Ten Premier League whistles sounded for the final time on a sunny Sunday evening, where title and relegation fates were sealed on a goal-laden final day of 2023-24 action.
Manchester City survived a scare to win an unprecedented fourth-straight title with a 3-1 victory over West Ham United, ensuring that Arsenal's 2-1 success over Everton would be for nought.
Jurgen Klopp's glittering Liverpool reign ended in perfect fashion with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Champions League-bound Aston Villa were humbled 5-0 by Oliver Glasner's rampant Aston Villa.
London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea confirmed fifth and sixth spot respectively, as the Lilywhites sunk Sheffield United 3-0, while the Blues edged out Bournemouth 2-1 on home territory.
There was no movement in seventh or eighth either, as Newcastle United put four past Brentford to hold off Manchester United, who beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 and could still qualify for Europe via the FA Cup.
Down the bottom of the division, Nottingham Forest's 2-1 success over Burnley assured the Tricky Trees of their Premier League status, as Luton Town bowed out with a 4-2 loss to Fulham.
For the final time in 2023-24, Sports Mole picks its Premier League Team of the Week from the closing round of fixtures.
DEFENCE
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As multiple departing Liverpool men hogged the Anfield spotlight, Jose Sa's performance in the Wolves goal flew under the radar, but the Portuguese shot-stopper was the sole reason for the respectable scoreline, coming up with a mammoth 11 saves as Liverpool peppered his goal with shot after shot.
The second of two Portuguese representatives in our gameweek 38 backline, Tottenham full-back Pedro Porro repeated his Burnley bolt with a Bramall Lane rocket in Spurs' Europa League-clinching success, firing in the visitors' second with a thunderous finish while also creating two chances in a performance of redemption after his Manchester City mishaps.
While Sa's efforts on Merseyside went unrewarded, the same could not be said for Liverpool's defensive starlet Jarell Quansah, once again picked over Ibrahima Konate and once again justifying it. The Reds academy product managed to bundle home the hosts' second of the afternoon, in addition to completing 91% of his passes and making three tackles in another highly promising performance.
Casemiro's admission that he is not an aficionado of the centre-back position was not surprising given his recent dismal displays, but the Brazilian's contributions were crucial in Man United's beating of Brighton. From a clearance off the line to five tackles and five blocks, Casemiro put in a performance to be proud of in what could be his last-ever Premier League appearance.
MIDFIELD
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As Luton mourned their Premier League status, Fulham wing wizard Harry Wilson revelled in the scintillating individual performance which helped condemn the Hatters to their fate. In addition to a stunning 20-yard strike into the top corner, the Welshman laid on a pair of assists for Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez at Kenilworth Road and has certainly earned his summer break.
While Wilson's curler could be described as a peach, the Fulham winger's strike was nothing in comparison to a magnificent Moises Caicedo effort versus Bournemouth. Already coming into his own in a Chelsea shirt, the Ecuadorian outrageously found the mark from 50.5 yards - the furthest Premier League goal since Wayne Rooney's 57.7-yard strike in November 2017 - while also making six tackles and three interceptions in a praiseworthy defensive effort.
From a midfielder already boasting the £100m tag to one being tipped for a nine-figure transfer this summer, Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes customarily ran the show in the Magpies' beating of Brentford, following up a free kick to ensure all three points and a potential place in Europe after already providing assists for Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak in the first half.
Amid debate over whether he was a worthy Premier League Player of the Season, Phil Foden surely settled that argument with a man-of-the-match performance in Man City's title-clinching win over West Ham. Firstly firing in a trademark left-footed strike from outside the box, the Englishman quickly repeated his trick and also created five chances to earn another deserved winners' medal.
ATTACK
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Mentions must certainly go to the likes of Yoane Wissa, Adama Traore and Chris Wood, but Dejan Kulusevski had the answers when his Tottenham teammates failed to find any at Bramall Lane, settling any early nerves with a fine finish across goal and managing to force a second past Wes Foderingham to end Ange Postecoglou's topsy-turvy first season on a high.
Tottenham were not the only London club celebrating an emphatic final-day success, as Palace - potentially the most impressive team over the past two months - tore Villa to shreds thanks in no small part to Eberechi Eze, who struck two goals of his own and set up another to put himself at the head of the England hopefuls queue for Euro 2024.
Each of the Eagles' other three strikes at Selhurst Park came via the boots of a revitalised Frenchman in Jean-Philippe Mateta, one of the most unexpected success stories of 2024 under Glasner's wing. Striking a magnificent hat-trick and also setting up one of Eze's efforts, Mateta became just the second man to register a Premier League hat-trick for Crystal Palace after Yannick Bolasie, and his 13 top-flight strikes is more than any other Premier League player since Glasner took charge of the reins.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
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Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (3-4-3): Sa; Porro, Casemiro, Quansah; H. Wilson, Guimaraes, Caicedo, Foden; Kulusevski, Mateta, Eze
Ben Knapton
