Premier League roundup: Liverpool draw eight-goal thriller, Man City beaten by Brentford
Arsenal 5 Wolves 0
Arsenal signed off their Premier League season in style with a 5-0 victory over Wolves on home turf.
Having seen the title slip from their grasp following just two wins from their eight league outings prior to kick-off, this term has not ended as Gunners supporters hoped it would. Their season has, however, been a step in the direction, and they were clearly eager to put on a show in front of their home fans.
It took them less than 15 minutes to move in front, with Granit Xhaka rising highest at the far post to head home on what could be his final appearance for the club.
If this was to be Xhaka’s Emirates farewell, then the Swiss international was certainly bidding goodbye in style as he doubled his tally for the afternoon minutes later, reacting quickest in the box to fire home his seventh league goal of the season.
Arsenal were certainly in no mood to take their foot off the gas, and they put the game beyond any reasonable doubt shortly before the half-hour mark when Bukayo Saka danced his way into the box before curling home a sumptuous effort.
The hosts continued to put their opponents under constant pressure, and Thomas Partey thought he had added Arsenal’s fourth, only for referee Andre Marriner to rule the goal out for a foul on Wolves stopper Jose Sa. Mikel Arteta’s men didn’t have to wait much longer to extend their advantage further though - just five minutes, in fact - as Gabriel Jesus rounded off his first season at the Emirates with a goal that added even more gloss to the result.
Their triumph was made to look even more emphatic when Jakub Kiwior netted his first-ever Arsenal goal as the Gunners signed off on a high in what will go down as a bittersweet season, especially as they sat on top of the table for 243 days.
Wolves, meanwhile, end the season in the most underwhelming way possible and, with question marks surrounding the future of Julen Lopetegui, they face a summer of uncertainty.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)
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Brentford 1 Manchester City 0
Brentford earned a first league double over Manchester City in 85 years as the Bees snatched a 1-0 final-day victory over the Premier League champions thanks to a late goal from Ethan Pinnock.
Four wins across their last five league games meant that Brentford were presented with an outside chance at Europe if they could couple a win here with fortunate results elsewhere, and they set about doing so against a rotated Manchester City side who had already guaranteed lifting the title.
Undeterred by Cole Palmer’s early attempt, Yoane Wissa broke away and struck the post, although it would likely have been disallowed anyway, and the home side continued to grow nicely into the game.
City no doubt had half a mind on next week’s FA Cup final against Manchester United, but they still looked largely unfazed by the home side’s play. Brentford did have a chance through Ben Mee as the defender latched onto a Zanka long throw to swivel and shoot, but Ederson was equal to it. Riyad Mahrez was lively at the other end, while Julian Alvarez sent a header just wide, but there was to be no breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes.
News of half-time leads for both Aston Villa and Tottenham had filtered around the stands at the Brentford Community Stadium, but those on the pitch were determined to uphold their side of the bargain. In fact, the Bees were in full control heading into the second half, and Rico Henry was the next player to test Ederson among the chaos in the City box.
The home side continued to trouble, and they produced a number of chances, culminating in a dramatic winner with less than five minutes to go. Bryan Mbeumo headed it down for Pinnock in the area, who drove his shot into the bottom corner, sending the home crowd wild.
A couple of big chances were missed by Palmer before the final whistle, but Brentford saw out what was a surprise double against the champions.
Results elsewhere prevented any possibility of European qualification, but fans can be proud of the efforts of their team as they secured an unlikely top-half finish. City, meanwhile, will be somewhat unperturbed by the defeat, and the focus will be firmly on the upcoming FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals, as Pep Guardiola’s men search for a historic treble.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
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Chelsea 1 Newcastle 1
Newcastle United and Chelsea ended their Premier League seasons with a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. While Eddie Howe’s men will be venturing into Europe next season, Chelsea will be looking to rebuild under new boss, Mauricio Pochettino. The Blues ended their campaign with only one win in their last 14 fixtures in all competitions.
With Champions League football secured, Newcastle United were keen to end the season on a high, and the Magpies started on the front foot against a wounded Chelsea side who were about to achieve their worst finish to a Premier League campaign since 1996.
Swedish striker Alexander Isak forced Blues goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga into a flying save early on as the Spaniard attempted to prevent Newcastle from winning their first game at Stamford Bridge since 2012.
However, it wasn’t long before the Geordies broke the deadlock through Anthony Gordon who bagged his first Toon goal after Chelsea’s defence stood still and the former Everton winger was allowed to tap home.
It could have been worse for the Blues minutes later when Isak was allowed to set his sights on goal, but could only curl an effort inches wide.
Despite Newcastle’s dominance for the first quarter of the fixture, it was Chelsea who equalised when Raheem Sterling drove at the Magpies defence and crossed for Kieran Trippier to bundle the ball into his own net.
The visitors were quick to respond, but Miguel Almiron could only bend his strike wide of the post on two occasions and on a separate occasion, the Paraguay international saw Kepa blocking his path.
After an impressive first half, Noni Madueke had the opening chance of the second period, but could only see his strike fail to hit the target. Chelsea kept up their promising start to the second half and tested Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka with a direct shot from 25 yards, but the Slovakian international was equal to it.
While Chelsea were the more productive of the two sides, the game itself entered into a period of stalemate with defences on top. Newcastle were able to bring on 17-year-old Lewis Miley for his Premier League debut with 15 minutes to go.
In the end, both sides appeared to settle for a point. For Newcastle, it was a third consecutive away game unbeaten, while Chelsea failed to get their first win at Stamford Bridge since March.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
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Crystal Palace 1 Nottingham Forest 1
Roy Hodgson’s latest stint as Crystal Palace boss ended with a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest, as the Eagles ended this season’s campaign tasting just one defeat at Selhurst Park in 10 games.
Palace and Forest were safe from any relegation danger heading into this final-day fixture, with Hodgson steering the Eagles away from the drop zone after returning to his boyhood club in March, while Steve Cooper retained his side’s Premier League status last week at the City Ground against second-placed Arsenal.
Both teams were looking to end the campaign on a high note, and it was the hosts who started on the front foot, which led to Michael Olise forcing an early save from Wayne Hennessey.
Palace continued to turn the screw as the first half progressed, with Olise coming close again with a hit from distance after being teed up from a free-kick.
Despite trailing behind in the possession stats, Forest took a surprise lead in the 32nd minute through Taiwo Awoniyi, who latched onto a long ball from Morgan Gibbs-White and expertly fired into the back of the net.
The visitors were whiskers away from adding a second minutes later, but Sam Johnstone stepped in to stop Willy Boly’s flicked header from reaching Awoniyi.
Forest took their slender lead into the second half, but much like the opening 45 minutes, it was Palace who took command, with Olise blasting a long-range strike over the bar a few minutes after the restart. The home side continued to probe, and they kept getting closer and closer, but failed to stick the ball in the net.
Palace’s luck changed in the 66th minute when Will Hughes’ header deflected in off Boly, following an excellent ball towards the near post by Olise.
The home side continued to dominate and went in search of a winning goal as the clock ticked down to close out the campaign. Nevertheless, Cooper’s men held on to earn their 11th draw of the season as they finished in 16th on 38 points. Meanwhile, Hodgson bowed out with Palace in 11th place on 45 points.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Michael Olise (Crystal Palace)
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Manchester United 2 Fulham 1
Manchester United came from behind to end their Premier League season with a 2-1 win against Fulham.
The Red Devils had already secured their Champions League place while Fulham’s position in 10th was confirmed, so there wasn’t much pressure on either side going into the contest.
Aleksandar Mitrovic was still left frustrated in the opening 10 minutes though, heading off target when Issa Diop nodded Willian’s cross back for him, then fouling Casemiro for a free-kick that Marcus Rashford venomously struck to force a strong save from Bernd Leno.
Kenny Tete soon brought joy to the Cottagers, meeting Willian’s delivery towards the front post to head in his first goal of the season.
However, Mitrovic’s problems continued after Casemiro brought down Tom Cairney to concede a penalty, as David De Gea made a superb stop to keep out the striker’s spot kick.
Alejandro Garnacho’s luck wasn’t proving to be any better at the other end with the teenager seeing an effort sailing marginally wide before sending another onto the crossbar.
Yet, Jadon Sancho eventually got a United equaliser before the break, capitalising on good work from Fred by coolly poking the ball home.
Rashford had a glorious chance when Casemiro’s pass split the Fulham backline within moments of the restart, although he uncharacteristically slid the ball wide.
It wasn’t long until the Cottagers were opened up again, and this time Bruno Fernandes made the most of Fred’s through ball by dinking the ball past Leno.
The hosts largely remained comfortable, although a brilliant intervention from Scott McTominay was required to prevent Mitrovic’s knockdown from reaching Cairney in a promising position.
Despite Rashford seeing a powerful strike saved by Leno, Man United did enough to secure third and equal their club record of 27 home wins across all competitions in a season, providing the perfect momentum as they prepare for the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Fulham’s three-game unbeaten run was brought to an end, but the Cottagers can fondly look back on a season in which they earned their highest finish in the top tier since 2012.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jadon Sancho (Manchester United)
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Southampton 4 Liverpool 4
Southampton’s eleven-year stay in the Premier League ended in spectacular fashion as they played out a breathless 4-4 draw with Liverpool at St Mary’s, marking a 13th straight winless match for the Saints.
The Saints were looking to sign off from top-flight football in style, but came up against a side they’d beaten in just one of the last 13 league games. They did themselves no favours in an effort to improve that dismal record, gifting Liverpool the opener inside 10 minutes.
As the hosts looked to play out from the back, Romeo Lavia’s errant square pass handed Diogo Jota one of the easiest goals of his career as he stroked into an empty net.
Liverpool's advantage was doubled moments later, as Roberto Firmino ghosted through the Saints’ defence before slotting under Alex McCarthy on his final appearance for the club.
Given their woeful form, a Southampton fightback looked beyond the realms of possibility, but with no pressure on their shoulders, Ruben Selles’ men produced a stellar response to falling two behind, levelling the contest before the break. James Ward-Prowse halved the deficit, as the Saints skipper found space at the back post to stroke home into the far corner before Kamaldeen Sulemana broke his scoring duck for his new side with a smart finish.
Buoyed by their first-half comeback, Southampton completed a remarkable turnaround within three minutes of the restart. After winning the ball back in their own defensive third, Sulemana sprinted from one end of the pitch to the other unchallenged before curling home from the edge of the area to double his personal tally.
The Liverpool backline was offering precious little protection to Kelleher between the sticks, and yet more slack passing allowed the Saints to make it 4-2. Within two minutes of coming on, Adam Armstrong seized on a misplaced pass and surged away from the defence before slotting into the bottom corner in sublime fashion.
This topsy-turvy affair had another twist in yet though, as Liverpool stunned the St Mary’s crowd with two goals in as many minutes to level the scoreline. Cody Gakpo slotted home a tap-in to reduce the arrears before an emphatic strike from Luis Diaz restored parity for the Reds.
Cooler heads finally prevailed in the final stages as Southampton avoided defeat against the Reds for just the fourth time in the last 14 league meetings. They drop down to the second tier after a titanic clash with Europa League-bound Liverpool, who will look back on a disappointing season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kamaldeen Sulemana (Southampton)