So, after 10 months of blood, sweat, toil and tears, another Premier League campaign has concluded.
Manchester City overcame a resurgent Liverpool to win the title, while London's Chelsea and Arsenal made up the top four. Everton and Tottenham Hotspur followed, while last season's champions, Manchester United, finished a surprising seventh.
Meanwhile, at the wrong end of the table, both Crystal Palace and Sunderland defied the doubters and odds to survive for another season, but Cardiff City, Fulham and Norwich City were not so lucky and will be playing in the Championship come August.
Here, Sports Mole has selected a team of the 11 players that consistently caught our eye since day one.
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With his contract due to expire during the summer, it seems unthinkable that Palace boss Tony Pulis would consider allowing the Argentine to depart Selhurst Park on a free transfer. Even when the Eagles struggled during the opening weeks and months of the season, Speroni kept some of the negative scorelines respectable with a string of memorable performances. Then, as the campaign grew older and Palace became a more solid outfit, the 34-year-old kept three crucial clean sheets in consecutive wins over Chelsea, Cardiff City and Aston Villa.
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Still only 18, it seems that Shaw's displays in a Southampton shirt have been of a standard that has convinced Roy Hodgson to take him to Brazil ahead of the experienced Ashley Cole. Already a capable defender, the youngster has also shown that he can be dangerous in an attacking sense throughout his 35 appearances. Unfortunately for the Saints, his rapid progression may have come at a detriment to them, with Man United said to be close to sealing a £27m move.
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Prior to Jose Mourinho's return, it seemed ever so likely that Terry was heading for the Stamford Bridge exit door. However, Mourinho kept faith with the 33-year-old and his loyalty was rewarded as Terry went on the become the leader of the Premier League's stingiest defence. Despite lacking pace, the centre-back's vast experience and ability to read the game meant that he was rarely caught out of position or exposed.
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Of course, the contribution of Terry's partner - Cahill - should not go unnoticed. While he may not be the quickest, England's current leading defender is sharp out of the blocks, which allowed him to cover Terry on the rare occasions that he was outpaced. There were big doubts regarding Cahill's ability to play for a club that challenges for major honours when he arrived from Bolton Wanderers in 2012, but his no-nonsense style proved to be an influential one this term.
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No full-back scored more than the six goals that the Republic of Ireland international fired in for Everton. Freed from the shackles by Roberto Martinez, Coleman attacked with purpose every week, although it didn't mean that he neglected his defensive responsibilities. If there was an award for the Premier League's most improved player, there are few that would be more deserving than the former Sligo Rovers full-back.
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A late developer, Lallana's performances over the last 10 months have seen him rise from an England fringe player to one that many believe should be in the starting lineup for the World Cup opener against Italy. The technically gifted 26-year-old was happy to receive the ball in tight areas of the pitch, as well as weighing in with nine goals and six assists to help the Saints finish a highly respectable eighth. The talk now is that Liverpool are readying an offer for his signature.
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While he saw his title hopes slip away (pardon the pun), nobody could argue that, without Gerrard, Liverpool would have struggled to mount a serious challenge on the main prize. Now 33, there were initial question marks as to whether Gerrard could thrive in the deeper role that he had been deployed in by Brendan Rodgers, yet he still scored 13 times and assisted a further 13 goals for his teammates - more than any other player.
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The Ivorian became just the second midfielder, after Frank Lampard, in Premier League history to have scored 20 goals or more in a single season. He claimed earlier in the campaign that African footballers are not appreciated as much as they should be in Europe, but there will be few that doubt Toure's ability. Despite having such a hefty frame, on a number of occasions the midfielder showed great pace and power, which made him an unstoppable force for many opponents.
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It could well be fair to argue that the injury that Hazard suffered towards the end of the season cost Chelsea the title. Without the Belgian international, they lacked creativity and failed to score the necessary goals at key moments. When fit, Hazard scored 14 goals (including a hat-trick against Newcastle United in February) and set up seven more for his Chelsea teammates. Such statistics are thought to have alerted big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.
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A suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic last May meant that Suarez was not free to play until late September, but that didn't stop him from becoming the Premier League's leading scorer with an impressive 31 goals from his 33 outings. The Uruguayan international, who will be looking to upset England this summer, scored hat-tricks against West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff, as well as hitting four in one game against Norwich. What's more, his return of 12 assists is only bettered by his teammate Gerrard.
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There were big fears over Sturridge's ability to produce the goods for the bigger clubs following spells with Man City and Chelsea, but he came of age in a Liverpool shirt. He took over the goalscoring mantle while Suarez was suspended and then he went on to form a profitable rapport with his fellow striker as the Merseysiders mounted an assault on the title. The England frontman found the net on 21 occasions, which earned Liverpool a total of 20 points.
