Harvey Downes: Premier League – The Final Day

THE final day of the Premier League season is like no other in the footballing calendar. A chance to get our final fix before two long months without domestic club football and a summer of over analysing made up transfer rumours (or maybe that’s just me…). 10 games, all kicking off at the same time, with seismic implications at both ends of the table. In some cases, a whole season can come down to the final 90 minutes or even the last kick (just ask Man City fans), shaping a team’s long- and short-term future on and off the field.

While Man City have already secured a third successive Premier League title, the battle for a top seven finish (European qualification) and the fight to avoid those final two relegation places are set to go right down to the wire.

But how often has the title been decided on the final day? How many teams have avoided relegation having started the day in the bottom three? Will Spurs ever eat lasagne again? The sort of questions we all have on our mind heading into next weekend.

“IT’S UP FOR GRABS NOW”

Table heading into the final day

 In the Premier League era, the title race has gone down to the final day on nine occasions, however the team starting the day top has gone on to lift the trophy each time. The first of those instances saw Blackburn win their first top-flight title since 1913-14, albeit with a huge slice of luck.

Returning Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish took his title chasing side to Anfield where an early Alan Shearer strike (his 34^th of the season) settled any pre-match nerves. However, second half goals from John Barnes and a 90^th minute winner from Jamie Redknapp all of a sudden threw Blackburn’s championship aspirations into doubt. Moments later, news filtered through that Man Utd were only able to manage a 1-1 draw at West Ham which handed the Riversiders the title by the narrowest of margins.

Fast forward four years and it was a very different story for Man Utd. 1998-99 produced one of the most entertaining title races the Premier League has seen, which proved to be just the start of a rivalry between two clubs and managers which lasted for over 15 years. Before MD37, Man Utd and Arsenal were level on both points and goal difference, however a draw for United at Blackburn and defeat for the Gunners at Leeds handed the Red Devils the advantage heading into the final day.

Despite conceding first, United came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 and lift the Premier League trophy. However, they weren’t done there. This was just the start of an 11-day period that would go down in the history books as United went on to complete an unprecedented treble and cement themselves as one of the greatest sides the English top-flight has ever seen.

In recent years however, there has been a change of the guard. Manchester City don’t like to win titles the easy way. Four of their six Premier League triumphs (before 2022-23) have come via a final day victory, while they’ve trailed at some stage in three of those games. As I mentioned in the intro, a whole season can come down to the final kick of a football. It was hard to imagine Michael Thomas’ goal at Anfield in 1989 ever being topped… before 13^th May 2012 that is.

The two Manchester clubs went into the final day in 2011-12 level on points (City 8 goals better off on goal difference). A far from ideal scenario for both sets of fans. The Citizens were looking to secure their first top-flight title since 1967-68 and a first half strike from Pablo Zabaleta sent them on their way. What happened from there on in can only be described as pure chaos.

QPR – who were relegation threatened – managed to somehow get themselves infront and led until the 91^st minute. From Jamie Mackie’s goal in the 66^th minute to put QPR 2-1 ahead, there were 23 attempts on goal, all of which were for Man City. Joey Barton managed to get himself sent off (no shock there) and Joe Hart took three throw ins (one of the oddest touch maps I have ever seen for a goalkeeper).

We all know how this story ended though. Goals from Edin Dzeko (91:15) and AUGEROOOOOO (93:20) saw Man City become the first side in Premier League history to win a game having trailed in the 90^th minute. A real “I remember where I was when that goal went in” moment.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION/THE RACE FOR TOP 4

 While the race for fourth and Champions League qualification often comes down to the final day, there are two instances that stand out above the rest.

Liverpool travelled to Stamford Bridge on the final day in 2002-03 in a winner takes all contest. The two were level on points heading into the game however Chelsea posted a significantly better goal difference. With the title already sewn up and two of the three relegated sides confirmed, all eyes were on this game.

Chelsea came from behind to win 2-1 and qualify for Europe’s premier competition, kick starting the Blues’ return to the big time. Champions League football and new owner Roman Abramovich were the perfect cocktail to attract and finance moves for some of European football’s biggest names in the upcoming summer, which arguably may not have happened without that final day victory against Liverpool.

It’s impossible to bring up the race for top four in years gone by without a certain Italian delicacy springing to mind. The final day in 2005-06 saw Spurs start the day in fourth, a point ahead of their north London rivals Arsenal. The Gunners – who were playing the final ever game at Highbury – needed to beat Wigan and hope West Ham could pick up a result against Tottenham.

Thierry Henry scored a hat-trick and inspired Arsenal to a 4-2 win as the curtains came down at Highbury for one final time. On the other side on London, Spurs suffered a 2-1 defeat to West Ham, however it wasn’t as straight forward as that. In the hours leading up to kick-off a number of Spurs players came down with a sickness bug, which later turned out to be food poisoning bought on by a dodgy lasagne consumed the night before. The episode was later named “Lasagne-Gate” the controversy that cost Spurs their place in the Champions League (you couldn’t make it up).

FINAL DAY GREAT ESCAPES

In Premier League history, there have been seven occasions of a side starting the final day in the relegation zone but avoiding the drop, while only in 2004-05 have there been no confirmed relegations before the final day, which is probably a good place to start.

West Brom started the final day in 2004-05 bottom, needing to beat Portsmouth at home and hope other results would go their way. In a topsy turvy afternoon which saw four different sides occupy a relegation spot at some point, the Baggies managed to secure Premier League survival courtesy of a 2-0 victory to become the first and so far only side in the competition’s history to start the final day bottom and avoid the drop, while Brian Robson’s sides tally of 34 points is the lowest of any team to not be relegated.

Wigan and final day great escapes go hand in hand. Twice they’ve managed to avoid the drop having started the final day in the relegation zone. In 2010-11 they spent a total of 200 days in the bottom three with only four sides enduring more days in the drop zone in a single season without being relegated. Charles N’Zogbia’s 94^th minute winner against West Ham on MD37 ensured their fight for survival would go down to the final day.

With West Ham’s relegation already confirmed, any one of Blackburn, Wolves, Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan could have gone down on the final day. Birmingham and Blackpool lost at Spurs and Man Utd respectively while Wigan’s 1-0 win at Stoke ensured not only their Premier league survival, but a 16^th place finish having started the day 19^th.

TOP SCORING FINAL DAYS (since 1995-96)

Heading into the 2021-22 final day, the title, Champions League qualification and Premier League safety were all still on the line. The day produced 39 goals in total, a record on the final day of a 38 game Premier League season.

Excluding 2015-16 (suspicious package found at Old Trafford – Man Utd vs Bournemouth pushed back a day)

Man City found themselves in a precarious position, trailing Aston Villa 2-0 at the Etihad with just 15 minutes to play while Liverpool were beating Wolves. However, three goals in the space of five minutes saw the Citizens comeback to retain the Premier League title – not for the first time under dramatic circumstances. Meanwhile, for Liverpool, it was a case of de ja vu. In top-flight history, there are only two instances of a side winning 92+ points and failing to win the title, with the Reds being unlucky enough to hold both of those records (97 pts in 2018-19 & 92 pts in 2021-22).

Elsewhere, Tottenham cancelled out Arsenals’ 5-1 win against Everton, putting on a five-star performance of their own at Norwich, finishing above the Gunners for a sixth successive season and ultimately securing Champions League football at the expense of their north London rivals. The only two sides that failed to score on an action-packed final day last season were already relegated Norwich and Man Utd who limped towards the finish line.

BIGGEST WINS ON THE FINAL DAY

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES ON THE FINAL DAY

MOST POSITIONAL CHANGES ON A FINAL DAY – 2003-04 (11)