The English Premier League 2021-22 The season has passed its final 90 minutes and there are still some key issues to be ironed out about what promises to be a dramatic day of highs and lows on Sunday.
City of Manchester and Liverpool remains in the title hunt, with Jurgen Klopp’s side still chasing an unprecedented quartet, while European qualification continues to be undecided in Champions League, Europa League and Federation Conference.
At the bottom of the table, Leeds United and Burnley are fighting to avoid the relegation trap and one of them will join Norwich and Watford in next season’s EFL Championship.
And there’s also the race for individual awards with it still too close to call for the Golden Boot, Golden Glove and Player of the Season awards.
So with one more game to go, what will happen on the last day of the season?
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Title race
Manchester City led the Premier League table with 12 points in February, despite having played two more games than Liverpool. But despite their considerable advantage, Pep Guardiola and his teammates stumbled and let Jurgen Klopp’s men go on their final day with the still-living hopes of a second title in three years and the second leg final. about third.
But while Liverpool’s 2-1 midweek win at Southampton Taking them to within a point of Man City, the odds are very favoring the defending champions this weekend.
The city is home to Aston Villamanaged by former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, and a win would ensure a fourth title in five seasons for Guardiola’s side.
Villa have lost their last 8 matches against Man City in all competitions and haven’t won a match at Etihad since 2007, so their form against Man City is very poor. But if they can get a draw, Liverpool could then win the title with a win over Wolves at Anfield.
If Man City lose and Liverpool draw, it will go down in goal difference but Man City will have to lose seven goals to be on top of the table.
Notably, there is the prospect of a playoff spot if both Man City and Liverpool end the season with points. If Man City lose 6-0 and Liverpool draw 5-5, then the two teams will divide the points on the number of goals scored, the number of goals conceded, the goal difference and the head-to-head record. Such an outcome would require a playoff at a neutral venue, but if it were to happen, it would indeed be a forgettable final day.
Champions League spot
Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are only four miles apart in North London, so their rivalry is already intense enough before the two clubs become locked in the fight for the final spot of this season’s Champions League.
Arsenal may have secured a place in the top four and returned to the Champions League for the first time since 2017 by beating Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 12, but Mikel Arteta’s side suffered a crushing defeat. defeated 0-3 and put their opponents bitterly to a lifeline.
Tottenham’s Next home team wins first Burnley three days later means Arsenal must win at Newcastle on May 16 to climb back to the top four, but a 0-2 defeat cost them the opportunity to progress on the final day with a one-point advantage.
So Spurs will start the day with a 2 point lead over the Gunners and a +24 – 15 goal difference over Arsenal.
That means if Spurs avoid defeat to relegated Norwich, they will effectively secure a fourth place finish and a Champions League spot. For Arsenal, they simply have to beat Everton at the Emirates and hope that Norwich can produce one of the shocks of the season by beating Antonio Conte’s side at Carrow Road.
Europa League position and Europa Conference League position
Arsenal or Spurs will take first place in the Europa League with a fifth, although that will be little more than a consolation prize as both clubs are still chasing a Champions League spot on the final day.
Second place is a two-way scrap between Manchester United and West Ham. Both teams are guaranteed European spots, but Sunday’s results will decide which team plays in next season’s Europa League and which finishes in the Europa Conference League.
– How European Qualifiers in the Premier League work
United need a win at Crystal Palace secured a sixth place finish and a Europa League ticket with it. A draw or even defeat could still see Ralf Rangnick end his interim training period with a Europa League spot, as long as West Ham don’t win.
Due to their superior goal difference – West Ham are at +11 to United’s +1 – a win over Brighton would put the Hammers ahead of United should Rangnick’s side fail to win at Selhurst Park. West Ham simply have to win and hope United drop the points. A draw will not be enough for the teams to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League this season.
Relegation
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Don Hutchison hailed Everton’s return to Crystal Palace as securing the Toffees’ Premier League spot next season.
By Everton Remarkable 3-2 win met Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Thursday, when Frank Lampard’s side led 2-0 at half-time, enough to dispel the club’s relegation fears and ensure a stress-free final game of the season. straight at Arsenal on Sunday.
Therefore, the battle to avoid the 3rd place relegation, with Norwich and Watford to win the championship next season, now only two teams remain – Burnley and Leeds.
Burnley’s Draw 1-1 at Aston Villa on Thursday took them out of the bottom three and gave them an important advantage over Leeds going on the final day. Although the two clubs are tied on 35 points, Burnley’s dominant goal difference – Burnley -18, Leeds -38 – means they will hold their ground if they are at least equal of Leeds at Brentford.
It was a simple scenario for Burnley. If they beat Newcastle at Turf Moor, they will move on and a draw or even defeat could be enough if Leeds get the same result.
Jesse Marsch’s Leeds simply needs to get a better result than Burnley. If Burnley draws, Leeds need to win, but if Burnley is beaten, a draw is enough for Leeds.
If both Burnley and Leeds win on the final day, Leeds will be relegated just two seasons after being promoted back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.
Golden shoe
Mohamed Salah top the scoring charts with 22 goals on the final day, but the Liverpool forward could be overtaken by Tottenham Son Heung-Min who has 21 goals so far.
With Spurs playing relegated Norwich at Carrow Road, Son will face the team with the worst defensive record in the Premier League this season, with 79 goals conceded in 37 games, so Korea forward will confidently get on the scoreboard.
But with Liverpool needing a win to keep their title hopes up, Jurgen Klopp’s side will almost certainly play in full attack, so Salah – who is believed to have recovered from injury in the FA Cup final and missed Tuesday’s win over Southampton – will have his chance too.
Cristiano Ronaldowith 18 goals for Manchester United this season, is third in the goalscoring charts, but although the 37-year-old has proven time and time again he has the inescapable ability, Performance of four goals against Crystal Palace is likely to boost even. Ronaldo’s ability.
Golden Gloves
Manchester City Ederson and of Liverpool Alisson going into the final match as both have kept 20 clean sheets in the Premier League this season. Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris next on the list with 15 outages, so it will BrazilThe team’s top goalkeepers battled for the Golden Glove award this weekend.
Alisson has 20 games from 35, while Ederson has 20 from 36, so Liverpool’s No 1 has a slight advantage in numbers, but if the two goalkeepers end the season with the same number of clean sheets , the prize will be shared. .
Player of the Season
The Player of the Season award was introduced in 2017-18 to the player with the most assists. Manchester City Kevin De Bruyne won it twice (in 2017-18 and 2019-20) with Chelsea‘S Player Eden Hazard (2018-19) and of Tottenham Harry Kane (2020-21) other winners so far.
Stop West Ham’s great individual performance Jarrod Bowen or Chelsea’s Mason Mountain on Sunday – both players have 10 assists this season – the Maker award will go to a Liverpool player.
Salah leads with 13 assists, while Trent Alexander-Arnold behind one out of 12. Andy Robertson are also disputed, but like Bowen and Mount, Scotland The defender is on 10 assists, so he will need to score a hat trick to draw with Salah.
Paul Pogbawhose six-year spell at Manchester United will end when he becomes a free agent this summer, followed by the nine-man player this season.
