Manchester City pulls off incredible comeback to win 2021-22 Premier League, Burnley gets relegated, and more…

History repeated itself after ten years as fans of English football experienced Déjà Vu in the last round of the 2021/22 Premier League fixtures. A decade ago, Manchester City produced a spectacular comeback in the very last league fixture to get their hands on the glittering silverware, leaving their arch-rivals Manchester United stunned and heartbroken.

They did exactly the same thing on Sunday, where Pep Guardiola’s men overcame a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 against Aston Villa and earn the crown of the ‘Kings of England’ for the eighth time in their history. Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers went in vain, whilst Tottenham Hotspur confirmed their berth in next season’s UEFA Champions League with a 5-0 win over Norwich City. Meanwhile, at the other end of the standings, Leeds United guaranteed safety with a 2-1 triumph over Brentford, while a defeat against Newcastle United relegated Burnley to the second division. 

Check out what happened on Sunday in the Premier League:

Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester United

With their new manager Erik ten Hag present at the Old Trafford, albeit not on the pitchside, many expected Manchester United to conclude their disappointing 2021/22 season on a positive note. However, that was not to be as they were handed a 1-0 defeat by Crystal Palace.

Wilfried Zaha, who has been linked with a move to the Red Devils time and again, opened the scoring for Crystal Palace in the 37^th minute. Though Ralf Rangnick’s men controlled the proceedings, they clearly lacked conviction in the final third as the Eagles walked away with all three points.

Arsenal 5-1 Everton

Having lost their previous two matches, Arsenal needed a strong comeback and they got exactly that, in the form of a 5-1 win over Everton. Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 27^th minute, whereas the Gunners’ lead was doubled by Eddie Nketiah in the 31^st minute.

Though Donny van de Beek reduced the deficit for the Toffees just before half-time, the second half was all about the brilliance of Mikel Arteta’s team. Cedric Soares, Gabriel Magalhaes and Martin Odegaard got their names on the scoresheet to complete one of Arsenal’s best-ever performances this season, but unfortunately for them, it came a bit too late as the top four was already out of their grasp.

Chelsea 2-1 Watford

Chelsea had absolutely nothing at stake in this match, but following a defeat in the FA Cup final against Liverpool, they too were eager to end their season on a high, which they did by beating Watford 2-1. Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the Blues in the 11^th minute.

Though the game was completely dominated by the Blues, Dan Gosling scored against the run of play for the Hornets in the 87^th minute. It seemed the match will end at 1-1 when Chelsea found an unlikely hero in Ross Barkley, who scored his first goal in ages to ensure three points for his team.

Brentford 1-2 Leeds United

Leeds United guaranteed safety with a 2-1 win against Brentford

Leeds United started this fixture from the relegation zone, but they have done incredibly well to book their place in next season’s Premier League. Jesse Marsch’s men handed Brentford a 2-1 defeat to secure 17^th position and subsequently avoid relegation.

Raphinha opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 56^th minute, but Sergi Canos’ 78^th-minute strike got the Bees back in the game. However, the goal-scorer was handed marching orders only a couple of minutes later, and banking on numerical supremacy. the Peacocks launched one attack after another. The winner eventually came in the 94^th minute when Jack Harrison found the bottom corner with a sublime strike.

Burnley 1-2 Newcastle United

While Leeds United won their match, Burnley succumbed to a 1-2 defeat against Newcastle United to confirm their demotion to the English second flight – the EFL Championship. The scoring was opened by Callum Wilson in the 20^th minute after the Clarets conceded a penalty.

The English striker doubled his and his team’s tally in the 60^th minute, and while Maxwel Cornet’s 69th-minute goal gave Burnley a glimmer of hope, it proved to be nothing more than that as they finished in the 18^th position.

Manchester City 3-2 Aston Villa

Ilkay Gundogan starred in Manchester City’s epic comeback against Aston Villa

In what undoubtedly was the most nerve-wracking fixture of the final round, Manchester City came from behind to register an incredible 3-2 win over Aston Villa – subsequently winning their eighth English first division title.

It was Steven Gerrard’s team that had a better start, with Matty Cash opening the scoring in the 37^th minute. A former Liverpool player, Philippe Coutinho tried doing his team a big favour as he doubled the Villans’ lead in the 69^th minute, and at that stage, it seemed the game is all but out of City’s grasp.

However, Pep Guardiola’s men pulled off an extraordinary comeback to score three goals in five minutes. Ilkay Gundogan brought the Cityzens back in the hunt with his 76th-minute strike, while Rodri’s long-range effort made the scoreline 2-2 just a couple of minutes later. However, a draw was not going to be good enough for Guardiola’s team and they needed a third, which was eventually scored by the hero of the game, Gundogan, in the 81^st minute.

Norwich City 0-5 Tottenham Hotspur

Though Tottenham Hotspur had a two-point cushion over Arsenal, they still needed to beat Norwich City in the last game to confirm their place in the next season’s UEFA Champions League. Antonio Conte’s men did that without breaking a sweat – scoring five goals past the Canaries.

Dejan Kulusevski opened the scoring in the 16^th minute, whilst Harry Kane doubled Spurs’ lead in the first half itself. The team from North London then added three more goals to the scoreline – two of which were scored by Heung-Min Son, whereas the other was scored by Kulusevski.

Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 West Ham United

With Manchester United losing against Crystal Palace, West Ham United would have secured a place in the UEFA Europa League if they had beaten Brighton & Hove Albion. However, David Moyes’ men could not utilize the opportunity as they lost 3-1 against the Seagulls.

It was the Hammers who drew first blood, courtesy of Michail Antonio’s 40^th- minute strike. However, the second half was all about Graham Potter’s team as they netted thrice, with Joel Veltman, Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck increasing their season’s tally. 

Liverpool 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

While it is true that the result did not have any significance in the broader perspective, Liverpool deserves credit for their determination and commitment in the 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Reds found them pegged back as early as the 2^nd minute, with Pedro Neto scoring an early goal for the visitors.Sadio Mane scored the equalizer for Jurgen Klopp’s team in the 24^th minute, but Wolves did incredibly well to keep the scoreline at 1-1 for over 80 minutes. The deadlock was eventually broken by Mohamed Salah in the 84^th minute, while Andrew Robertson’s 89^th-minute goal gave the Reds a two-goal cushion.