Arsenal (@Arsenal)
🚨 Two changes from midweek...
➡️ Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard
May 23, 2021
⬅️ @ElNennY, @BukayoSaka87#ARSBHA
Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC)
😎 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 😎
📲 https://t.co/S3j1TIedJv#BHAFC 🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/V0KbmgunM7
May 23, 2021
Here’s exclusive footage of what the football gods intend to do to one of Chelsea, Liverpool and Leicester today.
Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing)
This @JoshTaylorBoxer uppercut in Round 7 was felt in the whole venue ... 🤯#RamirezTaylor | LIVE NOW on ESPN pic.twitter.com/wJVRzML7eF
May 23, 2021
“Mr Smyth!” says Bill Hargreaves. “Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride! All to play for, for seventh to third. Ignominy for some of less-than-humble (read erstwhile ESL) stature. And if Mr. Kane really does one, where next for Mr. Levy’s unravelling ball of wool? Roll up, roll up, ladies and gentlemen, for movers and shakers, riders and mounts, some will fall, some will succeed. Nice little warm up for the CL final later this month. Football is dead: log live football. Thanks as ever, in anticipation, of a thriller.”
‘Log live football’ is my new favourite typo.
Mes que un farewell
The departing Sergio Aguero is only on the bench for Manchester City, though apparently he is going to come on at half-time.
West Ham need only a draw at home to Southampton to finish sixth and ensure a place in the Europa League. The team in seventh will qualify for the playoff round of the new Europa Conference League, which begins tomorrow night.
Arsenal, currently in ninth, have the least difficult game of those in the race for seventh. While their sole target is the Europa Conference League, Spurs are aiming for the Europa League (they will finish sixth if they beat Leicester and West Ham lose). But they could easily end up with nothing except memories of being top in November.
Confused? Splendid, now all I need is PayPal password.
West Ham Pts 62 GD+12, Southampton (H)
Tottenham Hotspur Pts 59 GD+21, Leicester (A)
Everton Pts 59 GD+4, Manchester City (A)
Arsenal Pts 58 GD+14, Brighton (H)
This is pretty simple – there are two places available, and at the moment Chelsea and Liverpool are a nose ahead of Leicester. But both have tricky games, especially Chelsea. They are away to Aston Villa, who will be invigorated by the return of the fans to Villa Park - and especially by the presence of one very special supporter: Jack Grealish.
Liverpool play Crystal Palace, which would look like a home banker were it not for the fact that this is Anfield legend Roy Hodgson’s final game as Palace manager. Stranger things have happened. Liverpool won the return fixture 7-0, which is more important than it looked at the time; they are currently ahead of Leicester on goal difference.
Leicester probably need to beat Spurs, though they could qualify for the Champions League with a draw if a) Liverpool lose at home to Palace or b) Chelsea lose by three goals at Villa.
Chelsea Pts 67 GD+23, Villa (A)
Liverpool Pts 66 GD+24, Palace (H)
Leicester Pts 66 GD+20, Spurs (H)
Football is nothing without fans’ verdicts
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the final day of the 2020-21 Premier League. It looks like we might have made it to the end of this bizarro, Covid-squashed season, but first there’s one last bit of brain-busting business: a bumper Clockwatch involving T-E-N simultaneous Premier League games.
For today’s assignment, dear reader, you will need the following: a minimum of five screens, three pairs of eyes, an as-it-stands league table, industrial strength headache pills, a sick bucket and, depending on who you support, the world’s smallest violin. And while Guardian News and Media takes no legal responsibility for etc etc, you might want to have an emergency bottle of homebrow turps to hand in case things get somewhat overwrought.
The title race and the relegation battle were decided a while ago, but an almighty scramble for European places should keep us on the edge of our seat – and of sanity – for the afternoon. There will be goals galore, always is on the final day, not to mention plenty of goodwill and schmaltz as the Premier League says farewell to, among others, Sergio Aguero, Wes Morgan, Roy Hodgson, Nuno Espirito Santo and Sam Allardyce.
The battle for the Golden Boot (Salah 22, Kane 22, Bamford 16) is worth keeping one of of those pairs of eyes on. Manchester United have the chance to become only the fourth team in English top-flight history to stay unbeaten away from home all season. And around 9,000 Leeds fans will be at Elland Road to pay tribute to a team who in the last nine months have made the world an infinitely better place for neutrals, never mind those who adore them.
We’ll try to keep up with all ten games, though some of the less meaningful matches will almost certainly fall by the wayside when the goals start flying in. Our main focus will be on the five games that affect the European places [six games, Smyth, you’re all over the show already - ed].
At least one of the Big Six (RIP) will miss out on qualification for a competition they tried to kill off five weeks ago. Not since a tearful Janice Soprano asked where Richie Aprile was buried, less than 24 hours ago after plugging him with lead, has there been such a dramatic about-face.
We’ll come to the permutations in a while; in short, there are five European places to be shared between seven teams. Not even the Spice Girls could make that one work, so two will miss out.
Here’s the full fixture list (all 4pm kick-offs, games affecting the race for Europe in bold):
- Arsenal v Brighton
- Aston Villa v Chelsea
- Fulham v Newcastle
- Leeds v West Bromwich Albion
- Leicester v Tottenham
- Liverpool v Crystal Palace
- Manchester City v Everton
- Sheffield United v Burnley
- West Ham v Southampton
- Wolves v Man Utd
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