EPL Last Matchday Awards

Premier League Matchday 38 certainly did not disappoint. We had plenty of goals, high tempo, and a lot to talk about.

As the curtain has fallen on the 2023-24 EPL season, now we know everything there is to know. Manchester City are champions after their 3-1 win against West Ham, while Arsenal finish second despite doing their part and beating Everton 2-1.

At the less glamorous end of the table, Luton have lost 2-4 at home to Fulham, confirming their place in next season’s Championship, as Nottingham Forest stay up.

We also had goodbyes. Jürgen Klopp signed off from Liverpool, while David Moyes and Roberto De Zerbi also took charge of their last games for West Ham and Brighton, respectively.

If you’re only interested in what happened, you can find all our reports from yesterday’s action here.

But in this article we will be giving out awards. So who impressed us? How did VAR do? And what made us chuckle? Read on to find out.

Best Player

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s hat-trick for Palace in their big win against Villa was great, and we loved Bruno Guimaraes strutting his stuff against Brentford. But it won’t be them.

After being confirmed as the winner of the Premier League Player of the Season award, Phil Foden showed up yesterday at the Etihad determined to show exactly why he won it.

He scored 2 goals and exhilarated with his overall play. The 23-year-old did exactly what was needed to ensure City win the title, and the fans’ nerves were not too strained. His goal in the 2nd minute was just what the crowd wanted.

De Bruyne’s words of praise for his teammate say it all and you can watch his interview here.

Best XI

GK – Jose Sa (Wolves) – 12 saves, 4.46 xGA, only 2 goals conceded

RB – Pedro Porro (Tottenham) – 1 goal, clean sheet

CB – Casemiro (Manchester United) – clean sheet while out of position

CB – Jarell Quansah (Liverpool) – 1 goal, clean sheet

LB – Diogo Dalot (Manchester United) – 1 goal, clean sheet

CM – Rodri (Manchester City) – 1 goal

CM – Phil Foden (Manchester City) – 2 goals

RW – Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham) – 2 goals

LW – Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace) – 2 goals

ST – Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace) – 3 goals

ST – Raul Jimenez (Fulham) – 2 goals

Best Goal

This is probably the hardest one to award to only one player.

Harry Wilson scored a stunner for Fulham. Moises Caicedo’s first Chelsea goal was a perfectly weighted shot from the halfway line. Phil Foden’s first goal was as beautiful as it was calming for anyone associated with City. And Mohammed Kudus’ bicycle kick was sensational.

But our winner is… Yoanne Wissa’s goal for Brentford. It was a truly special bit of skill, with the trickery matching the quality of his shot. Sure, big picture, it did not matter as much as some of the others, but it sure was beautiful.

Do yourself a favour and watch it here, along with the rest of this short highlights video: Wissa and Janelt score in defeat | Brentford 2 Newcastle United 4 | Premier League Highlights

Best Game

This one goes to Luton vs Fulham. 6 goals, great tempo at almost all times, 30 total shots with an even split and much more.

It did end in heartbreak for Luton Town, as expected, but they can hold their heads high and be proud of the effort they have put in this season.

Best Stats

Manchester City are now the only team to have ever won the Premier League/First Division title 4 times in a row. They have also won 6 of the last 7 titles.

For Kyle Walker it was a 6th EPL title win, but only his first as club captain.

Jürgen Klopp leaves his Liverpool position as the club’s longest serving manager since Bob Paisley, who departed the Reds in 1983. Klopp has managed 491 Liverpool games in all competitions.

https://x.com/LFC/status/1792261290049634389?mx=2

Best/Worst VAR Decision

There was not much VAR drama yesterday, but we did find it ironic that Wolves’ defender Nelson Semedo received a red card after a review of his challenge on Alexis Mac Allister.

Wolves have already proposed to the other Premier League clubs to get rid of VAR. This is not going to change the minds of people at the Molineux.

Best Substitution

Rasmus Højlund came off the bench and scored the second goal for Manchester United in their away game at Brighton. This settled the nerves for the Red Devils, but did not help them avoid finishing in their lowest position ever in the Premier League.

Ending the season in 8th place, they now have to win the FA Cup final against City to qualify for Europe.

Funniest Moment

This one goes to Jordan Pickford ‘flipping the bird’ at Zinchenko for trying to catch him off-guard with a free-kick in the Arsenal vs Everton game.

You naughty, naughty boy!