Then, it was over.
Nine months after kicking off with fans and pundits alike wondering how a campaign punctuated by a mid-season World Cup would work, the 2022-23 Premier League season has finished.
Unsurprisingly, Manchester City are champions, Pep Guardiola's men too good for the rest once more, fired to the title by the record-breaking exploits of their absurd No.9 Erling Haaland. Surprisingly, all three promoted clubs, Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, avoided relegation, while Leeds United, Southampton and Leicester City all drop into the Championship after going through eight managers between them.
Those three certainly didn't have the monopoly on disappointing seasons however. Liverpool finished 25 points worse off than in 2021-22, ensuring Jurgen Klopp's men finished outside the Champions League places, while Harry Kane's goals for Spurs weren't enough to even get them into Europe next term.
And then there's Chelsea, whose first season of the post-Roman Abramovich era was an utter dismal failure, despite the club's new owners, led by Todd Boehly, spending in the region of £600million on players, as well as paying a huge compensation package to Brighton for Graham Potter and his staff after dispensing with Thomas Tuchel back in September. That Frank Lampard, sacked by Everton, ended the season in the Chelsea dugout says it all; Lampard departs the season with a record of four wins in 29 games at his two clubs, for what it's worth.
So what did we make of it all? Some of our writers have dished out their end-of-season awards, including Best Manager , Best Player (Not named Erling Haaland) , Biggest Disappointment and more:
Best Manager
Alex Richards: Roberto De Zerbi. Led Brighton to their highest ever league finish while playing some wonderful football. Developed the team as a unit and took individuals like Alexis Mac Allister and Karou Mitoma to another level, while also bringing new gems like Evan Ferguson and Julio Enciso to the fore.
Alan Smith: Marco Silva. Fulham were the second favourites to be relegated in August but he guided them to a top half finish and got the best out of several players who many doubted were of Premier League standard.
Matt Maltby: Eddie Howe. Yes, Newcastle are mega-rich but Howe has done a marvellous job getting Newcastle back into the Champions League. Let's not forget he guided them to the Carabao Cup final as well. They could make a title push next season.
Mark Jones: Roberto De Zerbi. He's doing some fascinating things, and it's no wonder Pep, Arteta and co love him. Brighton's Europa League games next season could easily be pay per view.
Samuel Meade: Pep Guardiola produced another perfectly timed title charge and his year could yet end with the treble, which would further his legacy.
Ben Husband: Gary O'Neil. Who else just assumed Bournemouth and two others were being relegated? To have them safe before the final day was seriously impressive.
Kieran King: Eddie Howe. The way he has transformed Newcastle from relegation certainties to a Champions League outfit has been nothing but spectacular.
Jennifer Brown: Unai Emery has performed nothing short of a miracle at Aston Villa. They were barrelling towards relegation when he took charge and now they've secured a place in Europe for the first time in 13 years.
Tom Victor: Mikel Arteta taking Arsenal that close to City can’t be knocked, even if the season ended in disappointment.
Dan Marsh: Gary O'Neil. Bournemouth had the worst squad on paper in the Premier League and looked nailed on for the drop earlier in the season. O'Neil has worked wonders to keep them up.
Felix Keith: Gary O’Neil. Keeping Bournemouth up comfortably by winning six of nine games from mid-March to the end of April was remarkable. A rookie manager with an unfancied squad outdoing their rivals.
Conor Mummery: Pep Guardiola - Until February it looked like Man City were running out of ideas, struggling to adapt to a new way of playing with Erling Haaland leading the line, and then with a few tactical tweaks and a sprinkling of genius here and there they put together one of those relentless winning runs, sent Arsenal packing twice and reclaimed their perch.
Shane Ireland: Roberto De Zerbi. Getting Brighton in the top six is a serious achievement but the manner in which the Seagulls have done it makes it even more impressive. Honourable mentions to Howe and Thomas Frank.
Best Player (Not named Erling Haaland)
Alex Richards: Harry Kane. Scored 30 goals in a Spurs team that, in all honesty, would be bottom half without him. Just silly.
Alan Smith: William Saliba. It was no coincidence that Arsenal's title run fell apart once he got injured.
Matt Maltby: Casemiro. There were concerns over his £70m price tag and four-year deal at the age of 30, but the Brazilian has been outstanding. He's a rock in midfield, but has come up with vital goals too.
Mark Jones: Harry Kane. He equalled his best ever Premier League scoring season in that dumpster fire of a Tottenham team, and barely anyone said a thing about it.
Samuel Meade: Kevin De Bruyne remains the classiest of class acts. We have a habit of beginning to accept someone's brilliance as the norm in this country - I'm blown away nearly every time I watch him.
Ben Husband: Harry Kane. Haaland may have topped the scoring charts, but to score 30 goals for that Tottenham side is frankly ridiculous. An absolute phenom.
Kieran King: Harry Kane. If you score 30+ goals in a team that finishes eighth you deserve this award. A ruthless finisher and unfortunate that Erling Haaland has been so prolific.
Jennifer Brown: Martin Odegaard may not get the same plaudits as Saka but he was key to Arsenal's title push. The captain instilled a belief that has been missing for years, and has been key to everything that went right for Arteta.
Tom Victor: I mean, it’s Harry Kane isn’t it? 30 goals for a team which functionally didn’t exist for about half the season is an unreal feat.
Dan Marsh: Martin Odegaard has been absolutely ridiculous. Arsenal have been the most enjoyable team to watch this year and Odegaard has been the heartbeat of the side.
Felix Keith: Harry Kane – to score 30 goals in a Premier League season is a fantastic achievement, but to do it playing for an at times shambolic Tottenham team, while speculation is swirling about your future, is wondrous. He's just six goals shy of Erling Haaland, who had the rather large advantage of playing for a cohesive team.
Conor Mummery: Harry Kane - Tottenham have, for all intents and purposes, been dreadful this season. Three coaches. The fifth worst defence in the league. But Kane has notched the second highest goal tally of his career. In a team as dysfunctional as this Spurs side, 30 goals is a minor miracle.
Shane Ireland: Bukayo Saka. Watching the Arsenal forward grow into one of the most complete players in the Premier League was an utter joy. 14 goals and 11 assists is a fine contribution to a team who pushed Manchester City all the way.
Best Breakthrough Season
Alex Richards: Willam Saliba. When he came back from his loan at Marseille, it seemed like he would be returning to be backup. Instead he was first choice from the off and was outstanding. Arsenal fell apart when he was absent.
Alan Smith: Evan Ferguson. There has been so much to like about Brighton but their big centre forward is already being built up as Ireland's saviour. Destined to be a top six player.
Matt Maltby: Eberechi Eze. Finally living up to expectations and producing performances that have ultimately secured him a debut England call-up. His six goals in his last nine Premier League games proved crucial in helping Roy Hodgson's side avoid the drop.
Mark Jones: Kaoru Mitoma. Could watch him for hours.
Samuel Meade: William Saliba finally got the chance to show English viewers what everyone in France had been seeing for a few years. The man can defend and he was one of the main reasons Arsenal took so many strides forward.
Ben Husband: Eberechi Eze. Arguably his second breakthrough, but to come back from his Achilles injury and to reach the levels he did should be commended. 10 Premier League goals is a brilliant return for a player destined for the very top.
Kieran King: Taiwo Awoniyi. He has been injured a large chunk of the campaign but Awoniyi's goals have arguably kept Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this season. He has 10 in 27 and has been impressive in his first full campaign in English football.
Jennifer Brown: Evan Ferguson. Not many teams are better at unearthing a gem than Brighton - and they have another in this rising star.
Tom Victor: Moises Caicedo had less than 700 Premier League minutes under his belt before this season, but looks like he’s been playing in the competition for years.
Dan Marsh: Kaoru Mitoma has been a revelation for Brighton, who seemingly have a never-ending conveyor belt of gems. Mitoma's direct style is a proper throwback but he's got class, too. Feels inevitable that we'll be talking about his big move ala Caicedo and Mac Allister in 12 months time.
Felix Keith: Solly March. He’s 28 and has 175 Premier League appearances under his belt, but it took until this season for him to explode into life and become just one of the many success stories at Brighton. Going from a somewhat frustrating winger with little end product to an impactful player with seven goals and seven assists was hugely impressive.
Conor Mummery: William Saliba. You only need to look at Arsenal's drop-off after his injury to get a measure of the impact he's had. It couldn't have come at a worse time for Mikel Arteta and you'd think the Frenchman's fitness will be key to any Arsenal tilt for the top next season.
Shane Ireland: Kaoru Mitoma. The Japan winger is the definition of a live-wire in the final third and he showed composure that few players possess in their debut Premier League campaign. All for £2.7m.
Biggest Disappointment
Alex Richards: Erik ten Hag. I was quite enjoying Man Utd’s relatively wayward path of mediocrity in recent years, but, disappointingly, the Dutchman seems to know what he’s doing.
Alan Smith: Chelsea spent more than £600m on signings and ended the season in a significantly worse spot than where they began. An embarrassment.
Matt Maltby: Chelsea. It has to be, doesn't it? This is a team who won the Champions League two years ago, but now they're finishing 12th in the Premier League; behind Crystal Palace who were tipped for relegation two months ago.
Mark Jones: Can you be a disappointment if you're also really, really funny? Chelsea.
Samuel Meade: Chelsea spent big, delivered little. Had no direction, no idea, no cohesion and deservedly finished where they did. Proof of what happens when your owner doesn't get it.
Ben Husband: Wolves. Can you be disappointed when your expectations were already so low? Yes. 31 goals scored is an embarrassment. Big changes are needed at Molineux.
Kieran King: Leicester. The Foxes have the highest wage bill and most expensive squad of any team ever to be relegated from the Premier League. An embarrassment from top to bottom.
Jennifer Brown: Chelsea. With all the upheaval they were always going to struggle a bit. But the implosion was nothing short of spectacular - in the worst way possible.
Tom Victor: Leeds spent a club record £35m on Georginio Rutter, a man who is allegedly real. Under four different managers, the Frenchman played less than 300 minutes.
Dan Marsh: Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea. Where do you even start? Sacking Thomas Tuchel in September and ending the season with Lampard back at the helm almost defies belief. It's been an absolute shambles from Boehly and co from the word go.
Felix Keith: Southampton. An absolutely pathetic season littered with ridiculous mistakes by owners Sport Republic, who deserve the brunt of the criticism for relegation.
Conor Mummery: Chelsea. £600million. 12th.
Shane Ireland: Chelsea. From the ridiculous Tuchel affair to the Potter situation before ending the season with Lampard at the helm. Boehly has serious questions to answer - at least now he knows the solution isn’t buying every single player he’s heard of.
Best Transfer
Alex Richards: Andreas Pereira. Never really fit in at Manchester United but for a cut-price fee has been tremendous for Fulham playing in a more advanced role. Brighton’s Pervis Estupinan, a brilliantly creative full-back, is a close second.
Alan Smith: If not Haaland, then let's use transfer in the loosest sense and say Roberto De Zerbi (clubs are now paying fees to sign managers after all). He has been a breath of fresh air since replacing Graham Potter and made Brighton the neutral's favourite.
Matt Maltby: Lisandro Martinez. After a rocky start, the Argentine has become a key part of what Erik ten Hag is trying to build at Manchester United. He's exactly what United have been missing in recent years and £57m is a good piece of business.
Mark Jones: It's probably Haaland by default, but to turn away from the exorbitant figures involved in that deal and look for value, Nick Pope only cost Newcastle £10m. An absolute snip and so key to their rise.
Samuel Meade: Obvious answer is Haaland - the stats speak for themselves. Otherwise I'll say Casemiro, who galvanised United with his genuine leadership and ability to produce in big moments.
Ben Husband: Pervis Estupinan. Brighton managed to upgrade at left-back and pocket a cool £40million in the process. How do they keep doing this?
Kieran King: Sven Botman. The Dutchman has been impeccable following his move from Lille last summer and richly deserves this honour due to his performances at Newcastle. He has been a rock in the joint-best defensive team in the Premier League.
Jennifer Brown: Erling Haaland. One of the best debut season's the Premier League has ever seen.
Tom Victor: Let’s pretend Haaland doesn’t exist, because that would make all of this very boring. I’m giving it to Willian, as the player with the biggest gap between how stupid the transfer sounded at the time and how impressively it turned out in practice.
Dan Marsh: Joao Palhinha. Fancied Fulham to drop straight back into the Championship but Palhinha has helped the Londoners ditch the yoyo team tag.
Felix Keith: Avoiding the obvious of the Norwegian goal machine, it’s Ben Mee. Brentford signed him on a free transfer from Burnley in July and he’s been rock-solid, starting 37 Premier League games, even chipping in with three goals and two assists.
Conor Mummery: Erling Haaland. There was talk early on that he disrupted the system and knocked Pep Guardiola's perfectly-oiled machine out of sync, but that soon quietened as the goals kept rolling in; 36 is a debut season is frightening and you'd back him to beat it next time out.
Shane Ireland: Joao Palhinha at £18m was nothing short of a steal for Fulham. The Portuguese midfielder has serious quality and some of the league’s bigger clubs must be kicking themselves at overlooking him.
Worst Transfer
Alex Richards: Mykhaylo Mudryk. It’s not often a player arrives for big money that you’ve never really seen much of before. At this point, I’m still not entirely sure he isn’t merely a mirage.
Alan Smith: The £87m spent on Mykhaylo Mudryk - although £26m of that is performance-related add ons. He may come good but paying over the odds for a player with limited top-level experience who appears too flimsy for the Premier League was the epitome of Chelsea's foolishness.
Matt Maltby: Mykhaylo Mudryk. There was plenty of fanfare when Chelsea pipped Arsenal to his signature. but I can't recall the Ukrainian doing anything remotely impressive. For that fee, there comes an expectation to at least excite fans. He's not done that at all.
Mark Jones: Mykhaylo Mudryk cost Chelsea £87m, and while it is obviously a complete mess there you'd think he'd have done something at some point to show that he was worth at least half of that.
Samuel Meade: Raheem Sterling who, for me, was long carried by the brilliance around him at City. Left to stand on his own two feet, he's been exposed at Chelsea with his finishing still in need of major improvement.
Ben Husband: Marc Cucurella. Chelsea competed with themselves, paid way over the odds and managed to make themselves worse in the process. Why do they keep doing this? Honourable mentions for Mudryk, Kalidou Koulibaly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang... there's a theme developing.
Kieran King: Richarlison. Arguably unfortunate due to game time but the Brazilian has flopped since his £60m move to Tottenham. He has scored one Premier League goal in that time - and netted just three times in all competitions.
Jennifer Brown: Mykhaylo Mudryk. His individual highlight was being called out by gym influencer. Chelsea might want a little more return for their £87m transfer fee.
Tom Victor: Rutter again, with Mudryk a close second.
Dan Marsh: Richarlison. One goal in 27 Premier League games after a £60million move is absolutely pitiful.
Felix Keith: Mykhaylo Mudryk. It simply had to be one of Chelsea’s! Boehly has blown upwards of £550million in a year and, arguably, not a single one has paid off yet. Enzo Fernandez and Wesley Fofana were the most expensive, but the Ukrainian represents the worst value. The Blues got over-excited and out-bid Arsenal to pay an eye-watering £87m.
Conor Mummery: Kalvin Phillips. While he'd arguably lost some of the upward momentum gained from a fine Euro 2020 with England, his career was certainly still on the right trajectory when he joined Man City in a deal worth £42million last July. However, you'd have to fast-forward 10 months from his arrival to his first Premier League start for the club, which tells you all you need to know.
Shane Ireland: Richarlison. One goal and three assists in 27 appearances for £60m is a horrendous return, even when factoring in the Spurs circus going on around the ex-Everton man.
Best Moment
Alex Richards: Thomas Tuchel, Antonio Conte and that handshake. Yes, that was this season!
Alan Smith: Brentford and Liverpool's annihilations of Manchester United will live longer in the memory than anything else.
Matt Maltby: Liverpool thrashing United 7-0. Imagine getting thrashed by your fierce rivals in that fashion? United should be applauded for bouncing back, because that must've hurt.
Mark Jones: Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United, a game that reminded us that top level football is still, on a basic level, subject to the same principles as a Sunday league pub game. If one team really wants it and the other gives in, a massacre can occur.
Samuel Meade: Seeing Reiss Nelson's winner for Arsenal against Bournemouth live - and the reaction at the Emirates was something - even if it didn't matter in the end.
Ben Husband: Roy Keane channeling Justin Bieber. "Robertson, what a baby! What a big baby, just get on with the game...baby!" The single best bit of comedic timing seen in years. Special mention to Cristiano Ronaldo who fluttered his eyelashes at every team in Europe only to move to the Saudi Pro League. The move he always wanted.
Kieran King: Conte vs Tuchel. A moment that will be shown for years to come. The two managers clashed on the touchline after a feisty affair, the German fuming after the Italian didn't look him in the eye. Comedy gold.
Jennifer Brown: Conte going all in to throw the entire Tottenham squad under the bus in a post-match interview that eventually led to his exit - and Spurs playing out the season without a manager. A rant that Jose Mourinho would have been proud of.
Tom Victor: The resurgence of Rob Holding’s hairline. Something for all Premier League players to aspire to.
Dan Marsh: Football wise, Nelson's late winner for Arsenal in the 3-2 win over Bournemouth was a proper '#scenes' moment. Entertainment wise, Conte delivered. His crazy post-match rant and that royal rumble with Tuchel earlier in the season were pure cinema. Grazie, Antonio.
Felix Keith: Reiss Nelson’s 97th-minute winner for Arsenal vs Bournemouth in March... back when it felt like Arsenal could beat Manchester City to the title.
Conor Mummery: Tuchel and Conte - So much has happened since the pair's clash at the end of that ridiculous 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in August, including two, yes two, more coaches taking the reins at their respective clubs since their departures, it's hard to believe it was this season. Their exchange was about as interesting as things got for both Chelsea and Spurs this year.
Shane Ireland: Brentford’s destruction of Manchester United. The Bees’ 4-0 victory was back in August but it still sticks in the mind. The home side answered their ‘second season’ critics in fine style and at that point, it looked as if United were still suffering from their Ralf Rangnick hangover.
