Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

1) Liverpool put the doom-mongering in perspective

A season that looked at once stage like a bona fide catastrophe for Liverpool has not only ended on a high but with a handful of their more maligned performers getting them over the line. Alisson put an error-riddled season behind him with last week’s glorious header. Trent Alexander-Arnold returned to the form that marks him out as a captain-in-waiting. Thiago Alcântara, whose integration to the side coincided with its calamitous downturn in form, swaggered majestically through the run-in. And Sadio Mané finished a campaign to forget with the goals that set the stage for next season. Which is not to say all is suddenly rosy at Anfield – the squad is getting no younger and one of Europe’s best midfielders has bid the club goodbye – but any talk of crumbling dynasties has been proved wildly premature. It says much about Jürgen Klopp that the most miserable year of his Liverpool tenure concluded with him grinning manically as he soaked up the acclaim of rapturous fans.

2) Guardiola’s winning machine looks set to rumble on

When Jürgen Klopp said after Crystal Palace were beaten that this season was not Liverpool’s to claim the title he implied next may well be. And it could, of course. But following Manchester City’s 5-0 rout of Everton the sense was of a manager in Pep Guardiola who was supremely intent on retaining the championship. When August comes around the Catalan may well have the 30-goal striker he desires – perhaps Harry Kane – and at this juncture the prospects of Liverpool, Manchester United or anyone else challenging City feel remote. But then, so did City becoming champions again when they fell far behind Tottenham in the early part of this campaign. Then again, if City were to sign no one thissummer they would still start as favourites next term whatever Klopp and company do in the market. Over to you, then, Jürgen 

3) The right signings could make Foxes title challengers

4) Kids give United momentum as European final looms

Ole Gunnar Solskjær applauded the efforts of his changed team as they extended their unbeaten away record to 26 league games with a 2-1 win at Wolves. “I was very proud of the players today, I thought they were excellent,” he said. “It was a real Man United performance, with loads of kids. Hannibal [Mejbri] made his debut, Anthony [Elanga] scored his first goal, so I’m really proud of the team.” The United manager also praised La Liga’s decision to bring Villarreal’s game forward to Saturday, ahead of Wednesday’s Uefa Cup final, but was pleased the Premier League hadn’t done the same. “If we’d played the game yesterday, I’d have played a different team. But I’m glad I didn’t because we got this win.” 

5) Arsenal do not need a revolution despite season of woe

On seeing Bernd Leno, Granit Xhaka and Alexandre Lacazette head down the Emirates Stadium tunnel it was hard not to wonder whether a number of Arsenal’s senior players have worn the shirt for the last time. Some are known to be considering a move – a state of mind that is easier to understand now European football cannot be achieved – and the scale of rebuild Mikel Arteta must undertake this summer remains to be seen. Whoever stays or goes, Arteta has a tough balance to strike: no one will look back on this season fondly but Arsenal have still finished only six points shy of the Champions League places and, for whatever it is worth, are second in the form table since Boxing Day. Arteta stressed after the win over Brighton that the level required to reach the top four gets ever higher. He needs to add several quality players to have a chance of achieving that but perhaps there is an argument that, given the recent uptick in fortunes, he should be wary of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

6) Hard work pays of for wily Fornals

7) Loan rangers leave Fulham and Newcastle short-staffed

Fulham and Newcastle have endured frighteningly underwhelming seasons but both had enjoyed some positives. Sadly, the majority have come courtesy of players on loan who are unlikely to stay. Fulham’s star men have been Alphonse Areola and Joachim Andersen, with a special nod to Ademola Lookman and, to a lesser extent, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Josh Maja. Due to the club’s relegation, they will all return to their parent clubs, to be sold off to the highest bidder, leaving Scott Parker to find five new signings to help bring Fulham back up, which is not a great business model. Joe Willock has spearheaded Newcastle’s survival with his penchant for consistently scoring goals. Unfortunately for Newcastle, his fine performances have proven he could have a role at Arsenal, nor is it likely Mike Ashley would stump up fee it would take to lure Willock back next season, leaving Steve Bruce scratching his head in the search for someone as dynamic as his latest loanee.

8) Chelsea strike it lucky but poor form is a concern

9) Bielsa can deliver even more next term

Marcelo Bielsa will be at Leeds for a fourth consecutive season, and it is increasingly difficult to put a ceiling on what his side can achieve in their second season as a Premier League side. Sunday’s victory against West Bromwich Albion ensured a ninth-placed finish, Leeds’ best since the 2001-02 season. Whether the Whites can push for Europe next season is far from certain given the competition above them, but this feels like a squad yet to fulfil its potential. Rodrigo’s impressive form at the end of the season suggests his second season in England will be a strong one. And with plenty of young players coming through at Elland Road, coupled with Bielsa’s irrepressible style of play, there is little doubting that Leeds will be well worth watching again next season. Who knows how far this squad could go under his leadership.

10) Blades must rediscover their sense of adventure

The many Sheffield United fans doing their utmost to forget the bleakest of top-flight campaigns will be disappointed to see it go down in history as the most severe case of second-season syndrome the Premier League has ever seen. Even Ipswich’s class of 2002 – relegated a year after qualifying for the Uefa Cup – put up something of fight against the drop, while United’s 31-point downturn from last term represents the biggest ever such decline from a relegated club. Quite what caused the capitulation of a side who spent last season cheerfully upsetting the odds and installing themselves as the neutrals’ favourites remains something of a mystery, but restoring that fearlessness should be top of the incoming coach’s priorities. Chris Wilder meanwhile stands as evidence of how quickly things can turn sour for a local hero whose visionary tactics and unorthodox methods had a squad of unremarkable players taking the top flight by storm. A lesson there for his beloved West Yorkshire neighbours?