What if... the season started in January?
As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...A Premier League season can sometimes be a tale of two halves.Some come flying out of the blocks, while others are more sluggish starters. The busy Christmas period can be a turning point with the arrival of the January transfer window feeling like a fresh start.So what might have happened if the league season only start on 1 January?Well, Pep Guardiola's title-winning machines would have picked up their fifth Premier League trophy in a row.Playing one game fewer than actual champions Liverpool - who secured the title with four games remaining - they would have finished one point clear of the Reds, not withstanding Arne Slot's side slowdown in form after sealing the title.City always seem to come good after January, but this time it was not enough to outweigh the torrid time they had from late autumn. The rest of the top six is not too dissimilar to the final placings, although in this case, Aston Villa would have secured Champions League football and Brighton a Europa League spot in the absence of Chelsea - whose form nose-dived at the very beginning of the year.And while the new year is a new start for some, it is less so for others.That was the case for many of those down the bottom of the league. The relegated trio would still have been relegated and Manchester United and Tottenham would still have ended up in the bottom six. West Ham find themselves one place lower after Wolves picked up form under Vitor Pereira.So what does this tell us? If you wan to achieve your Premier League ambitions, it is about making sure you are there for nine months and not just from January.*Table data from Football365
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Scottish Sun
25 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
PSG 5 Inter Milan 0: Desire Doue steals show as Parisians rack up biggest EVER Champions League final win
WITH the thrilling exuberance of youth and the vast oil wealth of Qatar, Paris St Germain were finally crowned champions of Europe last night. In a performance you could hang in the Louvre, Desire Doue staged a teenage rampage through the heart of an elderly Inter Milan defence, scoring twice and assisting once to inspire the heaviest victory margin of any European Cup Final. 16 Desire Doue stole the show in Munich as PSG won the Champions League final Credit: AFP 16 Luis Enrique inspired his men to a rampant win over Inter Credit: Getty Luis Enrique's side laid waste to Inter as they had done to four Premier League clubs en route to this glorious Bavarian night. His is a team which is everything it didn't used to be when the Galactico trio Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe held sway at the Parc des Princes. PSG are the ultimate in high-class, high-octane, highly-selfless teamwork - a combination of beauty and efficiency about everything they do. Achraf Hakimi, one of two thunderous attacking full-backs, had opened the scoring. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL AB FAB Kate Abdo 'subbed off' CBS Sports Champions League final coverage And the Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hammered the fourth - then typified his team's approach by sprinting back about 70 yards to half an Inter break with his side 4-0 up in the dying minutes. Senny Mayulu, another 19-year-old, then sealed the deal with a late strike from Bradley Barcola's assist. Doue, the 19-year-old plucked from Rennes last summer, was the headline act but Ousmane Demebele played a major role in three goals to tighten his grip on this year's Ballon d'Or. It has been 14 years since the Qatari state seized control of PSG and after one previous final defeat under Thomas Tuchel in 2020, this was their moment. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS PSG had an average age of 23 this season, Inter were the oldest in the competition at a touch over 30. And anybody who suggested that Inter's experience and nous would prove a match for this zestful young PSG side was made to look utterly foolish. Inter Milan fans INVADE Munich ahead of Champions League final vs PSG 16 16 Achraf Hakimi got the ball rolling in the 12th minute Credit: AFP 16 He refused to celebrate against his former side Credit: Getty So for the fifth time Munich staged a European Cup Final - and for the fifth time, we had brand-new winners - just like Nottingham Forest, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea. And after Marseille at the old Olympic Stadium in 1993, this was only the second time a French club had ever won Old Big Ears. PSG had performed a demolition job on all four of the Premier League clubs in this year's competition, while Inter had seen off final hosts Bayern before they accounted for Barcelona in a classic semi-final. So while this wasn't the most alluring of fixtures for English audiences, these were two very worthy finalists. 16 Doue bagged his first goal just seven minutes later Credit: AP 16 The forward was delighted, having assisted Hakimi's opener Credit: Reuters Inter might easily have denied Manchester City their Treble in the final in Istanbul two years ago - but this was a bridge too far for Simone Inzaghi Izaghi's men seemed content to sit deep, soak it up, let the kids do all the running. And yet PSG are too good for that sort of passive defensive approach and, after 12 minutes, they scored a goal of gorgeous simplicity. Vitinha, the tick-tock man at the base of the Parisian defence, picked out a cute pass which released Doue, who squared for Hakimi to tap in at the far post. 16 Doue then netted his second goal in the 63rd minute Credit: Getty 16 He ripped off his shirt in wild celebrations Credit: Getty 16 It shouldn't have been so easy to baffle a bunch of brutish Italian defenders with two straight-line passes but that was what Enrique's men did. And on 20 minutes, it was 2-0. At the opposite end, Inter staged a set-piece long throw and then got caught with their pants down within seconds. Willian Pacho stopped the ball going out of play behind Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia released Dembele, who sprinted down the left and picked out Doue with a crossfield pass. Doue chested down and rifled a shot which deflected off Federico Dimarco to leave Yann Sommer motionless on his knees. 16 Khvicha Kvaratshkelia got involved 10 minutes later Credit: Reuters 16 The winger only joined PSG from Napoli in January Credit: Reuters Enrique's chief selection call had been over whether to choose Doue or Bradley Barcola. Within 20 minutes, Doue had one assist and one goal. It hadn't been a bad shout to pick him. Inter had some enterprising moments themselves but, the thing is with PSG, they can defend as well. Pacho is one hell of a defender. From Ecuador via Belgium and Frankfurt, he is such a gem that you just assumed that Brighton would have bought him and sold him for an immense profit years ago. Still, Franceso Acerbi and Marcus Thuram were both off-target with headers. 16 Sub Senny Mayulu came off the bench to net PSG's fifth Credit: Getty 16 The teen secured history for PSG in the 86th minute Credit: Reuters Yet before, Paris ought to have tucked this match in and kissed it goodnight - Doue centring for Dembele, who somehow shot in entirely the wrong direction. Then Doue tested Sommer and Kvaratskhelia was narrowly wide with a deflected shot, before he headed wide from the resulting corner. It was extremely one-sided stuff. After the break, Kvaratskhelia squandered a glaring close-range chance but it didn't matter. 16 Boss Luis Enrique was the man of the moment as he celebrated his second UCL win Credit: Getty 16 Inter Milan players appeared distraught after the disastrous result Credit: Getty Doue had just executed a sumptuous pirouette on the touchline to embarrass Alessandro Bastoni when he netted his second. This time it was Dembele who conjured the sorcery, with a back-heel to Vitinha who fed the teenager for a firm, well-placed finish. Enrique decided enough was enough and replaced Doue with Barcola, perhaps out of clemency. But Kvaratskhelia soon rifled home at the near post from a Dembele pass before Mayulu rubbed salt in the wounds. Alan Hansen once said that you can't win anything with kids. But then he'd never seen this bunch of youths.
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
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Harry Goulding wins Britain's Got Talent! Magician, 24, takes home £250,000 prize after impressing viewers with his 'incredible' performance
Harry Moulding was crowned the winner of Britain's Got Talent on Saturday evening. The 24-year-old magician from Blackpool emerged victorious in this year's final after he beat out the other ten finalists to win the most votes from the pubic. Harry jumped up and down and screamed after hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly called his name. 'I can't believe what is going on,' he said. 'Thank you everyone so much, I genuinely feel like everyone has been behind me. This has been the most incredible journey.' He faced off against dance troupe The Blackouts in the final two, with the group remaining good spirits after his win, saying it was 'well deserved'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Harry has now secured a life-changing £250,000 cash prize and a coveted place on the bill of the Royal Variety Performance. The magician performed the winning magic routine which the judges described as incredible. Harry started performing magic tricks at the age of 10. Speaking previously on Lorraine, he said: 'Overnight I was obsessed. I love creating a memory and experience with someone. 'Saturday was the biggest night of my life and hopefully for those two it will be one of their biggest moments too. I found it emotional I was trying to hold it together.' He added that he has watched Britain's Got Talent since he was seven. 'It has always been a dream of mine to perform on the show. To finally do it and take that plunge was the best thing I have ever done,' he said.
Reuters
37 minutes ago
- Reuters
Djokovic eases into last-16 with 99th French Open win
PARIS, May 31 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic notched his 99th career French Open win with a clinical 6-3 6-4 6-2 defeat of Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic to reach the fourth round on a memorable Saturday night in Paris. As 40,000 fans watched Paris St Germain's Champions League final on video screens across the road at the Parc des Princes, the 38-year-old turned on the style on Court Philippe Chatrier. Three-time champion Djokovic, bidding for an historic 25th Grand Slam title, was given a thorough workout at times by his 23-year-old opponent but more than matched Misolic's power and always looked in complete control. Djokovic failed to convert nine break points early on but made the breakthrough for a 4-2 lead after showing incredible defensive skills to retrieve a barrage of smashes. The Serb saved a break point at 1-2 in the second set and then earned applause from the fans as he sportingly dusted his opponent down after Misolic tumbled over and got his sweat-soaked shirt coated in clay. He soon showed his ruthless side though to break serve with a backhand winner as he raced into a two-set lead. The sixth seed was in no mood for a late night as exploding fireworks and roars rang out from across the road and the third set followed the same pattern as the first two as he cruised through to a last-16 clash against Britain's Cameron Norrie.
