Righto, that’s us done for another Premier League SeasonTM. Thanks all for your company and comments – today and since August – and if you can hold it down for that long, we’ll be back on Wednesday for the Europa League final. Peace out.
Goals from Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kai Havertz gave Arsenal the win but they finished second for the second season in a row, not quite able to better Manchester City
Sun 19 May 2024 13.42 EDT
First published on Sun 19 May 2024 09.38 EDT![Arsenal pipped to the title by Manchester City again](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/89d798ea26b65249a855a2e37a161d7883fc54fe/0_222_4218_2531/master/4218.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
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Arteta’s boys have serious heads of hair. This is one of the least surprising things ever to have happened.
No one can dispute the fact that City are the best side in the country, but it could’ve been so, so different. Ederson’s passing is amazing, but from what I’ve seen, this lad is a significantly better keeper and his midweek cameo sealed the title.
What a vital save that is in the title race from Stefan Ortega! 😲 pic.twitter.com/XatVw2GetK
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 14, 2024
In fairness, Villa have earned this performance, while Palace are another club who’d rather keep going.
Chelsea must wish the season could keep going for a few more years.
Still going on…
And here’s our final league table:
![the final league table](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d9cc9e615e74fdade8ba3a10d1fcc7953d6c9fad/0_0_497_697/master/497.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
Here’s Ed Aarons’ match report:
It’s a funny thing, really: the key measure for how good a side is is what it wins, and this City iteration has four straight titles and a Champions League. But I think I’d rather play them than the Silva and Aguero side, who dominated the ball so profoundly it was almost impossible to create against them. Either way, both are useful.
At the Etihad, party time.
How nice it is to see someone alongside Arteta signing the interview. So easy to arrange, and so much appreciation and joy from those it help.
Thanked by the interviewer for establishing the connection between team and fans, he says “All this is happening because you started believing, you decided to be patient, you decided to understand what we were trying to do, and all this credit has to go to the players, staff – it is unbelievable.”
I think he’s choking up you know – I know I’d be – saying it’s time to have a break. “Think, reflect, and please, keep pushing, keep inspiring this team. Don’t be satisfied because we want much more than that and we gonna get it.”
“We’re all a little bit disappointed at the moment,” the skipper deadpans. “I’m so roud of the boys and everyone at the cup. When I first came here, there’s such a big difference. We’ve changed the club and to be honest I can’t wait to come back after the break.”
“We’re on the good way, we’re closer than last year, but now we have to use the break to come back even stronger, even more hungry, and we’re going to push to win everything.”
“I can’t thank you enough for everything you do for us,” he says to the fans. “The support we have, away games feel like we’re playing at home and home games are a different level. We lvoe you so much so thank you.”
Odegaard and Artetz will now address the crowd…
Havertz tells TNT maybe in three months Arsenal can look back at a decent season, but he’s clearly in severe pain; “football is hard”; trudat. Asked about next season, he says “I can’t even think about that. It’s just so frustrating when you see all them years … tough. I can tell them next year we’re gonna be a better team and give everything again. That’s all I can say.”
Arsenal have finished with 16 wins from 18 games, championship-winning form by any standard – bar City’s. They’ll regret that 0-1 at home to Villa but perhaps also the 0-0 at the Etihad – winning the head-to-head seemed essential – and the two Xmas losses to West Ham and Fulham.
Various of the Arsenal players look close to tears – they’ve given it everything, and the feeling of a season’s effort amounting to nothing more than good memories – again – must be a lot to process. They’ll come again, but they’re paying the price for a barely but relatively slow start and a few too many goalless matches. Work to do in the summer.
Final scores
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Arsenal 2-1 Everton
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Brentford 2-4 Newcastle
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Brighton 0-2 Man Utd
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Burnley 1-2 Nottm Forest
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Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth
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Crystal Palace 5-0 Aston Villa
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Liverpool 2-0 Wolves
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Luton 2-4 Fulham
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Man City 3-1 West Ham
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Sheff Utd 0-3 Tottenham
Full time: Arsenal 2-1 Everton
Arsenal have played a fantastic season and their supporters acknowledge that, but it wasn’t quite good enough.
![Everton's James Tarkowski consoles Arsenal's Kai Havertz at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0da80e8351e8919c2b335930f3b04a290a5839bd/0_114_4729_2838/master/4729.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
MANCHESTER CITY HAVE WON THE PREMIER LEAGUE FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED FOURTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON!
90+5 min It’s not possible for us, in all honesty, integrity and good faith, to ignore the 115 charges against them, but they are a magnificent football team, by the books the best this country has ever seen.
90+5 min And Zinchenko takes it quickly, Pickford topping behind. At the Etihad, fans are down on the by-line, waiting to invade the pitch. They’ve played all the added time allotted.
90+5 min Arsenal win a free-kick on the left corner of the box…
90+2 min The goal stands! I no longer know either where the review bar is or what constitutes and infringement – just the 42 years I’ve been watching this thing of ours – abut i guess the rationale is that it wasn’t a clear and obvious error. If the ref sees it, I reckon he disallows it.
90+1 min This is a close one! The arm is right by his side, but he barges through the loose ball using at least some of it. You can never guess what’s going to happen – a huge problem with VAR – but that looks dodge to me, because he deliberately moved into the ball and his arm shoved it away from the defender. Michael Oliver is asked to attend the screen…
90 min We’ll have five added minutes … and a VAR check for a Jesus handball!
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Everton (Havertz 89)
Odegaard pressures Young, his pass infield is loose and stolen by Jesus before Tarkowski can react. And though, when put in, Odegaard sweeps O2 into the far corner, the ball finally breaks kindly and Havertz finishes into the empty net from a few yards.
![Kai Havertz of Arsenal scores his team's second goal.](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ddc3b22cc4d70ada0f442ac53f0bfdaf613cfb43/0_112_3406_2044/master/3406.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
87 min Arsenal have run out of ideas, just sticking balls into the box and hoping something works out. But here’s Martinelli again, coaxing a decent delivery into Havertz … but his mate is up too early, forcing his neck into a header that sends the ball wide. He’s fuming, lacing the post, which sorts everything.
86 min Arsenal win a corner down the left but there’d be something fitting if they ended the season unable to shade a tightun, because that’s what’s cost them this season.
85 min Now Odegaard slings in from the left and this time, Branthwaite heads away. Everton counter, Doucoure free inthe middle, but Rice makes a terrific challenge and charges forward, robbing Chermiti and finding Odegaard, whose pass leaves Martinelli faced by a phalanx of defenders he can’t break.
84 min Pickford is booked for timewasting.
83 min Martinelli has done well down the right and he digs out a decent cross, Smith Rowe moving away to make space for a shot that he hooks into the ground … and which rears up to clatter the bar! The bounces aren’t going Arsenal’s way today.
82 min “Obviously disappointed as an Arsenal fan,” begins Zach Neeley, “but at least I can take enjoyment that Tottenham fans cheered losing in the last week of the season then finished two points out of the Champions League.”
This is football. But they gave it a good go against City, in fairness.
82 min Arsenal win a free-kick out on the right, Odegaard to swing in … and Onana to head out.
80 min Rice, then. A fine player, but if he’s an 8 not a 6, how does he sort his quality on the ball. He’s not a dreadful passer, nothing of the sort, but he’s a broadsword rather than a rapier and there’s a lack of subtlety and invention in the Arsenal midfield if it’s Partey behind him.
79 min For a second, a loose pass looks to have set Chermiti away, but he doesn’t have the wheels to outsprint the Arsenal defenders and Jesus intercedes.
78 min But here he is now, on for Trossard and heading to the left flank.
77 min I’m Gabriel Jesus, I’m concerned: last day of the season, goal desperately required, and he’s still sat at the side. A new striker will relegate him yet lower, and though he’s got a role as a squad player, he left City to avoid that.
75 min Garner carries forward down the right but in the middle, Chermiti’s movement makes it easy for the defenders to cover him and Arsenal quickly clear.
75 min Change for Everton, Chermiti replacing Calvert-Lewin.
73 min A nice touch from McNeil takes him away from Timber who piles in nonetheless; he’s booked.
72 min How has he missed that?! A cunning pass from Rice releases Trossard, who cuts back and Odegaard arrives into the box to power home … only to take a touch and hit a body! That’s a fantastic block from Branthwaite, though a first-time effort probably takes him out of the equation.
71 min It’s so good to see Timber back. He looked very handy prior to his injury, and though I’m not sure where he plays long-term, a utility defender of that quality is a great thing for any squad to have.