IMAGE: Manchester City’s Ilkay Guendogan celebrates after scoring their team’s third goal against Aston Villa. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images
Manchester City won their fourth Premier League title in five years on Sunday after beating Aston Villa 3-2 at home on the final day of the season.
IMAGE: Pep Guardiola celebrates after City’s third goal. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Pep Guardiola’s side clinched the title with 93 points, one ahead of second-placed Liverpool, to win their ninth major trophy since the Spaniard took over at the club in 2016.
Liverpool come back to win but miss out on title by one point
IMAGE: Jurgen Klopp interacts with Mohamed Salah as he looks dejected as Manchester City finished the 2021/2022 season as champions. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Liverpool came from a goal down to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 on Sunday, but it was not enough to earn them their second Premier League title, as they finished second, one point behind champions Manchester City who beat Aston Villa 3-2.
After going behind to an early Pedro Neto tap in, goals from Sadio Mane and late strikes from Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson gave the home fans some cheer even if their fate depended on the proceedings in Manchester.
They finish the season on 92 points, one behind City for the second time in three years but with a League Cup and FA Cup trophy in their cabinet.
Juergen Klopp’s men also have a Champions League final against Real Madrid to look forward to next weekend.
However, at Anfield on Sunday it was Wolves who took a shock lead three minutes in when defender Ibrahima Konate misjudged a bouncing ball from a goal kick allowing Raul Jimenez to run in behind on the right and pick out Neto to side-foot in his first goal of the season.
Liverpool equalised in the 24th minute when a cute Thiago Alcantara backheel set Mane free to charge at goal and strike an effort that was so fierce, goalkeeper Jose Sa could only get a hand to it before it went in.
Sa had to be replaced at halftime due to an injury by John Ruddy and soon after Liverpool brought on Salah, rested from the beginning, in search of the winner and peppered shots at goal, only to see them continually blocked by Wolves defenders.
The atmosphere became frantic as news filtered through from the stands that City were losing 2-0 to Villa and the title would end up at Anfield if Liverpool could find a goal.
They found that breakthrough seven minutes from fulltime when Salah squeezed in a loose ball in the box. The goal was the Egyptian’s 23rd of the season and meant he finished the campaign level as top scorer with Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min.
Full back Andy Robertson then put the gloss on the scoreline late on by sliding in Roberto Firmino’s cutback.
However, by that time City had completed their own comeback 3-2 win over Villa, meaning they retained the title and Liverpool finished the season as runners-up. Wolves finished 10th on 51 points.
Arsenal hammer Everton 5-1 but still miss out on top four
IMAGE: Arsenal’s Gabriel celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Cedric Soares and Gabriel Martinelli. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
Arsenal did all they could as they hammered Everton 5-1 on Sunday but there was little air of celebration for the home fans as Tottenham Hotspur’s win at Norwich City ensured that they took the final Champions League berth to leave Arsenal fifth.
A week ago this fixture promised to be dripping with jeopardy, with Arsenal still strongly in the Champions League hunt and Everton fighting for survival, but Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United left them needing Spurs to slip up, while Everton’s 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace ensured their safety.
Relieved Everton coach Frank Lampard made six changes and it showed as his team were over-run for most of the game, deservedly trailing at halftime to a Gabriel Martinelli penalty via a VAR handball call and an Eddie Nketiah header within four minutes, before substitute Donny van de Beek pulled one back in stoppage time.
Arsenal repeated the trick within three minutes midway through the second half as Cedric Soares swept in the third and Gabriel Magalhaes banged in the fourth before Martin Odegaard topped it off with an excellent goal, drifting past two defenders then slotting into the corner.
At full time the home fans gave Arsenal a good send-off but it was the Everton supporters, still giddy from their Crystal Palace comeback on Thursday, who were making all the noise as Manchester City completed an incredible comeback of their own to pip Liverpool to the Premier League title.
Arsenal, who last played in the Champions League in 2016-17 after 19 straight years of making it under Arsene Wenger, will have to settle for a place in the Europa League, while Everton will just be relieved to be still in the top flight – where they have spent more years than any other club – come August.
Brighton come from behind to beat West Ham 3-1
IMAGE: Brighton & Hove Albion’s Danny Welbeck celebrates scoring their third goal. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters
Brighton & Hove Albion came from behind to beat West Ham United 3-1 at the Amex Stadium on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday, in a result that puts the seventh-placed Hammers in the Europa Conference League next season.
The visitors took the lead in the 40th minute through Michail Antonio, who chested down a long throw-in on the edge of the area, spun round past Brighton defender Lewis Dunk and blasted his shot into the top far corner.
With Manchester United losing at Crystal Palace at that point, the Hammers were on course to leapfrog United into the Europa League qualification places.
But Brighton’s Joel Veltman equalised in the 50th minute with his first goal of the season, drilling in a low shot under Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
Pascal Gross then put the Seagulls in front in the 80th minute with a left-footed shot into the top left corner to put the Hammers back below United in the table.
Danny Welbeck added a third goal for Brighton in the closing minutes to guarantee the home side a ninth-placed finish – their highest-ever in the Premier League.