Weekend recap: Arsenal win in vain as Spurs clinch 4th, Chelsea’s Hazard concern

The last regular weekend recap of the season is here, with this first part looking at how Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham did over the weekend…

Arsenal

Arsenal went to Burnley on Sunday, with their game meaning very little. There was a possibility of them finishing sixth and behind Manchester United if they lost, while there was a very slim chance of them finishing in the top four if they hammered Burnley and Tottenham were beaten heavily by Everton. In the end, none of that happened. Arsenal got a comfortable 3-1 win, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring twice, and youngster Eddie Nketiah coming off the bench to score late on.

Aubameyang’s two goals meant he finishes the season with 22 goals in the Premier League, which is the same amount as Mo Salah and Sadio Mane. He shares the Golden Boot with those two, which is nice for him. He’s done very well to score that many considering he hasn’t started every game.

It was a good win for the Gunners, but they finish fifth anyway. There’s huge importance placed on the Europa League final now. It would be great for them to win their first European trophy for 25 years, but it also gets them into next season’s Champions League. After two years in the Europa, the Gunners are desperate to return to Europe’s top table.

Chelsea

Chelsea’s game was also fairly meaningless, as they travelled to the King Power Stadium to play Leicester. They needed to match Tottenham’s result to ensure they finished third in the table. And they did that with a 0-0 draw. They’ll be delighted to finish in the top four after a few months of them being quite bad and looking like they’ll get nowhere near it. All-in-all, it’s been a good first season for Maurizio Sarri, even if some would still like him to leave the club in the summer.

If the Blues go on to win the Europa League final against Arsenal, it’ll have been a great first season for him. But there are certainly worries for next season. If Chelsea are banned from signing players this summer and lose Eden Hazard, which looks likely, they may really struggle. Hazard, of course, has been of huge importance to them, and without him, they wouldn’t be near the position they’re in now. It’ll be interesting to see how they deal with that. But, for now, it’s time for positivity after finishing in the top four and having a European final to look forward to.

Tottenham

Tottenham weren’t realistically going to drop out of the top four, but they still wanted to finish the Premier League strongly and do well in their last game in front of their own fans when they faced Everton. They scored early through Eric Dier, but Everton went ahead after quickfire strikes from Theo Walcott and Cenk Tosun in the second half. Christian Eriksen brought Tottenham level immediately after those goals from Everton, and the game finished 2-2. They finish fourth in the table after the draw.

Their attention now turns to the Champions League final, of course. That’s going to be a huge occasion in Madrid when they face Liverpool. Many will have Liverpool down as favourites, but Spurs definitely can’t be ruled out. They’re more than capable of turning up and winning against anyone on their day, and it’s a game that could go either way. Tottenham fans will be buzzing for that one, and rightly so.

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This article was written by PremPlace. You can see their website by clicking here.