The final matchday this season is going to be one of the hottest we’ve had in years.
Literally everything is going down to the wire.
The title race, relegation battle, top 4 race, and even the fight for Europa League spots
will all be decided on the 22nd of May, 2022, the final matchday of the 2021-22 Premier
League season.
So, in anticipation of a dramatic day, we have decided to look at 5 of the most dramatic
and nail-biting final day matches in the history of the Premier League.
Let’s get right to it!
1.
Lasagna-gate – 2006
In a very familiar plot, the battle for 4th place in 2006 was between Arsenal and Tottenham.
Going into the final day, Spurs were in 4th, just one point above Arsenal in 5th.
So, all they needed to do was match whatever result their city rivals got that day and
they’d be good.
But they ended up losing to West Ham while Arsenal came from behind to beat Wigan 4-2.
And that’s not even the interesting part in all of this.
Apparently, the morning of the final matchday, about 10 first team Spurs players turned up
sick.
The manager and the rest of the technical crew were devastated.
They tried to get the Premier League to postpone their game, but as is the custom, all games
had to be played on the same day and at the same time so that no team had any advantage
over the others.
So, Spurs had to field a very weak team that day.
Michael Carrick insisted on playing in spite of his stomach bug, but he was far from his
best and had to be taken off with about 30 minutes left on the clock.
Such was the state of the team that day.
Arsenal took advantage of the misfortune of their neighbors and went on to grab the last
Champions League ticket.
And Spurs could only blame their misfortune on their last supper, lasagna.
The boys had a dinner of lasagna the night before and the crew suspected it was the meal
that caused the players’ sickness.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, led the English media to name the whole drama Lasagna-gate.
Spurs still tried to fight their misfortune by pleading for a replay after the game.
But not only was it ignored, it brought them more ridicule from their North London rivals
who couldn’t stop going at them with the name “lasagna-gate”.
But a couple years earlier, we had another pretty interesting final day top 4 battle.
2.
Billion-dollar Champions League ticket – 2003
It’s not every season we get a cracker match like Chelsea vs. Liverpool on the last day
of the season.
But we were presented with that gift on the final matchday of the 2002-03 Premier League
season.
Apart from the fact that the match was between two big teams, it was made more interesting
because both teams were fighting for the exact same thing – the last Champions League spot.
It was all well-poised going into the final matchday.
Both teams were on the same points, with the odds only slightly in Chelsea’s favor because
of a healthier goal difference.
But it was all still simple; whoever wins the game, wins the Champions League ticket.
It was all or nothing!
And both teams fought like it indeed was all or nothing for them.
It was a game that saw a red card for Steven Gerrard, and ultimately, a comeback 2-1 win
for Chelsea.
But in the grand scheme of things, that match probably meant more than just Champions League
qualification the following season.
A certain Russian billionaire was lurking in the English football market for a new club
to acquire.
And you get the feeling that that UCL ticket was the final motivation Abramovich needed
to purchase the West London club.
Now, think about it, what if Liverpool won that day and got UCL qualification instead
of Chelsea.
Would Roman have chosen to buy Liverpool instead?
If he did, just imagine how much more different the entire world of football would be now.
No, think about it for a second!
The final matchday in 2003 turned out to be much bigger than we all realized in real time.
3.
False prophet – 1996
Back before the Abu Dhabi takeover, it was more common to see Manchester City in the
bottom half of the table than the top.
And in 1996, they weren’t just in the bottom half, they were fighting for their lives in
the bottom 3.
The relegation battle was between them, Southampton, and Coventry.
All 3 of them were on the same points going into the last day, but it was City that was
in the drop zone on goal difference.
So, on the final day, they had to do better than their rivals to escape the drop.
And guess who they had to go against!
Liverpool!
Oh yes.
Back then, a Liverpool vs. City game was not deciding who would win the title, it was deciding
who would be relegated.
Oh, how times have changed, right?
Anyway, that game, just like the second leg of the same fixture this season, ended 2-2.
City were 2-nil down by halftime, but they found strength from somewhere and fought back
in the second half to equalize.
Now, they could have gone for the win, but apparently, a fan in the stadium got word
going around that a draw was enough to keep them safe.
That same word got to the City manager who then instructed his players to take the ball
to the corner flag and protect their point.
Now, remember that the internet wasn’t that prevalent back then, so they could not just
quickly pull out their smartphones to confirm the score lines elsewhere.
But when they eventually did confirm that Coventry and Southampton were drawing their
games, it was too late.
They had already rundown the clock and the game ended in a draw.
That very bizarre turn of events in the last few minutes of the final matchday in 1996
meant that Manchester City were demoted to the second tier of English football on goal
difference.
But fast forward 16 years later, and City were involved in another historic final day
drama which meant something completely different to the entire city of Manchester.
4.
Agueroooooooo!
For sure, we all know the story of this one.
The final matchday which tore a city completely apart.
At the end of their game on the final day of the season, Manchester United thought they
were already champions.
Going into the game, both Manchester clubs were on the same points, but City had a superior
goal difference.
So, United needed to win and then hope that Manchester City drop points at home to QPR.
And the Red Devils did their part.
They won their game away to Sunderland, and at fulltime at the United game, QPR were 2-1
up against Manchester City at the Etihad with only minutes to go.
Surely, the job was done…
right?
Wrong!
Edin Dzeko equalized in the 92nd minute.
And then, in the 94th minute, it happened!
Aguero scored that late, late winner to clinch the Premier League title for Manchester City
on goal difference.
Honestly, has there been a crazier final day madness than this in any league at all?
No, for real, if you think there has been a more dramatic final matchday anywhere than
that Aguero moment, please do let us know in the comments.
But before we leave, we anticipate a nail-biting matchday on Sunday, the final day of the current
Premier League season, so we're adding it to the list in anticipation.
5.
All for grabs – 2022
Here’s a list of things that could happen at the end of matchday on Sunday the 22nd
of May, 2022:
Manchester City could be champions if they win their game.
Liverpool could be champions if they win and City drop points.
Spurs could finish in the top 4 if they just don’t lose.
Arsenal could finish in the top 4 if they win and Spurs lose.
Manchester United could qualify for the Europa League if they win.
West Ham could snatch that Europa League spot if they win and United drop points.
Burnley could be relegated if they fail to win their last two games.
Leeds could be relegated if they fail to win their last game and Burnley manages to get,
at least, a point.
Everton could be relegated if they lose their last two games while Burnley and Leeds both
win.
With all these outcomes still possible going into the last day, this season might just
produce the most dramatic final day we have ever seen in Premier League history, and boy
are we excited for that!
Now, what are your predictions for each of the possible outcomes?
What do you think will happen?
Let us know in the comments.
Of course, you know you have to give us your predictions before kickoff on Sunday.
Go ahead and blow our minds!
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Bye!