Premier League wraps up

I haven't said much about the English Premier League this year, but it had a heck of a finish to the season following the COVID-19 intermission. There wasn't much drama about the championship, as Liverpool was way ahead of everybody, and won the trophy with several games to spare. 

Second place Manchester City wasn't as good as them but was better than everybody else, and their drama was whether or not they'd be banned from playing in the Champions League for two years (they weren't).

However, the fate of the next three teams wasn't decided until the games on the last day were played.  If Leicester City had managed to defeat Manchester United, they would have qualified for the Champions League next year.   If they'd tied, and Chelsea lost, then Chelsea would have been knocked from fourth to fifth, and missed out on the Champions League. 

None of that happened though;  Man U defeated LC in a good game, and LC still had their best season since their surprising championship run.  And they still play in the Europa League, and the winner of that gets to play in the Champions League.  Chelsea beat Wolverhampton with two goals late in the first half, one of the goals featuring a clever play from Christian Pulisic.

At the other end, Aston Villa pulled off a near-miraculous late run and avoided relegation, though it wasn't a sure thing until they managed a draw with West Ham United. 

As for Crystal Palace, they were safe from relegation fairly early on, but they stumbled to the finish with a miserable offense.  If they lose Wilfried Zaha they might not score any goals at all next year, and they'll probably lose him.  It was actually a fairly even game with Spurs, and amazingly enough, CP scored a goal.  But by losing 2-0 to Aston Villa, they took part in the near-miracle.  And I think it will take several near-miracles to keep them from being relegated next season.

Still one thing left to do:  Chelsea plays Arsenal for the FA Cup next Saturday.  And the USA's own Pulisic is the real deal.  He and veteran Olivier Giroud were primary reasons Chelsea is still in the top four.

I believe it's seven weeks until the next season starts.