August
The Premier League season started ominously as Erling Haaland took just four minutes to get his goalscoring campaign under way when Manchester City beat Burnley in the opening match. Elsewhere, Luton’s first top-flight game for 31 years ended in defeat at Brighton and Ange Postecoglou claimed manager of the month (as he would do again in September and October) as Tottenham made a fast start to the season.
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September
Nine-man Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the campaign when Joël Matip agonisingly turned the ball into his own net against Tottenham in the 96th minute. Earlier in the game VAR failed to rule a Luis Díaz goal onside following a communication mix-up by the officials. Elsewhere, the biggest win of the season came when Newcastle thumped Sheffield United 8-0, while Luton beat Everton 2-1 to record their first win since promotion.
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October
Arsenal moved joint top of the table alongside Tottenham after defeating Manchester City at the Emirates thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s late, deflected strike. It was City’s second league loss in succession – the first time that had happened since 2018. Manchester United enjoyed a remarkable comeback win over Brentford when Scott McTominay scored twice in injury time to deflate the visitors. They also mourned the loss of club legend Sir Bobby Charlton, who passed away aged 86.
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November
Two all-time classics happened in the space of six days. First, Chelsea beat Tottenham 4-1 in a madcap encounter in north London which ended with five goals chalked off by VAR and Spurs playing with nine men. The following weekend Chelsea and Manchester City shared eight goals and Cole Palmer, the former City player, scored a 95th-minute penalty to earn a draw. Elsewhere, Everton were docked 10 points for exceeding permitted operating losses, before Alejandro Garnacho scored a wonder goal for Manchester United against them.
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December
There were disturbing scenes at Bournemouth when Tom Lockyer collapsed after he suffered a cardiac arrest. The Luton captain was taken to hospital and the game abandoned. That same month, Luton showed their mettle as they pushed Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal to the wire. Elsewhere, Burnley thrashed Sheffield United and Arsenal’s defeat to Fulham meant Liverpool topped the pile on New Year’s Day with high-flying Aston Villa second on goal difference.
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January
Ivan Toney took just 19 minutes to score for Brentford after coming back from an eight-month ban for betting offences, while Kevin De Bruyne’s return from injury for Manchester City proved similarly successful as he scored and then assisted Oscar Bobb for the goal of the month. At the bottom of the table Chris Wilder lost his cool over officials eating sandwiches, while Liverpool extended their lead at the top to five points. But the big news came off the field when Jürgen Klopp announced his decision to step down as Reds manager at the end of the campaign.
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February
Arsenal put three past Liverpool, six past West Ham, five past Burnley and then four past Newcastle as the Gunners proved themselves genuine contenders in a three-horse title race. Elsewhere, Kobbie Mainoo snatched a stunning winner for Manchester United against Wolves, Sheffield United’s Mason Holgate was sent off for a horror challenge on Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, and Crystal Palace agreed an amicable split with Roy Hodgson during his absence for health reasons.
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March
Nottingham Forest were deducted four points for breaching profit and sustainability rules and duly dropped into the relegation zone beneath Luton. Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford scored a screamer early in the Manchester derby but his side still went down 3-1 to City. Pep Guardiola’s team then recorded successive draws against Liverpool and Arsenal, with the trio separated by just three points at the end of the month. In the battle for the Champions League places, Tottenham unexpectedly spanked Aston Villa 4-0.
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April
This was the month when the wheels fell off Liverpool’s title challenge. First they lost to their old nemesis Crystal Palace, then came a rare Merseyside derby defeat at Everton followed by a draw at West Ham. Arsenal also suffered a damaging reverse, going down 2-0 at Aston Villa through late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins, as Unai Emery’s men furthered their claim for a Champions League spot. Elsewhere, Everton secured safety for another season courtesy of three wins on the bounce, earning Sean Dyche the manager of the month award.
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May
Was there ever any doubt City would eventually triumph? Of course not. Pep Guardiola’s team ended the season by winning eight on the spin to claim their fourth successive Premier League title and their sixth under the Spaniard. Phil Foden was named player of the year and proved his worth on the final day by netting after just 79 seconds against West Ham. Arsenal fans could only look at their mobile phones in anguish. At the foot of the table, all three promoted teams suffered relegation, with Sheffield United conceding 104 goals in the process. Elsewhere, Liverpool bade an emotional farewell to Jürgen Klopp after nine years at the helm.
