The Premier League’s Amazing History of Final Day Goal-Fests
The 29th chapter of the Premier League drew to a close on Sunday with another high-scoring round of fixtures.
For the sixth season running, the final day produced a minimum of 30 goals with the last day producing 31 goals from the 10 matches played.
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Average Goals Per Game On Final Day
- 1995/96 to 1999/00 - 2.44
- 2000/01 to 2004/05 - 3.08
- 2005/06 to 2009/10 - 2.94
- 2010/11 to 2014/15 - 3.14
- 2015/16 to 2020/21 - 3.38
Champions Manchester City rounded off their season in style scoring five times without reply at home to Everton and the scriptwriters had their say with the club's all-time scorer and departing striker Sergio Aguero coming off the bench to score his 259th and 260th goals in a City shirt.
The win extended City's final day unbeaten record to eight and their victory over the Toffees was the fifth successive season in which Pep Guardiola's side signed off with a win.
Elsewhere, Arsenal beat Brighton 2-0 to make it a total of 30 points from 30 in their last 10 season finales. The Gunners also extended their unbeaten run to 16 from their final fixtures of the season.
However, the three points were not enough to secure European football for Mikel Arteta's side next season, which ends a run of 25 consecutive seasons with a place in either the Champions League or Europa League.
The Emirates side have the second best points return on the final day of the Premier League season with an average of 2.24 points per game.
Leading the way are Manchester United who improved their average to 2.27 points per game following their 2-1 win at Wolves with a much-weakened side ahead of their Europa League final against Villarreal on Wednesday.
Average Points From Final Game Since 1992/93
| Team | Avg Final Day Points | Total Games |
|---|---|---|
| Man Utd | 2.27 | 29 |
| Arsenal | 2.24 | 29 |
| Chelsea | 1.93 | 29 |
| Liverpool | 1.84 | 29 |
| Leeds | 1.69 | 13 |
| West Ham | 1.64 | 25 |
| Man City | 1.58 | 24 |
| Newcastle | 1.53 | 24 |
| Tottenham | 1.44 | 29 |
| Fulham | 1.33 | 15 |
| Southampton | 1.27 | 22 |
| Crystal Palace | 1.25 | 12 |
| Everton | 1.24 | 29 |
| Sheffield Utd | 1.20 | 5 |
| Aston Villa | 1.16 | 25 |
| Leicester | 0.86 | 15 |
| Burnley | 0.85 | 7 |
| Brighton | 0.75 | 4 |
| West Brom | 0.69 | 13 |
| Wolves | 0.42 | 7 |
Anthony Elanga marked his second league start for the Red Devils with his first ever goal while Juan Mata scored a penalty in a rare start for the Spaniard.
For Wolves, it was a fifth successive Premier League final day defeat for the Molineux side who could not send departing manager Nuno Espirito Santo off with a win.
It has been a disastrous season for Sheffield United whose relegation was confirmed weeks ago, but they did avoid one piece of Premier League ignominy.
The Blades were in danger of setting a new record for defeats in a single-season, but a David McGoldrick goal in the 24th minute of their home game with Burnley, allowed them to return to the Championship on a winning note.
McGoldrick's goal was the 1,000th goal of the season – the sixth successive campaign in which the goals total passed the thousand milestone.
Gareth Bale scored the last of this campaign's 1,024 goals in the sixth minute of added-on time in their 4-2 win at Leicester which denied the Foxes a place in next season's Champions League.
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Final Day Games With Six Or More Goals:
- Man Utd 4-2 Blackpool - 2010/11
- Newcastle 3-3 West Brom - 2010/11
- Man Utd 5-5 West Brom - 2012/13
- West Ham 4-2 Reading - 2012/13
- Leicester 5-1 QPR - 2014/15
- Stoke 6-1 Liverpool - 2014/15
- Newcastle 5-1 Tottenham - 2015/16
- Chelsea 5-1 Sunderland - 2016/17
- Hull City 1-7 Tottenham - 2016/17
- Tottenham 5-4 Leicester - 2017/18
- Crystal Palace 5-3 Bournemouth - 2018/19
- Leicester 2-4 Tottenham - 2020/21
The win means Tottenham will be the Premier League's representatives in next season's inaugural Europa Conference League.
Harry Kane's equaliser for Spurs four minutes before half-time took his tally for the season to 23, one more than Mohamed Salah in their personal battle to win the Golden Boot award.
Salah failed to find the net in Liverpool's 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace, but Sadio Mane's brace ensured Liverpool finished third, one place above Chelsea who warmed up for Saturday's Champions League final with Manchester City with a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.
West Ham ended their domestic schedule with a 3-0 win at home to Southampton to guarantee the Hammers a place in next season’s Europa League.
Leeds United also scored three goals at home as they ended the season on 59 points – the most by any promoted side since Ipswich claimed 66 points on their return to the Premier League in the 2000/01 season.
Marcelo Bielsa will hope to build on their ninth-place finish next season which is set to begin on the weekend of August 14 and 15.
Before that, fans have a summer of football to look forward to with the European Championships, delayed from last summer because of Covid-19.
The tournament can be a shop window for players hoping to land a move to the Premier League, which proved once again over the last eight months that it remains one of the most thrilling divisions to watch.
