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And that's a wrap!
After a whirlwind 10 months, the Premier League season has finally come to a close. It's been an entertaining season which ended with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City standing triumphant holding the trophy aloft. Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United tried their best to catch up to their high-flying neighbors but the title was as good as decided by the turn of the year. While the Manchester teams finished 1st and 2nd, Tottenham grabbed the third spot while Liverpool finished 4th.
On the flip side, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, and Swansea City were relegated. The season ended on an emotional note as we bid farewell to one of the greatest managers to have graced the Premier League - Arsene Wenger.
Now that the Premier League season has ended, let's review the campaign to find out who ran the show:
#5 Burnley
Quite possibly the 'dark horses' this season, Burnley have been so good that they have secured European participation for the next season and that's saying something.
Since the Premier League's inception in 1992, Burnley have managed to make only 5 appearances in the tournament and needless to say, most of them haven't been that memorable.
The Clarets' first season in the Premier League was the 2009-10 campaign, and they got relegated at the end of the season after finishing 18th, with just eight victories and 24 defeats. Their next appearance in 2014-15 was also not that memorable, as they once again crashed out after finishing 19th with 33 points.
However, it was their previous campaign which changed their fortunes as they managed to avoid the drop, finishing 16th, six points above the relegation zone. With this, they managed to stay in the top flight for consecutive seasons for the first time since 1975-76.
Kicking off their 2017-18 campaign with a 2-3 victory over defending champions Chelsea, Burnley gained crucial points against Tottenham Hotspur (1–1), Liverpool (1–1), Manchester United (2–2), and Manchester City (1–1) to finish this season in the 7th spot. If there's one man who is responsible for this brilliant turn-around, then it is their manager, Sean Dyche. Dyche, who also won the Premier League Manager of the Month award in March, oversaw a Burnley side dealing with major issues like the early injury to their first-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton and the sale of their star-defender Michael Keane to Everton. In spite of such niggling issues which often prove to be a major headache for a mid-table team, Dyche managed to keep the good form going and ultimately helped Burnley finish 7th.
With this, they have qualified for next season's Europa League.
#4 David Moyes
Everyone knows about Moyes' ill-fated reign as the Manchester United manager in 2013-14. Sir Alex's shoes were just way too big for poor Moyes to fill. Needless to say, his hard-earned reputation over the years as Everton manager took a hit and his career plummeted.
His next two stints as a manager weren't that noteworthy either, as the shadow of his failure at Manchester loomed large. At Real Sociedad (whom he joined in November 2014), Moyes started well and the season ended with Sociedad finishing 12th in the league. However, he didn't last long, as, after a poor start to the next season, Real Sociedad sacked him.
Similarly, at Sunderland (whom he joined in July 2016), his reign was marked with controversies on and off the pitch. His pessimistic approach to the season (which ended with Sunderland's relegation) and his sexist remark in an interview with the BBC's Vicki Sparks all but ended his Sunderland managerial career.
However, this season, he seems to have proven all his doubters wrong. After joining West Ham United as their manager on 7th November 2017, Moyes pulled the Hammers out of the relegation zone and helped them finish 13th.
He joined the London-based outfit when they were languishing in the relegation zone. Despite losing his first match as the manager of West Ham 2-0 to Watford, he steadily drove the side out of the relegation zone with some significant victories (1-0 win over Chelsea). Safe to say, Moyes has earned his reputation back.
#3 Ederson (Ederson Santana de Moraes)
The 24-year-old shot-stopper from Brazil was plying his trade for Portuguese outfit Benfica at the beginning of 2017. Fast-forward one year he is now one of the most expensive goalkeepers in the world and a Premier League winner. As much as Pep's rampant side depended on the likes of Sane, De Bruyne, Silva, and co. for their goal-scoring exploits, they were equally reliant on Ederson's heroics between the posts.
The fact that he gave tough competition to Manchester United's David de Gea for the PL Golden Glove is an example of how good the Brazilian was for the Cityzens.
After a terrible season with Claudio Bravo, Pep forked out £34.7 million (as per Mirror UK) to secure the services of the then uncapped Brazilian. Instantly becoming the first-choice keeper under Guardiola, Ederson managed to keep 16 clean sheets (2 short of David de Gea's tally) as City wrapped up the PL title. Additionally, he has conceded only 26 goals (compared to de Gea's 28 goals). His 58 saves and 40 sweeper clearances played a big role in City's water-tight defense (which conceded the fewest goals - 27 this season).
#2 Mohamed Salah
Now, where do we start? The Egyptian has been hogging all the limelight for, perhaps, the most scintillating season in the history of Liverpool FC.
Let's start with the goal-scoring exploits. In the season's final game against Brighton, Salah scored the first of four goals. With this, he not only capped a brilliant debut season with Liverpool but he also managed to break the Premier League record for the most goals in a 38-match season.
His return of 32 goals in 38 matches broke the earlier record of 31 goals jointly shared by Alan Shearer, Luis Suarez, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Next up is the significance of his goal-scoring season. Although Liverpool finished 4th, it was Salah's blitzkrieg which took them to the finals of the UEFA Champions League. For a club that has drawn severe criticism for their trophy-drought, Salah has acted as a saviour. Additionally, this guarantees Champions League nights at Anfield for a second consecutive season.
And it's not only the Liverpool fans who have been singing his praises. From revered pundits to his colleagues, Salah has wooed one and all, winning the Premier League Player of the Season, PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. Ballon d'Or up next perhaps?
#1 Manchester City
Those who had slammed Pep Guardiola's first season in charge last year would be busy hiding as Pep's Manchester City were rampant on the way to the title this season. 106 goals, 100 points and 19 points ahead of second-placed Manchester United, City smashed all the records as they tore teams apart throughout this season.
With crucial signings like Ederson, Kyle Walker, and Bernardo Silva, Pep managed to build an army who marched without faltering towards the Premier League crown. With just two dramatic defeats (4-3 against Liverpool and 2-3 against Manchester United), City were nearly invincible this season.
Many have come forward to assert that this is the best team to have played in the Premier League. But were they that good to be spoken of in the same breath as Arsenal's Invincibles and Fergie's 2008 Red Devils?
