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Abdoulaye Doucoure the saviour, Tottenham’s crossroads and 6 Premier League final day talking points
Abdoulaye Doucoure the saviour, Tottenham’s crossroads and 6 Premier League final day talking points
A topsy-turvy final day of the Premier League season saw 33 goals scored across the ten simultaneous matches, with Everton ultimately surviving the three-way relegation battle and Aston Villa beating Tottenham to a place in Europe next season. Here are the five key talking points as the 2022/23 season came to a close: Leicester changes leave Dean Smith wondering what might have been Dean Smith made a bold call in Leicester's penultimate game to drop James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, which paid off after the woodwork smiled on the Foxes. Both players returned as Smith rolled the dice, admittedly with little choice. But the response from Barnes was magnificent. Full of running, sharp turns and intelligence on the ball, the Leicester star's neat finish after an explosive run underlined his class. Barnes was hardly at risk of playing in the Championship next season, given the inevitable interest this summer, but his reputation was enhanced here with his attitude and composure under the utmost pressure of a final day relegation decider. It was not to be enough and now a move and opportunity, perhaps at a club poised to play in Europe, awaits Barnes following Leicester's heartache. Doucoure in from the cold to play the part of saviour Everton needed a hero, enter: Abdoulaye Doucoure. Frozen out by Frank Lampard and destined to depart, the Toffees faithful will be thrilled circumstances enabled an extended stay. A double at Brighton in the 5-1 win inspired one of the shocks of the season and a swing of a leg here shattered the tension engulfing Goodison Park after Harvey Barnes' goal for Leicester had them destined for the Championship. Doucoure, now 30 years of age, and just one year remaining on his deal, might not have much of a future on Merseyside, but his name will be remembered fondly after inspiring the great escape. Arsenal take the handbrake off...after the pressure departs The Gunners certainly took massive strides forward this season and wrapped up their campaign 5-0 against Wolves - though it didn’t matter with the title race long since done. Mikel Arteta’s side have had a habit over the last few years of falling short when the pressure is really cranked up and that’s exactly what they did again this term. The difference being, of course, that this time it was in a top-two battle, rather than trying to finish off the job merely qualifying for European places. With no pressure on them their fantastic football has them a class apart; improving mental resilience has to be job No.1 for next term. Spurs end on bittersweet note with future no more clear than Leeds’ Harry Kane scores twice, Spurs win 4-1, Lucas Moura nets an emotional goodbye goal. It sounds like a fine day for Tottenham, but when the dust settles fans will quickly realise they’re at a massive crossroads. The north London club have no manager, no director of football and no European action for next term - and rumours persist that Kane could depart too. Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce didn’t really come close to keeping Leeds up despite taking the fight to the final day. His side fell apart two minutes into each half after defensive errors and that has been the story of the last two seasons for them, this one proving too costly to recover from. How they rebuild and who they place in charge will determine whether the talent they unquestionably have in their ranks is enough to bounce straight back, or whether Leeds face another long fight to regain a place among the nation’s elite. Villa go from relegation fears to European hopefuls Unai Emery has done it. Mocked for so long in English football, yet the Spaniard has transformed Villa and provided fresh hope for perhaps a sleeping giant of English football. Back in Europe, in the Europa Conference League, having held their nerve here against Brighton to resist Tottenham, who claimed all three points against relegated Leeds, there is fresh vigour to this team. The noise and buzz around Villa Park illustrates the delight at the spectacular job Emery has executed. Jacob Ramsey is one of Europe's most exciting talents and his surge from deep led to Ollie Watkins' 15th goal of the season - enough to resist late Brighton resistance. Now Villans will dare to dream, with Emery, they have a coach with the experience and wisdom to spark a famous European adventure next season. Exactly why Liverpool fell short and Southampton fell down The game of the day in terms of excitement and goalmouth action was also an absolute irrelevance, with neither Southampton nor Liverpool able to go up or down than 20th and fifth respectively. It made for an entertaining encounter and an eventual 4-4 draw - but also showed where both teams have been lacking this season. The Reds led by two early on including a farewell Roberto Firmino goal, but defensive lapses, a lack of midfield power and some poor game management saw Jurgen Klopp’s side concede four without reply to the league’s worst side, before eventually clawing back a draw. That’s a big lesson to be learned from why they are outside the Champions League next term, having had a soft centre all year this time around. Saints, meanwhile, certainly fared better in attack on the day than they generally have this season, but shipping four on home turf to still not win a game points to where their own deficiencies have been. They have to rebuild for life in the second tier, after ending this term on a 13-match winless streak. Read More From Conte and Tuchel’s clash to Kane’s heroics – Premier League best moments Everton fans storm pitch before chants to ‘sack the board’ Easy in the end for Manchester City – same again next season? Leicester relegated despite ending season with victory over West Ham Leicester and Leeds down as Abdoulaye Doucoure stunner is enough to save Everton Granit Xhaka hits brace as Arsenal end season with big win over Wolves
2023-05-29 02:59
Erik ten Hag send message to Man Utd fans after final game of Premier League season
Erik ten Hag send message to Man Utd fans after final game of Premier League season
Erik ten Hag promised that Manchester United would do "everything they can" to win the FA Cup against Manchester City next weekend
2023-05-29 02:58
Brentford 1-0 Man City: Player ratings as Premier League champions beaten on final day
Brentford 1-0 Man City: Player ratings as Premier League champions beaten on final day
Player ratings from Brentford's 1-0 win at home to Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League season.
2023-05-29 02:27
Leicester’s unexpected twist provides reminder of football’s new reality
Leicester’s unexpected twist provides reminder of football’s new reality
One of the most remarkable stories in football now has another twist. Leicester City are relegated a mere seven years after winning this competition’s greatest title of all, their fate sealed by Abdoulaye Doucoure’s 57th-minute release at Everton. Dean Smith’s side had already done their job by going 2-0 up against West Ham United, which ensured this drastic fall for the club became one long wait. The pained anxiety of that manifested in three separate celebrations for Bournemouth goals at Goodison Park that hadn’t actually happened, their cheers quickly disrupted by frenzied checks of the phone. There was then the way the Everton game went on 10 minutes longer after a lengthy period of stoppage time. It just prolonged that hope, and made it even worse when confirmation finally came. As defeated-looking Leicester players checked their phones and then saluted the fans, West Ham United supporters celebrated that and their own forthcoming trip to Prague. It laid bare the cruelty of days like this, as memories of better days surrounded the whole stadium. Andrea Bocelli had famously sung “time to say goodbye” on that glorious evening back in May 2016, and while it presents a fitting line here, the goading West Ham fans were in no mood to be so poetic. “Going down” was the obvious one regularly sung, before the doubly cutting: “Say hello to Millwall! Say hello to Millwall!” It was in itself a reminder of the rarefied and glossy world that Leicester are leaving, so quickly going from the Premier League’s “model club” to an ultimate example of how quickly it can all fall apart in the game’s current economic landscape. The global economic landscape has played its part in that, with the Covid pandemic greatly affecting the owners’ duty-free business. That fed into a wider frustration within the club, that Brendan Rodgers made clear he was feeling from the very start of the season. It never really picked up. But none of that obscures the fact that Leicester have so many players that really shouldn’t have been in this situation at all. The line-up that has ultimately gone down - club legend Jamie Vardy symbolically starting on the bench - is one that should easily have been mid-table, and will now boost the squads of other Premier League teams. That, brutally, is no longer what Leicester are. And that despite having a better team than the one David Moyes started here to keep fresh for their Europa Conference final. It shouldn’t have gone this wrong. That was reflected in how there were a few boos when the final whistle went, even if they were drowned out by proud applause. It’s also more history in its own way. Leicester are the club to have the fifth-fastest relegation after winning a title since the second world war. In the Premier League, only Blackburn Rovers had it worse, at four years. It is quite a turn, that will now get more focus, but one of the issues was that there weren’t enough twists on this day itself. Leicester left themselves in too perilous a situation. The only real moment of drama was on 34 minutes, duly supplied by one of the players who is already most in demand. Harvey Barnes ran straight at the box to play a one-two with Kelechi Iheanacho, and then slide the ball past Lukasz Fabianski. It was a brilliant goal, and naturally produced a roar reminiscent of the day the Premier League trophy was presented here. It did put Leicester in a welcome if slightly strange position, though. They’d done their job, and just needed to hold firm, with all onus now on Everton. Even Leicester fans were watching the wrong game. There was a danger there as they lost urgency, until Wout Faes headed in a Youri Tielemans’s free-kick. By then, however, Everton had already scored. All of this was immaterial, including Pablo Fornals’s late goal. It was all dependent on one sudden twist. That is instead what this season has represented for Leicester. Nobody would have imagined it when they won the FA Cup just two years ago. They can still look to their dreams being fulfilled in 2016. They have had quite a run, beyond what many supporters get in a club’s entire history. It’s just that nobody expected it to be as brief as this. Leicester make history in another way. Their sensational story has a twist, albeit after no drama. Read More Why is BT Sport being rebranded to TNT Sports? Eurosport merger explained James Ward-Prowse, James Maddison and 16 Premier League transfer targets after relegation ‘It is theatre’: Inside the emotional chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle How the final day played out with Everton surviving relegation fight Relegation chances: What do Leeds, Everton and Leicester need to survive? Premier League relegation battle LIVE: Results and reaction as Everton survive
2023-05-29 02:25
How Leicester and Leeds were relegated on the final day of the Premier League season
How Leicester and Leeds were relegated on the final day of the Premier League season
The final day of the 2022/23 Premier League delivered plenty of entertainment as teams scrapped for the last few available placings in England's top flight. It
2023-05-29 02:20
Pete Alonso hit a home run on No. 1 pitch because he had to go No. 2
Pete Alonso hit a home run on No. 1 pitch because he had to go No. 2
Pete Alonso got the poops at the worst possible time. Luckily, it motivated him to hit a home run and end his at-bat as early as possible."This athlete had an ill-timed urge to poop while playing in a professional sports game," might have had Jeopardy! contestants saying, "Who is ...
2023-05-29 02:15
Leeds 1-4 Tottenham: Player ratings as United go down with whimper
Leeds 1-4 Tottenham: Player ratings as United go down with whimper
Player ratings from the Premier League clash between Leeds and Tottenham at Elland Road on Sunday. United were relegated following a 4-1 defeat.
2023-05-29 01:56
Southampton 4-4 Liverpool: Player ratings from thrilling end of season clash
Southampton 4-4 Liverpool: Player ratings from thrilling end of season clash
Player ratings from Liverpool's 4-4 draw with Southampton in the Premier League.
2023-05-29 01:51
Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle: Player ratings as Blues end season with Stamford Bridge draw
Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle: Player ratings as Blues end season with Stamford Bridge draw
Player ratings from Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League
2023-05-29 01:49
Leicester 2-1 West Ham: Player ratings as Foxes go down despite win
Leicester 2-1 West Ham: Player ratings as Foxes go down despite win
Player ratings from Leicester's 2-1 win over West Ham in the Premier League - a result that see the Foxes relegated from the division after Everton's win.
2023-05-29 01:49
Steve Sarkisian attempting to create his own Nick Saban coaching rehab clinic at Texas
Steve Sarkisian attempting to create his own Nick Saban coaching rehab clinic at Texas
Steve Sarkisian is looking to bring some Nick Saban Alabama with him to Texas in the form of former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst.The Nick Saban coaching rehabilitation clinic has opened up shop in Austin as part of Steve Sarkisian's Texas program.Sarkisian has hired former Wisconsin...
2023-05-29 01:48
Man Utd 2-1 Fulham: Player ratings as Fernandes fires Red Devils to third place
Man Utd 2-1 Fulham: Player ratings as Fernandes fires Red Devils to third place
Match report and player ratings from Manchester United's Premier League meeting with Fulham
2023-05-29 01:46
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