2017-18 Premier League Review

(photo by cfcunofficial)

11 days ago, the 2017-18 Premier League season came to its usual depressing end. Fans sang their favorite songs in the stands one last time, each player made his final contribution, and worst of all, Rebecca Lowe voiced her closing comments on NBCSN for the last time in what will be three months.

Each Premier League season has its own identity, and this year was one of broken records and Mohamed Salah.

Manchester City broke nine records this season, winning the Premier League in the most dominant fashion that the league has ever seen. They finished 19 points ahead of 2nd place Manchester United--a Premier League record in and of itself--and won the league with five weeks to spare. Is the 2017-18 Manchester City side worthy of going down as the most dominant team in Premier League history? I think so. (Sorry 2003-04 Invincibles!).

Man City wasn’t the only one to take the spotlight this season. Mo Salah, the “Egyptian Messi,” broke the single-season Premier League goal-scoring record this year with 32 in 38 games. While his efforts only led Liverpool to a 4th place finish in the league, he has also helped his side on to a Champions League Final this year, which will be played against Real Madrid on Saturday, May 26th.

Here are four takeaways from this season, filled with plenty of Manchester City, Mo Salah, and everything in between:

Arsene Wenger coaches his final game

After 22 years in charge of the Gunners, Arsene Wenger has finally decided to hang up his clipboard. While the 68-year-old Frenchman's last few years for Arsenal have been subpar, he ends his coaching career as an Arsenal legend with three Premier League championships and seven FA Cups to his name. Wenger will go down as one of the best, if not the best, Arsenal coach of all time, and he’ll always be remembered for coaching his team “the Arsenal Way.”

Mohamed Salah breaks Premier League single-season scoring record

The Egyptian forward captured the 38-game Premier League record for goals in a season this past Sunday, scoring in the 26th minute against Brighton with a powerful bottom-corner strike. These efforts were worthy enough of a Premier League Player of the Season award, which Salah was officially honored with on Sunday.

Manchester City breaks nine Premier League records in a single season

Yeah, you got that right. Manchester City has broken nine records this past season. Here they are:

1. Most Passes in a Premier League Game (902)

Manchester City broke their own record of 843 passes in a game this season with 902, which came in a 1-0 win against Chelsea.

2. Most Goals Scored in a Premier League Season (106)

City broke Chelsea’s previous record of 103 goals this season, scoring 106 (an average of 2.8 goals per game). Four of City’s players also scored at least 10 goals this season (Agüero, Sterling, Jesus, Sane).

3. Most Points in a Premier League Season (100)

Manchester City smashed Chelsea’s old record of 95 points in a season with a century of points to their name. The Manchester side finished with 32 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses.

4. Most Away Wins in a Premier League Season (16)

City won 16 away this year, breaking Chelsea’s previous record of 15 in the 2004-05 season. The only two sides that City dropped points to on the road were Crystal Palace and Burnley.

5. Most Away Points in a Premier League Season (50)

The Manchester side totaled 50 points away from home this season, breaking Chelsea’s record of 48 set in 2004-05. City won 16 times and tied twice away from the Etihad.

6. Highest Positive Goal Difference in a Premier League Season (+79)

With 106 goals-for and only 27 against, City has shattered the previous record (+71) held by Chelsea (seems to be a theme, huh?).

7. Most Points Ahead of Second Place in a Premier League Season (19)

City finished 19 points above 2nd place and cross-town rivals Manchester United this season, who finished with 81. This mark breaks United’s previously held record of 18, set in the 1999-00 season.

8. Most Wins in a Premier League Season (32)

Chelsea set the record for most wins in a season in 2016-17 with 30, but Pep’s side exceed this mark with a record 32 this season, good for 96 out of its 100 total points.

9. Most Consecutive Premier League Wins in a Single Season (18)

City smashed the previous record of 13 consecutive wins in a Premier League season this campaign, winning every game that they played in the Premier League from August 26 to New Year’s Eve.

All three promoted teams stay up for first time since 2011-12 season

For the first time since 2011-12, all three newly-promoted sides have clinched safety in the Premier League in their first year. Newcastle finished in 10th with 44 points, Brighton finished in 15th with 40 points, and Huddersfield Town finished in 16th with 37 points. While the road is never easy for new teams, Newcastle, Brighton, and Huddersfield showed that hard work and perseverance pay off.

Burnley qualifies for Europa League

Burnley finished in 7th place this season, good enough to qualify them for the Europa League next year. This will be the Clarets’ first time playing European football in 51 years; Burnley manager Sean Dyche described this momentous achievement:

“A team in the Premier League for Burnley, a town of 75,000 people, that’s amazing, and now a team in Europe,” he said. “It’s good for me, it’s good for the staff, good for the team, good for the club. Burnley Football Club playing European football, I don’t think anyone thought that, certainly not five-and-a-half years ago when I got to the club” (via burnleyexpress.net).

Here is the final table for the 2017-18 Premier League campaign:

1. Manchester City- 100 points

2. Manchester United- 81 points

3. Tottenham Hotspur- 77 points

4. Liverpool- 75 points

5. Chelsea- 70 points

6. Arsenal- 63 points

7. Burnley- 54 points

8. Everton- 49 points

9. Leicester City- 47 points

10. Newcastle United- 44 points

11. Crystal Palace- 44 points

12. Bournemouth- 44 points

13. West Ham United- 42 points

14. Watford- 41 points

15. Brighton and Hove Albion- 40 points

16. Huddersfield Town- 37 points

17. Southampton- 36 points

18. Swansea City- 33 points

19. Stoke City- 33 points

20. West Bromwich Albion- 31 points

(Stats by skysports.com, espn.com, itv.com, 18yard.com)