2020–21 Premier League

29th season of the Premier League From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2020–21 Premier League was the 29th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1992 and the 122nd season of top-flight English football overall. The season was initially scheduled to start on 8 August 2020 and end on 16 May 2021,[2] but this was delayed until 12 September as a consequence of the postponement of the previous season's conclusion due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Liverpool were the defending champions, having won their first Premier League and nineteenth English league title the previous season.

Quick Facts Season, Dates ...
Premier League
Season2020–21
Dates12 September 2020 – 23 May 2021
ChampionsManchester City
5th Premier League title
7th English title
RelegatedFulham
West Bromwich Albion
Sheffield United
Champions LeagueManchester City
Manchester United
Liverpool
Chelsea
Europa LeagueLeicester City
West Ham United
Europa Conference LeagueTottenham Hotspur
Matches played380
Goals scored1,024 (2.69 per match)
Top goalscorerHarry Kane
(23 goals)
Best goalkeeperEderson (19 clean sheets)
Biggest home winManchester United 9–0 Southampton
(2 February 2021)
Biggest away winCrystal Palace 0–7 Liverpool
(19 December 2020)
Highest scoringAston Villa 7–2 Liverpool
(4 October 2020)
Manchester United 9–0 Southampton
(2 February 2021)
Longest winning run15 matches
Manchester City
Longest unbeaten run19 matches
Manchester City
Longest winless run17 matches
Sheffield United
Longest losing run8 matches
Sheffield United
Highest attendance10,000[1]
6 matches
Lowest attendance2,000[1]
16 matches
Total attendance180,601[1]
Average attendance5,160[1]
(excluding matches played behind closed doors)
Close

In a season largely played behind closed doors, Manchester City secured a fifth Premier League title and seventh English league title overall with three matches to spare; it was also the club's third title in the last four seasons.[4]

Summary

Summarize
Perspective

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic

At the start of this season, as was the case at the end of the previous season, there was limited or no attendance at matches besides each team's staff and personnel.[5] On 23 November 2020, it was announced that some fans would be allowed to return to stadiums in low-risk areas at the end of the second national lockdown on 2 December 2020.[6] The announcement of a third national lockdown on 4 January 2021, though, signalled a return to matches being played behind closed doors.[7]

As fans initially were not allowed to attend matches, an agreement was made for all matches to be televised up until at least the October international break. The league's major broadcast partners Sky Sports and BT Sport broadcast the vast majority of the matches between them, whilst Amazon Prime Video and the BBC were also allotted additional live matches during the season. Following the October international break, Sky and BT trialled a revised format with the launch of a pay-per-view service for matches not selected for live broadcast on their main channels.[8] Following strong opposition from fans, the format was discontinued after the November round of international matches and all matches were again shown across the league's four broadcast partners.[9] This continued for the remainder of the season, making this the first Premier League season in which all matches across the entire campaign were televised.

On 22 February 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced as the third step of recovery from the lockdown imposed on 4 January, that subject to certain criteria being met on vaccines, infection rates and new coronavirus variants, large football stadiums would be allowed to reopen on 17 May with a maximum of 10,000 spectators or 25% capacity, whichever was higher.[10] This meant that the final round of fixtures scheduled for the 23 May would see spectators return to the stadium. To ensure all clubs played their final home game in front of fans, the penultimate round of fixtures were rearranged to take place on 18–19 May. No away fans were permitted for these matches.[11]

Season summary

The 2020–21 season began on Saturday 12 September, just seven weeks after the conclusion of the 2019–20 season.[12] Liverpool were the defending champions, having won their nineteenth league title the previous season and their first in the Premier League era.[2] As originally planned, the 2020–21 season was to be the second Premier League season with a mid-season break in February, whereby five games of a normal round of ten would be played on one weekend and the remaining five the following weekend.[13] However, due to the late start of the league and fixture congestion, the winter break was scrapped.[14] It is also the second Premier League season to use VAR (Video Assistant Referee).[15]

The race for first place

The top of the table was tight for the first months of the season, with Arsenal, Leicester City, Everton, Liverpool, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur all having occupied first position by late November.[16] Liverpool overtook Tottenham again in mid-December, following a meeting between the two clubs at Anfield which resulted in a 2–1 win to Liverpool.[17]

Liverpool's title defence collapses and Manchester City become Champions

By Christmas, Liverpool had opened up a five-point gap following a 7–0 away win against Crystal Palace.[18] However, in the new year, they suffered from a significant slump in form. They suffered their first home defeat in 69 games with a 1–0 defeat to Burnley,[19] which began a run of six consecutive losses at Anfield, following losses to Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City, Everton, Chelsea and Fulham, dropping to eighth place by early March.[20] Manchester United, who sat behind them on goal difference at the start of January, overtook them at the top of the table later that month with a 1–0 away win against Burnley,[21] but they were in turn replaced by Manchester City at the end of the month as a 5–0 Manchester City win over West Bromwich Albion was followed by a 2–1 home defeat for Manchester United against Sheffield United.[22][23] This was to prove the final change of team at the top, as Manchester City, who were 13th in November, went on a 15-match winning streak which saw them 15 points clear of second-place Manchester United after a 4–1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 March.[24] They went on to secure the title on 12 May 2021 with three matches to spare, following a home defeat for Manchester United against Leicester. It was the club's fifth Premier League title and seventh English league title overall, as well as their third title in the past four seasons.[25]

UEFA Champions League qualification

Despite missing out on the title, Manchester United finished 2nd, they were 15th at the start of November but managed to go the season unbeaten away from home as they qualified for a second successive season. The remaining two slots for Champions League qualification were taken by Liverpool and Chelsea. Although Liverpool were 8th with ten games remaining, a run of eight wins from their final ten games, including a 95th-minute winner scored by goalkeeper Alisson against West Bromwich Albion, saw them recover their position to finish 3rd and qualify for a fifth straight season.[26] Chelsea endured a difficult start to the season under Frank Lampard, who was sacked in January with the club in 9th position and replaced by Thomas Tuchel. The club's form improved under Tuchel to secure a second consecutive finish in 4th place, despite a final day defeat to Aston Villa.[27] They won in that season's Champions League final the next week, in the competition's third all-English final against champions Manchester City.

UEFA Europa League qualification

Leicester enjoyed a successful season, spending more time in the top four places than any other club as well as winning that season's FA Cup against Chelsea; however, three defeats in their final four games, including a home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day, saw them narrowly finish in 5th for a second consecutive season.[28] Having narrowly avoiding relegation the previous season, West Ham United surprised many by finishing 6th, their highest finish since 1998–99.[29] Both these clubs earned qualification to the Europa League for the following season.

UEFA Europa Conference League qualification

Despite leading the table in November, Tottenham suffered a string of poor results in the new year. Manager Jose Mourinho was sacked in April with the club in 7th place, with Ryan Mason taking over as interim manager for the rest of the season. Mason was unable to improve the club's position and they finished 7th, their lowest finish since the 2008–09 season, but still good enough to qualify for the brand new third tier Europa Conference League competition.[citation needed] Meanwhile, their traditional North London rivals Arsenal endured an even worse campaign; despite leading the table in September, eight defeats in their first 14 games left them in 15th just before Christmas and seemingly in danger of being sucked into a relegation battle. Whilst they would pick up enough points thereafter to pull away from the bottom half of the table, the Gunners could only finish 8th for a second successive season as they failed to qualify for European competition for the first time since the 1994–95 season.

Relegation and Leeds United success

On 17 April 2021, Sheffield United were confirmed to be the first team to be relegated to the Championship following a 1–0 defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers with six games remaining, ending their two-year top flight tenure.[30] On 9 May 2021, West Bromwich Albion became the second team to be relegated following a 3–1 defeat away to Arsenal, with three games remaining, immediately returning to the Championship after a season's presence in the top flight.[31] On 10 May 2021, Fulham were the third and final team to be relegated following a 2–0 defeat at home against Burnley with three games remaining, also immediately returning to the Championship after a season's presence in the top flight. This also marked the first time in the Premier League era that all three teams have been relegated with more than two games to spare and that all three teams didn't reach the 30 point mark in the season.[32] In contrast, the final promoted team, Leeds United, finished in 9th with 59 points, the highest points tally for a newly promoted side since Ipswich Town in 2000–01 (66 points).[citation needed]

Teams

Summarize
Perspective

Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the Championship. The promoted teams were Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham, after respective top flight absences of sixteen, two and one year(s). They replaced Bournemouth, Watford (both teams relegated to the Championship after five years in the top flight), and Norwich City (relegated after a year back in the top flight).

Stadiums and locations

Greater London Premier League football clubs
West Midlands Premier League football clubs
Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.

Personnel and kits

More information Team, Manager ...
Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor (chest) Shirt sponsor (sleeve)
Arsenal Spain Mikel Arteta Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Adidas[35] Emirates[36] Visit Rwanda[37]
Aston Villa England Dean Smith England Jack Grealish Kappa[38] Cazoo[39] LT[40]
Brighton & Hove Albion England Graham Potter England Lewis Dunk Nike[41] American Express[41] SnickersUK.com[42]
Burnley England Sean Dyche England Ben Mee Umbro LoveBet[43]
Chelsea Germany Thomas Tuchel Spain César Azpilicueta Nike[44] Three[45] Hyundai[46]
Crystal Palace England Roy Hodgson Serbia Luka Milivojević Puma[47] W88[48] Iqoniq[49]
Everton Italy Carlo Ancelotti Republic of Ireland Séamus Coleman Hummel[50] Cazoo[51] None
Fulham England Scott Parker Scotland Tom Cairney Adidas BetVictor[52] ClearScore[53]
Leeds United Argentina Marcelo Bielsa Scotland Liam Cooper Adidas[54] SBOTOP[55] JD Sports[56]
Leicester City Northern Ireland Brendan Rodgers Jamaica Wes Morgan Adidas[57]
Two sponsors
Bia Saigon[59]
Liverpool Germany Jürgen Klopp England Jordan Henderson Nike[60] Standard Chartered[61] Expedia[62]
Manchester City Spain Pep Guardiola Brazil Fernandinho[63] Puma[64] Etihad Airways[65] Nexen Tire[66]
Manchester United Norway Ole Gunnar Solskjær England Harry Maguire Adidas[67] Chevrolet[68] Kohler[69]
Newcastle United England Steve Bruce England Jamaal Lascelles Puma[70] FUN88[71] ICM.com[72]
Sheffield United England Paul Heckingbottom (caretaker) England Billy Sharp Adidas Union Standard Group[73]
Southampton Austria Ralph Hasenhüttl England James Ward-Prowse Under Armour[74] Sportsbet.io[75] Virgin Media[76]
Tottenham Hotspur England Ryan Mason (caretaker) France Hugo Lloris Nike[77] AIA[78] Cinch[79]
West Bromwich Albion England Sam Allardyce England Jake Livermore Puma[80] Ideal Boilers 12BET
West Ham United Scotland David Moyes England Mark Noble Umbro Betway Scope Markets[81]
Wolverhampton Wanderers Portugal Nuno Espírito Santo England Conor Coady Adidas[82] ManBetX[83] Aeroset
Close

    Managerial changes

    More information Team, Outgoing manager ...
    Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
    West Bromwich Albion Croatia Slaven Bilić[84] Sacked 16 December 2020 19th England Sam Allardyce[85] 16 December 2020
    Chelsea England Frank Lampard[86] 25 January 2021 9th Germany Thomas Tuchel[87] 26 January 2021
    Sheffield United England Chris Wilder[88] Mutual consent 13 March 2021 20th England Paul Heckingbottom (interim)[89] 13 March 2021
    Tottenham Hotspur Portugal José Mourinho[90] Sacked 19 April 2021 7th England Ryan Mason (interim)[90][91] 19 April 2021
    Close

    League table

    More information Pos, Team ...
    Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
    1 Manchester City (C) 38 27 5 6 83 32 +51 86 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
    2 Manchester United 38 21 11 6 73 44 +29 74
    3 Liverpool 38 20 9 9 68 42 +26 69
    4 Chelsea 38 19 10 9 58 36 +22 67
    5 Leicester City 38 20 6 12 68 50 +18 66 Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a]
    6 West Ham United 38 19 8 11 62 47 +15 65
    7 Tottenham Hotspur 38 18 8 12 68 45 +23 62 Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-off round[b]
    8 Arsenal 38 18 7 13 55 39 +16 61
    9 Leeds United 38 18 5 15 62 54 +8 59
    10 Everton 38 17 8 13 47 48 1 59
    11 Aston Villa 38 16 7 15 55 46 +9 55
    12 Newcastle United 38 12 9 17 46 62 16 45
    13 Wolverhampton Wanderers 38 12 9 17 36 52 16 45
    14 Crystal Palace 38 12 8 18 41 66 25 44
    15 Southampton 38 12 7 19 47 68 21 43
    16 Brighton & Hove Albion 38 9 14 15 40 46 6 41
    17 Burnley 38 10 9 19 33 55 22 39
    18 Fulham (R) 38 5 13 20 27 53 26 28 Relegation to EFL Championship
    19 West Bromwich Albion (R) 38 5 11 22 35 76 41 26
    20 Sheffield United (R) 38 7 2 29 20 63 43 23
    Close
    Source: Premier League
    Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) If the champions, relegated teams or qualified teams for UEFA competitions cannot be determined by rules 1 to 3, rules 4.1 to 4.3 are applied – 4.1) Points gained in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.2) Away goals scored in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.3) Play-offs[92]
    (C) Champions; (R) Relegated
    Notes:
    1. Since the winners of the 2020–21 FA Cup, Leicester City, also qualified for the Europa League based on league position, the second Europa League group stage berth allocated to England was transferred to the sixth-placed team.
    2. Since the winners of the 2020–21 EFL Cup, Manchester City, qualified for European competition based on league position, the Europa Conference League berth awarded to the EFL Cup winners was transferred to the highest-placed Premier League team not already qualified for European competition, the seventh-placed team.

    Results

    More information Home \ Away, ARS ...
    Home \ Away ARS AVL BHA BUR CHE CRY EVE FUL LEE LEI LIV MCI MUN NEW SHU SOU TOT WBA WHU WOL
    Arsenal 0–3 2–0 0–1 3–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 4–2 0–1 0–3 0–1 0–0 3–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 3–1 2–1 1–2
    Aston Villa 1–0 1–2 0–0 2–1 3–0 0–0 3–1 0–3 1–2 7–2 1–2 1–3 2–0 1–0 3–4 0–2 2–2 1–3 0–0
    Brighton & Hove Albion 0–1 0–0 0–0 1–3 1–2 0–0 0–0 2–0 1–2 1–1 3–2 2–3 3–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–1 3–3
    Burnley 1–1 3–2 1–1 0–3 1–0 1–1 1–1 0–4 1–1 0–3 0–2 0–1 1–2 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 1–2 2–1
    Chelsea 0–1 1–1 0–0 2–0 4–0 2–0 2–0 3–1 2–1 0–2 1–3 0–0 2–0 4–1 3–3 0–0 2–5 3–0 0–0
    Crystal Palace 1–3 3–2 1–1 0–3 1–4 1–2 0–0 4–1 1–1 0–7 0–2 0–0 0–2 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–3 1–0
    Everton 2–1 1–2 4–2 1–2 1–0 1–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 2–2 1–3 1–3 0–2 0–1 1–0 2–2 5–2 0–1 1–0
    Fulham 0–3 0–3 0–0 0–2 0–1 1–2 2–3 1–2 0–2 1–1 0–3 1–2 0–2 1–0 0–0 0–1 2–0 0–0 0–1
    Leeds United 0–0 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–0 2–0 1–2 4–3 1–4 1–1 1–1 0–0 5–2 2–1 3–0 3–1 3–1 1–2 0–1
    Leicester City 1–3 0–1 3–0 4–2 2–0 2–1 0–2 1–2 1–3 3–1 0–2 2–2 2–4 5–0 2–0 2–4 3–0 0–3 1–0
    Liverpool 3–1 2–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 2–0 0–2 0–1 4–3 3–0 1–4 0–0 1–1 2–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 4–0
    Manchester City 1–0 2–0 1–0 5–0 1–2 4–0 5–0 2–0 1–2 2–5 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–0 5–2 3–0 1–1 2–1 4–1
    Manchester United 0–1 2–1 2–1 3–1 0–0 1–3 3–3 1–1 6–2 1–2 2–4 0–0 3–1 1–2 9–0 1–6 1–0 1–0 1–0
    Newcastle United 0–2 1–1 0–3 3–1 0–2 1–2 2–1 1–1 1–2 1–2 0–0 3–4 1–4 1–0 3–2 2–2 2–1 3–2 1–1
    Sheffield United 0–3 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–2 0–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–2 0–2 0–1 2–3 1–0 0–2 1–3 2–1 0–1 0–2
    Southampton 1–3 0–1 1–2 3–2 1–1 3–1 2–0 3–1 0–2 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–3 2–0 3–0 2–5 2–0 0–0 1–2
    Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 1–2 2–1 4–0 0–1 4–1 0–1 1–1 3–0 0–2 1–3 2–0 1–3 1–1 4–0 2–1 2–0 3–3 2–0
    West Bromwich Albion 0–4 0–3 1–0 0–0 3–3 1–5 0–1 2–2 0–5 0–3 1–2 0–5 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–0 0–1 1–3 1–1
    West Ham United 3–3 2–1 2–2 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–0 2–0 3–2 1–3 1–1 1–3 0–2 3–0 3–0 2–1 2–1 4–0
    Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 0–1 2–1 0–4 2–1 2–0 1–2 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 1–3 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–3 2–3
    Close
    Source: Premier League
    Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
    For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

    Season statistics

    Summarize
    Perspective

    Scoring

    Top scorers

    Thumb
    Harry Kane won his third Premier League Golden Boot by scoring 23 goals from 35 matches. He became the first player to also win the Premier League Playmaker of the Season award in the same season, having assisted 14 goals.[93]
    More information Rank, Player ...
    Rank Player Club Goals[94]
    1 England Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 23
    2 Egypt Mohamed Salah Liverpool 22
    3 Portugal Bruno Fernandes Manchester United 18
    4 England Patrick Bamford Leeds United 17
    South Korea Son Heung-min Tottenham Hotspur
    6 England Dominic Calvert-Lewin Everton 16
    7 England Jamie Vardy Leicester City 15
    8 England Ollie Watkins Aston Villa 14
    9 Germany İlkay Gündoğan Manchester City 13
    France Alexandre Lacazette Arsenal
    Close

    Hat-tricks

    More information Player, For ...
    PlayerForAgainstResultDate
    Egypt Mohamed SalahLiverpoolLeeds United4–3 (H)[95]12 September 2020
    England Dominic Calvert-LewinEvertonWest Bromwich Albion5–2 (H)[96]19 September 2020
    South Korea Son Heung-min4Tottenham HotspurSouthampton5–2 (A)[97]20 September 2020
    England Jamie VardyLeicester CityManchester City5–2 (A)[98]27 September 2020
    England Ollie WatkinsAston VillaLiverpool7–2 (H)[99]4 October 2020
    England Patrick BamfordLeeds UnitedAston Villa3–0 (A)[100]23 October 2020
    Algeria Riyad MahrezManchester CityBurnley5–0 (H)[101]28 November 2020
    Gabon Pierre-Emerick AubameyangArsenalLeeds United4–2 (H)[102]14 February 2021
    Nigeria Kelechi IheanachoLeicester CitySheffield United5–0 (H)[103]14 March 2021
    New Zealand Chris WoodBurnleyWolverhampton Wanderers4–0 (A)[104]25 April 2021
    Wales Gareth BaleTottenham HotspurSheffield United4–0 (H)[105]2 May 2021
    Spain Ferran TorresManchester CityNewcastle United4–3 (A)[106]14 May 2021
    Close
    Notes

    4 Player scored 4 goals
    (H) – Home team
    (A) – Away team

    Clean sheets

    Thumb
    Ederson won a second consecutive Premier League Golden Glove after keeping 19 clean sheets for Manchester City.
    More information Rank, Player ...
    Rank Player Club Clean
    sheets
    1 Brazil Ederson Manchester City 19
    2 Senegal Édouard Mendy Chelsea 16
    3 Argentina Emiliano Martínez Aston Villa 15
    4 France Hugo Lloris Tottenham Hotspur 12
    5 Germany Bernd Leno Arsenal 11
    France Illan Meslier Leeds United
    England Nick Pope Burnley
    Denmark Kasper Schmeichel Leicester City
    9 Brazil Alisson Liverpool 10
    Poland Łukasz Fabiański West Ham United
    Portugal Rui Patrício Wolverhampton Wanderers
    England Jordan Pickford Everton
    Spain Robert Sánchez Brighton & Hove Albion
    Close

    Discipline

    Player

    Club

    Awards

    Monthly awards

    More information Month, Manager of the Month ...
    Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Goal of the Month References
    ManagerClubPlayerClubPlayerClub
    September Italy Carlo Ancelotti Everton England Dominic Calvert-Lewin Everton England James Maddison Leicester City [111][112][113]
    October Portugal Nuno Espírito Santo Wolverhampton Wanderers South Korea Son Heung-min Tottenham Hotspur Argentina Manuel Lanzini West Ham United [114][115][116]
    November Portugal José Mourinho Tottenham Hotspur Portugal Bruno Fernandes Manchester United Nigeria Ola Aina Fulham [117][118][119]
    December England Dean Smith Aston Villa Ivory Coast Sébastien Haller West Ham United [120][121][122]
    January Spain Pep Guardiola Manchester City Germany İlkay Gündoğan Manchester City Egypt Mohamed Salah Liverpool [123][124][125]
    February Portugal Bruno Fernandes Manchester United [126][127][128]
    March Germany Thomas Tuchel Chelsea Nigeria Kelechi Iheanacho Leicester City Argentina Erik Lamela Tottenham Hotspur [129][130][131]
    April England Steve Bruce Newcastle United England Jesse Lingard West Ham United England Jesse Lingard West Ham United [132][133][134]
    May Germany Jürgen Klopp Liverpool England Joe Willock Newcastle United Uruguay Edinson Cavani Manchester United [135][136][137]
    Close

    Annual awards

    More information PFA Team of the Year, Goalkeeper ...
    PFA Team of the Year[145]
    Goalkeeper Brazil Ederson (Manchester City)
    Defenders Portugal João Cancelo (Manchester City) Portugal Rúben Dias (Manchester City) England John Stones (Manchester City) England Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
    Midfielders Belgium Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) Germany İlkay Gündoğan (Manchester City) Portugal Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
    Forwards Egypt Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) England Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) South Korea Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
    Close

    References

    Loading related searches...

    Wikiwand - on

    Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.