Premier League Weekend Talking Points

In our final Premier League Weekend Talking Points column for the season here at Playing for 90 co-editor Kevin Kelly talks Newcastle’s survival, Chelsea lifting the title, and more.

Newcastle Survive But Angst Remains:

In what was the final truly interesting aspect of the Premier League remaining as we headed into the final game of the season Newcastle knew that a draw against West Ham would guarantee safety from relegation, while for Hull it was a much grimmer possibility – needing to beat Manchester United and hope Newcastle lost.

Alas, it was the Magpies who stayed up, courtesy of goals from Papiss Cisse and memorably Jonas Gutierrez, leaving the fans momentarily ecstatic, before their attentions quickly turned back to owner Mike Ashley. Indeed, following the game thousands of Newcastle fans stayed back – for well over an hour – voicing their angst at the controversial owner.

While such concerns are certainly valid, they day undoubtedly belonged to Jonas, whose goal with a little over ten minutes to go, sealed Newcastle and Hull’s fate for the next campaign. Having recovered from cancer to score such an important goal Jonas represents one of the few truly heart-warming stories from a rather disgraceful season for Newcastle.

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Chelsea Lift Premier League Title:

And so it was, after over three weeks since winning the Premier League, Chelsea finally got their hands on the trophy. In what was a proper day for partying, the Blues were victorious on the day, beating Sunderland 3-1 on the day. A penalty from Diego Costa and a brace for Loic Remy were enough to see of the Mackems who took the lead in the 26^th minute through Steven Fletcher.

Chelsea have topped the division for 274 days, are the only club in the 92 to remain unbeaten at home all term and have eclipsed their nearest challengers by eight points having actually claimed the title three weeks ago.

“That’s what makes the difference between someone who is a champion and ’the champions” – Jose Mourinho

The Blues will attack next season with as much relish, determined to retain their trophy and make proper inroads into the Champions League. Mourinho set them a challenge post-match: to follow up this success with a similar haul to that achieved by his first side at this club. “That’s what makes the difference between someone who is a champion and ’the champions’,” he added. The chasing pack should beware.

Gerrard Farewell ends in Disaster:

Embarrassing, shameful, disgusting. Just some of the words used to describe Liverpool’s 6-1 defeat away to Stoke on Sunday. On what was Steven Gerrard’s final hurrah, ended up being centred around a team seemingly not playing for the manager, nor the fans.

Leading up to the game Liverpool weren’t helped by Raheem Sterling, nor his agent Aidy Ward. Left to the bench for the game Sterling was sent a message, yet the players on the field didn’t seem very appreciative of their place in the team, with little effort whatsoever shown on the day.

Reds fans may find some solace in Steven Gerrard signing off with a goal, which if you know your Liverpool history, looks markedly similar to his very first goal for Liverpool against Sheffield Wednesday 16 years ago. Gerrard will now get off to Los Angeles in search of an easier life, one where he doesn’t have to shoulder the burden of a city, which he has for over a generation.