The highlight games for the EPL season finale are ARSENAL versus WOLVES and MANCHESTER UNITED versus FULHAM. Our feature columnist, John Newsome previews these and all game week 38 matches with his unique and insightful commentary. You can view all previous analysis from John’s regular column here: English Premier League Predictions For Saturday.
Please note all prices quoted below were correct at the time of publication
Game Week-38
Sunday 28th
All of these Final Fixtures kick off at the same time, that being 16.30 in England and are the reverse of Game Week-16, which took place in November before the start of Qatar’22.
ARSENAL v WOLVES
The Gunners suffered a defeat against the Tricky Trees on Saturday that not only meant Nottingham Forest were safe from relegation but the loss also gifted the Premier League Title to Man City, without Pep’s Blues kicking a ball.
Arsenal conceded a goal in the 1st-half that ultimately cost them the game by a 1-0 scoreline.
Mikel Arteta and his Young Guns should still be proud of themselves for finishing 2nd behind City which will give Arsenal and the Gooners a few trips to Europe in the Champions League next season.
Arsenal sit in 2nd place with 81 points and a possibility of a further 3 with a victory against Wolves today.
Manchester United can achieve 75 points so to potentially finish 9 points ahead of them is a great achievement for everyone connected with the Gunners.
Bukayo Saka has committed his future to the Gunners and signed a new 4-year contract, at around £250,000 a week, so the lad won’t be worried about putting the heating on this Winter.
Wolves looked to have gained all 3 points against Everton on Saturday after Hwang Hee-Chan scored in the 1st-half, however, the Toffees scored an equaliser in the 99th minute (99th!) to give both teams a share of the points from a draw by a 1-1 score.
Wolves sit in 13th place with 41 points and a chance to finish the campaign with 44, which wouldn’t improve the league position but the Gold and Blacks will certainly accept that after being in the relegation zone when Julen Lopetegui turned up.
There is a doubt regarding Julen’s continuation as Manager that needs to be addressed as there are conflicting reports as to whether the Spaniard will stay for next season due to the financial situation at the club.
At Molineux, Mikel’s Young Guns gained the away day victories over Steve Davis’ Gold and Blacks by a 2-0 score.
Martin Odegaard with both of the Arsenal goals scored in the 2nd-half.
Betfred offer Arsenal at Odds On 4/12, the draw at 4/1 and 13/2 for Wolves to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Gabriel Jesus Scores First and 5/4 that a Penalty is Scored.
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ASTON VILLA v BRIGHTON
Aston Villa gained a great point from a draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.
Jacob Ramsey scored in the 1st-half after Ollie Watkins had missed a penalty.
Unfortunately for the travelling Villains, their team couldn’t hold on for the victory conceding a late Liverpool goal to share the points from a 1-1 score.
The point gained gives Aston Villa 58 from the 37 games completed which lifts Villa above Tottenham into 7th, the final European Place, which could see Unai Emery’s Claret and Blues compete in the Europa Conference League.
Brighton will have played 3 games since the Game Week-36 affair against Arsenal.
Last Thursday, the Seagulls flew the long-distance North to St James Park to fight the Magpies and came away suffering a defeat against Newcastle by a 4-1 scoreline.
It was then back to the Amex, where
Brighton themselves confirmed a European place following a victory against Southampton on Saturday.
Evan Ferguson scored twice with Pascal Gross adding a 3rd, giving Brighton the win by a 3-1 score.
Southampton scored just before Pascal’s goal.
Brighton then faced Man City at the Amex on Wednesday in a rearranged Game Week-32 affair.
After conceding a Man City goal, Julio Enciso hit a beautiful long-range effort from 25 yards that no Goalkeeper would have saved.
With no further goals, Roberto’s Seagulls shared the points with Pep’s High Flying Blues from a draw by a 1-1 score.
The Seagulls, with 62 points will finish in 6th place, which means a Europa League place is confirmed and celebrated wildly.
Lewis Dunk has been included in Gareth Southgate’s England Squad for the upcoming Internationals in June against Malta and North Macedonia.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring at the Amex back in November, however, a brace from Danny Ings, 1 either side of the break, gave Unai’s Claret and Blues the victory over Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls by a 2-1 score.
Betfred offer Aston Villa at 6/5, the draw at 11/4 and 2/1 for Brighton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Ollie Watkins Scores First and 11/8 that there are Five Plus Corners in Both Halves.
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BRENTFORD v MAN CITY
Brentford were a Team of Two Halves on Saturday against Tottenham at the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium.
Spurs took the lead in the 1st-half and were the dominant team until Thomas Frank got into his Bees in the dressing room.
Brentford then came out and completely destroyed Tottenham, with 2 goals from Bryan Mbeumo and a Yoane Wissa strike giving Thomas’s Bees the victory over Ryan’s Rubbish by a 3-1 away day score.
Brentford sit in 9th place, with 56 points, a place and a point below Tottenham who just want to get the season over.
The Bees can achieve 59 points, with a victory against Pep’s High Flying Blues, that could mean a Europa Conference League place but that would only occur if Aston Villa suffer a defeat against Brighton and Leeds United gain a victory over Tottenham.
Although that does include a few scenarios, it’s definitely not out of the question and the Brentford faithful should at least start looking for their Passports.
‘Champi-onies, Champi-onies, Olay, Olay, Olay’
Man City are the 2022/23 Premier League Champions for the 3rd year in succession and the 5th out of the last 6 years.
After being given the chance to seal the Title by gaining a victory over Chelsea on Sunday, Pep’s High Flying Blues actually achieved the brilliant 3 in a Row, by not kicking a ball, when Nottingham Forest gained a surprise victory over Arsenal on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland were sat in the local ‘Spoons’ waiting for ‘Curry Saturday For Three’ to kick in, wearing Forest shirts with ‘Clough’, ‘Francis’ and ‘Robertson’ on the back when the news came through that Arsenal had lost and the Title was staying at the Etihad.
Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and John Stones were in the British Legion in Penistone, all wearing Green Track Tops famously worn by Sir Brian Clough, celebrating the Forest victory over the Gunners with a Pint of Mild and a game of Snooker, although Ilkay wouldn’t partner with John as the Barnsley Stone is rubbish with a Cue in hand, however, as Tina would say,
‘Simply The Best!’
With a ball at his feet!
Rest in Peace Tina Turner.
There was a photo put out recently of a young John Stones acting as a Ball Boy at Oakwell aged around 13/14 years old.
So to every young girl or boy out there who has aspirations to be a Footballer or for that matter, any Sportsperson, that Young Ball Boy at Oakwell has just won his 5th Premier League Title and will be in the FA Cup Final next week, then will finish off in the Champions League Final on June the 10th.
Aspire to Greatness, The Barnsley Stone has!
A group of Citizens that rarely start in a Man City shirt, were still strong enough to gain a victory over Chelsea at the Etihad on Sunday.
A single Julian Alvarez goal gave City all 3 points from a 1-0 score.
Then the Party Started on a Sunday Night.
Kalvin Phillips (remember him?) made his first start in the Premier League and did ok in the middle of the park, controlling things, against a World Cup Winner in Enzo Fernandez.
Phil Foden, Sergio Gomez, Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and the City Cup Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, were all thrown into the starting eleven, along with Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji who were the only two players that started against Real Madrid last Wednesday.
Poor Kyle Walker must have done something wrong as Pep kept the Sheffield lad on for the full 90 minutes, for the 4th game in a row.
Then it was 5 in succession, with Kyle playing the full 90 minutes against Brighton on Wednesday.
One word about Mr Walker,
Simply Awesome!
Ok, 2 words.
Against Brighton at the Amex, in the rearranged Game Week-32 affair, Phil Foden scored to give City a lead.
Unfortunately for the travelling Citizens, Phil’s goal was quickly cancelled out by a superb strike from the Brighton Striker Julio Enciso that Stefan Ortega had no chance with.
Although there were a few reserves playing, Erling Haaland was on the pitch for the whole game and despite a couple of clear-cut opportunities, couldn’t add to his Premier League tally of 36.
Man City held out for a draw from a 1-1 score, giving the Blues 89 points before this Final Fixture.
If one has forgotten, the New Premier League Champions actually suffered a defeat at the Etihad against Brentford back in November.
Phil Foden scored on the stroke of half-time, to equalise an early Ivan Toney goal, taking both teams in level at the break.
Ivan then scored the winner in the 98th minute (98th!) to give the Bees the victory by a 2-1 away day scoreline.
Don’t bet on Mr Toney scoring today as the lad has been suspended for 8 months, due to betting on Sport.
Seems a bit of a harsh punishment, one player gets an 8 Game Ban for pushing a referee and the other gets 8 Months for having a couple of quid on Barnsley to get the victory over Sheffield Wednesday?
Betfred offer Brentford at 18/5, the draw at 16/5 and slight Odds On 4/6 for Man City to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 3/1 that Julian Alvarez Scores First and 7/4 that Both Teams Receive 20 Plus Booking Points (Basically 2 Yellow Cards apiece)
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CHELSEA v NEWCASTLE
The day has finally arrived to call time on a completely horrendous season for Chelsea.
Chelsea have suffered back-to-back defeats in Manchester this week, with a loss on Sunday at the Etihad against Man City by a 1-0 score, then on Thursday at Old Trafford against Manchester United by a devastating 4-1 scoreline.
In truth, Chelsea did have a few chances but United, who had notched twice before the break, took control in the 2nd-half adding 2 more goals before Joao Felix scored a late consolation.
Enough said!
Two permanent Managers and Caretaker Frank have overseen the Blues head into the Final Fixture in 12th place (12th!) with 43 points.
If results go against Chelsea today, the final league position could be as low as 14th, however, it’s more than likely to be the 12th place at the final whistle.
That said, Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich had the chance to get one hand on the Bundesliga Title on Saturday but suffered a defeat against RB Leipzig by a 3-1 score and Bayern were at home.
Borussia Dortmund are now in pole position to win the title, overtaking Thomas’s Bayern Engines at the summit and have a 2-point advantage going into the Final Fixture next week.
Dortmund are at home against Mainz and Bayern are away against FC Koln or as the English would call them, FC Cologne.
So maybe Chelsea were right to get rid of TT, plus, were going nowhere under the Wizards’ guidance.
Mauricio Pochettino is the New Manager so expect Chelsea to improve next season and possibly finish as high as 6th.
Newcastle have played twice since the Game Week-36 encounter against Leeds United.
Last Thursday, Eddie and the Magpies destroyed Roberto’s Seagulls at St James Park, with Newcastle inflicting a defeat on Brighton by a 4-1 scoreline.
Goals from Dan Burn, Callum Wilson, Bruno Guimaraes and a Brighton own goal were enough to do the damage and earn a great 3 points.
That gave Newcastle 69 points and following the rest of the weekend’s results, virtually guaranteed a Champions League place.
It was then a Final Fixture in front of the Toon Army at St James Park against Leicester on Monday Night Football.
Whilst Newcastle were like the Big Bad Wolf, huffing and puffing for 90 minutes, hitting the woodwork on 3 occasions and having 77% possession, the Magpies couldn’t blow down the Foxes’ house and had to settle for a point from a draw by a 0-0 score.
As mentioned above the ‘virtually guaranteed’ has now become ‘guaranteed’ following the point gained against Leicester, as Newcastle, with 70 points, confirmed as at least finishing no lower than 4th.
Liverpool have 66 points and can only achieve 69 in total.
Manchester United are now in 3rd with 72 points but regardless of the result in the Final Fixtures, it will be Man City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle who are in the Champions League next season.
At St James Park in November, Joe Willock scored the solitary winning goal midway through the 2nd-half to give Newcastle the victory over Chelsea by a 1-0 score.
Betfred offer Chelsea at 7/4, the draw at 13/5 and 11/8 for Newcastle to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Callum Wilson Scores First and 7/2 For Any Player To Score Directly From A Free-Kick.
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CRYSTAL PALACE v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Crystal Palace played in a great game against Fulham at the weekend, with both sharing the points from a draw by 2-2 score.
Desmond was happy.
Odsonne Edouard and Joel Ward scored the Palace goals, either side of the 2 Fulham strikes to give both a point apiece, leaving Crystal Palace now in 11th, with 44 points, a place and a point more than Chelsea.
Which is simply brilliant for everyone connected to the Selhurst Park club, including Patrick Vieira.
Eleventh is the highest place Crystal Palace can get, even if a victory is achieved today and 12th is the lowest if Palace suffer a defeat and Chelsea get a win against Newcastle.
Nottingham Forest gained the result of the weekend, gaining a victory over Arsenal by a 1-0 scoreline.
Taiwo Awoniyi with the solitary winning goal after 19 minutes.
The brilliant win did a couple of things.
It gifted the Premier League Title to Man City and ensured that Nottingham Forest were safe from relegation and will be in the Premier League again next season.
A brilliant return for Steve Cooper and his Tricky Trees.
Forest sit in 16th place with 37 points from 37 games, basically a point a game.
Forest can’t drop any lower but could jump to 15th if a victory is achieved today coupled with a defeat for Bournemouth against Everton.
Mull of Kintyre, oh mist rolling in from the Sea.
My desire is always to be here, oh Mull of Kintyre.
When the Eagles ventured North up the M1 to the City Ground, Morgan Gibbs- White scored the only goal of the game, early in the 2nd-half to give Steve Cooper’s Forest the victory over Patrick Vieira’s Palace by a 1-0 scoreline.
Wilfried Zaha had missed a penalty just before the half-time cup of tea.
Betfred offer Crystal Palace at slight Odds On 8/11, the draw at 11/4 and 7/2 for Nottingham Forest to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/5 that Eberechi Eze Scores Anytime and 23/20 that Taiwo Awoniyi Scores Anytime.
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***Premier League Team of the Week***
GOALKEEPER- Keylor Navas- Nottingham Forest
RIGHT-BACK- Kyle Walker- Man City
CENTRE-BACK- Joe Worrell- Nottingham Forest
CENTRE-BACK- Ethan Pinnock- Brentford
LEFT-BACK- Luke Thomas- Leicester
MIDFIELDER- Declan Rice- West Ham
MIDFIELDER- Kalvin Phillips- Man City
MIDFIELDER- Morgan Gibbs-White Nottingham Forest
FORWARD- Bryan Mbeumo- Brentford
FORWARD- Julian Alvarez- Man City
FORWARD- Taiwo Awoniyi- Nottingham Forest
STAR MEN- All of the Man City and Nottingham Forest Players, Staff and Fans.
EVERTON v BOURNEMOUTH
Everton scored an equaliser in the 99th minute (99th!) on Saturday at Molineux against Wolves, with Yerry Mina tapping home from close range to earn the Toffees a valuable point from a draw by a 1-1 score.
The point gives Sean Dyche’s Blues 33 and leaves Everton just outside of the relegation zone in 17th place.
Leicester and Leeds United both have 31 points.
The scenario now is this,
If Everton get a draw today against Bournemouth then the Toffees will have 34 points.
A victory would guarantee staying in the Premier League.
However, a draw married with either or both of a Leeds United and Leicester victory would mean all would have 34 points.
It’s then down to goal difference, which at the moment sees,
Everton minus-24.
Leicester minus-18.
Leeds’ minus-27.
If the unthinkable happens that Leeds inflict a defeat on Tottenham by a 3-0 score, Everton could be relegated based on Goals Scored.
All 3 teams are at home so can’t use the excuse of not having the backing from the faithful.
At the end of the day, Everton just need to win, to take all the other scenarios out of the equation.
Perversely, Everton could stay up, even suffering a defeat, if Leicester and Leeds United fail to win.
To have 33 points and stay up, will be a record.
In the 2004/05 season, West Brom stayed up with 34 points.
It should be a very entertaining but nervy Super Sunday on Merseyside, the Midlands and in West Yorkshire, with one of the iconic teams staying up and the others heading to the Championship to potentially face Barnsley FC next season.
Bournemouth suffered a defeat against Manchester United on Saturday, with a single goal conceded early being the difference, giving United the points from a 1-0 score.
The Cherries sit in 15th place with 39 points and could either reach as high as 12th with a victory (plus other results going for them) or as low as 16th if a defeat occurred today and Nottingham Forest won.
Everyone connected with Bournemouth are just happy that it’s another year in the Promised Land, with all 3 teams promoted from the Championship last season, eventually staying up.
Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Jaidon Anthony scored the Cherries’ goals at the Vitality back in November, giving Gary O’Neil’s Bournemouth the victory over Frank Lampard’s Everton by a 3-0 scoreline.
Betfred offer Everton at Odds On 4/9, the draw at 7/2 and 6/1 for Bournemouth to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 3/1 that there are Under 1.5 Goals and slight Odds On 5/6 that Both Teams DON’T Score.
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LEEDS UNITED v TOTTENHAM
‘Leeds, Leeds are falling apart again, Leeds, Leeds are falling apart again.’
Judgement Day for the Marching On Together crew.
If this fixture had come in a month or so, it could easily have been a relegation battle following Tottenham being useless now.
Leeds suffered a devastating defeat against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday, this time by a 3-1 score.
Rodrigo did score the opener to give the away team a lead but poor defending allowed David Moyes Boys to score 3 goals to get the home victory.
The relegation scenario is explained above but one will go over this again for the West Yorkshire puddings just to make things clear.
Leeds United, sitting in 19th place with 31 points, have to hope that Everton lose against Bournemouth and that Leicester fail to win against West Ham, plus achieve a victory themselves today.
Taken from above,
‘The point gives Sean Dyche’s Blues 33 and leaves Everton just outside of the relegation zone in 17th place.
Leicester and Leeds United both have 31 points.
The scenario now is this,
If Everton get a draw today against Bournemouth then the Toffees will have 34 points.
A victory would guarantee staying in the Premier League.
However, a draw married with either or both of a Leeds United and Leicester victory would mean all would have 34 points.
It’s then down to goal difference, which at the moment sees,
Everton minus-24.
Leicester minus-18.
Leeds’ minus-27.
If the unthinkable happens that Leeds inflict a defeat on Tottenham by a 3-0 score, Everton could be relegated based on Goals Scored.’
So basically, Leeds can only really stay up if Everton lose and whilst other scenarios could potentially save the Whites, those other scenarios are long odds.
‘Spurs, Spurs are falling apart again, Spurs, Spurs are falling apart again!’
Tottenham just want the season to end, following the recent run of games.
Harry Kane did what Harry does on Saturday against Brentford and scored a brilliant opener to give Spurs a lead at the break, in front of the home faithful.
Unfortunately following 45 minutes of dominance it was then 45 minutes of disarray that saw Tottenham concede 3 goals and ultimately suffer a defeat by a 3-1 scoreline.
The LilyWhites were then asking,
‘Is that Harry Kane’s Final Fixture at the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium as a Tottenham player?
If HK has any sense then it should be.
The decision to part ways with Antonio Conte is coming back to haunt the North London team as Tottenham now sit in 8th place with 57 points and are now unlikely to play in Europe next season when just a couple of weeks ago were in prime position for a Champions League place.
Tottenham can achieve 60 points with a victory today and hope Aston Villa lose to gain a Europa Conference League spot.
However, a defeat along with a Brentford victory could see Spurs finish as low as 9th.
There was talk of the Feyenoord boss, Arne Slot becoming the New Manager.
However, Arne,
‘Won’t be back!’ as the Dutch lad has said he wants to stay in the Netherlands, distancing himself from the Spurs job.
Ryan Mason is offering up his hand for the permanent position.
If that happens and Ryan gets the job, Tottenham might be in the Championship the season after next.
This trip up North could end up sending Leeds United down.
At the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium, before Tottenham became rubbish, Antonio Conte’s Spurs gained the victory over Jesse Marsch’s Whites, in a 7-goal thriller by a narrow 4-3 scoreline.
The goals going in as follows,
10’ Crysencio Summerville (Leeds) 0-1
25’ Harry Kane (Tottenham) 1-1
43’ Rodrigo (Leeds) 1-2
Half-Time Chicken Balti Pie
51’ Ben Davies (Tottenham) 2-2
76’ Rodrigo (Leeds) 2-3
81’ Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham) 3-3
83’ Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham) 4-3
Full-Time Pimms and Coke.
Tyler Adams was shown 2 Yellow Cards and the subsequent Red just before the Final Whistle to beat his mates into the team bath.
Crafty!
Betfred offer Leeds United at 7/4, the draw at 13/5 and 7/5 for Tottenham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/5 that Rodrigo Scores Anytime and 6/5 that Harry Kane Scores Anytime.
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LEICESTER v WEST HAM
Leicester gained a valuable point on Monday Night Football.
Before the fixture against Newcastle at St James Park, the Foxes’ survival hopes were still in their own hands but that would have meant 2 victories from the final 2 games, which considering one was against the Magpies away, it was a tall ask and to gain a point from a draw by a 0-0 score, is probably the best that was on offer.
Dean Smith dropped James Maddison and Harvey Barnes to the bench in an attempt to set up a defensive formation, however, this did produce a total of just 23% possession.
Leicester had 1 attempt on the Newcastle goal, compared to 23 from the home team, however, despite 3 of those attempts hitting the woodwork, they don’t count as ‘On Target’ and only 4 of the 23 were considered as a Shot on Goal.
The point gained does take Leicester’s fortunes out of their hands and means that the Foxes and for that matter, the Whites, need Everton to lose, otherwise, a Toffees victory against Bournemouth, sends both of the ‘L’ teams down.
Leicester sit in the final relegation place with the same 31 points as Leeds United but a slightly superior goal difference, both 2 points adrift of Everton.
There are other scenarios that have already been explained above but the main points are, Leicester need to win and Everton suffer a defeat for the Foxes to stay in the Premier League.
It was assumed that West Ham had finished for the season after reaching the Europa Conference League Final and would gift Leeds United an easy victory on Sunday, however, despite conceding an early goal to the Whites, goals from Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Manuel Lanzini gave the Hammers the victory by a 3-1 scoreline.
That meant that West Ham sit in 14th place with 40 points and could finish as high as 12th with a victory or as low as 15th with a defeat today.
A brilliant end to the season for the Bubbles who have reached a European Final and a first Final in 43 years following the FA Cup victory back in 1980, where a Trevor Brooking header, sealed the win against Arsenal by a 1-0 scoreline.
John Newsome remembers it well as if it was yesterday.
John was only 10 at the time but back then there weren’t many football games shown live on the telly with the FA Cup Final being a rare occasion.
So it was always a special day for any mad football fanatic, that started early in the morning and finished on the Final Whistle, then off to the park to recreate the day’s events.
‘Brooking! One-Nil!’
The Europa Conference League Final takes place on the 7th of June in Prague pitching West Ham against Fiorentina.
The Winners gain automatic entry into next season’s Europa League.
That will probably be Declan Rice’s final appearance in a Hammers shirt.
Arsenal are supposed favourites to land the signing of Doctor Declan but the lad would be a great fit at Old Trafford, along with Harry Kane.
Ones forever blowing Bubbles.
At the London Stadium back in November, Little Brendan Rodgers was still at the Leicester helm and inspired his Foxes to a victory over David Moyes Boys by a 2-0 away day score.
James Maddison and Harvey Barnes with a goal in each half to give Brendan’s Wonderfuls a rare 3 points.
Youri Tielemans missed a penalty too!
Betfred offer Leicester at Evens 1/1, the draw at 11/4 and 12/5 for West Ham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Jamie Vardy Scores First and 13/5 that Leicester Win To Nil.
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MANCHESTER UNITED v FULHAM
Manchester United come into this Final Fixture having gained victories over Bournemouth and Chelsea since the Game Week-36 win over Wolves.
Casemiro scored a lovely goal at the Vitality to give United the victory against the Cherries by a 1-0 scoreline.
That gave Erik’s Red Devils 69 points going into the penultimate fixture against Chelsea on Thursday.
Fourth place wasn’t secure until the result against Frank Lampard’s Blues guaranteed a Champions League place, following the 3rd victory in a row.
Casemiro scored again on Thursday plus set up Jadon Sancho with a sublime pass that Jadon then put the ball on a plate for Anthony Martial to tap home.
Both scored before the half-time cup of tea.
A converted Bruno Fernandes penalty and Marcus Rashford’s 17th goal of the season in the 2nd-half gave Erik The Red and his Devils the victory against Frank Lampard’s Blues by a 4-1 scoreline.
Chelsea did score a late consolation but it was still a brilliant display by the home team.
If Manchester United could just tempt Harry Kane to leave Tottenham and head North, bring Declan Rice with him in the Vauxhall Chevette and sign a Top Class Centre-Half then the future is bright for everyone connected with the Red Devils.
As the Stick Thrower added,
‘If.’
Is a Big Word!
As Newcastle could only manage a draw against Leicester, Manchester United jumped above into 3rd place with 72 points going into this finale at Old Trafford.
Fulham head to Old Trafford sitting in 10th place with 52 points following a draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
After conceding an early Eagles goal, Aleksandar Mitrovic made up for missing 8 games due to pushing Chris Kavanagh at Old Trafford by scoring twice to give the Cottagers an advantage.
Unfortunately, like a bad dog walker, Fulham couldn’t hold onto the lead and conceded a late equaliser to gain a point from a draw by a 2-2 score.
Fulham will finish in 10th place, regardless of today’s result as Brentford in 9th have 56 points and Crystal Palace in 11th have 44 points.
A great return for Marco Silva and his boys, joining the other two promoted teams from last season, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth in staving off relegation and spending a 2nd consecutive campaign in the Promised Land.
In November, Manchester United gained the away day victory over Fulham by a 2-1 score.
Christian Eriksen scored the opener to give United a lead at the break before the ex-Red Speedster Dan James equalised on the hour mark.
Alejandro Garnacho then scored the winner in the 93rd minute to give Erik Ten Hag’s men the points.
Betfred offer Manchester United at Odds On 2/5, the draw at 4/1 and 11/2 for Fulham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/5 that Bruno Fernandes Scores Anytime and 7/4 that Manchester United Win To Nil.
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SOUTHAMPTON v LIVERPOOL
Southampton bow out of the Premier League after 11 continuous years in the Top Flight, since being promoted in 2011/12.
Prior to that the Saints were relegated from the Championship to League One back in 2008/09 and then gained back-to-back promotions in 2010/11 and 2011/12.
The ex-Swansea Manager Russell Martin has been appointed the New Southampton Boss for the start of next season’s Championship campaign.
Southampton suffered a 5th straight defeat and the 9th from the last 12 games on Saturday.
The other 3 being drawn.
Three points from a possible 36 equals a trip to the Championship.
The latest defeat against Brighton by a 3-1 score, is neither here nor there as the Sorry Saints Season is coming to an end on Sunday.
Mohamed Elyounoussi with the Southampton consolation goal.
The Saints sit at the foot of the table with 24 points and more than likely won’t add to that tally despite being at home today.
Aurevoir Southampton.
Liverpool gained a point from a draw by a 1-1 score against Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday.
Villa scored first after 27 minutes plus missed a penalty before the goal that could have easily meant the home team going 2 goals behind.
Jurgen Klopp sent on Roberto Firmino and James Milner to allow the Anfield Rappers to say goodbye to the two stars with both leaving at the end of this campaign.
Roberto rounded off his Anfield stay by scoring an emotional equaliser in the 89th minute to earn Liverpool a point.
‘Give the Ball to Bobby and he will score!’
All the best for the future, Roberto and James.
Liverpool will finish in 5th place and compete on a Thursday Night in the Europa League next season.
At Anfield, back in November, Nathan Jones (remember him?) had just taken over as the Saints Manager but couldn’t prevent his new boys from suffering a defeat against the host by a 3-1 scoreline.
Probably the surprise in that score, was all 4 goals came in the 1st-half.
Roberto Firmino scored after 6 minutes, Che Adam equalised 3 minutes later, before Darwin Nunez added a couple more after 21 and 42 minutes, to give Liverpool a comfortable lead at the break.
With no further goals, Nathan Jones suffered his first loss as boss and was gone too long soon after.
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Back in August 2022, this EveryTip column printed the predicted Premier League finish given by John Newsome, plus the loveable OzScot, Ilkleys Finest and CSI Jonny, for each team.
Have a check on who got most right once Game Week-38 is over.
OzScot-Kylie-Dundee
1- Liverpool
2- Man City
3- Chelsea
4- Arsenal
5- Tottenham
6- Manchester United
7- Newcastle
8- West Ham
9- Leicester
10- Crystal Palace
11- Brighton
12- Aston Villa
13- Wolves
14- Southampton
15- Everton
16- Leeds United
17- Nottingham Forest
18- Brentford
19- Fulham
20- Bournemouth
CSI-Jonny-Dundee
1- Man City
2- Liverpool
3- Tottenham
4- Chelsea
5- Manchester United
6- Arsenal
7- Newcastle
8- West Ham
9- Aston Villa
10- Leicester
11- Brighton
12- Everton
13- Leeds United
14- Crystal Palace
15- Wolves
16- Southampton
17- Nottingham Forest
18- Brentford
19- Fulham
20- Bournemouth
Widster-Ilkley-Bart Hat
1- Man City
2- Chelsea
3- Liverpool
4- Manchester United
5- Arsenal
6- Newcastle
7- Tottenham
8- Aston Villa
9- West Ham
10- Crystal Palace
11- Leeds United
12- Leicester
13- Wolves
14- Brentford
15- Brighton
16- Everton
17- Southampton
18- Fulham
19- Bournemouth
20- Nottingham Forest
John Newsome’s predicted League finish
1- Man City
2- Liverpool
3- Tottenham
4- Manchester United
5- Arsenal
6- Chelsea
7- Newcastle
8- West Ham
9- Aston Villa
10- Leicester
11- Brighton
12- Crystal Palace
13- Everton
14- Wolves
15- Southampton
16- Brentford
17- Fulham
18- Leeds United
19- Bournemouth
20- Nottingham Forrest
This EveryTip column plus CSI Jonny and the Widster, did predict a Man City Title Win.
The loveable OzScot went for Liverpool.
Only John Newsome predicted Leeds United to be relegated, with no one choosing Southampton, Leicester or Everton.
There is also the Scottish Premier League predicted final positions that the loveable OzScot twisted John Newsome’s arm to document.
John was the only one out of the four to predict a Celtic SPL Title Win.
OzScot-Kylie-Dundee
1- Rangers
2- Celtic
3- Hearts (who?)
4- Aberdeen (who?)
5- Hibernian (who?)
6- Motherwell (who?)
7- Dundee United (who?)
8- Kilmarnock (who?)
9- St Mirren (who?)
10- Livingston (who? Dr I presume)
11- St Johnstone (who?)
12- Ross County (who?)
CSI-Jonny-Dundee
1- Rangers
2- Celtic
3- Hibernian (who?)
4- Aberdeen (who?)
5- Hearts (who?)
6- Motherwell (who?)
7- Kilmarnock (who?)
8- Dundee United (who?)
9- Livingston (who? Dr I presume)
10- St Johnstone (who?)
11- St Mirren (who?)
12- Ross County (who?)
Widster-Ilkley-Bart Hat
1- Rangers
2- Celtic
3- Hearts (who?)
4- Motherwell (who?)
5- Dundee United (who?)
6- Livingston (who? Dr I presume)
7- Hibernian (who?)
8- Aberdeen (who?)
9- Kilmarnock (who?)
10- Ross County (who?)
11- St Mirren (who?)
12- St Johnstone (who?)
JBs-Pub League Final positions
1-Celtic
2-Rangers
3-Dog and Duck (who?)
4-Rose and Crown (who?)
5-Royal (who?)
6-Leo’s 1989-91 (who?)
7-Kings Head (who?)
8-Kings Tail (who?)
9-Kings Other Pub Names (who?)
10-Prince of Scotland (who?)
11-The Cross Keys (who?)
12-Bonny Prince Andrew (who?)
Sunday 10th May 1998.
Game Week-38
BARNSLEY v MANCHESTER UNITED
16.00 in England
Oakwell
This is it, the final game of the best football experience of one’s life and what a fixture against Manchester United at Oakwell.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils were the current Premier League Champions and
had won 4 of the 5 Premier League Titles since the inaugural season, those being in 1992/93, 93/94, 95/96 and 96/97, with the 1994/95 campaign going to Blackburn Rovers.
In the season Barnsley FC joined in, going into Game Week-35, United were 4-points ahead of Arsenal at the summit, with 67, however, the Gunners had played 3 games less.
Arsenal then won one of the games in hand meaning they now had 66 points, 1 less than United with 2 games in hand still.
Mr Ferguson’s Devils had drawn the previous fixture against Liverpool, failing to gain the extra 2 points.
In Game Week-35, United drew again, this time against Newcastle, by the same 1-1 scoreline, leaving them with 68 points.
Arsenal gained a victory, leapfrogging United at the summit.
Both achieved victories in their Game Week-36 affair.
The Top of the Table now looked like this,
1- Arsenal 72 points (played 34)
2- Manchester United 71 points (played 36)
Arsenal then faced Derby with the chance to go 4 points ahead of United and still have 1 extra fixture to complete before the final 2.
The victory against Derby County gave Arsene’s Gunners 75 points, with 3 games remaining, United had 71 points with just 2 to go, meaning a tally of 77 was the most Manchester United could achieve.
Arsenal had 3 fixtures to achieve 78 points and the 1997/98 Premier League Title.
As it turned out, if one has forgotten, Arsenal did win the Title and there are famous scenes when the Gunners inflicted a defeat on the Toffees at Highbury culminating in the legendary Gooner and Captain Tony Adams scoring the 4th in the victory over Everton by a 4-0 scoreline.
However, what may surprise a few folk is although Tony and the rest of the players celebrated and lifted the iconic Premier League Trophy for the first time, with a points tally of 78, that wasn’t the final game of the campaign against Everton, it was the Game Week-37 affair, that cemented the Title victory.
United also gained a win against Leeds United.
Manchester United now had 74 points but as mentioned could only achieve 77, if a victory was achieved against Barnsley at Oakwell.
Arsenal still had the game in hand to play, with a fixture against Liverpool at Anfield and then a final Game Week-38 tie against Aston Villa at Villa Park, yet the victory against Everton started the celebrations.
It’s probably fair to say that the Gunners players had been on the lash so to speak since the game against the Toffees on the previous Sunday and with an impending FA Cup Final on the horizon, Arsene Wenger made a few changes to the starting lineup against Liverpool, who gained a victory over Arsenal by a 4-0 score.
Arsenal then suffered another defeat on the final day of the season against Aston Villa.
In the Sunshine of South Yorkshire, Danny Wilson sent out the following Premier League Legends for the final time,
Barnsley-
David Watson, Scott Jones, Adie Moses, Chris Morgan, Darren Barnard, Matty Appleby, Martin Bullock, Neil Redfearn, Darren Sheridan, Ashley Ward and Georgi Hristov.
Substitutes-
Nicky Eaden for Matty Appleby 46th Minute
Jan Age Fjortoft for Georgi Hristov 62nd Minute
Sir Alex Ferguson sent out the following Red Devils,
Manchester United-
Raimond Van Der Gouw, Michael Clegg, John Curtis, David May, Henning Berg, Wes Brown, Nicky Butt, Phil Mulryne, Ryan Giggs, Andrew Cole and Teddy Sheringham.
Substitutes-
Danny Higginbotham for Michael Clegg 60th Minute
With a crowd total of just over 18,500 and the hopes of back-to-back home victories against Manchester United, following the FA Cup success a couple of months earlier, the Red and White Army were out in force.
The usual pre-match routine was underway, a few liveners in the Town Centre Pubs, then a stroll up the hill to Oakwell to watch the Super Reds.
Unfortunately, Little Old Barnsley were like lame dogs waiting for the final whistle in more ways than one and the inevitability of relegation.
Whether by choice or chance, Sir Alex’s Boys took pity on the Super Reds and whilst gained a victory, it wasn’t in the manner as of the one at Old Trafford back in October 1997.
Goals from Andy Cole after 5 minutes and Teddy Sheringham an hour later, did the damage, giving United the points from a 2-0 score and put the final nail in the Super Reds Relegation Coffin.
The pre-match Beers did come in handy and took away the hurting of another defeat.
Taking stock of everything, whilst disappointed and seeing some of the Red and White Army distraught and in tears, John Newsome was philosophical about the situation and as time passed realised what a phenomenal journey that 12 months in the Promised Land was.
Seeing Barnsley gain a victory at Anfield, getting a draw in the FA Cup at Old Trafford, then knocking out Manchester United at Oakwell.
Knocking out Tottenham too, then eventually losing against Newcastle who themselves suffered a defeat in the FA Cup Final against Arsenal, who achieved the Double of the Premier League Title and FA Cup, which is a rare occurrence, however, Barnsley FC will always be a part of that historic season.
As it turned out, it was not only the final game in the Premier League but the final fixture that Danny Wilson took charge of at Oakwell.
Well for the time being!
Danny subsequently left the club but stayed in the Premier League, taking charge of Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
It was a bit of a kick in the teeth for the Red and White faithful, who had held Danny in such high esteem, to then jump ship once relegated and take charge of one of the nearest rivals.
However, that said, it is the nature of football and Mr Wilson will always have a special place in the heart of all Barnsley fans.
Danny did return to Oakwell as Manager in December 2013, 15 years after leaving but as when a jilted lover returns to a previous partner, it’s never the same.
Barnsley were relegated at the end of the 2013/14 Championship campaign.
At the time, in 2014, John Newsome was 45 years old and had seen Barnsley get relegated 4 times in those 45 years.
Danny Wilson was in charge for two of those four occasions.
Granted that does appear harsh on Danny but those were the facts.
Mr Wilson has had his Barnsley relegation stats improved in the past 9 years, with the club being relegated twice since under different Managers.
At the time of writing this, Barnsley have just reached the Final of the League One Playoffs and will face Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley on the 29th of May 2023.
John Newsome will be in attendance along with Ilkleys Finest and 30,000 plus of the Red and White Army.
Following the defeat against Manchester United, the boys and girls headed back into Town and drowned the sorrows of relegation until it was time to go home.
As it was a Sunday, the legendary Japanese Whispers was closed and subsequently closed for good not long after.
The memories of the Year in the Promised Land and nights in the iconic Nightclub will live on forever.
The New Youth is almost 26 now and has just bought her own house with her boyfriend.
Promotion to the Premier League, paired with having a daughter born at the same time is the biggest prize that a football-loving fanatic can ask for.
Folk call John Newsome, unlucky, however, the Bent Fingers, the Heart Attack, the Quadruple Bypass, the Mechanical Heart Valve, the Pacemaker fitted, Family tragedy, the endless dead-end jobs working for idiots and years of fighting the Demons of the Mind, is not a patch on the Happiness of having brilliant friends, brilliant sisters and a beautiful Daughter, plus following Barnsley FC for almost 50 years, with one of those being a Year in the Premier League.
Unlucky?
One will Take That and Party!
Top and Bottom of the Premier League Table-May 1998.
1-Arsenal 78 pts (plus+35 goals)
2-Manchester United 77 pts (plus+47 goals)
3-Liverpool 65 pts (plus+26 goals)
4-Chelsea 63 pts (plus-28 goals)
5-Leeds United 59 pts (plus+ 11 goals)
15-Wimbledon 44 pts (minus-12 goals)
16-Sheffield Wednesday 44 pts (minus-15 goals)
17-Everton 40 pts (minus-15 goals)
18-Bolton 40 pts (minus-20 goals)
19-Barnsley 35 pts (minus-45 goals)
20-Crystal Palace 33 pts (minus-34 goals)
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