The Season: Man United scramble into Europe with FA Cup Final win

FA Cup Final 2024  Attendance 84,814 at Wembley Stadium  Referee Andrew Madley

Manchester City 1 Doku 87
Manchester United 2  Garnacho 30, Mainoo 39

Manchester City Ortega - Walker (c), Stones, Ake (Akanji 46), Gvardiol - Rodri, Kovacic (Doku 46) - Silva, De Bruyne (Alvarez 56), Foden - Haaland  Booked Alvarez
Manchester United Onana - Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot - Garnacho, Mainoo, Amrabat, Rashford - Fernandes, McTominay  Booked Mainoo, McTominay

MANCHESTER UNITED produced an uncharacteristically convincing performance to lift the FA Cup for a 13th time by beating Manchester City at Wembley.

The build-up to the match was dominated by rumours about Erik Ten Hag's position as head coach at Old Trafford after 14 league defeats in 2023-24 and a lowest finishing place since 1989-90.

Man United also went out of the Champions League in humiliating fashion, bottom of a seemingly manageable group featuring Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Copenhagen.

But the FA Cup was a trophy which the Red Devils seemed destined to win.

In the quarter finals, Liverpool should have been out of sight at Old Trafford - but spurned chance after chance to extend their 2-1 half time lead before the home side won in the last minute of extra time. 

By contrast, the semi final against Championship side Coventry City went the opposite way - Man United sped 3-0 in front through Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.

However, the Red Devils then lost their way altogether - and the Sky Blues forced extra time.

During that 30-minute period, Coventry thought they had won it, only for Victor Torp's effort in injury time in extra time to be ruled out by a dubious offside call.

And, in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Man United prevailed 4-2.

Finally, in the Final itself, Man City were in sight of a Double after securing yet another Premier League crown last weekend.

There was an early shout for a Man City penalty after Erling Haaland fell under a clumsy challenge by Lisandro Martinez.

Thereafter, though, the match degenerated into a stalemate with Man United sitting deep and Man City passing the ball in unthreatening positions.

Indeed, Man United were deep when, on the half hour mark, Diego Dalot hooked a ball forward and Alejandro Garnacho took advantage of a high defensive line and a terrible mix-up to race onto it.

Man City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega left himself in no man's land and teenager Garnacho had a simple tap-in to make it 1-0.

Nine minutes later, Man United took complete control of the Final after England squad member Kobbie Mainoo - another teenager - benefited from more blancmange weak Man City defending to score.

At this point, Man United had plenty to hold onto and Ten Hag's men never really allowed their opponents to get up a real head of steam.

True, Haaland hit the underside of the bar in the second half in an otherwise anonymous display - and Jeremy Doku got one back late on by firing a daisy cutter past Andre Onana.

But, despite seven minutes of stoppage time, nothing else significant followed - and, in truth, Man United were able to stroll to victory.

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Man City will console themselves with their unprecedented fourth consecutive English league title following a pretty straightforward win at home to West Ham United.

Phil Foden fired Pep Guardiola's men in front inside 79 seconds with a rocket into the top corner before doubling the lead on 18 minutes.

West Ham have appeared very fragile at times this season, conceding 74 goals - a figure surpassed only by the dire bottom three.

But, in David Moyes's last game as boss in his second spell at the London Stadium, the Hammers showed some resilience - and pulled a goal back on the stroke of half time through Mohammed Kudus's audacious overhead kick.

No matter. Man City were simply too strong for their opponents - and wrapped up a ninth successive league win through Rodri.

For much of the afternoon anyway, there had been little doubt about the destination of the title after Arsenal fell 1-0 behind in their game against Everton.

As it happened, the Gunners pulled it around and generally have shown far more backbone in the title race this year than 12 months ago - but the reality is that Guardiola's men have again proven far too strong for the North London outfit.

That is how it looks in the record books for now at least - but, while the 115 Premier League charges against Man City for alleged financial irregularity remain outstanding, there will always be some doubt over the outright validity of their successes.

For their part, Man City vehemently deny the charges - and some reports suggest it could be at least another year before any verdict.

Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp said farewell - though perhaps not goodbye - to the Kop, with Liverpool safely nestled in third ahead of their closing 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.

Meanwhile, fourth-placed Aston Villa were clearly already on the beach during their 5-0 defeat to Crystal Palace - whose own excellent recent run under new coach Oliver Glasner secured a top-10 position.

Tottenham Hotspur were almost certain of finishing fifth and confirmed their place in the Europa League next season with a facile 3-0 win over rock-bottom Sheffield United.

And fellow capital outfit Chelsea joined Spurs in Europe by finishing sixth - albeit that was only enough for the Conference League after the FA Cup Final result.

The Blues hit a purple patch in the second half of the season with nine wins and 32 points in their 15 league game - although that run was still not enough for Mauricio Pochettino to keep his job following another underwhelming season at Stamford Bridge overall.

Newcastle United finished seventh - above Manchester United for the first time in the Premier League era after scoring 85 league goals.

That is in fact the most in a single top division campaign for the Magpies since 1960-61 - a season which incredibly ended with 109 goals conceded and relegation.

Nevertheless, a ridiculous injury crisis and some equally ridiculous Cup draws in 2023-24 contributed heavily to the fact that Eddie Howe's men failed in their attempt to qualify for European football in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the Sir Bobby Robson era.

At the bottom, all three of the promoted teams made an immediate return to the Championship for the first time in 26 years and only the second time in the Premier League era.

Sheff United were relegated back on 27 April - and, finishing on 16 points, only narrowly avoided being the worst Premier League team ever.

The Blades' desperate record of 104 goals conceded is a Premier League record, though - and they also matched the -69 goal difference recorded by statistically the worst team of all, Derby County.

Across the Pennines, Burnley went down on the penultimate matchday following their 2-1 defeat to Spurs as head coach Vincent Kompany failed to transfer his coaching philosophy in the Championship into sustainable success in the top flight.

Despite this, somewhat astonishingly, Kompany has just been appointed as the new Bayern Munich head coach, no doubt to the raising of more than a few eyebrows. 

Finally, Luton Town were the third side to go down after their first top flight season since 1991-92.

To their credit, as the supposed weakest of the three teams to get promoted in 2022-23, the Hatters officially took their fight to the final day.

Realistically, though, Rob Edwards's men were also already down on the penultimate matchday - and, needing a swing in their favour of three points and 12 goals, their fate was sealed by a 2-1 win for Nottingham Forest at Burnley.

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EFL Championship playoff final  Attendance 86,862 at Wembley Stadium  Referee John Brooks

Leeds United 0

Southampton 1  A Armstrong 24

Leeds United Meslier - Gray, Rodon, Ampadu (c), Firpo (Joseph 83) - Gruev, Kamara (Roberts) - Gnonto (James 66), Rutter, Summerville (Anthony 74) - Piroe  Booked Summerville, Ampadu

Southampton McCarthy - Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens (c) - Smallbone, Downes, Aribo - Brooks (Edozie (Manning)), A Armstrong, Fraser  Booked Bednarek, Fraser (Adams 70), Harwood-Bellis, Adams, Downes, Aribo

SOUTHAMPTON secured an immediate return to the Premier League after beating Leeds United in the Playoff Final.

Adam Armstrong scored the only goal of a largely low-quality contest, striding clear of a poorly-executed offside trap and finishing neatly past Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier on 24 minutes.

The Whites actually started more brightly with Willy Gnonto putting an early shot on target - but the fact that their next such effort came in stoppage time at the end of the match tells its own story.

In between, the Saints defence was barely tested despite Daniel Farke's outfit enjoying the majority of the ball - as Russell Martin's men got the better of the Yorkshire club for the third time this season.

Wales international Daniel James came on as a second half substitute for Leeds and injected some much-needed spark to his team's performance, striking the underside of the bar with six minutes of the 90 left.

It was also James who tested the desperately under-worked Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy in the 94th minute with a low drive from the edge of the box.

But there was very little to be said otherwise for Leeds' attacking endeavours - as the Saints went marching up.

In League One, Oxford United returned to the second tier for the first time in 25 years after upsetting Bolton Wanderers in the playoff final.

Josh Murphy - the identical twin brother of Newcastle winger Jacob - scored twice in the latter part of the first half as the Yellows cruised to victory under the arch.

Finally, in League Two, Crawley Town completed a remarkable playoff campaign with promotion to the third tier for the first time since 2014-15.

The Red Devils thrashed Mike Williamson's fourth-placed Milton Keynes 5-1 at Stadium:mk on the way to an 8-1 aggregate win in the semi finals - then completed the job against Crewe Alexandra in the Final.

Danilo Orsi and Liam Kelly scored late in the first and second halves respectively against the Alex - although the victory by the Sussex club was well-deserved. 

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ROLL OF HONOUR 2023-24

ENGLAND

	Premier League
Champions	Manchester City
Runners-up	Arsenal
Champions League	Liverpool (3rd), Aston Villa (4th)
Europa League	Tottenham Hotspur (5th), Manchester United (cup winners)
Europa Conference	Chelsea (6th)
Relegation	Luton Town, Burnley, Sheffield United

	Championship
Champions	Leicester City
Runners-up	Ipswich Town
Playoff winners	Southampton (won 1-0 v Leeds United)
Relegation	Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United

	League One
Champions	Portsmouth
Runners-up	Derby County
Playoff winners	Oxford United (won 2-0 v Bolton Wanderers)
Relegation	Cheltenham Town, Fleetwood Town, Port Vale, Carlisle United

	League Two
Champions	Stockport County
Runners-up	Wrexham
Also promoted	Mansfield Town
Playoff winners	Crawley Town (won 2-0 v Crewe Alexandra)
Relegation	Sutton United, Forest Green Rovers

	National League
Champions	Chesterfield
Playoff winners	Bromley (won 4-3 on penalties v Solihull Moors, following 2-2 aet)
Relegation	Boreham Wood, Kidderminster Harriers, Dorking Wanderers, Oxford City

	National League North
Champions	Tamworth
Playoff winners	Boston United (won 2-1a v Brackley Town)
Relegation	Blyth Spartans, Banbury United, Gloucester City, Bishop's Stortford

	National League South
Champions	Yeovil Town
Playoff winners	Braintree Town (won 4-3a v Worthing, after extra time)
Relegation	Dartford, Taunton Town, Havant & Waterlooville, Dover Athletic

	Domestic Cup finals
FA Cup Final	Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City
League Cup Final	Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea, after extra time
FA Community Shield	Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties
EFL Trophy	Peterborough United 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
FA Trophy	Gateshead 2-2 Solihull Moors, after extra time. Gateshead won 5-4 on pens.
FA Vase	Romford 3-0 Great Wakering Rovers

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SCOTLAND

	Premiership
Champions	Celtic
Runners-up	Rangers
Europa League	Hearts (3rd), Kilmarnock (4th)
Europa Conference	St Mirren (5th)
Relegation	Livingston

	Championship
Champions	Dundee United
Runners-up	Raith Rovers (not promoted; lost 1-6 on agg v Ross County (1-2h, 0-4a))
Relegation	Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Arbroath

	League One
Champions	Falkirk
Runners-up	Hamilton Academical (won 5-3 on agg v Inverness Caledonian Thistle (2-1h, 3-2a))
Relegation	Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City

	League Two
Champions	Stenhousemuir
Runners-up	Peterhead (not promoted)
Playoff winners	Dumbarton (won 4-3 on agg v The Spartans (2-1h, 2-2a))
Relegation	None (Stranraer won 5-3 on agg v East Kilbride (2-2a, 3-1h aet))

	Domestic Cup finals
FA Cup Final	Celtic 1-0 Rangers
League Cup Final	Rangers 1-0 Aberdeen
Challenge Cup Final	Airdrieonians 2-1 The New Saints (Wal)

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WALES

Champions	The New Saints
Europa Conference	Connah's Quay Nomads (2nd), Bala Town (3rd), Caernarfon Town (playoffs)
Relegation	Colwyn Bay, Pontypridd United

FA Cup Final	Connah's Quay Nomads 2-1 The New Saints
League Cup Final	The New Saints 5-1 Swansea City

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NORTHERN IRELAND

Champions	Larne
Europa Conference	Linfield (2nd), Cliftonville (cup winners), Crusaders (playoff winners)
Relegation	Newry City

IFA Cup Final	Cliftonville 3-1 Linfield, after extra time
League Cup Final	Linfield 3-1 Portadown

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EUROPE

	UEFA finals
Champions League	Real Madrid (Spa) 2-0 Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
Europa League	Atalanta (Ita) 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)
Europa Conference	Olympiacos (Grc) 1-0 Fiorentina (Ita), after extra time
Super Cup	Manchester City (Eng) 1-1 Sevilla (Spa). Manchester City won 5-4 on penalties.

	Selected league champions
Spain	Real Madrid
Italy	Internazionale
Germany	Bayer Leverkusen
France	Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal	Sporting Lisbon
Netherlands	PSV Eindhoven
Belgium	Club Brugge
Greece	PAOK Thessaloniki
Turkey	Galatasaray

The Run-In: Crunch time for Arsenal and Manchester City in title race

	Premier League	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Arsenal	36	26	5	5	88	28	+60	83
2	Manchester City	35	25	7	3	87	33	+54	82
3	Liverpool	36	23	9	4	81	38	+43	78
4	Aston Villa	36	20	7	9	73	53	+20	67
5	Tottenham Hotspur	35	18	6	11	69	58	+11	60
6	Newcastle United	35	17	5	13	78	56	+22	56
7	Chelsea	35	15	9	11	70	59	+11	54
8	Manchester United	35	16	6	13	52	55	-3	54
9	West Ham United	36	13	10	13	56	70	-14	49

ARSENAL find themselves in a familiar position as they lead the Premier League in its closing stages but have Manchester City breathing down the back of their neck.

The Gunners, fresh from holding their nerve in the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur after a fast start, beat Bournemouth comfortably on Saturday.

And Mikel Arteta's men appear to be dealing with the pressure rather better this time than last season ahead of their final couple of fixtures against Manchester United (12 May) and at home to Everton (19 May).

Of course, the big problem for Arsenal is that their fate is not in their own hands.

Man City have a game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur on 14 May, as well as fixtures against Fulham (11 May) and West Ham United (19 May) as they seek to extend their current sequence of six wins in a row.

Win all three remaining games - and Pep Guardiola's men will become the first team in English football history to achieve four top division titles in a row, and there is nothing which Arsenal will be able to do about it.

Now, for much of the season, the title race had actually been a three-way tussle - but Liverpool fell away badly in April.

Jurgen Klopp's men dropped 10 points from the 18 available last month - and went out of the Europa League to Atalanta after an unexpected collapse in the first leg at Anfield.

In March, the Reds were beaten 4-3 after extra time by Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter finals at Old Trafford - and all this has left Klopp's ambitions of a glorious trophy-laden conclusion to his nine-year reign on Merseyside rather diminished.

The German will not finish the season entirely empty-handed after Virgil van Dijk headed a late extra time winner against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in February.

However, this is not exactly how Klopp would have envisaged his last few weeks in charge at Anfield playing out.

The top three have, of course, secured Champions League football in 2024-25 - leaving only one place remaining after the Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga teams outperformed Premier League clubs in Europe this season to take the new-fangled extra spots.

Despite defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, Aston Villa are still deservedly big favourites to qualify having been almost ever-present in the top four since beating Tottenham away at the end of November.

Unai Emery's outfit need only three points from their last two games against Liverpool (13 May) and Crystal Palace (19 May) to guarantee their place in the premier European premier competition for the first time since 1982-83.

But it may well be less than three required as the signs are that fifth-placed Spurs' race is run following a series of recent damaging defeats.

Since beating Villa 4-0 in their return fixture in March, Ange Postecoglu's side have taken just seven points from their last eight matches with defeats on the road at Fulham, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool compounded by the 3-2 defeat at home in the North London Derby.

By contrast, Newcastle have hit their best form since the autumn - and, in thumping Sheffield United for a second time as well as Spurs and Burnley, Eddie Howe's side have moved up to sixth.

Consequently, the Magpies could yet finish a difficult, injury-ravaged campaign on a high by securing European football in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the Sir Bobby Robson era.

Then again, Chelsea's recent upturn in form - with back-to-back London Derby victories over Spurs and West Ham - has propelled the Blues right back into the reckoning.

Additionally, a favourable-looking fixture list against Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Bournemouth suggests the Stamford Bridge club could yet finish in the top six after all.

Certainly, though, the same cannot be said with any confidence by Man United supporters after the Red Devils stayed in eighth place following their 4-0 humbling at Crystal Palace last night.

Erik Ten Hag's men remain two points behind Newcastle, who they play at Old Trafford on 15 May - while the heavy defeat also meant they slumped back to a negative goal difference.

But, whatever happens from hereon in, this campaign has undoubtedly been a backwards step for the Dutch manager following his team's third-placed finish in 2022-23.

Indeed, it could have been worse if Coventry City had completed their comeback in the FA Cup semi final - or rather had been allowed to.

The Sky Blues forced extra time from 3-0 down with 20 minutes left - and then thought they had won it, only for Victor Torp's effort in injury time in extra time to be ruled out by a dubious offside call.

In the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Man United won 4-2 - but, even aside from that massive let-off, performances by Ten Hag's men have been unconvincing with just two wins coming inside 90 minutes in their 10 other matches since the start of March.

Now, while there is much yet to be decided at the top end of the Premier League, the battle to avoid relegation has - amid much controversy - started to become a little clearer.

For a start, Sheffield United are definitely down - having suffered throughout a truly dreadful season.

Beaten by four goals or more on no fewer than seven occasions, the Blades have became the first Premier League team since Swindon Town in 1993-94 to concede 100 goals - and there are still two matches left.

Above the hapless Yorkshire club, only three other teams now can be condemned to the other two relegation places.

For now, the two other clubs promoted from the Championship last season - Burnley and Luton Town - remain in most trouble, with Nottingham Forest just outside the bottom three.

In fact, Vincent Kompany's Clarets have been in the relegation zone since the very first day of the season - and their 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle means they will be relegated on Saturday if they fail to beat Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Luton's form - which picked up with 11 points from six matches either side of Christmas - has tailed off badly in the spring.

A run of just one win in 15 games has left Rob Edwards's side in 18th place - although their remaining fixtures against West Ham (11 May) and Fulham (19 May) provide a realistic prospect of points.

The Hatters cannot control their own destiny, though - and at least one of their rivals will pick up points on the final day when Burnley take on Forest at Turf Moor.

The Tricky Trees beat Sheff United on Saturday to improve their chances of survival - but, along with the alarming frequency of the errors made by video assistant referees (VAR), points deductions among the bottom half teams have been the scourge of the season.

Everton were first to fall foul of the profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and received a 10-point deduction on 26 February which was reduced to six points on appeal.

Then, on 8 April, the Toffees were hit with another two-point deduction to take their overall penalty to eight points, although again the Merseysiders have lodged an appeal.

At least, for their own sake, Everton have played well enough on the field in recent weeks to pull away from trouble regardless. 

However, Nuno Espirito Santo's side were also given a four-point deduction on 18 March for breaching PSR - and it was announced today that the decision would stand following the failure of the appeal submitted by the East Midlands club.

At least now Forest and the two other potential relegation candidates know exactly where they stand ahead of their final two fixtures.

In the wider scheme of things, though, the highly restrictive nature of PSR has left newly-promoted clubs with one hand tied behind their back in their attempts to improve their squad to compete in the top division.

Moreover, the rules prevent highly-ambitious clubs with wealthy owners like Aston Villa and Newcastle from challenging the established elite.

In response to concerns raised by several Premier League clubs, a new spending cap in place of PSR is set to be introduced from the 2025-26 season onwards - with the threshold linked to a multiple of the amount which the lowest-earning club receives in television revenue.

Strikingly, though, comprehensive details behind the new regulations have yet to be made available. 

17	Nottingham Forest*	36	8	9	19	45	63	-18	29
18	Luton Town	36	6	8	22	49	78	-29	26
19	Burnley	36	5	9	22	39	74	-35	24
R	Sheffield United	36	3	7	26	35	100	-65	16

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	EFL Championship	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Leicester City	46	31	4	11	89	41	+48	97
P	Ipswich Town	46	28	12	6	92	57	+35	96
3	Leeds United	46	27	9	10	81	43	+38	90
4	Southampton	46	26	9	11	87	63	+24	87
5	West Bromwich Albion	46	21	12	13	70	47	+23	75
6	Norwich City	46	21	10	15	79	64	+15	73
7	Hull City	46	19	13	14	68	60	+8	70
8	Middlesbrough	46	20	9	17	71	62	+9	69

JAMIE VARDY hit a brace as Leicester City comfortably beat Preston North End 3-0 last Monday to seal the Championship title following their immediate return to the top flight.

The Foxes gained promotion on the previous Friday without kicking a ball after Leeds United were thrashed 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers.

But all this came much later in the season than expected for Leicester after they dominated the first two-thirds of the campaign.

In mid-February, the title and rise back to the top flight seemed inevitable – Leicester were 12 points clear at the top and had a 14-point cushion to third place, with 25 wins and 78 points from 32 games.

But there followed a run of just one win and four defeats in six matches - and, with Leeds and Ipswich Town both in good form, the gap quickly closed. 

Leicester even fell out of the automatic promotion places over the Easter weekend - but, just as the Foxes faltered, those around them also dropped crucial points.

Leeds took just eight points from six matches while Ipswich similarly stalled with three consecutive draws.

That allowed Leicester to regroup through back-to-back wins against West Bromwich Albion and Southampton - with the 5-0 thrashing of the Saints last Tuesday showing Enzo Maresca's side truly had overcome their wobble.

Nevertheless, the Foxes celebrations have been tempered somewhat by news that they may face an immediate points deduction in the Premier League for breaching PSR after announcing a near-£90 million loss for 2022-23.

Meanwhile, Ipswich - who were only just promoted from League One last season - took the second automatic place after winning 2-1 at Coventry City last Tuesday before beating Huddersfield Town 2-0 in the sunshine at Portman Road on Saturday. 

It is a magnificent achievement by Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys who became the first team since Southampton made a double bounce between 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Consequently, Leeds must now settle for the playoffs alongside fourth-placed Southampton who won 2-1 in front of a nervy Elland Road.

The Saints had already secured a top six position - but will be disappointed having pushed themselves into the top two on the back of a record unbeaten run of 22 league games between September and February. 

Ultimately, though, a slow start and - more critically - a run of three successive defeats in April left Russell Martin's men out of the picture. 

Elsewhere, the last two playoff spots went to West Brom and Norwich City, with the pair swapping places back on the final day after the Baggies beat Preston North End while the Canaries were beaten at Birmingham City.

Hull City, in seventh, had harboured hopes of gatecrashing the playoff places - but lost away at relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle, leading to the sacking today of Tigers boss Liam Rosenior.

Indeed, those fixtures for Norwich and Hull ultimately had more bearing on the battle at the bottom of the table.

With Rotherham United relegated way back on 5 April and Huddersfield  effectively down after their draw on the previous weekend against Birmingham, only one place remained to be avoided.

At one stage, it looked as if most of the bottom half would be involved in the scrap - but, during the course of April, Millwall, QPR and Stoke City all earned a string of key wins to pull away from danger. 

As a result, four clubs were in trouble at the start of the final day - with Birmingham in the bottom three, one point adrift of Plymouth ahead of the visit of Norwich to St Andrews.

The Blues won their own game, beating the playoff-bound Canaries - but the Pilgrims also pulled off that unexpected victory against Hull.

Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday had also mathematically been at risk - but Rovers secured their status against a Leicester side which failed to put on a champions' display at the King Power Stadium.

Elsewhere, the Owls had a plum fixture against a Sunderland side which treaded water for months after the ill-fated Michael Beale tenure ended on Wearside in February.

By contrast, Wednesday manager - 34-year-old German Danny Roehl - revived his team upon taking charge at Hillsborough in October, following the worst start in the club's history.

15	Watford	46	13	17	16	61	61	0	56
16	Sunderland	46	16	8	22	52	54	-2	56
17	Stoke City	46	15	11	20	49	60	-11	56
18	Queens Park Rangers	46	15	11	20	47	58	-11	56
19	Blackburn Rovers	46	14	11	21	60	74	-14	53
20	Sheffield Wednesday	46	15	8	23	44	68	-24	53
21	Plymouth Argyle	46	13	12	21	59	70	-11	51
R	Birmingham City	46	13	11	22	50	65	-15	50
R	Huddersfield Town	46	9	18	19	48	77	-29	45
R	Rotherham United	46	5	12	29	37	89	-52	27

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	EFL League One	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Portsmouth	46	28	13	5	78	41	+37	97
P	Derby County	46	28	8	10	78	37	+41	92
3	Bolton Wanderers	46	25	12	9	86	51	+35	87
4	Peterborough United	46	25	9	12	89	61	+28	84
5	Oxford United	46	22	11	13	79	56	+23	77
6	Barnsley	46	21	13	12	82	64	+18	76
7	Lincoln City	46	20	14	12	65	40	+25	74
8	Blackpool	46	21	10	15	65	48	+17	73
9	Stevenage	46	19	14	13	57	46	+11	71

PORTSMOUTH ended their long absence from the second tier by winning promotion and taking the League One title on the same night.

Conor Shaughnessy's late winner sealed a 3-2 win over Barnsley on 16 April as Pompey ended 12 years of exile in the lower two divisions.

Four of those seasons came in the League Two basement - but, having fallen through the leagues at a rapid rate amid financial turmoil in the early 2010s, the south coast club return to the Championship on a much surer footing.

Derby County took the second automatic promotion place to ensure their own tenure at this level lasted only two seasons.

The Rams were involved in a tight tussle with yet another former Premier League outfit, Bolton Wanderers - but, after a good late run of form, Paul Warne's men needed only a draw on the final day.

A 2-0 victory at Pride Park against already-relegated Carlisle United therefore proved more than enough - and the pitch invasion at full-time signalled a huge emotional release from the sold-out crowd of 31,027.

By contrast, Bolton have now been left to consider how to make it through the playoffs, where the Trotters will be joined by Peterborough United.

Posh's slim hopes of gatecrashing the automatic promotion places were ended in a crushing 5-0 defeat at Oxford United on 13 April - and, coincidentally, the two teams will meet again in the playoff semi finals.

But, despite that recent mauling, Darren Ferguson's side will fancy their chances in that tie.

After all, Peterborough have already proven their knockout credentials at this level this year by beating Wycombe Wanderers to win the EFL Trophy at Wembley.

Furthermore, Oxford - and sixth-placed Barnsley - only sealed their playoff places on the final day after being threatened by a late run of form from Lincoln City.

Indeed, Lincoln beat Oxford on 16 April and, four days later, moved into the top six at the expense of the Us after defeating Cheltenham Town.

But the Imps then lost at home to Pompey on Saturday and allowed Oxford to take the place back again with a 2-1 win at mid-table Exeter City.

Barnsley, meanwhile, used almost all of the comfort room which they had built up - and head into the post-season on the back of a dismal run of two draws and four defeats from their last six matches.

At the bottom, Carlisle were relegated back on 6 April following a 2-0 defeat at Northampton Town - while Port Vale fared only marginally better after taking until 23 March to record their first win of 2024.

Fleetwood Town also failed to take their survival fight to the last day, leaving Cheltenham, Burton Albion and Cambridge United in a scrap on Saturday to avoid the fourth and final place.

Ultimately, Cheltenham went down following defeat at Stevenage, as they paid the price for hideous start to the season.

It took the Robins until 7 October to score a single league goal, let alone win a game - and, though they were vastly improved after Darrell Clarke replaced Wade Elliott as manager, they were never able to clamber out of the bottom four at any stage.

Burton then were left to breathe a sigh of relief as their 3-0 defeat at Fleetwood did not cost them, while Cambridge secured the point which they needed in a stalemate at Vale.

18	Cambridge United	46	12	12	22	39	61	-22	48
19	Shrewsbury Town	46	13	9	24	35	67	-32	48
20	Burton Albion	46	12	10	24	39	67	-28	46
R	Cheltenham Town	46	12	8	26	41	65	-24	44
R	Fleetwood Town	46	10	13	23	49	72	-23	43
R	Port Vale	46	10	11	25	41	74	-33	41
R	Carlisle United	46	7	9	30	41	81	-40	30

⚽

	EFL League Two	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Stockport County	46	27	11	8	96	48	+48	92
P	Wrexham	46	26	10	10	89	52	+37	88
P	Mansfield Town	46	24	12	8	90	47	+43	86
4	Milton Keynes Dons	46	23	9	14	83	68	+15	78
5	Doncaster Rovers	46	21	8	17	73	68	+5	71
6	Crewe Alexandra	46	19	14	13	69	65	+4	71
7	Crawley Town	46	21	7	18	73	67	+6	70
8	Barrow	46	18	15	13	62	56	+6	69
9	Bradford City	46	19	12	15	61	59	+2	69
10	AFC Wimbledon	46	17	14	15	64	51	+13	65

STOCKPORT COUNTY took another big stride to recovering the ground which they painfully lost between 2002 and 2013 when they dropped from the second tier to the sixth. 

The Hatters went from reaching the League Cup semi finals in 1997 and then playing in five successive Championship-level seasons to enduring a six-year spell in the National League North. 

But promotion from that level finally came in 2019 and they then added the National League title in 2022.

Last season ended in playoff final heartache after a penalty shoot-out at Wembley - but Dave Challinor's side left nothing to chance this time. 

Having been placed in the top two since October, Stockport were promoted on 13 April with a 2-0 win over Morecambe before sealing yet another title with a 5-2 bashing of Notts County. 

Elsewhere, on the same day as the Hatters went up, Wrexham added the latest chapter to their Disney fairytale, thumping Forest Green Rovers 6-0 to confirm their return to the third tier for the first time since 2004-05.

Third-placed Mansfield Town waited only three days longer for their own promotion party which began after Nigel Clough's Stags beat Accrington Stanley. 

And, in truth, there has been little doubt for some time about the trio of clubs who would be promoted automatically. 

Milton Keynes, in fourth place, were the best of the rest - but still ended eight points adrift - while sixth-placed Crewe Alexandra and Crawley, in seventh, were always there or thereabouts.

However, Doncaster Rovers are easily the most remarkable of the playoff contenders. 

Rovers strung together a club record sequence of 10 consecutive wins to rise all the way up from 22nd place on 3 February, eventually finishing in fifth. 

By contrast, Barrow - who had occupied a playoff spot since mid-November - slipped the other way and out of the reckoning on the last day. 

Pete Wild's men took just two points out of the 21 available in April - although at least the Bluebirds still have their Football League status. 

That cannot be said for Sutton United who head back down to the National League, after just three seasons - despite a four-match winning run in March and April giving the south London club hope of surviving the drop. 

Steve Morison's side even made a gallant comeback on the last day in their 4-4 draw at Milton Keynes - but they needed three points at the very minimum. 

Indeed, their result was rendered academic as Colchester United took a home point against Crewe to guarantee safety.

Below Sutton, Forest Green had already been relegated ahead of the final day following that earlier heavy reverse at Wrexham, although they did bow out by beating Notts at the New Lawn. 

Undoubtedly, though, a second successive relegation has left attention-seeing owner Dale Vince and the pitiful fanbase choking on their vegan sausage rolls.

For sure, the Gloucestershire non-entities are unlikely to be much missed by too many opposition supporters in the Football League. 

22	Colchester United	46	11	12	23	59	80	-21	45
R	Sutton United	46	9	15	22	59	84	-25	42
R	Forest Green Rovers	46	11	9	26	44	78	-34	42

The Season 2022/23 - Manchester City complete incredible Treble

MANCHESTER CITY completed a Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup treble after beating Internazionale 1-0 in the European Cup Final.

Rodri struck the only goal with a well-placed shot from the edge of the box midway through the second half as Pep Guardiola's men achieved true football greatness at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.

The lead almost did not last long but somehow Federico Dimarco only managed to hit his own man Romelu Lukaku on the rebound from his own looping header onto the bar.

Then, in a nervy finish, the Blues were indebted to the positioning of their Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson when Lukaku astonishingly failed to convert a header from just six yards. 

Whether by luck or good judgement, the ball hit Ederson on the knee and stayed out of the net - and the keeper was soon called into more conventional action in stoppage time to tip over Alessandro Bastoni's header. 

But, after Inter could make nothing of one last corner, the most raucous ever Manchester City celebrations could finally begin. 

On the previous weekend, Ilkay Gundogan had got Guardiola's side off to an ideal start in the FA Cup Final by scoring the fastest ever goal in the history of the Wembley showpiece with a beautiful volley after just 12 seconds.

Bruno Fernandes equalised from the penalty spot for Manchester United but Gundogan struck another volley early in the second half - and even had the ball in the net for a third time, only for it to be ruled offside. 

Man City survived a late scare when goalkeeper Stefan Ortega scrambled Raphael Varane's scrappy effort onto the bar - but overall the blue half of Manchester fully deserved to complete the second part of the trilogy against their bitter cross-city rivals. 

Earlier, a seventh Premier League title - and ninth top division title overall - landed at the Etihad Stadium as Man City overtook long-time leaders Arsenal during the run-in.

The Gunners led the league for 248 days - but the dropped points in draws against West Ham United, Liverpool and Southampton, and in defeats to Man City and Nottingham Forest, meant Mikel Arteta's men had to settle for a runners-up spot.

Erik Ten Haag provided Man United supporters with some encouragement in his debut season at Old Trafford by finishing in third place and winning the Carabao Cup Final.

In both endeavours, the Red Devils got the better of Newcastle United. Nevertheless, the Magpies still enjoyed an excellent first full campaign on Tyneside under Eddie Howe to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.

That meant the late-season seven-match winning run from Liverpool was all in vain and the Reds must make-do with the Europa League in 2023-24.

While that has come across as a disappointment to Jurgen Klopp's men, sixth place for Brighton & Hove Albion represents a first foray into European competition in the club's history.

Not even the disruption of losing Graham Potter to Chelsea in September could derail the Seagulls as his replacement Roberto De Zerbi proved an astute appointment.

Italian De Zerbi actually introduced a more attacking style of play and it paid off as Brighton combined their league form with a run to the FA Cup semi finals.

The last league-based European spot went to seventh-placed Aston Villa who will wonder what might have been if they had started the season under Unai Emery and not Steven Gerrard who struggled for much of his tenure. 

Emery eventually delivered a Europa Conference League spot to the Villains, which will be the first European football at Villa Park for 13 years. 

By contrast, Tottenham Hotspur in eighth missed out altogether for the first time in 15 years after an already abject season completely fell apart in the closing stages.

Spurs reached their nadir when 5-0 down against Newcastle in just 21 minutes in an extraordinary collapse which cost caretaker Cristian Stellini his job.

Stellini himself had replaced Antonio Conte after the multiple champion had delivered a spectacular rant against the club's ownership and "selfish" players - and the season ended with another messy, as of yet unresolved, search for a new head coach. 

Remarkably, Chelsea fared worse still - and, having started the season with Thomas Tuchel, they finished it in 12th with Frank Lampard for their lowest league placing since 1993-94. 

The Blues even fell short of matching fellow west London sides, Brentford and Fulham, who were ninth and 10th respectively - and in fact finished above only one other team from the capital, West Ham.

The Hammers, though, can at least more than console themselves with a first major trophy in 43 years - and their first European silverware since Sir Bobby Moore lifted the Cup Winners Cup in 1965. 

Jarrod Bowen was the hero of the night for David Moyes's men in Prague, striding past the Fiorentina offside trap and keeping his cool in the 90th minute to make it 2-1.

As such, West Ham will also take part in the Europa League next season, meaning that the Premier League boasts an impressive eight teams in UEFA competitions in 2023-24.

At the bottom, season-long strugglers Southampton meekly slumped out of the top flight after an 11-year sojourn, and the south coast club were joined by Leeds United and Leicester City. 

Leeds had turned to Sam Allardyce in a bid to rescue their Premier League status - but, unsurprisingly, the tiresome dinosaur failed to get anywhere near to sorting out the Whites defence and took just one point out of 12. 

The biggest casualties of the season, though, were undoubtedly Leicester City after Dean Smith was unable to get the Foxes out of the terrible funk which they had fallen into under predecessor Brendan Rodgers.

Bizarrely, Smith played for a point away at Newcastle in their penultimate match, a result which took the fate of his side out of their hands - and it ultimately it proved costly as Everton escaped again on the last day by beating Bournemouth at home. 

⚽️

Elsewhere, in English football, this season was the first occurrence of all three of the Football League Playoff Finals needing at least extra time for an outcome.

Two of them, in fact, needed penalties as Luton Town became the 51st club to be represented in the Premier League era by beating Coventry City from 12 yards to return to the top flight after a 32-year absence.

Dan Potts scored the decisive kick for the Hatters - and left them with plenty of work to do over the summer just to ensure their rather ramshackle Kenilworth Road ground meets Premier League standards. 

In League One, Sheffield Wednesday endured perhaps the most torturous post-season adventure ever.

Thrashed 4-0 in the first leg of the semi final by Peterborough United, the Owls' hopes looked over - but the Yorkshire club staged an amazing comeback in the second leg to equalise.

Even then, in extra time in the second leg, Posh regained a 5-4 lead and Wednesday had to equalise again ahead of victory on penalties. 

In the Final, Wednesday held the upper hand for most of the match with south Yorkshire rivals Barnsley reduced to 10 men early in the second half. 

However, it took until the third minute of stoppage time in extra time - and effectively the last touch of the game - for Josh Windass to make the breakthrough with a fantastic diving header. 

Carlisle United also won under the Wembley Arch in League Two as the Cumbrians held their nerve to beat Stockport County on spot-kicks after narrowly getting the better of Bradford City in the semi finals.

Victory means Paul Simpson's side will play in the third tier for the first time in 10 years while Stockport County must try again in the bottom tier having also missed out on automatic promotion on the last day of the regular season. 

Finally, in the National League, Notts County's effort of 107 points in the regular season did not go to waste - but, after Wrexham had taken the only automatic place on 111 points, the Magpies needed to negotiate the playoffs. 

It almost went wrong in the semi finals against against Boreham Wood - but Notts recovered to win 3-2 in extra time before scraping past East Midlands rivals Chesterfield on penalties in the Final.

As a result, Notts County once again can proudly claim ownership of being the oldest club in the Football League. 

⚽️

(1) MANCHESTER CITY W28 D5 L5 F94 A33 +61 Pts 89
Manager Pep Guardiola (since July 2016)
FA Cup Winners League Cup Quarter finals Champions League Winners
Top scorer Erling Haaland (36) Clean sheets 13 Failed to score 3

(2) ARSENAL W26 D6 L6 F88 A3 +45 Pts 84
Manager Mikel Arteta (since December 2019)
FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Third round Europa League Last 16
Top scorers Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard (15) Clean sheets 14 Failed to score 4

(3) MANCHESTER UNITED W23 D6 L9 F58 A43 +15 Pts 75
Manager Erik ten Hag (since May 2022)
FA Cup Runners-up League Cup Winners Europa League Quarter finals
Top scorer Marcus Rashford (17) Clean sheets 17 Failed to score 7

(4) NEWCASTLE UNITED W19 D14 L5 F68 A33 +35 Pts 71
Manager Eddie Howe (since November 2021)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Runners-up
Top scorer Callum Wilson (18) Clean sheets 14 Failed to score 11

(5) LIVERPOOL W19 D10 L10 F75 A47 +28 Pts 67
Manager Jürgen Klopp (since October 2015)
FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Fourth round Champions League Last 16
Top scorer Mohamed Salah (19) Clean sheets 14 Failed to score 8

(6) BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION W18 D8 L12 F72 A53 +19 Pts 62
Managers Roberto De Zerbi (since September 2022); Graham Potter (until September 2022)
FA Cup Semi finals League Cup Fourth round
Top scorer Alexis MacAllister (10) Clean sheets 12 Failed to score 5

(7) ASTON VILLA W18 D7 L13 F51 A46 +5 Pts 61
Managers Unai Emery (since November 2022); Steven Gerrard (until October 2022)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Top scorer Ollie Watkins (15) Clean sheets 12 Failed to score 8

(8) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR W18 D6 L14 F70 A63 +7 Pts 60
Managers Ange Postecoglou (since June 2023); Antonio Conte (until March 2023), Cristian Stellini (interim, until April 2023), Ryan Mason (interim, until May 2023)
FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Third round Champions League Last 16
Top scorer Harry Kane (30) Clean sheets 10 Failed to score 4

(9) BRENTFORD W15 D14 L9 F58 A46 +12 Pts 59
Manager Thomas Frank (since October 2018)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Top scorer Ivan Toney (20) Clean sheets 12 Failed to score 9

(10) FULHAM W15 D7 L16 F55 A53 +2 Pts 52
Manager Marco Silva (since July 2021)
FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Second round
Top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic (14) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 9

(11) CRYSTAL PALACE W11 D12 L15 F40 A49 -9 Pts 45
Managers Roy Hodgson (since March 2023); Patrick Vieira (until March 2023)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Top scorer Eberechi Eze (10) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 16

(12) CHELSEA W11 D11 L16 F38 A47 -9 Pts 44
Managers Mauricio Pochettino (since May 2023); Thomas Tuchel (until September 2022), Graham Potter (until April 2023), Frank Lampard (until May 2023)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round Champions League Quarter finals
Top scorer Kai Havertz (7) Clean sheets 10 Failed to score 14

(13) WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS W11 D8 L19 F31 A58 -27 Pts 41
Managers Julen Lopetegui (since November 2022); Bruno Lage (until October 2022)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Quarter finals
Top scorers Ruben Neves, Daniel Podence (6) Clean sheets 11 Failed to score 15

(14) WEST HAM UNITED W11 D7 L20 F42 A55 -13 Pts 40
Manager David Moyes (since December 2019)
FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Third round Europa Conference Winners
Top scorer Said Benrahma (6) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 13

(15) AFC BOURNEMOUTH W11 D6 L21 F37 A71 -34 Pts 39
Managers Gary O'Neil (since August 2022); Scott Parker (until August 2022)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Fourth round
Top scorer Philip Billing (7) Clean sheets 8 Failed to score 18

(16) NOTTINGHAM FOREST W9 D11 L18 F38 A68 -30 Pts 38
Manager Steve Cooper (since September 2021)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Semi finals
Top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi (10) Clean sheets 7 Failed to score 12

(17) EVERTON W8 D12 L18 F34 A57 -23 Pts 36
Managers Sean Dyche (since January 2023); Frank Lampard (until January 2023)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Top scorer Dwight McNeil (7) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 14

(18) LEICESTER CITY W9 D7 L22 F51 A68 -17 Pts 34
Managers Vacant; Brendan Rodgers (until April 2023), Dean Smith (until May 2023)
FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Quarter finals
Top scorer Harvey Barnes (13) Clean sheets 7 Failed to score 12

(19) LEEDS UNITED W7 D10 L21 F48 A78 -30 Pts 31
Managers Vacant; Jesse Marsch (until February 2023), Javi Gracia (until May 2023), Sam Allardyce (until June 2023)
FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Third round
Top scorer Rodrigo (13) Clean sheets 5 Failed to score 10

(20) SOUTHAMPTON W6 D7 L25 F36 A73 -37 Pts 25
Managers Vacant; Ralph Hasenhüttl (until November 2022), Nathan Jones (until February 2023), Rubén Sellés (until May 2023)
FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Semi finals
Top scorers James Ward-Prowse (9) Clean sheets 4 Failed to score 15

⚽️

ROLL OF HONOUR 2022-23

ENGLAND

Premier League

Champions	Manchester City
Runners-up	Arsenal
Champions League	Manchester United (3rd), Newcastle United (4th)
Europa League	Liverpool (5th), Brighton & Hove Albion (6th)
Europa Conference	Aston Villa (7th)
Relegation	Leicester City, Leeds United, Southampton

Championship

Champions	Burnley
Runners-up	Sheffield United
Playoff winners	Luton Town (won 6-5 on penalties against Coventry City following 1-1 aet)
Relegation	Reading, Blackpool, Wigan Athletic

League One

Champions	Plymouth Argyle
Runners-up	Ipswich Town
Playoff winners	Sheffield Wednesday (won 1-0 against Barnsley, after extra time)
Relegation	Milton Keynes Dons, Morecambe, Accrington Stanley, Forest Green Rovers

League Two

Champions	Leyton Orient
Runners-up	Stevenage
Also promoted	Northampton Town
Playoff winners	Carlisle United (won 5-4 on penalties against Stockport County following 1-1 aet)
Relegation	Hartlepool United, Rochdale

National League Premier

Champions	Wrexham
Playoff winners	Notts County (won 4-3 on penalties against Chesterfield following 2-2 aet)
Relegation	Torquay United, Yeovil Town, Scunthorpe United, Maidstone United

National League North

Champions	AFC Fylde
Playoff winners	Kidderminster Harriers (won 2-0 against Brackley Town)
Relegation	Kettering Town, Leamington, Bradford (Park Avenue), AFC Telford United

National League South

Champions	Ebbsfleet United
Playoff winners	Oxford City (won 4-0 against St Albans City)
Relegation	Dulwich Hamlet, Concord Rangers, Cheshunt, Hungerford Town

Domestic Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United
League Cup Final	Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United
FA Community Shield	Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City
EFL Trophy	Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Plymouth Argyle
FA Trophy	Halifax Town 1-0 Gateshead
FA Vase	Ascot United 1-0 Newport Pagnell Town

SCOTLAND

Premiership

Champions	Celtic
Runners-up	Rangers
Europa League	Aberdeen (3rd)
Europa Conference	Hearts (4th), Hibernian (5th)
Relegation	Dundee United

Championship

Champions	Dundee
Runners-up	Ayr United (not promoted)
Relegation	Hamilton Academical, Cove Rangers

League One

Champions	Dunfermline Athletic
Runners-up	Falkirk (not promoted)
Playoff winners	Airdrieonians (won 6-5 on penalties, after 2-2 on agg, v Hamilton Academical (1-0h, 1-2a aet))
Relegation	Clyde, Peterhead

League Two

Champions	Stirling Albion
Runners-up	Dumbarton (not promoted)
Playoff winners	Annan Athletic (won 5-2 on aggregate v Clyde (3-1h, 2-1a))
Relegation	Albion Rovers (lost 1-2 on aggregate v The Spartans (1-1h, 1-0a))

Domestic Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	Celtic 3-1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
League Cup Final	Celtic 2-1 Rangers
Challenge Cup Final	Hamilton Academical 1-0 Raith Rovers

WALES

Welsh Premier League

Champions	The New Saints
Europa Conference	Connah's Quay Nomads (2nd), Penybont (3rd), Haverfordwest County (playoffs)
Relegation	Flint Town United, Airbus UK Broughton

Welsh Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	The New Saints 6-0 Bala Town
League Cup Final	Bala Town 0-0 Connah's Quay Nomads, after extra time Bala Town won 4-3 on penalties

NORTHERN IRELAND

Irish Premiership

Champions	Larne
Europa Conference	Linfield (2nd), Crusaders (cup winners), Glentoran (playoff winners)
Relegation	Portadown

Irish Cup Finals

IFA Cup Final	Crusaders 4-0 Ballymena United
League Cup Final	Linfield 2-0 Coleraine

EUROPE

UEFA Finals

Champions League	Manchester City (Eng) 1-0 Internazionale (Ita)
Europa League	Sevilla (Spa) 1-1 Roma (Ita), after extra time. Sevilla won 4-1 on penalties.
Europa Conference	West Ham United (Eng) 2-1 Fiorentina (Ita)
Super Cup	Real Madrid (Spa) 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt (Ger)

Major European league champions

Spain	Barcelona
Italy	Napoli
Germany	Bayern Munich
France	Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal	Benfica
Netherlands	Feyenoord
Belgium	Royal Antwerp
Greece	AEK Athens
Turkey	Galatasaray