da stake casino： Pep Guardiola inevitably won another title, but there were plenty of other storylines for fans to enjoy and despair at over the past nine months

da 888： Well, there you have it then, the 2023-24 Premier League season is done and dusted and, for all the giddy talk of a three-way fight for top spot, Manchester City once again finished first – and nobody was in the least bit surprised.

Still, while the title race ended up proving anti-climatic – injuries eventually took their toll on Liverpool and while Arsenal were good, they were still not good enough – the campaign did not lack for drama or compelling storylines.

Tottenham suffered a serious case of 'Spursiness' after a storming start to the season, Manchester United were atrocious throughout, while Cole Palmer almost single-handedly dragged Chelsea into Europe. Jurgen Klopp bid an emotional goodbye to Anfield after getting Liverpool back into the Champions League, but Aston Villa's qualification was even more impressive and historic.

So, who were the big winners and losers of the Premier League season? GOAL breaks it all down…

GettyWINNER: Pep Guardiola

People are perfectly entitled to question the legitimacy of Manchester City's success, given the club has been accused of 115 breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. But Guardiola's greatness is beyond dispute. The Catalan was always going to feel right at home at a club essentially constructed in Barcelona's image, particularly given money has never been an object for City's Abu Dhabi backers.

But six titles in seven years – which includes a historic run of four in a row – is an undeniably impressive achievement, even just purely from the perspective of keeping players motivated and energised.

City were by no means at their brilliant best this season but still managed to finish first. Consequently, Guardiola's genius, insatiable thirst for success and constant pursuit of perfection have never felt more integral to City's success.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag really doesn't help himself at times. The Dutchman deserves some sympathy for the injury crisis that hindered his attempts to build on an impressive debut season at Old Trafford – but there's just no excuse for Manchester United finishing eighth in the table, and with a negative goal difference.

So, when Ten Hag claims that his team is "one of the most dynamic and entertaining" in the league, or that they're "in a better position" than this time last year, he just sounds delusional and desperate.

It's been claimed that he may get to keep his job by default, with reports suggesting that Sir Rim Ratcliffe & Co. are unimpressed with the selection of possible replacements – but if United don't beat City in the FA Cup final, it becomes impossible to justify keeping Ten Hag at the helm after the club's worst-ever Premier League season. After all, teams with fewer resources and injury issues of their own finished far higher up the standings.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Phil Foden

There was a significant sense of inevitability about Phil Foden opening the scoring in Manchester City's title-clinching victory over West Ham. The return of Kevin De Bruyne from injury obviously played a key role in the champions' latest title triumph, while Rodri has once again been the personification of sustained excellence in the middle of the park, but Foden has emerged as a true leader at the Etihad over the past nine months.

He had, of course, been involved in five previous Premier League wins, but with 19 goals and eight assists, he'd never been quite so important to the City cause. Put quite simply: Foden was the best player on the best team in the league.

(C)Getty ImagesLOSER: The promoted clubs

All three newly-promoted teams were relegated. That may have only happened once before, but it's clear that the gap between the Premier League and the Championship is bigger than ever.

Sheffield United were embarrassingly out of their depth, picking up just 16 points while conceding a record-breaking 104 goals – and Burnley, despite their admirable attempt to play good football, didn't fare much better. Even Luton, who drew plenty of plaudits for their performances, didn't really come close to avoiding relegation – even with Nottingham Forest suffering a points deduction.

Could all three come straight back up? Potentially. Premier League participation – even if just for a season – combined with parachute payments have a distortive effect on the competitiveness of the Championship, with the three teams that dropped down last year all finishing in this season's top four. Leicester are going back up as champions, while Leeds and Southampton will meet in Sunday's play-off final.

There is a very real risk, then, of seeing the same teams yo-yoing between the top two tiers of English football, too good for the Championship but nowhere near good enough for the Premier League.