- Manchester City ended the campaign as champions after victory over West Ham
- They were two points better off than last year, while Arsenal improved by five
- IAN LADYMAN: If I was a Spurs fan, I’d be worried about the way Ange Postecoglou is carrying himself – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
The 2023-24 Premier League season came to a close on Sunday with Manchester City claiming a record fourth-straight title, their sixth in the last seven campaigns.
Pep Guardiola‘s side made short work of West Ham at the Etihad and ended any lingering hopes Arsenal and their fans had of ending their 20-year wait for a top-flight crown.
The leading title protagonists put up totals that were relatively consistent with their marks last season. Mikel Arteta‘s side improved by five points to end the campaign on 89 points, the number City achieved in winning the league last term.
But City were also able to better their performance, adding two points to their tally which enabled them to complete yet another historic feat.
However, the story for sides at either end of the Premier League’s point difference table make for far more intriguing reading, as the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all experienced wildly different campaign.
Mauricio Pochettino‘s side have shown the biggest development, though, having finished the 2022-23 campaign in lowly 12th-place, it would have been hard for them not to improve.
Still, at times this year it looked as if the Blues were destined for another bottom-half finish but the former Tottenham manager – with the aid of Young Player of the Season Cole Palmer – managed to get consistent results from his squad.
Chelsea ended the season on a run of five wins which saw them finish sixth on 63 points, 19 points better than last season.
It was a similar case for Liverpool in Jurgen Klopp’s final season with the club. The German had endured his worst full campaign in 2022-23, with his team finishing outside of the Champions League places in fifth.
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This term, however, the Reds came in third, having been in the hunt for the title for much of the season. Their total of 82 points was a 15-point improvement on last term.
West Ham also saw a similar uptick in their output this season. David Moyes’ side were 12 points better off than last year. The other risers compared to 12 months ago were Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Spurs, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Everton – who were four points better off despite two deductions during the campaign.
At the other end of the table was Brentford, who suffered with injury and suspensions to key players and ended up 20 points worse off than in the 2022-23 season.
Remarkably, Thomas Frank’s side were still able to avoid relegation after ending the season on 39 points in 16th place. These figures serve as a reminder of their unbelievable sophomore season in the division when they achieved a top-10 finish.
The Bees are the only team that managed to outdo Man United, who ended a perplexing season with a 2-0 win over Brighton at the Amex on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag’s side must win the FA Cup to qualify for Europe next season after finishing in eighth on 60 points. That’s 15 points fewer than they accumulated in the Dutchman’s debut campaign at Old Trafford.
United’s win over the Seagulls also ensured they avoided the ignominy of registering the club’s lowest Premier League points total, though, they end the season with a negative goal difference.
Brighton complete the bottom three of the alternate table, having seen ended up 14 points worse off than last season.
Joining them in the red were Fulham, Nottingham Forest – who, like Everton, were hit with a points penalty this season – and Newcastle.
The Magpies rallied in the latter stages of the season to clinch a spot in the Europa Conference League next season.