It’s been the strangest Premier League season in history; finishing almost a full calendar year after it began far back in August 2019.
But it’s also been one of the most historic, as Liverpool lifted their first league title in 30 years, a day that some on Merseyside feared would never come. But Jurgen Klopp masterminded the Reds charge to the title, leaving Manchester City trailing in their wake by a full 18 points.
The Premier League 2020 betting odds here at SBOBET held Pep Guardiola’s City as title favourites, and will likely do so again for the 2020/21 season, so the huge margin of the Reds’ triumph is all the more remarkable.
There have been some other stand-out performers in England’s top league, as well as a few catastrophic failures, so let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories.
Foxes miss out on the Champions League
The chase for Champions League football went right down to the wire with three teams contesting the last two places. As Chelsea claimed their place with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Wolves, it was left for Manchester United and Leicester to battle it out at the King Power Stadium. On a tense Sunday afternoon, Bruno Fernandes scored the penalty which secured the Red Devils’ place in Europe’s top competition, while the Foxes were left to rue their chances when Jamie Vardy’s header hit the post.
At one point Leicester had a 14 point cushion over fifth place, before the break in play due to COVID 19 stopped them in their tracks.
Villa’s Houdini act
A quite stunning set of Premier League 2020 results post lockdown enabled Aston Villa to pull off one of the best escapes in recent history. Dean Smith’s side looked doomed before the break and couldn’t buy a win, and a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United two weeks ago seemed to confirm their demise. But eight points from their last four games secured their survival by a single point.
Bournemouth joined already relegated Norwich City in the drop, alongside Watford who failed to escape, losing to Arsenal on the final day. As the Hornets proved, it turns out that a strategy of changing your manager three times a season will eventually come back to bite you in the backside! Nigel Pearson is not everyone’s cup of tea, but he knows how to keep teams in the Premier League as he did miraculously back in 2015, saving Leicester City from near-certain relegation. So to sack him with two games to go was surely madness on the part of the Watford board.
Golden Boot
33-year-old Jamie Vardy has picked up the award for the top scorer in the league as he finished with 23 goals, one ahead of Southampton’s Danny Ings and Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It will be a consolation for the Foxes’ stalwart after his team missed out on Champions League football, while he also passed the 100 Premier League goals mark.
Golden Gloves
The prize for the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in the 2019/20 season goes to Manchester City’s Ederson, who finished with 16 shut-outs after the Sky Blues annihilated relegated Norwich City 5-0. Alongside Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Ederson is one of the stand-out stoppers in Europe, but honourable mention should go to Burnley’s Nick Pope who was just edged out by Ederson when Burnley failed to keep out Brighton on the final day, losing 1-2 to the Seagulls.
15 clean sheets is some achievement for the keeper of a mid-table side and Pope’s case to be England Number 1 for Euro 2021 is strengthening by the week.
Player of the Year
The Football Writers Association has announced that Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is the Player of the Year for this Premier League campaign. Henderson has had an outstanding season, captaining Liverpool to a first league title in 30 years and he has been the heartbeat of the team, which noticeably struggled during his absence through injury.
The Professional Football Association is yet to announce its player of the year but the hot favourite is Kevin de Bruyne. The Manchester City midfield ace has been in the record-breaking mood again this season, scoring 13 goals, including some contenders for goal of the season, and making a huge tally of 20 assists.
The overturning of Manchester City’s UEFA ban, which gives them access to next season’s Champions League, has reduced the chances of De Bruyne leaving the club, and that’s a big reason why Pep Guardiola’s team will start next season as favourites.
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