The final day of the Premier League: Liverpool and Chelsea make it, heartbreak for Leicester City

 

And that is the end of the fascinating season – yet another carnival that amid the COVID-19 Pandemic kept the fans on the edge throughout the year since it took off came to a satisfactory end for some while for others it was heartbreak. Finally, Liverpool and Chelsea claimed the coveted top-four spot while for Leicester City it was another missed opportunity.

At the King Power Stadium, the Foxes took the lead early and then they were leading by 2-1 each time thanks to penalties by Jamie Vardy, but Tottenham Hotspur had the last laugh.  

Harry Kane’s equalizer was erased and then the comeback was aided by his own goal by Kasper Schmeichel. The visitors then threw on a high-end substitute, Gareth Bale, who struck twice on the counter leaving Brendan Rogers and his team bemused.

Still, this had been an admirable season by Leicester City, who finished with the second-highest top-flight points tally in the club’s history – well, in the end, it was not a memorable one like the FA Cup triumph.

For Spurs, at least, a place in the Europa League was much better than the outcome was expected when they lost their way after the winter.

The defeat of the Foxes gave Chelsea the lifeline to claim one of the places in the top four because at Villa Park Aston Villa beat the Blues and despite the defeat they would feature in next season’s Champions league.

While Manchester City and Manchester United finished the season with their routine work, all eyes were on Anfield where Jurgen Klopp and his boys met Crystal Palace.

It took the Reds a long time to wake up from the winter sleep and as soon as their famous front three started to click, Liverpool had gained the momentum – late response but a much-needed one.

Liverpool completed their salvage operation to secure Champions League qualification for a fifth successive season.

Sadio Mane, epitomizing the recovery that ultimately pushed the Reds into third place ended what he had labeled the worst season of his career with two goals that closed Roy Hodgson’s career with Crystal Palace in defeat.

Meanwhile, at the Emirates, a double strike from Nicolas Pepe helped the Gunners bag full points, but it was never enough for them to feature in the top-flight European competitions.

City had claimed their title long ago while Manchester United recovered brilliantly to earn the runner-up place, but the calculation was tight for the third and fourth place.

There were tough contenders for the above-mentioned places and there was a time when the Blues and Reds completely lost it.

Still, they fought back and ultimately City, United, Chelsea and Liverpool featuring in the Champions League of next season does look very good.

What a great season this had been!

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 23/05/2021 The final day of the Premier League: Liverpool and Chelsea make it, heartbreak for Leicester City

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Faisal Caesar