Selhurst Park. The final day of the 2021-22 season. Bruno Fernandes spins on his heels and inexplicably volleys a throw-in back in the direction of his own goal. Wilfried Zaha bursts towards the ball, using his upper body strength to hold off Diogo Dalot, then dribbles inside and sends a low drive towards the bottom left-hand corner. It is the only goal of Manchester United’s twelfth defeat of the season. Their goal difference is now a good, round zero. Their points total is their lowest during the Premier League era. Ask anyone and it is their worst season since relegation in 1973-74. Their final position, though, is sixth.
This time last year on the eve of a new top-flight campaign, there was a theory that the era of a Premier League’s big six was coming to an end, if it had not ended already. The big six were certainly no longer synonymous with the top six, at least. Arsenal’s back to back eighth-place finishes had broken three years of big six dominance between 2017 and 2020. Tottenham Hotspur had also dropped into seventh in 2020-21 too, as Leicester City and West Ham gatecrashed the party to finish fifth and sixth respectively and qualify for the Europa League.
