The 2022/2023 Premier League season has certainly been one for the books.
This season was always going to be one to remember, with its first-ever midseason break, thanks to the winter World Cup in Qatar.
However, what has transpired has been one of the best-ever Premier League seasons, which could see a finish for the ages.
The 2011/12 campaign still stands as the greatest-ever finish to a season. The final day started with the title, top four and relegation still to be decided, and the greatest ever Premier League moment was to come just minutes from the season's conclusion, as Sergio Agüero scored that goal against Queens Park Rangers.
Whilst this season is unlikely to have that sort of ending, we could still be set for a famous last day.
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A Two-Horse Race For The Title
When the season began, a two-horse race title was expected. Every pundit, fan and social media personality had this season being a battle between two teams, Manchester City and Liverpool. With Liverpool two games away from an unprecedented quadruple, they were ultimately beaten to the Premier League by Man City and to the Champions League by Real Madrid.
An earlier-than-usual Community Shield saw these two face each other and a chance for Liverpool to send a warning to City and the rest of the league that they were going to mean business. Liverpool won the game 3-1, but this would be the only trophy they would win this season.
City kept up their end of the bargain this season as they are one of the two teams competing for the league, but Liverpool has not.
However, it has been a far cry from what we saw last season, with the Reds currently standing in sixth place, 27 points off the top. They have got some great results this season, beating City 1-0 and United 7-0 at Anfield, but losing 1-0 away from home to Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth in the respective games that have followed those big wins.
With their next three games against City, Arsenal, and Chelsea, their top-four hopes could be dealt a massive blow.
Instead, it has been Arsenal who has been the team to challenge City. They currently sit eight points clear of the Citizens, albeit with one more game played. The two sides play each other on April 26th at 8pm. This is one you’re going to want to watch. The final day of the season could be a storybook 90 minutes, as City travel to Brentford and Arsenal host Wolves.
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Top Four Race Hotting Up
Another fascinating battle is the top four race. When the season began, nobody would have had Liverpool battling with Brentford and Brighton for a Champions League spot.
As it stands, Manchester United are third with 50 points with Tottenham Hotspur a point behind. Newcastle United is a further two points behind and Liverpool, Brighton, and Brentford are all on 42 points. While some of these teams have played 26 games, some 25, some 27 and some 28, nobody quite knows where they are and fans are constantly on their toes.
Chelsea is a team with an outside chance. They sit 11 points behind Tottenham with a game in hand. They face Newcastle on the final day, hoping they can have some say on the final day, whether it’s affecting Newcastle’s chances or sneaking into the top four.
Man United host Fulham, Liverpool travel to Southampton, Tottenham host Leeds and Brighton travel to Aston Villa.
There are as many as seven teams fighting for two Champions League spots, and this could be another brilliant part of the final day. This is especially so given the fact that several relegation candidates face them on matchday 38.
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A Fight To Stay Up Like No Other
Those Leeds and Southampton’s final games of the season will give hope to the rest of the teams fighting for survival.
At the time of writing, this is the relegation battle of relegation battles. From a historic Leeds United to a Leicester team that won the league in 2016 and an Everton side that has never been relegated from the Premier League.
There are currently just three points separating 12th-placed Crystal Palace and 18th-placed West Ham United and just one point between the Hammers and bottom-of-the-league Southampton.
To put it in perspective, Leeds’ win on the weekend moved them from the relegation zone to 14th in the space of one game week. This is how tight it is down at the bottom of the table.
The question is, who goes down?
This is one nobody can call, with the landscape of the bottom three changing week by week. From 12th to 20th, anyone out of Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds, Everton, Forest, Leicester, West Ham, Bournemouth, or Southampton could go down. The final day could make quite the viewing.
Southampton’s game against Liverpool or Leeds’ game against Spurs represent likely losses, this is the beauty of the Premier League. Nothing is certain. Wolves, in particular, could benefit from a nervous Emirates stadium, just as QPR almost did in their survival bid against City at the Etihad on the final day back in 2011/12.
Apart from this, there are three mouth-watering games between relegation candidates that are the icing on the cake in what could be a great final day as Everton host Bournemouth, Palace host Forest and Leicester hosts West Ham.
Of course, a lot could change and there is a chance the title, top four and relegation could all be settled by the time these games arrive. But they may also not be sorted.
Strap your seatbelts.