Week 38 recap: 5 takeaways from Sunday's results

Wow! What an ending to the season! Goals were flying in left, right, and center at Saint Marys, the Goodison blues beat the Leicester blues to survival. The white side of Manchester see themselves go down after a 4-1 smashing at their own home by Spurs and so much more to unpack!

5 TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 38:

1. Everton survive - 1-0 win vs. Bournemouth

(Image via Sporting News)

What a win for Everton! Despite a dominant first-half display from the Blues, they found themselves going into halftime at 0-0 while Leicester went in 1-0 up, meaning the Foxes would stay up if the result held.

Everton kept the pressure on the Cherries which paid off in the 57th minute when the ball fell to Doucoure on the edge of the box and he hit home the sweetest volley into the goal. Bournemouth were pushing for an equalizer while Leicester remained ahead by 2-1. As the clock struck 90 minutes the Everton fans felt relaxed until they looked up and saw 10 minutes of added time!

Alas, Bournemouth could not make the 10 minutes count and the whistle blew at Goodison. Everton live to fight on another season at the top! Unfortunately for Leicester, they will be back in the Championship for the first time since the 2013/14 season.

2. Aston Villa secure Europa Conference League football for next season - 2-1 win vs. Brighton

(Image via Birmingham Live)

Aston Villa won their last game of the season, keeping themselves above Spurs into seventh place. Goals from Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins in the first-half were enough to help Villa over the line. It was a nerve-racking display since Brighton had the ball in the net twice before VAR took off one of the goals.

Villa’s had quite the comeback story this season. They started off with Steven Gerard as their boss until he was fired in October after a dreadful start to the season. Villa sat in the bottom half of the table until Unai Emery was appointed to keep them in the division. Fast forward to May and not only did Emery keep them in the Premier League, he achieved European football for Villa, what a first season in charge!

3. Leeds go down - 4-1 loss vs. Tottenham

(Image via The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Leeds fans look away, the day you all have been dreading has finally come. Leeds are relegated from the Premier League after achieving promotion back in 2020. After surviving the Premier League on the last day of the season last year, history failed to repeat itself after Leeds lost convincingly against Spurs.

Leeds never recovered after Marcelo Bielsa was fired last year. Under Bielsa, Leeds had a unique playing style which was constant pressing and attacking. Since then, Leeds have gone through three different managers this season and all three failed to bring Leeds back to their best.

It’s sad but perhaps time away from the Premier League gives Leeds a chance to rebuild the squad and help them find their football identity. If they find a good coach and sign a few players this summer we could see Leeds back in the big leagues very soon.

4. Manchester United finish 3rd - 2-1 win vs. Fulham

(Image via Sky Sports)

Manchester United have achieved a solid third place finish this season in their first season under Erik Ten Hag. Looking back at the beginning of the season, United were bottom of the league with two damaging losses, nobody could have imagined that they would finish the season third in the Premier League and make it to two finals, one of which they won (Carabao Cup).

This summer is crucial for United, with the club on the verge of being sold, Ten Hag will need to spend 200-250 million pounds around the team to not only improve the starting 11, but to also have good back-up options when his team get tired midway through next season. Manchester United fans finally have a positive future after a decade of pain.

5. We love the Premier League!

What a season! This has been one of the best Premier League seasons in recent memory! Records were broken like Erling Haaland scoring the most goals in a 38 game season (36), and 1036 goals scored this season, the most in any Premier League season. Villa and Brighton achieved European football, while Spurs and Chelsea failed to qualify. Everton survive on the final day while fairytale Leicester City go down.

There were so many notable matches: 6-3 derby win for Manchester City, 3-2 win for Arsenal at the Emirates vs. Liverpool along with a 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture at Anfield. Tottenham came back to 3-3 at Anfield until Jota scored in the dying seconds to win it 4-3 for Liverpool. All of Arsenal’s last gasp winning goals (Bournemouth and Manchester United at home), honestly, the list goes on and one!

With the 2022/23 Premier League season all wrapped up, fans will be excited for what’s to come in the 2023/24 season. Luton Town is promoted to the Premier League for the first time while Burnley and Sheffield United return with a point to prove. Arsenal will want revenge after collapsing this season, and honestly who knows what’s going to happen with Chelsea! Another great year of Premier League football goes into the history books!

Just because the season is over doesn’t mean SoccerTalk takes a break! Be sure to check back this summer for breaking news in the transfer market…