SEASON AWARDS

Taken from the accumulative weekly award winners throughout the season

TEAM: LIVERPOOL

Due to how the season panned out, i’m sure there is no surprises to see Liverpool winning this. However, what is a surprise is how close it was. Liverpool finished ahead of everyone with five team awards, but it was closer than the Premier League title race as they just pipped surprisingly Man Utd, who finished second with four awards. In joint third with three awards were Man City and believe it or not Norwich City. Throughout the season Brighton were the only team not to win a team award.

GOALKEEPER: NICK POPE (Burnley)

This was an extremely tight one with two keepers finishing ahead on four awards each. In the end I gave it to the Burnley man as his four awards were more stretched over the course of the season. In comparison, the other keeper with four awards, Watford’s Ben Foster had most of his awards early in the season. There were three goalkeepers who finished the season on three awards each. Bournemouth’s Aaron Ramsdale, Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris & Crystal Palace’s Vincente Guaita.

DEFENDER: TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (Liverpool)

Traditionally this is usually the tightest category and there was no change this year. Only four defenders ended the season with more then one award, but in the end it had to go to the Liverpool man as he also won an Unsung Hero award during the season. The three other defenders who finished on two awards were Liverpool’s Van Dijk, Sheff Utd’s Egan and Man Utd’s Wan-Bissaka.

MIDFIELDER: KEVIN DE BRUYNE (Man City)

This was the most clear cut of all categories and i’m sure it comes as no surprises to see the Man City man winning it. De Bruyne was head and shoulders above his counterparts with four awards over the course of the season. Only three other midfielders won multiple awards and finished joint second with two awards each. Liverpool duo Fabinho & Henderson, also Man City’s David Silva.

FORWARD: JAMIE VARDY (Leicester)

Although the season awards like to drum up surprises, there was none here as the Premier League top scorer takes this award and was two ahead of any other forward, winning the most individual awards this season with five. Joint second with three awards each were Southampton’s Danny Ings and Liverpool’s Mo Salah. Four players were third with two awards, Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham, Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerik Aubameyang and Tottenham’s Harry Kane.

MANAGER: MIKEL ARTETA (Arsenal)

This was the season awards first real surprise. The Arsenal manager wins this ahead of everyone else with four awards. It comes as a surprise as he did it in half a season having taken the Arsenal job in December. Three managers finished joint second on three awards, Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, Sheff Utd’s Chris Wilder and Man Utd’s Ole Gunner Solskjaer. There were seven managers who finished the season on two awards.

UNSUNG HERO: JORDAN HENDERSON (Liverpool)

This category is typically the more closely contested with not many multiple winners, due to the nature of the award and this season was no different. Only two players finished the season having won this award twice. However, it wasn’t a hard decision to give it to the Liverpool man as he also won two midfield awards during the course of the season. The other player to win two awards in this category was Sheff Utd’s John Lundstram.

GAME1: NORWICH 3-2 MAN CITY

Norwich opened the scoring against the run of play when Buendia’s out-swinging corner from the right was met by McLean who ghosted in at the near post to head home (18). Ten minutes later, Norwich were miraculously two up. Stieperman turned in midfield and played a through ball that broke the offside trap. It was then two against one and as Pukki ran in on goal, he intelligently slipped the ball to his left to deceive the on rushing Ederson and Walker chasing back for Cantwell to tap into an empty net (28). On the stroke of half time Man City pulled a goal back when Aguero was left unmarked in the box to head home (45). In the second half, Norwich got a third when Otamendi delayed just outside the box to allow Buendia to pick his pocket, then squared for Pukki to steady himself and poke home (50). Rodri then pulled a goal back for City with a rasping low drive from the edge of the box (88). But that was the end of the scoring giving Norwich a memorable victory.

GAME2: SHEFF UTD 3-3 MAN UTD 

Sheff Utd took a deserved early lead when Mousset raced down the left, outmuscled Jones before controlling and squaring the ball across the box for Lundstram, whose shot was saved by De Gea but the rebound bounced off Fleck and in (19). Sheff Utd extended their lead in the second half when Mousset played a one, two and ran onto Fleck’s through ball and expertly finished from just outside the box (52). Man Utd pulled a goal back when debutant Williams finished a first time effort neatly from inside the box following a cross from the right (72). Man Utd then equalised when Rashford put a lovely ball in from the right corner of the box and sub Greenwood slid in to finish from 6 yards (77). Amazingly, Man Utd went ahead when Martial linked with James down the left and his cut back found Rashford who lashed home first time (79). However, there was one final twist to this game, when Stevens made a nuisance down the left, the ball eventually came to Robinson in the box who managed to dig out a cross to McBurnie, who control and did well to get his arm out the way before volleying home off the arm of De Gea desperately trying to save (90).

GAME3: WOLVES 3-2 MAN CITY

This game had drama early when Jota raced onto a through ball, Ederson came rushing out and as Jota lifted the ball over him, Ederson took him out to receive his marching orders (12). City then took the lead when VAR stated Dendoncker had fouled Mahrez in the box, Sterling stepped up to take the pen but it was saved, however, VAR stated there was encroachment so Sterling had a second go, Patricio save that also, but Sterling was on hand to tap in the rebound (25). In the second half, Sterling made it two when he raced onto De Bruyne’s superb through ball and neatly dinked the ball over Patricio (50). Wolves then pulled a goal back from a Traore’s rasping drive from just outside the box (55). Wolves then got an equaliser when Traore outmuscled Mendy on the touchline and squared the ball for Jimenez to tap home (82). Wolves then got a dramatic late winner when Doherty played a ball into Jimenez, he then rolled it back behind him for Doherty to run onto and finish expertly with his left foot into the far bottom corner (89).

GOAL1: SON HEUNG-MIN (Tottenham) v Burnley

Following a cleared free kick, the ball fell to Son just outside his own box. He turned and began to run towards goal with Burnley defenders all around him, he glided away from three Burnley players, until he got to the half way line, he then jinxed past another Burnley player, then cut back inside, past another, his pace managed to get him away from two chasing players until he got into the box where he cooly slotted the ball past the keeper.

GOAL2: ALIREZA JAHANBAKHSH (Brighton) v Chelsea

With time ticking down and Brighton heading for defeat, they found a breakthrough. A corner was swung over from the right, which was headed up into to the air, as it come down, just parallel to the penalty spot. Jahanbakhsh left fly with a superb, acrobatic overhead kick, getting perfect connection, to send the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net, to leave the keeper stranded on the line.

GOAL3: JORDAN AYEW (Crystal Palace) v West Ham

Ayew picked up the ball on the right touchline, he then cut inside and ran square across the outside of the box, alongside four West Ham defenders blocking his way, as one defender came at to tackle, he expertly pirouetted around him, then with one motion, cut inside one defender, then dragged it past another into the box and as the keeper came out to meet him, he dinked the ball neatly over him for a superb solo goal in the 90th minute.

FOOL: WATFORD FC 

I suppose it was kind of fitting the relegated team takes this award. Watford who are notorious for sacking managers and making it work, finally saw that strategy take its toll. In a category that saw players, teams, officials, boards and of course VAR, they were six winners of this award who finished on two awards, but the only ones to have three awards over the course of the season were Watford, and taking the fool of the week in the last two weeks of the season sealed their fate on and off the field. FOOLS!