So it came down to the last day of the season, for only the fifth time in Premier League history, and Chelsea showed the world that they were worthy champions. A barnstorming display in front of goal saw them smash eight past Wigan, bringing their total to a record-breaking 103 league goals and seeing Didier Drogba knock Wayne Rooney out of the way to claim the Golden Boot with a second half hat-trick. An entertaining ending to what has been an entertaining season. Following on from hitting seven past Stoke City, Aston Villa and Sunderland in the last few months, Carlo Ancelotti's side have shown that Italian boss's teams aren't always about rock solid defences and cagey 1-0 wins. With Frank Lampard hitting his best ever goals tally and Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka both getting into double figures, the boys from the Bridge had no shortage of match-winners in their side. A first ever double is now in sight for the Pensioners with the FA Cup final to come but the Champions League will surely be top of Ancelotti's agenda for next season, with the final being held across town at Wembley Stadium.
Dethroned champions Manchester United, the previous record Premiership goal-scorers with 97 back in the days of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole (1999/2000), will rue the day they lost 2-1 at home to Chelsea, with an injured Rooney looking on from his executive box. That turned out to be the turning point in the title race, as the Blues leap-frogged the Red Devils and never really looked back. Sir Alex Ferguson can look back on a relatively successful season however, as despite selling Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez in the close season his side came to within a point of the title and scored eighteen more league goals than last season. As well as Rooney's late season injury problems, his defence was devastated in the winter when Patrice Evra was the only fit defender for several weeks: a period which saw United crash to defeats to Fulham and Aston Villa. With just the Carling Cup in the bag and an unfortunate quarter-final Champions League exit, the Old Trafford faithful will be hungry for more next season, but 2009-10 has been by no means a disaster.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for United's great rivals Liverpool. An abysmal season for last year's runners-ups was capped off today with a 0-0 draw at relegated Hull City which saw the Reds finish in a lowly seventh, their worst position since 1999 and only claiming a Europa League place thanks to Cup finalists Portsmouth's adminstrative woes. With a group stage Champions League exit, and early knockouts in both domestic cups(to Reading and Arsenal respectively), Liverpool have almost nothing to look back on and must think forward if they are to reclaim their place in the 'Big Four'.
Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Aston Villa will all have something to say about that though. Harry Redknapp's boys from White Hart Lane will reap the benefits of a (play-off round permitting) first ever Champions League campaign, and United's noisy neighbours are sure to make waves in this summer's transfer window, looking to put the disappointment of missing out on 4th place behind them. The Villans will be desperate to hold onto Martin O'Neill and push on from their third consecutive sixth place finish, and with the likes of 2010 PFA young player of the year James Milner and his predecessor Ashley Young a year older, they have reason to be optimistic if they can bolster their squad in the summer. With local rivals Everton only finishing two points behing Rafa Benitez's men, change seems inevitable at the legendary club, with new owners, a new manager, a new stadium and new players all on the agenda. Whether crown jewels Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are going to stay could be crucial to the Anfield outfit's prospects.
At the other end of the table, Pompey's administration effectively sealed their fate months ago and Hull City and Burnley had both looked hapless for a number of weeks, despite both hiring new managers (albeit Burnley in somewhat different circumstances to the Tigers). Goal-shy Wolves, Jekyll-and-Hyde-team Wigan and financially-troubled West Ham will have their work cut out next season with promoted Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion promising to be more threatening than the teams they are replacing.
Overall, the gap between the top teams and the rest seems to have closed, with the 'Big Four' suffering 33 defeats between them as opposed to just 17 last season. They are now arguably a 'Big Eight' (the pessimists might call it a 'Big Two' but for one of those look to Spain where there are a whopping 27 points between second and third place) with City, Spurs, Villa and Everton all in the mix for European places. We might find reason to complain about the divers, the controversial decisions and certain manager's team selections (think Mick McCarthy and Roy Hodgson) for big games, but for pure entertainment the Premier League has been as fascinating as ever. It doesn't end here though, now our attention can switch to the FA Cup final, Champions League final and the one event all football purists savour, the World Cup...
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