The curtain came down on the 2021-22 Premier League season in dramatic fashion, as the title and relegation races went right on into stoppage time across four games on Sunday afternoon.
In the end, Manchester City survived a major scare and staged a brilliant comeback against Aston Villa to ensure that they picked up their fourth title in five years, with Liverpool forced to settle for second once again.
Moments like these! ? pic.twitter.com/ENPwbZj8aO
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 23, 2022
At the other end of the spectrum, it was Burnley who joined Norwich and Watford in waving goodbye to the Premier League, a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle combined with a 2-1 win for Leeds United sealing their fate.
Across the 10 games, there were plenty of positives, however, and 101 have picked out this week’s top performers below.
GK: Vicente Guaita
It was a brilliant performance from Crystal Palace to beat Manchester United, themselves lucky that West Ham also lost to avoid the ignominy of Conference League football next season.
From a Palace point of view however, the brilliant result would not have been possible without Guaita, who made a string of brilliant saves and preserved a clean sheet that ultimately handed Patrick Vieira’s side all three points.
RB: Cedric Soares
Arsenal strolled past an Everton side that clearly were still feeling the aftereffects of clinching survival in midweek, courtesy of a 5-1 scoreline. Cedric Soares grabbed himself a goal and an assist against the Toffees, in what could be his final Emirates appearance.
CB: Joachim Andersen
Another Palace star, Andersen was tasked with keeping the Manchester United attack quiet and, as he has for much of the season, excelled. His flourishing partnership with Marc Guehi (who missed this game through injury), has been the foundation of success for Vieira this season.
CB: Joel Matip
In the chaos of the final day, Joel Matip was the one Liverpool defender who emerged with his head held high. Konate’s misjudgement allowed Wolves their opener, and the Frenchman looked to be in awe of the occasion, something that can rarely be said of him.
Matip, meanwhile, proved an apt replacement for Van Dijk, and kept calm while those around him panicked in a chaotic clash.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko
The first of two Manchester City substitutes to make the list, Zinchenko was introduced at half-time and changed the game, helping snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It remains unclear where he will be next season, but he played an integral part against Aston Villa.
Oleksandr Zinchenko couldn’t hold back the tears. ??❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ut4ayxpzaO
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 22, 2022
CM: Ilkay Gundogan
Another Manchester City substitute with his future up in the air, if this is how Ilkay Gundogan leaves the Etihad Stadium this summer then he will cherish it forever. Coming on at half-time, he began and completed the comeback for Pep Guardiola’s side.
?️ “ILKAY GUNDOGAN YOU LITTLE DANCER!!” ?
Manchester City turn it around at the Etihad!! WOW!! pic.twitter.com/4tRqwuvJUj
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 22, 2022
CM: James Maddison
Leicester City maestro James Maddison has bounced back from a poor start to the season with a bang, grabbing a goal and an assist on their final day demolition of Southampton. A key man for the Foxes when on form, they will hope he can sustain his form into next season.
????? James Maddison has now scored more Premier League goals than Emile Smith Rowe (10) and as many as Mason Mount and Bukayo Saka this season (11)
? His last England call-up was in November 2019 pic.twitter.com/EU64lRtbTk
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 20, 2022
CM: Dejan Kulusevski
The wide berths are full but Dejan Kulusevski had to be in this team after another stellar performance for Antonio Conte’s side against Norwich. The Swede, who continues to impress since his January move, got the ball rolling with the opening goal, before popping up with a second strike to add to the rout against the Canaries.
? Dejan Kulusevski played a direct hand in more Premier League goals (13) than the likes of Bernardo Silva (12), Alexandre Lacazette (11) and Kai Havertz (11) this season. He only made his debut in February! pic.twitter.com/0OCuhVVu8f
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 23, 2022
RW: Jack Harrison
On the balance of the game, Raphinha probably deserved this spot, but we have opted for Jack Harrison both for the significance of the goal and the scenes in the away end afterwards. Scoring the winner for Leeds in stoppage time ensured their survival, turning anxiety into jubilation on the pitch, touchline and stands.
“OHHH JACK HARRISON!” ⚽⚡
LEEDS UNITED ARE STAYING UP! AND JUST LOOK WHAT IT MEANS!! ⚪ pic.twitter.com/THvTkJbrI7
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 22, 2022
ST: Wilfried Zaha
The former Manchester United man came back to haunt the Red Devils after an accidental assist from current Red Devil Bruno Fernandes. The Ivorian cut inside to grab the only goal of the game, and condemn Manchester United to their worst ever Premier League season.
Desire. Strength. Finesse.
⚡️ @wilfriedzaha#CPFC pic.twitter.com/UytXYDlojh
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 22, 2022
LW: Heung-Min Son
A late charge for the Golden boot from Heung-Min Son has coincided with his side’s late push for the Champions League places, both of which were eventually achieved. Two goals on the final day ensured that he split the accolade with Mo Salah, and completed a stellar season in style.
Son Heung-min is the first Asian player in Premier League history to win the Golden Boot and he didn’t need to score a single penalty to do it.
Nice one, Sonny. ?? pic.twitter.com/u66is1xBlm
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) May 22, 2022
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 38 | 73 | 93 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 38 | 68 | 92 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 38 | 43 | 74 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 29 | 71 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 38 | 13 | 69 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 38 | 0 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 38 | 9 | 56 |
| 8 | Leicester City | 38 | 3 | 52 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 38 | -2 | 51 |
| 10 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | -5 | 51 |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 38 | -18 | 49 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 4 | 48 |
| 13 | Brentford FC | 38 | -8 | 46 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 38 | -2 | 45 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 38 | -24 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 38 | -23 | 39 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 38 | -37 | 38 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 38 | -19 | 35 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 38 | -43 | 23 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 38 | -61 | 22 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 23 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 15 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 11 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 11 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 11 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 9 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
