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2020–21 Premier League

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.

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)

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

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, 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] The top six were separated by only five points at that stage.[17][18] 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.[19] By Christmas, Liverpool had opened up a five-point gap following a 7–0 away win against Crystal Palace.[20]

Liverpool's title defence collapses

In the new year, Liverpool suffered from a significant slump in form. They suffered their first home defeat in 69 games with a 1–0 defeat to Burnley,[21] 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.[22] Manchester United took the lead at the top of the table in mid-January with a 1–0 away win against Burnley,[23] 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.[24][25]

Manchester City become the champions

This was to prove the final change of team at the top, as Manchester City 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.[26] 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.[27]

UEFA Champions League qualification

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.[28] 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.[29] 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; 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.[30] Having narrowly avoiding relegation the previous season, West Ham United surprised many by finishing 6th, their highest finish since 1998–99.[31] Both these clubs earned qualification to the Europa League for the following season.

Despite leading the table in November, Tottenham suffered a string of poor results from December onwards. 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; 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; they failed to qualify for European competition for the first time since the 1994–95 season.

Relegation

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.[32] 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.[33] 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, all three teams didn't reach the 30 point mark in the season.[34] 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

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

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2020–21 Premier League teams
class=notpageimage|
Greater London Premier League football clubs
class=notpageimage|
West Midlands Premier League football clubs
Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
TeamLocationStadiumCapacity[35]
ArsenalLondon (Holloway)Emirates Stadium60,704
Aston VillaBirminghamVilla Park42,682
Brighton & Hove AlbionFalmerFalmer Stadium30,750
BurnleyBurnleyTurf Moor21,944[36]
ChelseaLondon (Fulham)Stamford Bridge40,834
Crystal PalaceLondon (Selhurst)Selhurst Park25,486
EvertonLiverpool (Walton)Goodison Park39,414
FulhamLondon (Fulham)Craven Cottage19,359
Leeds UnitedLeedsElland Road37,792
Leicester CityLeicesterKing Power Stadium32,261
LiverpoolLiverpool (Anfield)Anfield53,394
Manchester CityManchester (Bradford)City of Manchester Stadium55,017
Manchester UnitedManchester (Old Trafford)Old Trafford74,140
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle upon TyneSt James' Park52,305
Sheffield UnitedSheffieldBramall Lane32,050
SouthamptonSouthamptonSt Mary's Stadium32,384
Tottenham HotspurLondon (Tottenham)Tottenham Hotspur Stadium62,303
West Bromwich AlbionWest BromwichThe Hawthorns26,688
West Ham UnitedLondon (Stratford)London Stadium60,000
Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhamptonMolineux Stadium32,050

Personnel and kits

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2020–21 Premier League kits.
TeamManagerCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor (chest)Shirt sponsor (sleeve)
Arsenal Mikel Arteta Pierre-Emerick AubameyangAdidas[37]Emirates[38]Visit Rwanda[39]
Aston Villa Dean Smith Jack GrealishKappa[40]Cazoo[41]LT[42]
Brighton & Hove Albion Graham Potter Lewis DunkNike[43]American Express[43]SnickersUK.com[44]
Burnley Sean Dyche Ben MeeUmbroLoveBet[45]
Chelsea Thomas Tuchel César AzpilicuetaNike[46]Three[47]Hyundai[48]
Crystal Palace Roy Hodgson Luka MilivojevićPuma[49]W88[50]Iqoniq[51]
Everton Carlo Ancelotti Séamus ColemanHummel[52]Cazoo[53]None
Fulham Scott Parker Tom CairneyAdidasBetVictor[54]ClearScore[55]
Leeds United Marcelo Bielsa Liam CooperAdidas[56]SBOTOP[57]JD Sports[58]
Leicester City Brendan Rodgers Wes MorganAdidas[59]
Two sponsors
Bia Saigon[61]
Liverpool Jürgen Klopp Jordan HendersonNike[62]Standard Chartered[63]Expedia[64]
Manchester City Pep Guardiola Fernandinho[65]Puma[66]Etihad Airways[67]Nexen Tire[68]
Manchester United Ole Gunnar Solskjær Harry MaguireAdidas[69]Chevrolet[70]Kohler[71]
Newcastle United Steve Bruce Jamaal LascellesPuma[72]FUN88[73]ICM.com[74]
Sheffield United Paul Heckingbottom (caretaker) Billy SharpAdidasUnion Standard Group[75]
Southampton Ralph Hasenhüttl James Ward-ProwseUnder Armour[76]Sportsbet.io[77]Virgin Media[78]
Tottenham Hotspur Ryan Mason (caretaker) Hugo LlorisNike[79]AIA[80]Cinch[81]
West Bromwich Albion Sam Allardyce Jake LivermorePuma[82]Ideal Boilers12BET
West Ham United David Moyes Mark NobleUmbroBetwayScope Markets[83]
Wolverhampton Wanderers Nuno Espírito Santo Conor CoadyAdidas[84]ManBetX[85]Aeroset

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment
West Bromwich Albion Slaven Bilić[86]Sacked16 December 202019th Sam Allardyce[87]16 December 2020
Chelsea Frank Lampard[88]25 January 20219th Thomas Tuchel[89]26 January 2021
Sheffield United Chris Wilder[90]Mutual consent13 March 202120th Paul Heckingbottom (interim)[91]13 March 2021
Tottenham Hotspur José Mourinho[92]Sacked19 April 20217th Ryan Mason (interim)[92][93]19 April 2021

League table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification or relegation
1Manchester City (C)3827568332+5186Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2Manchester United38211167344+2974
3Liverpool3820996842+2669
4Chelsea38191095836+2267
5Leicester City38206126850+1866Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a]
6West Ham United38198116247+1565
7Tottenham Hotspur38188126845+2362Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-off round[b]
8Arsenal38187135539+1661
9Leeds United38185156254+859
10Everton38178134748−159
11Aston Villa38167155546+955
12Newcastle United38129174662−1645
13Wolverhampton Wanderers38129173652−1645
14Crystal Palace38128184166−2544
15Southampton38127194768−2143
16Brighton & Hove Albion38914154046−641
17Burnley38109193355−2239
18Fulham (R)38513202753−2628Relegation to EFL Championship
19West Bromwich Albion (R)38511223576−4126
20Sheffield United (R)3872292063−4323
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[94]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

Results

Home \ AwayARSAVLBHABURCHECRYEVEFULLEELEILIVMCIMUNNEWSHUSOUTOTWBAWHUWOL
Arsenal—0–32–00–13–10–00–11–14–20–10–30–10–03–02–11–12–13–12–11–2
Aston Villa1–0—1–20–02–13–00–03–10–31–27–21–21–32–01–03–40–22–21–30–0
Brighton & Hove Albion0–10–0—0–01–31–20–00–02–01–21–13–22–33–01–11–21–01–11–13–3
Burnley1–13–21–1—0–31–01–11–10–41–10–30–20–11–21–00–10–10–01–22–1
Chelsea0–11–10–02–0—4–02–02–03–12–10–21–30–02–04–13–30–02–53–00–0
Crystal Palace1–33–21–10–31–4—1–20–04–11–10–70–20–00–22–01–01–11–02–31–0
Everton2–11–24–21–21–01–1—0–20–11–12–21–31–30–20–11–02–25–20–11–0
Fulham0–30–30–00–20–11–22–3—1–20–21–10–31–20–21–00–00–12–00–00–1
Leeds United0–00–10–11–00–02–01–24–3—1–41–11–10–05–22–13–03–13–11–20–1
Leicester City1–30–13–04–22–02–10–21–21–3—3–10–22–22–45–02–02–43–00–31–0
Liverpool3–12–10–10–10–12–00–20–14–33–0—1–40–01–12–12–02–11–12–14–0
Manchester City1–02–01–05–01–24–05–02–01–22–51–1—0–22–01–05–23–01–12–14–1
Manchester United0–12–12–13–10–01–33–31–16–21–22–40–0—3–11–29–01–61–01–01–0
Newcastle United0–21–10–33–10–21–22–11–11–21–20–03–41–4—1–03–22–22–13–21–1
Sheffield United0–31–01–01–01–20–20–11–10–11–20–20–12–31–0—0–21–32–10–10–2
Southampton1–30–11–23–21–13–12–03–10–21–11–00–12–32–03–0—2–52–00–01–2
Tottenham Hotspur2–01–22–14–00–14–10–11–13–00–21–32–01–31–14–02–1—2–03–32–0
West Bromwich Albion0–40–31–00–03–31–50–12–20–50–31–20–51–10–01–03–00–1—1–31–1
West Ham United3–32–12–21–00–11–10–11–02–03–21–31–11–30–23–03–02–12–1—4–0
Wolverhampton Wanderers2–10–12–10–42–12–01–21–01–00–00–11–31–21–11–01–11–12–32–3—
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

Scoring

Top scorers

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.[95]
RankPlayerClubGoals[96]
1 Harry KaneTottenham Hotspur23
2 Mohamed SalahLiverpool22
3 Bruno FernandesManchester United18
4 Patrick BamfordLeeds United17
Son Heung-minTottenham Hotspur
6 Dominic Calvert-LewinEverton16
7 Jamie VardyLeicester City15
8 Ollie WatkinsAston Villa14
9 İlkay GündoğanManchester City13
Alexandre LacazetteArsenal

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDate
Mohamed SalahLiverpoolLeeds United4–3 (H)[97]12 September 2020
Dominic Calvert-LewinEvertonWest Bromwich Albion5–2 (H)[98]19 September 2020
Son Heung-min4Tottenham HotspurSouthampton5–2 (A)[99]20 September 2020
Jamie VardyLeicester CityManchester City5–2 (A)[100]27 September 2020
Ollie WatkinsAston VillaLiverpool7–2 (H)[101]4 October 2020
Patrick BamfordLeeds UnitedAston Villa3–0 (A)[102]23 October 2020
Riyad MahrezManchester CityBurnley5–0 (H)[103]28 November 2020
Pierre-Emerick AubameyangArsenalLeeds United4–2 (H)[104]14 February 2021
Kelechi IheanachoLeicester CitySheffield United5–0 (H)[105]14 March 2021
Chris WoodBurnleyWolverhampton Wanderers4–0 (A)[106]25 April 2021
Gareth BaleTottenham HotspurSheffield United4–0 (H)[107]2 May 2021
Ferran TorresManchester CityNewcastle United4–3 (A)[108]14 May 2021
Notes

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

Clean sheets

Ederson won a second consecutive Premier League Golden Glove after keeping 19 clean sheets for Manchester City.
RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 EdersonManchester City19
2 Édouard MendyChelsea16
3 Emiliano MartínezAston Villa15
4 Hugo LlorisTottenham Hotspur12
5 Bernd LenoArsenal11
Illan MeslierLeeds United
Nick PopeBurnley
Kasper SchmeichelLeicester City
9 AlissonLiverpool10
Łukasz FabiańskiWest Ham United
Rui PatrícioWolverhampton Wanderers
Jordan PickfordEverton
Robert SánchezBrighton & Hove Albion

Discipline

Player

Club

Awards

Monthly awards

MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthGoal of the MonthReferences
ManagerClubPlayerClubPlayerClub
September Carlo AncelottiEverton Dominic Calvert-LewinEverton James MaddisonLeicester City[113][114][115]
October Nuno Espírito SantoWolverhampton Wanderers Son Heung-minTottenham Hotspur Manuel LanziniWest Ham United[116][117][118]
November José MourinhoTottenham Hotspur Bruno FernandesManchester United Ola AinaFulham[119][120][121]
December Dean SmithAston Villa Sébastien HallerWest Ham United[122][123][124]
January Pep GuardiolaManchester City İlkay GündoğanManchester City Mohamed SalahLiverpool[125][126][127]
February Bruno FernandesManchester United[128][129][130]
March Thomas TuchelChelsea Kelechi IheanachoLeicester City Erik LamelaTottenham Hotspur[131][132][133]
April Steve BruceNewcastle United Jesse LingardWest Ham United Jesse LingardWest Ham United[134][135][136]
May Jürgen KloppLiverpool Joe WillockNewcastle United Edinson CavaniManchester United[137][138][139]

Annual awards

AwardWinnerClub
Premier League Manager of the Season Pep Guardiola[140]Manchester City
Premier League Player of the Season Rúben Dias[141]Manchester City
Premier League Young Player of the Season Phil Foden[142]Manchester City
Premier League Goal of the Season Erik Lamela[143]Tottenham Hotspur
PFA Players' Player of the Year Kevin De Bruyne[144]Manchester City
PFA Young Player of the Year Phil Foden[144]Manchester City
FWA Footballer of the Year Rúben Dias[145]Manchester City
PFA Fans' Player of the Year Mohamed Salah[146]Liverpool
PFA Team of the Year[147]
Goalkeeper Ederson (Manchester City)
Defenders João Cancelo (Manchester City) Rúben Dias (Manchester City) John Stones (Manchester City) Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
Midfielders Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) İlkay Gündoğan (Manchester City) Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Forwards Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to FA Premier League season 2020-2021.
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