MANCHESTER – Was this the night Manchester City won the 2022-23 Premier League title and put Arsenal in their place?
It sure felt like it. This was the first time in over two years Arsenal have dropped points in four-straight games and they have picked the worst possible time for their title bid to fall apart.
From minute one the Etihad Stadium was purring as the home fans salivated and City totally overwhelmed Arsenal.
Kevin de Bruyne scored either side of half time (Erling Haaland assisted on both) and John Stones added a crucial second before the break, while Rob Holding’s late goal was nothing more than a consolation as Haaland then broke a Premier League record with his stoppage time-goal to make it 4-1.
Arsenal froze and if it wasn’t for Aaron Ramsdale coming out on top in his personal battle with Haaland throughout the game, the scoreline would have been a lot worse for the Gunners.
Man City have now won 15 of their last 16 games against Arsenal in all competitions as Pep Guardiola made it nine wins from 10 against his former assistant coach Mikel Arteta.
With the win Manchester City move on to 73 points, two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal. Crucially, City have two games in-hand. There is still work to do but this felt like the night City pretty much secured their third-straight Premier League title.
For most of this season we thought the Premier League title race was a very close race. How wrong we were. Manchester City have beaten Arsenal 7-2 on aggregate across their two games and the 4-1 hammering they dished out at the Etihad could have been a lot more. Arsenal are missing William Saliba in defense but would he have really made a difference? Haaland and De Bruyne overwhelmed Arsenal centrally and even when Arsenal did get the ball to their star youngsters Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard, they looked like deer in the headlights and barely strung a few passes together or made a forward run. City haven’t won the title yet but this performance showed just how far ahead of everyone else they truly are.
Stars of the show; Manchester City vs Arsenal player ratings
Kevin de Bruyne: Scored twice and his midfield runs causes chaos.
Erling Haaland: Two assists and a goal and even though he missed plenty of chances, he terrified Arsenal with his direct runs.
Mikel Arteta reaction: ‘We could’ve been even more punished’
“We were beaten by the very better team. They were exceptional and we were nowhere near their level.”
“We didn’t do anything in the first half and we were punished, and we could’ve been even more punished.”
“The way we were in the first 20, 30 minutes, they were on top of us. At first they were extremely direct, stretching the pitch 60, 70 yards with their goalkeeper. You have to be in position and win the ball. And we did not win the ball.”
“Today is a very difficult night after the way we lost but we have to stand up, look at the bigger picture. The fact that we are toe to toe with this team is incredible. With five games to go anything can happen. I’ve seen a lot of things in 20 years. Tonight was very difficult. We have to look in the mirror and accept that we lost to a very good team.”
Kevin De Bruyne reaction: Difficult to deal with Arsenal
“We played really well. The way that Arsenal press, the opposition is top class. It’s almost impossible to play back especially when it’s a goal kick that’s like a set piece. We had to play longer today and we tried a few things in training, to play off Erling, and we found that a couple of times.”
“It works together. He gave me a few in the beginning of the season but I didn’t have my shooting boots.”
“Normally we play a little bit with two No. 8s, and he wanted a little bit control. Gundogan was more the double-six. It was difficult for Rob Holding and Gabriel to decide what to do with my runs. I was a little bit more free today.”
“What we train most of the time is high-pressing and goal kicks. Everything in between is a little bit more free. The first 45, 60 meters is pretty rigid in the beginning because you have to try to control but once you get in the opposition half it’s more freedom, and try to exploit the spaces you get because everybody does it differently.”
“We try and maintain the consistency is the most important thing. We try to put just the right emotion to compete at the best level. I know people will say it’s done and City will win but we have almost 25 percent to play in the league and Madrid. We have to be ready in another three days and maybe it’s good that we have all these games coming up.”
"I know people will say "Oh now it's done, City will win." but we've got almost 25% to play in the league."
Kevin De Bruyne joins us pitchside to discuss his tactical role during the match and Manchester City's aspirations for the rest of the season. 📺: @Peacock | #ManCitypic.twitter.com/uwI5THYe7g
“I don’t know why (we played poorly). They were the better team. We didn’t play on our level and they were a lot better than us in many areas of the game. It’s disappointing, I don’t have a good answer.”
“They got the game where they wanted with the early goal and the second one makes it all the more difficult.”
“They can do different things now with Erling up front. They can go more direct to the dangerous areas. They can defend from the back. It’s difficult to defend but we should do better.”
“Everyone is down now of course. We wanted to come here and get something. The last three games before this wasn’t the best for us but we have to stick together. Everything’s possible. Everyone’s really down at the moment but we have to stick together because in football anything can happen.”
What’s next?
Manchester City travel to Fulham on Sunday, April 30. Arsenal host Chelsea on Tuesday, May 2.
How to watch Manchester City vs Arsenal live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 3pm ET Wednesday, April 26 TV Channel: Peacock Online: Stream via Peacock Premium
Manchester City vs Arsenal live analysis! – By Joe Prince-Wright at the Etihad Stadium
FULL TIME: Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal – Dominance from City. The scoreline doesn’t reflect how superior they were. Arsenal were taught a lesson. City now have one hand on the Premier League trophy.
GOALLL! Manchester CIty 4-1 Arsenal – With his hair down, Haaland gets his goal. Finally. He has set a new record for the most goals scored (33) in a 38-game Premier League season.
GOALLL! Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal – Rob Holding curls home after Leandro Trossard found him on the edge of the box.
Fair play to the Arsenal fans. Their team are 3-0 down and have been totally dominated but they are singing loud and proud in the away end.
Trossard and Jorginho are on in the 60th minute for Arsenal. Some would say 60 minutes too late. Both could have easily started this game and Arsenal’s starting lineup look jaded right now.
GOALLL! Manchester City 3-0 Arsenal – Erling Haaland races free once again and he slots in Kevin de Bruyne to finish. Two goals for KDB and two assists for Haaland. They have ripped Arsenal to pieces.
SAVE! Aaron Ramsdale with another big stop to deny Erling Haaland. We can say this most games, but Haaland should have had a hat trick.
We are back underway in the second half and it is more of the same. Man City look very comfortable and Arsenal are being dragged all over the place. Granit Xhaka did have Arsenal’s first shot on target of the night. So there’s that…
🔥 What a first half from Man City here at the Etihad! As for Arsenal…
HALF TIME: Manchester City 2-0 Arsenal – Kevin de Bruyne’s early goal and a header from John Stones right on half time has City ahead and they should have scored at least two more. De Bruyne and Haaland have both come close on several occasions and Arsenal have been very lucky. The Gunners are lucky they still have a chance of getting a point in the second half.
GOALLL! Manchester City 2-0 Arsenal – John Stones puts City 2-0 up right on half time. He heads home a brilliant free kick from Kevin de Bruyne and after a lengthy VAR check on the original offside call, it is overturned. The Etihad erupts!
After VAR review, Stones is onside and Manchester City double their lead!
SAVE! Aaron Ramsdale denies Erling Haaland. Yet another huge chance goes begging for Man City. How are Arsenal only 1-0 down!?
CHANCE! Erling Haaland should make it 2-0. He bamboozles Gabriel and looks certain to score but he curls his shot wide. Will Man City rue all of these missed chances!?
WIDE! Thomas Partey should hit the target. Arsenal find him unmarked on the edge of the box but one of his trademark curlers dribbles well wide.
SAVE! Ramsdale again denies Haaland as he hammers a volley from a narrow angle towards goal.
SAVE! Aaron Ramsdale denies Erling Haaland after he waltzed his way towards goal. Great stop down low from Ramsdale.
CHANCE! Kevin de Bruyne goes through again after Haaland plays him in but Ben White produces a great block to deny a certain goal. KDB’s runs from midfield aren’t being tracked by Arsenal. Causing a huge problem.
City stroking the ball around beautifully and Arsenal are sitting back and trying to regroup. Not quite damage limitation mode from Arsenal. But they’re sitting a lot deeper than the first 10 minutes.
Chants of “CITY! CITY! CITY” as the home fans are buzzing after that early goal. Arsenal yet to get going.
GOALLL! Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal – Kevin de Bruyne curls home after running onto the ball after a great piece of hold-up play from Erling Haaland. Way too easy. Poor from Arsenal as Partey left KDB and Ramsdale should do better. City ahead after 7 minutes.
Early drama! The ball is spilled in the box and Thomas Partey steps across Kevin de Bruyne as the City playmaker kicks Partey’s leg and a free kick is given to Arsenal. Wow. Huge call by referee Michael Oliver.
Should Manchester City have won an early penalty here?
Kick off is fast approaching as the final slither of sunlight bathes the last few rows of the stands here at the Etihad. There is a nervous buzz in the air. We have wanted so long and now everybody wants kick off to arrive!
It looks like Akanji is going to line up on the left side of City’s three-man defense with Walker as the right-sided center back. It is a big show of faith in those two against Saka and Martinelli.
There is a tremendous buzz around the Etihad. So many people are here early. And why not? Soak up the atmosphere for the biggest game of the season!
What have the managers been saying?
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Mikel Arteta doesn’t think this game will decide the title: “We knew we had to go to Etihad, it will be difficult, but will it decide the season? No,” Arteta said. “The belief is there, I look at how the players reacted after Southampton, they defend each other in every moment. We really want it and we are again going to show it tomorrow night. But it has to be perfect because that is what is demanded at this time in the season.”
Pep Guardiola responded in similar fashion: “It is really important, but not decisive because there are many games to play for both sides. We can’t deny how important it is.”
The team news is out for this massive, massive, massive (did I say massive!?) clash as the top two teams in the Premier League collide. Arsenal make one change with Granit Xhaka coming in for Fabio Vieira. As for Man City, Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and John Stones all start so that kind of looks like a back four…
Hello and welcome to a lovely night in Manchester! Perfect weather for a title decider, wouldn’t you say?
“If any clubs finish with the same number of points, their position in the Premier League table is determined by goal difference, then the number of goals scored, then the team who collected the most points in the head-to-head matches, then who scored most away goals in the head-to-head. ”
Arsenal, Man City upcoming schedules very different
Premier League leaders Arsenal have been eliminated from all other competitions and have dropped points in three-straight games before visiting Man City.
The Gunners drew 2-2 at Liverpool and West Ham after being 2-0 up in both, while they also rallied late on to draw 3-3 at home against Southampton after being 3-1 down.
Man City’s have had a much different path in recent weeks, easily getting past Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals and then reaching the FA Cup final after demolishing Sheffield United.
Arsenal will have an additional day’s rest leading into the April 26 test.
Arsenal fixture list
Arsenal (75 points through 32 games): Man City (A), Chelsea (H), Newcastle (A), Brighton (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Wolves (H)
Manchester City fixture list
Manchester City (70 points through 30 games): Brighton (A), Arsenal (H), Fulham (A), Leeds (H), Everton (A), Chelsea (H), West Ham (H), Brentford (A)
Arsenal vs Manchester City goal difference
1. Arsenal – 75 points through 32 games, Goal Difference is +43
2. Manchester City – 70 points through 30 games, Goal Difference is +50
Those are the latest results in nearly 200 matches between the two dating back to a Nov. 11, 1893 meeting between Woolwich Arsenal and Ardwick.
Arsenal has won 98 times and drawn 45 matches with Man City, who boasts 64 wins in the all-time series. City has won seven-straight and is 14W-1L in their last 15 against the Gunners.
Arsenal’s last Premier League point at the Etihad came in 2016 and its last win was the previous season.
Manchester City vs Arsenal unbeaten record
Arsenal are unbeaten in 10 Premier League games.
Manchester City are unbeaten in nine Premier League games (winning eight of those nine and six-straight) and are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions.
What is Manchester City’s game in hand?
The game Manchester City have in-hand over Arsenal is away at Brighton. That game will take place on Wednesday, May 24.
Manchester City home record this season
In the Premier League this season Manchester City have won 13, drawn one and lost one of their 14 home games. They have scored 50 goals and conceded 15. That lone defeat came at home against Brentford on Nov. 12 in the final game before the World Cup break.
After leaving Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s assistant Dec. 20, 2019 to become the Arsenal boss in his first gig as a head coach, Mikel Arteta has faced Guardiola on nine occasions.
Pep Guardiola has 8 wins from those 9 games against Arsenal since Arteta has become boss.
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.
