Liverpool, Chelsea Take Top-Four Spots, Leicester Crumbles
Liverpool and Chelsea grabbed the final two Champions League places while Leicester City fell short of a top-four finish for the second successive season on a thrilling final day of the Premier League season.
Liverpool avoided any drama as they beat Crystal Palace 2-0 to finish in third spot, after a difficult season in which their defence of the title crumbled.
Chelsea lost 2-1 at Aston Villa, but sealed fourth spot as rivals Tottenham Hotspur twice came from a goal down to win 4-2 at Leicester City.
Tottenham will be England’s representative in the inaugural Europa Conference League after they beat Leicester City 4-2, although that will be a consolation for the London club for whom Harry Kane could have possibly played his last game on Sunday, with a big-money move likely.
Kane was on target for Tottenham, Bale also scored twice for Tottenham on what was probably the last game of his loan spell from Real Madrid.
Jamie Vardy scored twice from the spot for Leicester who also let a top-four finish slip last season in the final week.
Harry Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot award for the third time with 23 goals.
Liverpool finished on 69 points with Chelsea on 67 and Leicester, who will enter the Europa League, on 66.
Manchester City 5-0 Everton
Sergio Aguero came on in the 65th minute and scored twice in his final league game for champions Manchester City as they thrashed Everton 5-0. He was presented with the trophy on the pitch in front of 10,000 fans at The Etihad.
Argentine Aguero now has 184 Premier League goals for City, the most of any player for a single club in the competition – one ahead of Wayne Rooney’s tally for Manchester United.
City manager Pep Guardiola, who has now won three Premier League titles in his five seasons at the club, broke down in tears as spoke of 32-year-old Aguero’s impact at the club.
Aguero spent a decade at City and is now the clubs all-time leading scorer.
“We love him so much, he’s a special person for us,” Guardiola, who will lead City out in its first Champions League final when they play Chelsea in Porto next week, said on the pitch. “We cannot replace him.”
Aguero, who could end up at Barcelona next season after his contract ends next month, will always be remembered and adored by City’s fans for his heart-stopping late goal earned the first of the club’s five Premier League titles in 2012.
“Before the game I felt so strange, the sensation is not good. I prefer to think about the good moments,” Aguero said.
Second-placed Manchester United beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 to finish 12 points adrift of City. It was Nuno Espirito Santo’s final game as manager of Wolves.
West Ham United will join Leicester City in the Europa League after finishing sixth – rounding off a superb season in style with a 3-0 home win over Southampton.
Bottom club Sheffield United bowed out with a 1-0 win over Burnley, while Leeds United claimed an impressive ninth place by beating relegated West Bromwich Albion 3-1. Arsenal finished one position higher with a 2-0 home win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
The 2020/21 #PL season: ✅ pic.twitter.com/n34hMYHwHi
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 23, 2021
Another unforgettable #PL campaign comes to an end…
Until next time
