By: Fasika Zelealem
2020 EPL Top Four Odds: Who Made the Cut?
The 2019/20 Premier League season has come to a close and it probably goes down as the craziest season in English football history, and not for good reasons.
The final day of the season consisted of a relegation battle and a top four battle and we will look at who made the cut for the Champions League and who sadly didn’t.
Chelsea fans… CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve officially made the UEFA Champions League next season. A hectic couple of minutes before half-time consisted of two Chelsea goals thanks to Mason Mount and Olivier Giroud who gave The Blues a two-goal cushion over Wolves going into half-time.
Chelsea finished fourth in the table, level on points with Manchester United and four points ahead of fifth-placed Leicester City.
It’s the perfect end to the season and perfect result heading into their FA Cup final against Arsenal on the 1st of August.
The Last Second UEFA Champions League Qualifiers
Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech will be playing in the Champions League next season and with the likely signing of Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen on the cards, Chelsea is a dark horse to do some dangerous things next season.
Manchester United fans… CONGRATULATIONS! You too have also qualified for the UEFA Champions League next season. A crucial 2-0 away win against top four rivals Leicester City on the final day confirmed United’s qualification and meant they finished third in Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s first full season in charge.
A 14th penalty for United during the game which Bruno Fernandes converted meant no other team in Premier League history has been awarded more penalties than United have had this season. A last-second strike from Jesse Lingard doubled the scoreline and provided a perfect ending to United’s league campaign, finishing on a 14-match unbeaten streak.
United’s season isn’t finished, as they play LASK in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie in the Europa League. United have a 5-0 advantage from the first leg and are no doubt the favorites to win the Europa League with odds of -200.
Leicester City and the Falter at the Finish
Leicester City fans… COMMISERATIONS! After spending 30 matchdays in the top four, Leicester City has found a way to bottle their Champions League aspirations as a 2-0 home loss to Manchester United on the final day of the season condemned them to finish fifth, four points behind both Chelsea and Manchester United.
A horrendous second half of the season where they won just four games in their last 17 games means they qualify for the Europa League instead of making a return to the Champions League, a competition they reached the quarterfinals in 2017.
On a positive side for Leicester City, Jamie Vardy became the first-ever Leicester City player to win the Premier League Golden Boot with 23 goals,
This is a second bottle job on manager Brendan Rodgers’ resume, of course, the first being the infamous 2013/14 season as manager of Liverpool. Rodgers will be on thin ice next season after a capitulation in the second half of the season.
It’s been a wild and wonderful Premier League season and we can only hope for more craziness next season.
