reached double digits in goals and assists.

Andy Edwards: Bukayo Saka

Manager of the Year

JPW: Mikel Arteta – To go from 5th to 2nd is a huge leap and Arteta deserves huge praise for getting the Gunners back in the Premier League. With a deeper squad he can have them challenging for the title again.

Nick Mendola: Eddie Howe — Pep’s the best to do it (maybe ever), but Howe’s at least a year ahead of schedule by getting Newcastle into the Champions League. He kept the Magpies level while missing marquee signing Alexander Isak for November, December, and January. Newcastle only lost back-to-back league games once, and that was a Liverpool-Man City double whammy.

Andy Edwards: Eddie Howe

Best XI

JPW

Nick Pope

Kieran Trippier — William Saliba — Ruben Dias — Luke Shaw

Rodri — Kevin De Bruyne — Martin Odegaard

Bukayo Saka — Harry Kane

Erling Haaland

 

Nicholas Mendola

Alisson Becker

Kieran Trippier — Wiliam Saliba — Ruben Dias

Rodri — Bruno Guimaraes

Kevin De Bruyne — Martin Odegaard — Bukayo Saka

Harry Kane — Erling Haaland

 

Andy Edwards

David Raya

Kieran Trippier — Manuel Akanji — Ben Mee — Fabian Schar

Bruno Guimaraes — Kevin De Buryne — Martin Odegaard

Bukayo Saka — Erling Haaland — Harry Kane

Player of the Year

JPW: Erling Haaland – Who else!? Broke the Premier League goalscoring record and was the missing piece of the jigsaw for City. A machine.

Nick Mendola: Erling Haaland — This could’ve been Martin Odegaard until Arsenal’s flame-out, as the Gunners went away with a whimper.

Andy Edwards: Erling Haaland

Non-Erling Haaland Player of the Year

JPW: Bukayo Saka

Nick Mendola: Toss-up between Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah. So… Rodri.

Andy Edwards: Bukayo Saka

Best Performance on a Relegation-Threatened or Relegated Side

JPW: Romeo Lavia – The teenager is a star in the making and will surely leave relegated Southampton and get snapped up by one of the top six this summer. 19 years of age and already a Belgian international, Lavia is going to the very top.

Nick Mendola: Amadou Onana — It might’ve been Tyler Adams had the American not been injured, but Onana was all-action and will fetch a king’s ransom even if Everton fall at the last hurdle.

Andy Edwards: James Maddison

Goal of the Year

JPW: Kaoru Mitoma for Brighton at Leicester. Amazing skill to cut inside and what a finish. One of the players of the season (along with fellow Seagulls Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister) as Brighton stunned everyone to qualify for Europe.

Nick Mendola: There have been some sensational bits of teamwork and some dazzlers from distance, and I’m going for the latter as unexpected rocket launcher Michael Keane let fly a knuckling and vicious late equalizer for Everton vs Tottenham.

Andy Edwards: Ivan Toney’s third goal of his hat trick versus Leeds on Sept. 6.

Best Signing not named Erling Haaland

JPW: Joao Palhinha – His importance to Fulham is huge and one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League. The Cottagers will do well to keep hold of the Portuguese midfielder this summer.

Nick Mendola: Gabriel Jesus deserves a mention and Sven Botman is right there, but it’s Casemiro for me. The pair of red cards aside, he changed the entire feel of what it meant to for opponents to see Manchester United on the fixture list.

Andy Edwards: Casemiro

Club of the Year

JPW: Brighton – To finish in the European spots after losing Graham Potter early in the season is some achievement. And to do it the way they play with free-flowing, exciting and attacking football is even better. Roberto De Zerbi added a cutting edge to their attacking play and even though Brighton will lose plenty of stars this summer, their recruitment has been sensational and owner Tony Bloom has created the model club. Any young player on the planet will now want to sign for Brighton.

Nick Mendola: Brighton — Shouldn’t this say Man City? Maybe, but the Seagulls were forced to find a replacement for Graham Potter and nailed it, getting career seasons out of Pascal Gross and Solly March, turning Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister into the most-desired midfield duo in England, and even unveiling Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson as its next stars through the market and academy, respectively.

Andy Edwards: Brighton and Hove Albion

Favorite Moment of the Season

JPW: Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal – Title favorites squaring off in what felt like a decider and superstars dazzled for City.

Nick Mendola: The first Manchester derby of the year probably should be the date we agree the season arrived upon us. Manchester United had won four-straight after a slow start for Erik ten Hag and there wasn’t a pair of eyes in the Premier League that weren’t trained upon this one. That’s when Erling Haaland had three goals and two assists to tell the league to forget about the Golden Boot and Manchester that any red tide would need to wait a while.

Andy Edwards: Harry Kane scoring his 267th goal to become Tottenham’s record scorer.

Biggest Disappointment of the Season

JPW: Leicester City – From pushing for the top 4, being in Europe and winning the FA Cup to  basically relegation with pretty much the same squad. Huge season of underachievement.

Nick Mendola: The Big Six. You could make a case for three of the traditional big boys and maybe even four considering whatever Arsenal’s been doing since early April. Did you know the Gunners are no longer top two in expected points? Whether Liverpool’s mentality slippage and excuse making, Chelsea’s whirlwind everything, or Tottenham’s shocking waste of Harry Kane (and maybe Antonio Conte), well… wow.

Andy Edwards: Everything about Tottenham’s season that wasn’t Harry Kane breaking the club scoring record.

Biggest Headscratcher of the Year

JPW: Tottenham – From Antonio Conte’s meltdown to Harry Kane’s brilliance and so many superb and awful displays intertwined, the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde team in the Premier League. No idea what they were going to churn out from one week to the next.

Nick Mendola: Chelsea — Here are the teams to win fewer matches than the Blues with one matchday left: Forest, Leicester, Leeds, Everton, Southampton. We had questions after the ownership change meant unplanned exits for Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, and more after Chelsea bought more than a dozen $10M-plus players and only uncovered one who will 100% definitely be a part of the big picture (Enzo Fernandez. We would’ve included Marc Cucurella but he’s reportedly unsettled).

Andy Edwards: Leicester sticking with Brendan Rodgers until April with relegation looming large.

Worst Sacking of the Season

JPW: Ralph Hasenhuttl – Southampton hadn’t backed Hasenhuttl in the transfer market for almost four years and the first time they did, they gave him 14 games with a group of talented youngsters. He had done a great job to steady the ship amid lack of investment and the new owners, Sport Republic, should have given him longer to turn things around and work with new recruits in the January window. What a mess Saints were as they hired and fired Nathan Jones and then basically were resigned to their fate when appointing assistant coach Ruben Selles. They now need to hit the reset button in a big way (Burnley style) in the Championship.

Nick Mendola: How to pick just one? Thomas Tuchel’s firing didn’t pan out for Chelsea, and Joe’s correct that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s dismissal wasn’t the answer, but at the risk of sounding biased I’m going with Jesse Marsch. The 49-year-old American was fired less than a week after the January transfer window slammed shut and even if you believe he needed to go, the club did not have a replacement ready for three matches. Eventually hiring Javi Gracia to solidify their defending, Leeds has kept a clean sheet on his debut, a 1-0 win over Southampton, and has not repeated the trick again.

Andy Edwards: Antonio Conte, for how long it took

Premier League 2023-24 season: Dates, teams, fixture release, how to watch live, odds

By May 30, 2023, 12:40 PM EDT
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An epic 2022-23 Premier League has only just finished but the 2023-24 Premier League is already fast approaching and there are plenty of key dates and information you need ahead of the new campaign.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] 

From Premier League fixture release date to the opening day of the season, how to watch the games and early odds for who will win it all, there is a lot going on.

Below is everything you need to know about the 2023-24 Premier League season.

Latest Premier League news

Premier League awards
PST’s Big 2022-23 Premier League Awards post
Premier League recap
10 things we learned in the Premier League – Week 38
Arsenal transfer news
Arsenal transfer news, live! Latest reports, rumors, updates

When are the 2023-24 Premier League fixtures released?

The Premier League will announce the schedule for the new season on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 4am ET.

When will the 2023-24 Premier League season kick off?

The opening day of the season will be on the weekend of Saturday August 12, 2023.

When is the final day of the 2023-24 Premier League season?

Championship Sunday will take place on Sunday, May 19, 2024, with all 10 games kicking off at the same time.

Where can I watch Premier League games in the USA?

You can watch all 380 games during the 2023-24 Premier League season across our NBC platforms. During the 2022-23 season you could watch games on USA Network and NBC, plus via Peacock Premium.

Will there be a winter break in the 2023-24 season?

Yes, there will! It has returned after the 2022 World Cup impacted the 2022-23 season. There will be a ‘mid-season player break’ of Premier League action from January 13-20.

Which teams will compete in the 2023-24 Premier League?

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Burnley, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Luton Town, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Odds to win the 2023-24 Premier League title – (Betting odds provided by our partner, BetMGM )

BetMGM is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on BetMGM for the first time after clicking our links. 

Manchester City: -175
Manchester United: +800
Arsenal: +900
Liverpool: +900
Chelsea: +1200
Newcastle United: +1400
Tottenham: +4000
Brighton: +5000
Aston Villa: +12500
West Ham: +20000
Brentford: +25000
Crystal Palace: +25000
Nottingham Forest: +25000
Everton: +25000
Fulham: +30000
Wolves: +30000
Bournemouth: +30000
Burnley: +50000
Sheffield United: +50000
Luton Town: +50000

10 things we learned in the Premier League – Week 38

By May 30, 2023, 12:38 PM EDT
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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.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

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.

Premier League news

Premier League awards
PST’s Big 2022-23 Premier League Awards post
Premier League 2023-24
Premier League 2023-24 season: Dates, teams, fixture release, how to watch...
Arsenal transfer news
Arsenal transfer news, live! Latest reports, rumors, updates

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)