Rewind the Clock: A Look Back at the 2023-24 Premier League Season

by Peter Kramer and Liam Fitzgerald

The 2023-24 Premier League season came to a close in May, but not without several big surprises throughout the table that resulted in major ramifications for not only the title race and relegation but also for next year’s European competitions.

Teams like Wolves and Bournemouth pushed past their relegation-bound starts to the season and really found their own style of play under new managers. Crystal Palace won six of their seven final games to shoot up into the top half, led by manager Ollie Glasner, as well as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise.

But it was in the race for the coveted UEFA Champions League qualification spots that really ended this year’s season with a bang. Manchester United failed in their attempts, with five-time Champions League winner Casemiro seemingly forgetting how to shoot, pass, dribble, and defend in the last couple months. Chelsea overtook Newcastle with a crucial five game winning streak to end the season. This was mostly due to the solid defense led by Thiago Silva, and Nico Jackson’s newfound ability to score a tap-in. Surprisingly, Cole Palmer didn’t score a single penalty, even though around half of his goals have come from them.

Aston Villa finished in the top four for the first time in over thirty years, taking their place in next year’s Champions League. It’s fair to say there is no way they couldn’t have done this without the help of Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz. Watkins had 32 goals + assists this season while Manchester City’s Phil Foden only managed 27. None of Watkins’ goals or assists came from set pieces, which only makes the statistic look even better. Despite this, Foden was controversially deemed the Premier League Player of the Season.

The title race came down to the last day of the season when Manchester City were able to beat West Ham 3-1 to secure the trophy. Sitting in second place, Arsenal had a chance to win the league if City lost their last game and if they could overcome Everton in their simultaneous 10:00 a.m. match. In the Arsenal match, Everton scored first in the 40th minute, then Arsenal responded in the 43rd to tie the game going into halftime. Arsenal would then win 2-1 by a goal from Chelsea legend Kai Havertz in the 89th minute to keep Arsenal’s trophy hopes alive. 

In the Manchester City game, there was a chance for a West Ham comeback after Mohamad Kudus scored a bicycle kick to make the score 2-1, giving West Ham a lot of momentum to build off in the second half. Nevertheless, Rodri soon scored in the 59th minute to secure a record fourth consecutive Premier League title for City.