London: Manchester City signed off this edition of Premie League with a thumping 5-0 win over Everton, but it was Liverpool and Chelsea signed off the English Premier League on high as they secured top-four finishes while, Leicester City narrowly missed out on the UEFA Champions League again in a dramatic finale day of the 2020/21 season which unfolded at different venues on late Sunday night.
As fans returned to the 10 fixtures' stadiums for the first time this year, Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 2-0 to secure third spot as Sadio Mane equalled a Premier League record by scoring for an eighth successive match against the Eagles.
Leicester looked set to leapfrog Chelsea, as they twice led Tottenham Hotspur through penalties from Jamie Vardy while Aston Villa were ahead at home to the Blues.
But each time Spurs equalised at King Power Stadium to drop Leicester back to fifth before Gareth Bale struck twice to end the Foxes’ hopes and make Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Villa Park immaterial.
All about the trophy
The Premier League Trophy is the ultimate prize that teams battle for over 38 matches.
But did you know that there is in fact more than one Trophy? Here are some key facts about the Premier League Trophy and medals.
Trophies
There are two Trophies which are identical and include an engraved base detailing past Premier League champions.
During the season, one stays with the Premier League champions, while the other is used by the League.
The champions must return their Trophy to the Premier League at least three weeks before their final league match of the season.
Size
Each Trophy stands 3ft 5in (104cm) tall and is 2ft (61cm) wide. It weighs 4st (25.4kg) in total.
Of that weight, the base into which the names of the champions are engraved comprises 2.5st (15.9kg).
The Trophies were cast by Asprey London, the Crown Jewellers, with the main bodies made from solid sterling silver. The crowns are cast from 24-carat silver gilt.
The bases are made from malachite, a semi-precious stone found in Africa, with the green colour of the opaque stone representing the field of play.
The design of the Trophy is based on the theme of "The Three Lions of English Football".
Two of the lions are above the handles on either side. When the captain of the title-winning team raises the Trophy, and its gold crown, above his head at the end of the season, he becomes the third lion.
Medals
The champions are also given 40 commemorative medals made of silver, which are 2.25in (5.7cm) in diameter.
They can be distributed to the manager, players and officials as the club see fit, as long as every player who has made at least five Premier League appearances during the title-winning season gets one.
Additional medals may only be presented with the consent of the Premier League Board, and that will only be granted if more than 39 players have made at least five PL appearances during the campaign.
Golden boot
Harry Kane underlined his status as one of the Premier League's most complete forwards by winning both the 2020/21 Golden Boot and Playmaker awards.
Fittingly, Kane scored a goal and provided an assist in Tottenham Hotspur's final-day 4-2 victory at Leicester City to secure his historic double of the awards that are presented by Coca-Cola.
He is the first player for 22 seasons, and only the third ever, to finish top of both rankings in the Premier League.
Andrew Cole managed the feat with Newcastle United in 1993/94, while Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink finished joint-top of both charts for Leeds United in 1998/99.
Golden gloves
Ederson has retained the Golden Glove, winning the 2020/21 award after keeping a total of 19 clean sheets.
Manchester City's No 1 moved out of the reach of Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in Matchweek 37.
While the Brazilian was beaten three times in a 3-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday, Mendy was unable to capitalise and close the gap, conceding in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Leicester City.
Ederson then saved Gylfi Sigurdsson's penalty on the way to a final-day shutout against Everton at the Etihad Stadium, before he received his Golden Glove award in addition to his Premier League winners' medal.
He becomes only the third goalkeeper to win the prize in successive campaigns, after Liverpool’s Pepe Reina and former Man City player Joe Hart.
The bulk of Ederson's shutouts came in a phenomenal 10-week spell between late November and early February, when he conceded just one goals in 12 Premier League matches.
He has beaten his winning total from last season, when he managed 16 shutouts.
His tally of 19 clean sheets is the joint second-highest recorded in the last 13 seasons, only being eclipsed by the 21 of his countryman Alisson in 2018/19.
