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Pulse Sports pick out some success stories and disappointments from the concluded Premier League campaign.
Another enthralling Premier League campaign culminated on Sunday, with Manchester City notching an unprecedented fourth consecutive title with a 3-1 win over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium, Jurgen Klopp saying goodbye to Liverpool, David Moyes doing likewise for the Hammers in Manchester and the absence of drama at the bottom as Luton Town’s aim for a significant goal-swing did not materialise.
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Pulse Sports looks back at some of the winners and losers of the season.
Winners
Arsenal
What a team. What a manager. Arsenal’s trajectory points to an eventual Premier League triumph under Mikel Arteta, but this could have been the year.
While some Gooners would rue the mid-April loss to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, and defeat to West Ham United before the turn of the year, the North London club are not going away.
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19:56 - 19.05.2024
Strong 2.1: Premier League fans mock Arsenal for finishing behind Man City on final day
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal finished second behind Manchester City on a heartbreaking last day.
Excluding the 2019-20 season where Arteta took charge around the midway point, Arsenal have improved steadily in the following years ending with 61 points in 2020-21, 69 in 21-22, 84 last season and 89 in 23-24.
Expect them to mount another title challenge next season.
Aston Villa
Despite the 5-0 hammering by Crystal Palace on the final day, Aston Villa making it to the Champions League for the first time since the competition’s revamp in 1992-93 means Unai Emery’s first full year should be regarded as a success.
The Conference League semi-finalists have not played in the European Cup since 1982-83, the campaign after reigning supreme on the continent in 1982. Next season should be fun at Villa Park, with supporters possibly not believing their luck, having been fearful of relegation before Emery’s appointment in October 2022.
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08:36 - 15.05.2024
Premier League Standings: Aston Villa revel in Champions League return after 41 years
Thanks to Manchester City, Aston Villa will be back in the Champions League for the first time since 1983.
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner’s appointment has given Palace the much-needed fresh start after it all went stale under Roy Hodgson.
Only Manchester City’s perfect finish to the season bettered the Eagles’ six victories from their last seven (one draw), with the Austrian benefitting from the returns of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, while Jean-Philippe Mateta was among the goals in 23-24, notching 13 in as many games, including a final-day hat-trick against Aston Villa.
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The upshot of Glasner's appointment and ensuing form was a top-half finish for the 10th-placed Palace. For context, they had not managed such a high finish since Alan Pardew led them to 10th in 2014-15.
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Bournemouth
Bournemouth's decision to dismiss Gary O'Neil before the commencement of the campaign raised eyebrows and the schadenfreude that met the Spaniard's winless run in the opening nine rounds (six defeats) was striking.
However, the erstwhile Rayo Vallecano boss got his ideas across and it translated into results. Dominic Solanke's 19-goal season is the striker's best return in the top flight, and it helped the Cherries to 48 points, the club's highest tally since first gaining promotion in 2015-16.
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Chelsea
The clearest indicator of Chelsea’s improvement under Mauricio Pochettino is in the points return, underlining the higher consistency in the second full season of the new ownership.
Chelsea ended 12th in 2022 on 44 points, with this term's 63 a 19-point increase under the former Tottenham Hotspur boss. While the Blues were always unlikely to sink lower than the previous campaign, there have been emerging signs of improved chemistry in 2023-24, even if the defensive record was worrisome.
Cole Palmer’s storming season is the club’s undoubted highlight, with the Premier League Young Player of the Year dominating in year one at Stamford Bridge despite initial doubts surrounding his acquisition.
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Pochettino’s future remains unclear, but a young squad needing continuity should retain the Argentine.
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07:45 - 12.05.2024
Chelsea: How the Blues have improved under Mauricio Pochettino
Despite the Argentine manager’s uncertain future in West London, statistics point to the club’s encouraging trajectory since the backend of 2023.
Losers
Manchester United
Year two in England was unkind to Erik ten Hag, whose team finished 15 points worse off than the previous campaign.
Pulse Sports questioned the Dutchman’s modus operandi before the season’s commencement, analysing why his inclination to favour end-to-end games could be detrimental. And so it proved, as the Red Devils often lacked control with the ball and were typically open after losing possession.
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14:18 - 03.08.2023
ANALYSIS Erik ten Hag has embraced Manchester United's identity. Will it blow up in his face?
The Manchester United head coach is committed to playing transition football but does that bode well for the Red Devils’ Premier League prospects?
The upshot of Ten Hag’s injury-hit side was several shots faced, 14 Premier League losses and failure to end in the European spots. The latter can be remedied, but it requires defeating Manchester City on May 25’s FA Cup final to guarantee Europa League qualification.
Newcastle United
Having returned to Champions League football under Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s 2023-24 was underwhelming, with the Magpies finishing 11 points worse off than 2022-23.
Howe battled long-term injuries — chiefly Nick Pope's extended absence because of a shoulder issue — and the suspension of the club's marquee signing Sandro Tonali, but an early exit from Europe did not bring about enough results to end in the continental qualification places, finishing seventh.
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14:02 - 13.04.2024
Isak on Fire: Alexander Isak breaks Newcastle's 20-year record with goal against Tottenham
The 24-year-old scored his 20th goal of the season when he put Newcastle United ahead of Tottenham at St. James' Park on Saturday before Gordon doubled the lead.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Having overachieved after Roberto De Zerbi replaced Graham Potter to finish sixth in 2022-23, European exertions, a young squad and a glut of injuries led to Brighton’s drop-off in the concluded campaign.
The Seagulls’ strategy of acquiring relatively unknown players reportedly led to the Italian manager’s departure from the club, with the ex-Sassuolo boss wanting a tweaked approach.
Brighton ended 11th, 14 points below last term’s sixth-placed finish.
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23:16 - 30.04.2024
De Zerbi to coach Chukwueze? AC Milan target Brighton boss after fans protest against Lopetegui
The Rossoneri have now taken their search for Stefano Pioli's replacement to England; specifically Brighton, after their fans kicked against the idea of hiring Julien Lopetegui.
Brentford
The greatest slide from one season to the next was Brentford, whose 20-point drop-off was disappointing for Thomas Frank’s team.
Losing David Raya to Arsenal and not having Ivan Toney for most of the season caused a drop-off, while injuries to Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa’s AFCON 2023 involvement all contrived to hurt the club’s ambition.
The underlying numbers provided by FBref show that the Bees should have ended around mid-table, possibly pointing to improvement in 2024-25.
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The relegated sides
Sheffield United bear much of the brunt here, having let in 104 goals in the concluded campaign, as they suffered immediate relegation along with Burnley and Luton Town.
The three sides that gained promotion ended in the bottom three after accruing 66 points, 10 shy of the previous 2018-19 low when Cardiff City, Fulham and Huddersfield failed to beat the drop.
Liverpool
This may cause a stir, given Liverpool’s 15-point improvement from a disappointing 2022-23, but the late-season collapse means it was an opportunity lost for the departing Klopp.
The Reds requiring comebacks and late goals seemed unsustainable, and the reliance on several young players pointed to a stretched side. Regardless, the failure to capitalise on a seemingly straightforward run-in on paper following the injury returns was disappointing, with Klopp's clash with Mohamed Salah in the run-in a low point.
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Liverpool were third after 31 games — level with Manchester City on seven points and one shy of Arsenal in gameweek 31. But they lost steam in the final seven matches to finish seven behind Arsenal and nine adrift of Man City.
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Defeats to Man Utd and Atalanta in the FA Cup and Europa League, respectively means Klopp exits with February’s EFL Cup win against Chelsea, a game they could have lost had Pochettino’s men shown maturity.
What comes next?
The 2024-25 Premier League season starts on August 17, 2024, with 17 clubs to be joined by Leicester City, Ipswich and either Leeds United or Southampton.
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