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The South African
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Premier League 2024/25: Winners and losers
Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy at a jubilant Anfield as the curtain came down on the 2024/25 season on Sunday. Below, a look at the winners and losers of the campaign: Liverpool Champions for a record-equalling 20th time, Liverpool were in a class of their own for much of the season as Arne Slot's men wrapped up the title with four games to spare. Inspired by the sensational form of Mohamed Salah, who was both the league's top goalscorer and assists provider, the Reds made light of the loss of talismanic boss Jurgen Klopp 12 months ago. Klopp was in the crowd at Anfield to salute the champions on Sunday, while Slot has already started his plans to build from a position of strength. Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves a big hole to fill, but Liverpool are reportedly close to deals for Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, as well as Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez. Newcastle Alexander Isak fired Newcastle into the Champions League © ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP The Magpies secured fifth spot and a place in next season's Champions League despite a shock 1-0 home defeat to Everton on the final day of the campaign. However, a return to Europe's elite competition was just the icing on the cake for fans on Tyneside after Newcastle ended a 56-year wait to win a major trophy this term. Eddie Howe's men stunned Liverpool 2-1 in March to spark wild scenes of celebration for a one-club city with a huge following. Alexander Isak struck the decisive goal at Wembley and played a huge part in carrying Newcastle back to the Champions League as only Salah scored more Premier League goals than the Swede's 23. Crystal Palace Crystal Palace won the club's first major trophy with the FA Cup © Glyn KIRK / AFP Palace had been waiting even longer for silverware until beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final for the first major trophy of their 119-year history. The Eagles also secured a club record Premier League points tally of 53 to finish 12th despite a terrible start to the campaign. Oliver Glasner's side struggled early on, due in part to having four members of the England team that reached the Euro 2024 final and the role star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta played in France's run to the silver medal at the Olympic games. Palace won just one of their opening 13 games after a disrupted pre-season, but lost just six of their final 25 in a run of form that would have seen them in the fight for the Champions League places if replicated over 38 games. Manchester City Pep Guardiola's Man City endured a torrid season by their standards © Glyn KIRK / AFP Anything other than the title after an unprecedented run of four consecutive Premier League crowns would have been a disappointment for Pep Guardiola's men. But the scale of their decline during a difficult winter sent shockwaves through the division. After losing Ballon d'Or winner Rodri to injury, the previously all-conquering defending champions won once in 13 games between late October and December. Defeat to Palace in the FA Cup final rounded off a first trophyless campaign since Guardiola's first in England eight years ago. However, City did recover to at least finish third and secure a 15th consecutive season in the Champions League. Manchester United Manchester United suffered their worst season in over 50 years © CESAR MANSO / AFP There was no saving grace for United after the club's worst season since they were relegated in 1974. Ruben Amorim apologised to supporters on Sunday for a 'disaster' of a campaign that saw United finish 15th and fail to qualify for Europe for just the second time in 35 years. The decision to maintain Erik ten Hag as manager quickly backfired as the Dutchman was sacked in October. But Amorim has won just seven of his 27 Premier League games since at a club in disarray on and off the pitch. Defeat in the Europa League final to Tottenham, which cost United approximately £100 million ($135 million) in Champions League qualification, could have severe consequences on Amorim's ability to mould the squad into his image over the summer transfer window. Promoted trio Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton set an unwanted record as the trio of relegated clubs combined for a record low points tally of 59. They were also the three clubs that were promoted from the Championship last season. Before the 2023/24 campaign, that had only happened once in English top-flight history, back in 1997/98. Now it has happened for the past two seasons with growing concerns about the competitive balance of the English top flight due to the growing gulf between the Premier League and the second tier. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2028 hosts must qualify but two places reserved for them
England midfielder Jude Bellingham and his team-mates will take part in qualifying for Euro 2028 (Glyn KIRK) Euro 2028 hosts England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales will compete in qualifying for the tournament, UEFA said Wednesday. The European football governing body confirmed the qualification format for the 24-team tournament, reserving two places for host nations who do not qualify. Advertisement "(The) hosts... will also participate in qualifying, drawn into separate groups," said UEFA in a statement after an executive committee meeting in Bilbao ahead of the Europa League final. "The 12 group winners and eight best runners-up (20 teams) will advance directly to the EURO 2028 final tournament. "Two spots in the final tournament will be reserved for the two best-ranked host nations who are not qualified as group winners or best runners-up after the completion of the qualifying group stage." The remaining places at the tournament will be won via play-offs between the remaining qualifying group runners-up and the highest ranked 2026-27 Nations League non-qualified group winners. Advertisement The number of spots available through play-offs will depend on whether host nations qualify directly through the groups or via the reserved qualifying slots. Euro 2024 hosts Germany qualified directly to the tournament, eventually won by Spain who beat England in the Berlin final. rbs/bsp
The Citizen
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Arsenal secure Champions League place, Everton win on Goodison farewell
Just one point separates the League Cup winners in third from Nottingham Forest in seventh. Arsenal's English midfielder #41 Declan Rice applauds the fans during a parade on the pitch after the English Premier League football match against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday. Arsenal won the game 1-0. Photo: Glyn KIRK / AFP Arsenal secured Champions League qualification thanks to a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday as Everton said farewell to Goodison Park with an emotional 2-0 victory over Southampton. Declan Rice scored the only goal at the Emirates in the battle between second and third to guarantee the consolation of a top-five finish for Mikel Arteta's men at the end of another trophyless season. ALSO READ: Guardiola urges Man City to use FA Cup pain to fuel top five bid Rice continued his goalscoring form with a stunning strike from outside the box on 55 minutes. Defeat means Newcastle still have work to do to join Arsenal in the Champions League next season. Just one point separates the League Cup winners in third from Nottingham Forest in seventh. Victory over Everton next weekend should be enough for the Magpies due to their much superior goal difference over fifth-placed Aston Villa. Forest maintained their push for a first appearance in Europe's top competition for 45 years after winning 2-1 at West Ham. Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic struck for the visitors at the London Stadium as Forest showed support for striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who needed urgent abdominal surgery this week. Forest must beat Chelsea on the final day of the campaign and hope other results go their way to finish in the top five. 'If we'd thought in the beginning of the season that we'd be playing to play in the Champions League we'd sign (for) it,' said Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo. – Goodison's goodbye – Everton's home since 1892, Goodison Park played host to the club's men's team for the final time before they head to a new 52,000 capacity stadium next season. Former England captain Wayne Rooney was among the Toffees' former greats in attendance as Iliman Ndiaye produced two fine first-half finishes to ensure there was a happy ending to the Goodison era. 'Extraordinary atmosphere. The crowd were amazing. The job was to win the game and see ourselves out at Goodison in a good light,' Everton boss David Moyes said. Jamie Vardy brought down the curtain on his Leicester career with his 200th goal for the club in Sunday's 2-0 victory against Ipswich. Vardy was making his 500th and final appearance for the Foxes after a remarkable 13-year spell including a fairytale Premier League title triumph in 2016 and FA Cup glory in 2021. The 38-year-old, who started his career in non-league football, will leave at the end of the season and agreed not to play in next weekend's final game of the season to ensure his last Leicester appearance came at the King Power Stadium. With both Leicester and Ipswich long since condemned to relegation, the full focus was on Vardy and he took just 28 minutes to make it an unforgettable day as he sprinted onto James Justin's pass to unleash a typically predatory finish. Kasey McAteer bagged his first Premier League goal in the 68th minute, firing home to ensure Vardy would bow out on a winning note. 'I've enjoyed every minute of this. I look forward to keeping an eye on the club I love,' Vardy said. 'From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking myself and my family in as your own. I hope I've repaid you.' Fulham won 3-2 at west London rivals Brentford to remain in the hunt for a top-eight finish, which could yet be enough for European football. Raul Jimenez, Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson were on target for Marco Silva's men to close to within one point of eighth-placed Brentford.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool poised for Premier League coronation, Leicester, Ipswich for relegation
Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester could be mathematically relegated this weekend (Glyn KIRK) Liverpool could seal the Premier League on Sunday should the runaway leaders condemn Leicester to relegation and Arsenal suffer a Champions League hangover by losing at Ipswich. Victory for the Gunners at Portman Road could also see Ipswich mathematically relegated should West Ham and Wolves win. Advertisement Unlike the battles for the league title and to avoid the drop, the race for a place in next season's Champions League is set to go down to the wire. Just five points separate Newcastle in third from seventh-placed Aston Villa ahead of their clash at Villa Park. AFP Sports looks at the major talking points ahead of this weekend's action. Liverpool's Super Sunday? Thirteen points clear at the top of the table with six games to go, it is only a question of when not if Liverpool will move level with Manchester United on a record 20 English top-flight titles. Two more wins will finish the job for Arne Slot's men and they could not ask for more obliging fixtures as a trip to beleaguered Leicester is followed by struggling Tottenham's trip to Anfield. Advertisement However, the title race may not even go beyond Easter Sunday should Ipswich inflict Arsenal's first league defeat since February. The focus of attention for Mikel Arteta's men has been switched to Champions League glory after an emphatic 5-1 aggregate win over holders Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. Three up, three down concern Southampton's return to the Championship at the first time of asking was confirmed in record time with seven games remaining. Leicester and Ipswich have not fared much better to spark concerns over the growing chasm between the Premier League and the second tier. Advertisement For the second consecutive season all three promoted clubs are set to be relegated. Leicester, who shocked the world to win the title less than a decade ago, have endured a miserable campaign, especially since Ruud van Nistelrooy was installed as manager. The Foxes have taken just four points from their last 17 matches to fall 17 points adrift of safety. Ipswich's approach has earned more admirers but they have also won only four league games all season to sit just three points better off than Leicester. Villa crave Champions League return Both Villa and Newcastle are hungry for more after having a taste of the Champions League for the first time in decades over the past two seasons. Advertisement Villa's first foray into European football's elite level for the first time since 1983 finally came to an end in a thrilling 5-4 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Unai Emery, who also led the Birmingham club to the Europa Conference League semi-finals last season, is determined to take the 1982 European champions even further. Four consecutive Premier League wins have propelled Emery's men back into contention for a top-five finish, that will be enough for Champions League qualification. "The more demanding objective we can have is to get again Champions League," said Emery. Advertisement "The challenge we have now is for the last six matches we are going to play, try to get Europe and try to get Champions League." Villa face a daunting run in with their next four games against competitors for the European places in Newcastle, Manchester City, Bournemouth and Fulham. Newcastle are flying as five consecutive league wins either side of lifting the League Cup has taken the Magpies into third. Eddie Howe is set to miss a third match due to pneumonia, but Newcastle showed little sign of missing their manager in scoring nine goals in dominant wins over Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the past week. kca/dmc
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Juric urges Southampton to learn from record-setting relegation
Southampton applaud their fans after relegation was confirmed (Glyn KIRK) Ivan Juric admitted Southampton must learn from their mistakes and solve the "huge problems" that led to their record-setting relegation from the Premier League. Southampton were condemned to relegation in record time after a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday. Advertisement Juric's bottom of the table side have lost 25 of their 31 top-flight games in a wretched campaign that will end with their return to the Championship after one season. Southampton's fate was sealed by Brennan Johnson's first-half brace and a Mathys Tel penalty, with Mateus Fernandes' late effort little consolation for the fans who travelled to north London to see the last rites of their team's doomed season. Relegation with seven fixtures left gives Southampton an unwanted Premier League record, surpassing Derby and Huddersfield's relegations with six games left in 2008 and 2019 respectively. "It is clear if your last two years in the Premier League, you don't compete and are relegated too easy then it means there are huge problems in lots of situations," Juric said. Advertisement "I think now is a really important moment to understand all the mistakes the club (made) in the last three or four years and start to create something really good because these fans deserve it." Juric arrived in December to replace the sacked Russell Martin, but the former Roma boss was unable to stop Southampton's slide towards relegation. They have won only twice in the league all season, making it all the more surprising to Juric that the Southampton fans at Tottenham did not turn on the players at the final whistle. - 'They show love' - "A new experience. I said to the players, they have to be really thankful they have fans like this. It was something incredible the way they love their team, even the players that we are relegated with," Juric said. Advertisement "This one I can say is something incredible. They show love in this moment, it is great English culture, great Southampton culture, it is incredible." Southampton still have one goal left as they try to avoid being the worst team in Premier League history by bettering Derby's current record-low total of 11 points from 2007-08. Juric is desperate to avoid that fate and said he wants to lead their Championship promotion bid next season. "The goal has to be that, to avoid being the worst team in Premier League history," he said. "I am manager of Southampton and it is easy to say, 'now I want to go' - we have to keep working. We owe that to our fans and this is our goal. Advertisement "It is really good to be a coach in the Premier League and if I took the long way to come back here, I am ready." Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou was relieved Tottenham claimed a first win in five top-flight matches ahead of Thursday's Europa League quarter-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt. Postecoglou has come under fire from frustrated fans amid mounting speculation that he will be sacked if he doesn't win the Europa League. "Every time we went forward in the first half we looked dangerous and as threatening as we've looked for quite a while," he said. "Overall the important thing is we got the win, scored three goals and everyone got through unscathed and ready for a big night on Thursday." smg/nr
