Premier League season overview: Man City dominance, Arsenal go close, Man Utd woes and more

The 2023-24 season drew to a close on Sunday in what has been an emphatic campaign full of unbridled excitement, final day deciders, tussles for European competition, derby rivalries and managerial masterclasses. 

To some clubs, it spelt the end of an era for managers and players turned legends, to some it was a great leveller that saw the traditional ‘big six’ being disrupted in the League standings.

The season saw mouth-opening ‘worldies’, unbelievable last-ditch tackles and cat-like reflexes. The meek rose and the mighty fell leaving the hierarchies of some clubs with tough decisions on their managers in the next few weeks.

In a nutshell, the 2023-24 season was a rollercoaster and had all the drama to keep you at the edge of your seat. Here’s an overview of what transpired in the just concluded Premier League season.

Manchester City dominance continues

Manchester City emerged champions of England for the fourth consecutive time, setting a new Premier League record. The Citizens were previously at par with Sir Alex Ferguson’s led United side that won the treble in 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 season.

Their 3:1 win over West Ham United on the final day of the season secured City’s sixth League title in seven seasons since Guardiola took over the reins at the Etihad in 2016.

They now have the chance to become the first side in English football history to win back-to-back doubles when they face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on May 25.

Arsenal’s League quest continues

After missing out on the title last season, Arsenal improved in all facets of their games this season and did enough to win the League. However, a disappointing 2:0 loss to Aston Villa at the Emirates may have derailed their chances of lifting their first Premier League title in 20 years.

Mikel Arteta’s side were remarkable all through this season, playing aesthetically pleasing football while ensuring defensive solidity to his side. Arsenal’s 29 conceded goals this season was the least by any team in the Premier League. They scored a sky-high 91 goals this season while winning 28 matches, the same number of wins with eventual champions, City.

However, Arsenal’s London rivals couldn’t do them a favour as City’s victory over Tottenham took Guardiola’s side back to the summit of the Premier League table.

They gave the Champions a fight until the final day and will be set to give the title another push next season. Fans with Arsenal tickets will be confident their side can go all the way next year.

Manchester United’s regression 

After a great first season at Old Trafford that saw United finish third with the most clean sheets, Erik Ten Hag’s side were a complete contrast to the formidable force there were last season.

Starting from their Champions League campaign, the Red Devils were shambolic in all facets of the game, completely dominated in all their matches. A solitary win in six matches was a far cry to United’s standard having won the competition three times. United disappointingly finished at the bottom of Group A with only four points, trailing behind Galatasaray, Cophenaghen and Bayern Munich.

Despite finishing the League at the back of two consecutive wins against Newcastle United and Brighton, United’s eighth-place finish was their worst finishing position since 1990, surpassing the previous record of finishing 7th in the 2013-14 season.

Their record of 14 defeats in 38 matches in the League this season was another club record and they only avoided their worst-ever point tally with a win over the Seagulls.

They also ended the league campaign with a negative goal difference of -1 after conceding 58 goals while scoring 57. The last time United suffered such a low goal difference was in the 1989-90 season.

However, injuries could be attributed to the cause of United’s slump with several injured players leading to an inconsistent line, especially in defence.

The season has been a case of the mighty who has fallen for United but they still have the chance to secure a spot in Europe when they face City in the FA Cup final.

Crystal Palace rejuvenation 

Crystal Palace have enjoyed a meteoric rise in performances and results since the appointment of Oliver Glasner in February.

The Austrian has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround in the club that saw the Eagles leap from a relegation-threatened position to finishing in the top half of the table.

After a poor run of form that saw the South London club sit in 16th place under former manager, Roy Hodgson, Glasner oversaw a positive run of results with seven wins, three draws and three losses in 13 matches that have seen them secure 10th position in the Premier League table. They produced memorable victories against Liverpool at Anfield and Manchester United at home and recently capped their season off in grand style with a 5:0 thumping of Aston Villa.

Their 49-point tally means the Eagles have equalled their best-point tally in the Premier League since the 2018-19 season. They also scored a sky-high 57 goals in the League this season, surpassing their previous top division record of 53 in the 1991-92 season.

Glasner’s switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation and the utilisation of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise as double no-10s has seen the Eagles possess more, press more and even score more goals having scored at least three goals in three consecutive Premier League matches.

Palace’s case can be described as a case where the meek has risen but how long they remain a rising force will depend on the success of their transfer activities this summer.

Phil Foden and Cole Palmer emerge as best Players

Phil Foden’s qualities were never in doubt but portraying those qualities in the midst of stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland to pip his teammates to become the player of the season is outstandingly a monumental feat by the youngster.

Six Premier League titles at just 23 and only bettered by Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Denis Irwin and Roy Keane have shown the England International is in an upward trajectory to stardom.

Ending the season with 19 Premier League goals including a double over West Ham at the end of the season earned the England International the Premier League Player of the Season and the FWA Footballer of the Year award.

His six goals from outside the box this season were the most by any City Player in Premier League history and the 23-year-old has remarkably become the surprise star of the League this season.

Behind Foden is another Manchester City academy graduate and current Chelsea player, Cole Palmer. Palmer joined Chelsea for around £40m in the summer and lots of eyebrows were raised for Chelsea’s decision to pay such a hefty fee for a player who is yet to have a full Premier League campaign under his belt.

Fast forward eight months later, Palmer has broken and set new records in the club and League generally. The 21-year-old has recorded 22 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season making him the player with the most goal contributions in the League.

He became just the third-youngest player in Premier League’s history to reach 30+ goal contributions in a single season at just 21 years and also matched the records of club legends, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard’s record of 16 goals at home in a single season.

The two-cap England International saw off competitions from Foden, Haaland, Kobbie Mainoo, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Destiny Udogie to clinch the coveted Premier League Young Player of the Season award.

Unai Emery’s led Aston Villa resurgence

Aston Villa’s entire season is sandwiched between a 5:1 opening day drubbing and a 5:0 closing day thumping to Newcastle and Crystal Palace respectively.

However, that is just a dim light on what has been an astoundingly remarkable season for the Villains.

Unai Emery took over this side when they were facing relegation woes but has orchestrated a complete turnaround to secure a Champions League qualification for Villa in just 18 months of taking over.

Villa finished fourth in the Premier League with 68 points and scored a club record 76 goals, surpassing the previous record of 71 goals held in the 2007-08 campaign.

The Villains last featured in the European Cup in 1982-83 season and It will mark 41 years until their next appearance next season. It will be their first time in the Champions League since it was rebranded in the 1991-92 season.

Emery’s strides at the club are truly remarkable and he has completely turned Villa from a relegation-scrapping team to European contenders.

Since his appointment in October 2022, no Premier League side has collected more points than Emery’s side except Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool and the Villains are tipped to become even stronger when they reinforce their squad this summer.

Farewells and goodbyes 

Friday, 9 October 2015 was just a regular day in Merseyside when Jürgen Klopp was unveiled at Anfield.

After acquiring a fairly average side with Philippe Coutinho as the best player in his squad, the German manager miraculously transformed what was deemed an average squad with average players into world-class players who would eventually become world-beaters.

Less than 12 months after he arrived in England, he was joined by Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, and Antoine Conte as the League became even more competitive.

The 56-year-old can be proud of being the only manager to win the League since City began their dominance in Guardiola’s second season.

Overall, Only Guardiola, Ferguson and Conte can boast of a better win ratio in the Premier League than Klopp.

Sadly, what has been a monumental joy with the German coach came to an end in the Premier League finale as the Kop sang ‘you’ll never walk alone’ for one final time to their beloved German tactician.

The same can be said of Chelsea’s Thiago Silva and Brighton’s Adam Lallana who both bid farewell to their beloved clubs as they embark on a new journey away from their former clubs.