It's been an exhausting eight and a half months, but the 2020-21 Premier League season is finally over. Manchester City won their third title in four years, while Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, and Fulham were relegated at the opposite end of the table. Manchester United finished runners-up with 74 points from as many games, 12 points behind champions Manchester City. Liverpool finished third in the Premier League table after defeating Crystal Palace. Chelsea finished fourth despite losing 2-1 to 11th placed Aston Villa, while Leicester City were thrashed 4-2 by Tottenham Hotspur and failed to qualify for the Champions League. On the last day of the Premier League 2020-21 season, the Foxes endured a heartbreak, the Blues would be relieved, and the Reds would be ecstatic to have come out of a horrible season with a positive result.
Here are five takeaways from the Premier League 2020/21 season:
1. Manchester City complete English treble
Manchester City thrashed Everton 5-0 on their last matchday to lift their title in style. They managed to grab 86 points this season while scoring the most goals (83) and conceding the least (32). However, this isn’t the only league title they won this season. The development team of Manchester City lifted the Premier League 2 title this season. Their youngsters also won the Under-18 Premier League this season. These results show how much the Citizens are focusing on their youth development.
2. Leeds are here to stay
Newly-promoted Leeds have had an amazing season. It could arguably be the best ever season by a newly promoted Premier League side. They finished ninth in the league table with 59 points and scored 62 goals, more than the likes of Arsenal and Everton. They fell short of the European spot by just three points. They have also managed to beat Tottenham, Manchester City, Leicester City, and Everton this season. The way this team has performed this season means they’re here to stay in the Premier League.
3. No European football for Arsenal for the first time in 25 years
Arsenal have underperformed massively this season under Mikel Arteta. Their issues have been scoring goals as they haven’t conceded many goals this season. Despite a late effort in the league, winning their last five games, they missed out on Europe by just one point. City rivals Tottenham sealed the Europa Conference League spot by finishing seventh. The Gunners only have 61 points from 38 games this season.
4. Leicester choke at the death, miss out on Champions League
Leicester City were in the top four for the most part of their campaign. In fact, they held the top four for 242 days, more than any other team in the Premier League this season, only to miss out in the end. They were winning 2-0 against Tottenham in their last game and Chelsea were losing to Aston Villa. However, Tottenham made a brilliant second-half comeback to beat the Foxes 4-2. The Foxes are all but themselves to blame for the loss. They dropped 11 points from a possible 15 points in their last five games in the league.
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5. High-flying West Ham qualify for Europa League
West Ham haven’t been a familiar name in European football in recent times, but that doesn’t mean they have no history. They have won the 1965 UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the 1999 Intertoto Cup. They have qualified for the Europa League by finishing sixth in the league table. They gained 65 points this season and will play in Europe after five seasons. They were eliminated from the 2016-17 Europa League in the playoff round itself by Romanian side Astra Giurgiu over two legs.
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