May 19 (Reuters) - Manchester City won a record fourth

straight Premier League crown on Sunday, finishing two points

ahead of Arsenal.

Following is a summary of the campaigns of the 20 top-flight

clubs, listed in order of their final positions:

1-MANCHESTER CITY

City were pushed hard by Arsenal but once again proved

masters in closing a title race to become the first English

top-flight club to win four successive league championships.

Liverpool cracked under City's relentless pressure and while

Arsenal took it to the wire, a run of 19 wins and four draws

since their last defeat saw Pep Guardiola's side prevail.

Even more impressively they had to make do without

midfielder Kevin de Bruyne for several months while striker

Erling Haaland also had injuries, but such is the depth of

City's squad that they simply continued churning out wins.

It is hard to pick out individuals from a supreme squad

although this felt like the season that the league's player of

the year Phil Foden stepped completely out of De Bruyne's

shadow, scoring 19 league goals.

Already the question is who can stop City making it five in

a row next season.

2-ARSENAL

Arsenal proved they have come a long way since last season

as they pushed Manchester City to the final day of the

title-race, finishing runners-up with 89 points -- one fewer

than the total achieved by The Invincibles in 2003-04.

Ultimately it was not enough to dislodge City from their

perch, but Mikel Arteta's Arsenal proved that they are now a

force to be reckoned with.

Declan Rice fully justified his 100 million pounds ($126.82

million) price tag as he commanded Arsenal's midfield, while

Bukayo Saka, with 16 league goals, and skipper Martin Odegaard

had tremendous seasons.

Arteta told fans on Sunday not to be satisfied and that's

the message he will spend the close season preaching to his

players.

3-LIVERPOOL

Outgoing manager Juergen Klopp did not get the farewell he

hoped for as the unlikely dream of a quadruple evaporated during

a dreadful run of form beginning with a dramatic FA Cup defeat

at arch-rivals Manchester United ( MANU ) in mid-March.

Third place and the League Cup is all Liverpool have to show

for a season that once again faded at the business end, just as

it did two seasons ago when they lost the title by a point and

the Champions League final by one goal.

But, after a wholesale overhaul of an ageing midfield, the

Reds seem ahead of schedule towards what Klopp has described as

"Liverpool 2.0", in particular with breakout seasons for academy

prospects including Northern Ireland full-back Conor Bradley.

The project will continue under departing Feyenoord boss

Arne Slot, who inherits a high-class team but one that needs a

few tweaks to match the league's latest top two next term.

4-ASTON VILLA

Aston Villa's dream season under Spanish manager Unai Emery

ended with fourth place and a Champions League spot, a first

qualification for Europe's elite club competition since 1982-83

when they entered the European Cup as holders.

Villa, 150 years old in 2024, were 14th and sinking fast

when Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in October 2022 and he has

masterminded a remarkable turnaround in fortunes with some smart

additions to the squad and a more attacking mindset.

Boosted by the goals of Ollie Watkins and an eight-game

winning run at home from the start of the campaign that was

surprisingly ended by Sheffield United (1-1) in December, the

early momentum faltered towards the end of the season but

provided the platform for their top four finish.

A disappointment will be their surprise exit from the Europa

Conference League semi-finals at the hands of Greek side

Olympiakos Piraeus, which included a 4-2 home defeat in a

competition Emery would have been eyeing for success.

5-TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

There is a sense of disappointment about Tottenham's first

season under Ange Postecoglou as a wretched run of form in the

closing weeks put paid to their top-four hopes.

But had fans been offered fifth place and a return to the

club's mantra of 'daring football' ahead of the campaign,

especially having seen England striker Harry Kane depart to

Bayern Munich, they surely would have taken it.

Postecoglou's high-intensity, risk-taking style helped Spurs

enjoy their best start after 10 games of a Premier League season

although cracks soon appeared as it proved too much for some of

the current squad.

He will not change his philosophy though and the club would

be foolish not to match the Australian's ambition with

high-quality signings in the close season, especially with a

return to continental football in the Europa League to cope

with.

6-CHELSEA

Qualification for Europe next season looked like a dream for

inconsistent Chelsea during much of the season, but a late run

of form - powered by top scorer Cole Palmer - earned Mauricio

Pochettino's side a Europa Conference League spot.

In early March, with the club in the lower half of the table

and stinging from a League Cup final defeat by Liverpool,

Pochettino had to endure abusive chanting from some Chelsea fans

fed up with so little return on a 1 billion pounds spending

spree since a U.S. private equity-led takeover in 2022.

Then Chelsea put together their best form since the Roman

Abramovich era, losing only once in their last 15 games and

winning their last five as an injury crisis abated.

While speculation about Pochettino's future at the club has

not lifted entirely, his next challenge may be to cope with any

sales of players by the club to meet financial rules, which

would probably focus on "pure-profit" academy talent such as

midfielder Conor Gallagher or defender Trevoh Chalobah.

7-NEWCASTLE UNITED

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe must be secretly pleased that

drama elsewhere in the Premier League has taken the focus off

his Saudi Arabian-funded club, which has quietly but undeniably

underperformed expectations this season.

A fourth-place finish last term and return to the Champions

League looked to be teeing the Tynesiders up for a spell at

football's top table, but a slew of injuries and controversies

have seen them fail to push on.

The long ban handed out to Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali

for gambling-related offences robbed the team of a promising

playmaker, and injuries often prevented Howe from fielding his

best side, but even when he could, they were no match for the

top clubs - or, indeed, some of the bottom ones.

Injuries aside, a squad of Newcastle's depth - not to

mention the deep pockets of their owners - demands a top-four

finish and, after falling short this year, Howe will have some

thorny questions to answer.

8-MANCHESTER UNITED ( MANU )

A depressing season littered with comprehensive defeats by

better organised and more motivated teams operating on far

smaller budgets has left new owner Jim Ratcliffe with major

headaches.

Manager Erik ten Hag described United as one of the most

entertaining sides in the league and he was right, but only

because they were so easy to play against, lacked any coherent

game plan and were often guilty of shocking game management.

A highly unlikely FA Cup final victory over Manchester City

would provide a bit of cheer and Ratcliffe has started the

much-needed restructuring of the club's senior management team.

Dutchman Ten Hag's time is surely up and a ruthless overhaul

of the squad is needed before United can even think about

returning to the top table of English football.

9-WEST HAM UNITED

A top-half finish and another strong run in Europe failed to

placate a sizeable majority of West Ham fans who needed little

invitation to criticise manager David Moyes.

They argued that Moyes was not the man to take the club to

the next level but the Scot will leave the club at the end of

the season with plenty of credit in the bank.

While it was true West Ham missed Declan Rice and suffered

some heavy beatings, there were still notable scalps including

wins at Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur and they pushed Bayer

Leverkusen hard in the Europa League quarter-finals.

A new approach can be expected under Julen Lopetegui next

season but Moyes has handed the club over in good shape.

10-CRYSTAL PALACE

Roy Hodgson guided Palace to safety last season but results

this campaign under the former Liverpool and England boss did

not meet expectations and he stepped down in February with the

South London club 16th in the table.

Oliver Glasner was appointed as his replacement and results

quickly looked up, with a win and two draws in his first four

matches lifting them out of the relegation dogfight.

In the last few weeks of the season, the Austrian has

further revitalised a young Palace side, claiming big wins over

Liverpool and Manchester United ( MANU ) and setting them up for a bright

future - if they can keep hold of talents like Michael Olise and

Eberechi Eze.

11-BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

Brighton completed the best season in their 123-year history

in the 2022-23 campaign when they finished sixth and won rave

reviews for their playing style and the tactical acumen of

manager Roberto De Zerbi.

But they could not build on that success and, if anything,

the 2023-24 season was one of regression where, after a strong

start in which they won five of their first six games, they had

to settle for mid-table mediocrity and a last-16 exit in the

Europa League at the hands of AS Roma.

The loss of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister ripped

the heart out of their midfield and they failed to dominate

possession like before, winning three Premier League matches

between September and February, a run of 18 games.

They limped across the finish line and with no European

football next season, perhaps a reason why manager Roberto de

Zerbi has ended his stay, they could be left to fight once more

to keep hold of the best of their young talent.

12-BOURNEMOUTH

Andoni Iraola had an awful start to life as a Premier League

manager when Bournemouth went the first nine games without a win

despite the club spending more than 100 million pounds ($126.8

million) on new players in the close season.

But Bournemouth believed the Spaniard could turn things

around as they adopted a high-pressing style that is not easy

for players to grasp quickly and once the team learned to press

as a unit, they registered some impressive results.

Despite a dip in form earlier this year, they slowly clawed

their way up the table.

Striker Dominic Solanke recorded career-best top-flight

figures with 19 goals and Iraola ended his debut campaign in

England with a Manager of the Season nomination for their

remarkable turnaround.

13-FULHAM

Fulham may not have reached the heights of last season's

top-half Premier League finish, but survival was the objective

as they sought to rid themselves of the 'yo-yo club' tag.

Pre-season predictions had been pessimistic, especially when

they looked set to lose manager Marco Silva, before he signed a

new contract.

They did lose their leading scorer from the previous two

seasons, Aleksandar Mitrovic, but Rodrigo Muniz returned from

his loan spell at Middlesbrough and while he struggled early on

with injuries the Brazilian netted nine goals.

Unlike last season, Fulham managed wins over top clubs this

campaign, with victories against Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and

Manchester United ( MANU ), and if Silva remains at the club their future

in the Premier League looks promising.

14-WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Despite some gloomy predictions for Wolves, they stayed well

out of the relegation zone throughout the season, produced some

memorable performances, and would surely have finished better

than 14th had star man Pedro Neto stayed fit.

Fans would say the Video Assistant Refereee (VAR) also took

the shine off their season after more than their fair share of

dubious decisions that began on the opening day when wrongly

denied a penalty away at Manchester United ( MANU ).

However, Gary O'Neil's side managed some eye-catching

results, including victory over league champions Manchester City

at home and doubles over both Tottenham and Chelsea.

Wolves' South Korean striker Hwang Hee-chan had a superb

season with 12 league goals. And brilliant Portuguese winger

Neto gave them flair and thrust every time he played, but his

appearances were limited by injury and results dropped without

him at the end of the season.

15-EVERTON

For the third year in a row Everton spent most of the season

worrying about relegation, and though they had to deal with the

added problem of an eight-point deduction for financial

irregularities, they still looked and played like a team for

whom mid-table mediocrity would represent success.

They did finish with a flourish, winning four and drawing

two in a seven-game surge to safety, including their first home

victory over Liverpool for 14 years which was probably the

highlight of their season and was greeted with a taunting 10

minute chant of "You lost the league at Goodison Park."

Although solid at the back, boasting the fourth-best defence

in the league, they were desperately short of class in midfield

and attack where their paltry return of 40 goals was the

second-worst and next season, their 70th unbroken in the top

flight is likely to be another struggle against the backdrop of

their protracted takeover and planned move to a new stadium.

16-BRENTFORD

Brentford stayed up comfortably enough in the end but only

after sliding perilously close to the drop zone in a tough

season with injuries and absences taking a toll.

Ninth last season, when they punched above their weight to

finish ahead of west London rivals Chelsea and Fulham, the Bees'

third Premier League campaign was more challenging.

Goalkeeper David Raya joined Arsenal at the start of the

season, England forward Ivan Toney was unavailable until January

after an eight month ban for betting offences and Bryan Mbeumo

was out for months after ankle surgery.

Rico Henry suffered a knee injury in the fifth game of the

season while Ben Mee was out from February with a fractured

ankle, joining Ethan Pinnock and Aaron Hickey on a list of

injured defenders.

"It's our entire back four from last season now out,"

manager Thomas Frank lamented in March.

While standing out as a side painfully incapable of

defending a lead, Brentford did still manage to beat Chelsea 2-0

at Stamford Bridge and Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage.

17-NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Following a season of toil made more challenging by a

four-point deduction for breaching Premier League Profit &

Sustainability Rules, Forest were not mathematically safe until

the final day.

After a brush with a relegation battle in their first season

back in the topflight in 2022-23, it was expected they would

kick-on, but 20 defeats in 38 games is far too many and a run of

one victory in 13 led to the sacking of much loved manager Steve

Cooper just before Christmas.

Forest had an average 0.82 points per game up until then and

appointed Portuguese Nuno Espirito Santo to the helm. Things got

marginally better, the next 21 games yielded 1.05 points per

match and the side limped to safety.

The club were furious over several refereeing displays

through the season and an ill-advised social media post after a

loss at Everton led to a charge of misconduct and ultimately the

resignation of Forest's referee consultant Mark Clattenburg.

18-LUTON TOWN

Few gave Luton much hope of surviving their first top-flight

season for more than 30 years and while they did go straight

back down Rob Edwards's team won plenty of respect.

After losing their first four games Luton were already

written off but they found their feet and a fine run of form

either side of the new year had them dreaming of staying up.

Injuries to key players such as Albert Sambi Lokonga hit

hard though and despite continuing to play some enterprising

football against some of the big clubs, a run of one win in 17

from early February sealed their fate.

With a new stadium on the horizon and the impressive Edwards

at the helm, the immediate future looks good for Luton.

19-BURNLEY

While the Clarets won promotion back to the Premier League

with a Championship record seven matches remaining last season,

the top flight was too steep a step up for Vincent Kompany's

men, who were relegated with one game remaining.

There were glimpses of excellence from Burnley, who had a

strong stretch of just one defeat in eight games between March

and April, helping to stave off relegation until their

penultimate game, a 2-1 loss to Tottenham. Kompany promised fans

after the game that: "We will have the good times again."

Kompany's future with the team is uncertain with some

crticising his attacking style of football, which worked well in

the Championship but proved costly this season.

20-SHEFFIELD UNITED

A horrible season saw the Blades branded as one of the worst

Premier League teams of all time and dumped back down to the

Championship with barely a whimper.

Their 5-1 thrashing by Newcastle United on April 27th

confirmed the inevitable relegation and their season hit a new

low on May 4 when they became the first Premier League team to

concede 100 goals in a 38-game season.

Paul Heckingbottom became the league's first managerial

casualty of the season when he was sacked on Dec. 5 but the

return of Chris Wilder had little impact, although he is likely

to lead the rebuild at Bramall Lane.

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