As the Premier League has ended for another year, let’s take a look at how the teams got on over the course of the campaign.
Manchester City won the trophy, beating numerous records along the way, while there were also excellent seasons for Burnley and the three promoted teams at the beginning of the season.
There were bad seasons though for Chelsea and Arsenal, while there was also turmoil at the bottom of the table, with three Premier League stalwarts relegated to the Championship ahead of next season.
Let’s have a look at how the clubs did over the course of the season, including our own prediction from August as to where they’d finish in the table.
Arsenal
Prediction at start of the season: 4th
Final Position: 6th
Total Points: 63 (-12)
Top Scorer: Alexandre Lacazette (14)
Best day of 2017/18
This season was Arsene Wenger’s final one in charge at the Emirates and his send-off in his final home game against Burnley was fitting. The team won 5-0 on the day.
Worst day of 2017/18
Arsenal showed how far they’ve dropped when they came up against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final. They lost 3-0 and it showed the gulf in class between the teams and how much the standard has dropped in the last few years of Wenger’s reign.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 25/1
Bournemouth
Prediction at start of the season: 13th
Final Position: 12th
Total Points: 44 (-2)
Top Scorer: Callum Wilson, Josh King (both eight)
Best day of 2017/18
Shortly after the turn of the year, Bournemouth beat Arsenal 2-1, but arguably their best result came a fortnight later at Stamford Bridge where they stunned the defending champions, winning 3-0.
Worst day of 2017/18
Losing 4-1 to Huddersfield was a shocking moment for Eddie Howe and his team. Although, it could be argued that it allowed his team to focus and not get complacent.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 1000/1
Brighton
Prediction at start of the season: 20th
Final Position: 15th
Total Points: 40
Top Scorer: Glenn Murray (12)
Best day of 2017/18
Brighton’s 1-0 win at home to Manchester United was undoubtedly the highlight of the season. While beating United is always a good result, that win sealed another year in the Premier League for the Seagulls.
Worst day of 2017/18
Losing 3-2 to rivals away to Crystal Palace in April was the worst day in an otherwise impressive debut Premier League campaign.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 1000/1
Burnley
Prediction at start of the season: 19th
Final Position: 7th
Total Points: 54 (+15)
Top Scorer: Chris Wood (10)
Best day of 2017/18
Their opening day victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge put them in good stead for the season ahead. Sean Dyche’s team were 3-0 up at half time and they never really looked back at any point.
Worst day of 2017/18
Despite finishing seventh, Burnley went 12 games without a win over the course of the season. Manolo Gabbiadini’s last-minute equaliser for Southampton cost them another three points to add to a good season.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 500/1
Chelsea
Prediction at start of the season: 2nd
Final Position: 5th
Total Points: 70 (-23)
Top Scorer: Eden Hazard (12)
Best day of 2017/18
There hasn’t been much to shout about for Chelsea fans this season, but the 1-0 win at home against Manchester United was a particular highlight. The 2-1 win away against Atletico Madrid was also a high point in an otherwise forgettable season.
Worst day of 2017/18
There are lots to choose from, but losing to Tottenham at home for the first time since 1990 was their worst result this season.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 12/1
Crystal Palace
Prediction at start of the season: 12th
Final Position: 11th
Total Points: 44 (+3)
Top Scorer: Luka Milivojevic (10)
Best day of 2017/18
Beating Leicester 5-0 at home showed how far Palace had come since losing their first seven games of the season without scoring. Five different players scored on that day and it secured another season of Premier League football at Selhurst Park.
Worst day of 2017/18
After four games, Palace sacked Frank de Boer, but their fortunes didn’t change in their first three games under Roy Hodgson. Losing 1-0 to Southampton at home was an ominous sign, even back in September.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 750/1
Everton
Prediction at start of the season: 7th
Final Position: 8th
Total Points: 49 (-12)
Top Scorer: Wayne Rooney (10)
Best day of 2017/18
Everton drew 1-1 with Manchester City in August, which doesn’t sound particularly great and wasn’t at the time, but it was the only one of City’s first 20 Premier League games of the season that they didn’t win.
Worst day of 2017/18
It wasn’t a particularly memorable season for Everton fans, but losing 5-1 to Atalanta and 4-1 to Southampton in the same week raised genuine fears of relegation. Fortunately, Sam Allardyce was appointed manager soon after.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 200/1
Huddersfield
Prediction at start of the season 18th
Final Position: 16th
Total Points: 37
Top Scorer: Steve Mounie (7)
Best day of 2017/18
It was filled with controversy, but the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge which secured safety showed how much it meant to everyone at the club. It came in the same week where they held Manchester City to a goalless draw away from home.
Worst day of 2017/18
Huddersfield were in trouble when they lost to Everton at the end of April. They had Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal left to play, but they managed two draws from their final three games to stay up.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 1000/1
Leicester
Prediction at start of the season: 9th
Final Position: 9th
Total Points: 47 (+3)
Top Scorer: Jamie Vardy (20)
Best day of 2017/18
Beating Arsenal in their final home game of the season was important, as it showed that the players do still care.
Worst day of 2017/18
There were some shocking performances towards the end of the season, but the worst came at Selhurst Park where they lost 5-0. It looked like the players were moving to oust another manager from his position.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 250/1
Liverpool
Prediction at start of the season: 5th
Final Position: 4th
Total Points: 75 (-1)
Top Scorer: Mohamed Salah (32)
Best day of 2017/18
Liverpool inflicted a first defeat on Manchester City this season with a thrilling 4-3 win. It was a crazy game, but it didn’t lack in entertainment and it proved that City weren’t invincible.
Worst day of 2017/18
Liverpool should have beaten rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford, but it didn’t work out how they would have liked. Mohamed Salah was kept quiet, while there were defensive problems that saw Marcus Rashford capitalise. They lost 2-1.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 5/1
Manchester City
Prediction at start of the season: 1st
Final Position: 1st
Total Points: 100 (+22)
Top Scorer: Sergio Aguero (21)
Best day of 2017/18
There have been numerous records set by City this season, but two games in particular stand out. They overwhelmed champions Chelsea in September, while they also thumped Stoke 7-2. These games hinted at what was to come over the course of the season.
Worst day of 2017/18
There would have been huge frustration after throwing away a two-goal lead to Manchester United to eventually lose 3-2 at home. They missed out on a golden opportunity to win the title against their arch-rivals.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 2/3
Manchester United
Prediction at start of the season: 3rd
Final Position: 2nd
Total Points: 81 (+12)
Top Scorer: Romelu Lukaku (16)
Best day of 2017/18
Coming from two goals down to beat rivals Manchester City at the Etihad and ensure that they wouldn’t win the title on that day put some gloss on what a very poor season from their perspective was.
Worst day of 2017/18
It didn’t look bad at the time, but going for the draw at Anfield was a huge mistake. It allowed City to get ahead of them in the title race and they followed it up with defeat to Huddersfield. The title was as good as over then.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 11/2
Newcastle
Prediction at start of the season: 15th
Final Position: 10th
Total Points: 44
Top Scorer: Ayoze Perez (8)
Best day of 2017/18
Rafa Benitez would have enjoyed his team’s victory over Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United team in February. It ended a dismal run of form for the Magpies and the result took them out of the relegation zone where they didn’t return to for the rest of the season.
Worst day of 2017/18
Most of December was pretty bleak for Newcastle, but losing 1-0 to Arsenal saw them take one point from ten games. With talk of a takeover at the time, things weren’t looking too good.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 500/1
Southampton
Prediction at start of the season: 11th
Final Position: 17th
Total Points: 36 (-10)
Top Scorer: Charlie Austin (7)
Best day of 2017/18
You could see what the win against Swansea meant to Mark Hughes and his team. They had to put up with the hotel cancellation and while the game was Championship quality, winning it meant that they would have another season in the Premier League, while Swansea will be playing Championship football next season.
Worst day of 2017/18
Southampton went 2-0 up against Chelsea, but capitulated to lose 3-2, with many thinking that was the moment that they’d lost hope and were going down.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 400/1
Stoke
Prediction at start of the season: 16th
Final Position: 19th
Total Points: 33 (-11)
Top Scorer: Xherdan Shaqiri (8)
Best day of 2017/18
It seems a long time ago, but Stoke beat Arsenal in their first home game of the season. Jese Rodriguez scored the winner, but both his, and Stoke’s fortunes wouldn’t last very long.
Worst day of 2017/18
There were lots of bad days for Stoke this season, losing 7-2 to Manchester City being particularly bad, but they were meek throughout and their loss to Crystal Palace eventually ended their decade-long stay in the Premier League.
Swansea
Prediction at start of the season: 14th
Final Position: 18th
Total Points: 33 (-8)
Top Scorer: Jordan Ayew (7)
Best day of 2017/18
In the early days of Carlos Carvalhal’s reign, Swansea won 3-1 against Arsenal and it looked like they would stay up. Alas, it was not to be.
Worst day of 2017/18
Losing to Southampton at home all but ended their hopes of survival. Even though there was still a chance with a 10-goal swing.
Tottenham
Prediction at start of the season: 6th
Final Position: 3rd
Total Points: 77 (-9)
Top Scorer: Harry Kane (30)
Best day of 2017/18
On pure entertainment alone, Spurs’ final home game at Wembley which ended in a 5-4 win was one of the best days of their season. They turned over some big teams at their makeshift home, including Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Worst day of 2017/18
Both games against Manchester City were forgettable. The build-up was all about how they would take the game to City, but they were totally outclassed in both.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 11/1
Watford
Prediction at start of the season: 17th
Final Position: 14th
Total Points: 41 (+1)
Top Scorer: Abdoulaye Doucoure (7)
Best day of 2017/18
Watford tore Chelsea apart in February, scoring three goals in the final six minutes to compound Antonio Conte’s misery.
Worst day of 2017/18
The Hornets gave away a two-goal lead to Everton in November, before going on to lose 3-2. They could have snatched a point though, had Tom Cleverley not missed a last-minute penalty.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 1000/1
West Bromwich Albion
Prediction at start of the season: 10th
Final Position: 20th
Total Points: 31 (-14)
Top Scorer: Jay Rodriguez and Salomon Rondon (7)
Best day of 2017/18
Arguably the day that they parted company with Alan Pardew. He was a disastrous appointment and it was his tenure that saw the Baggies relegated. It’s unlikely that he’ll manage in the Premier League again.
Worst day of 2017/18
The off-field incident that saw four senior players involved with stealing a taxi in Barcelona in the early hours of the morning when on a training camp was awful. Pardew should have resigned over it.
West Ham
Prediction at start of the season: 8th
Final Position: 13th
Total Points: 42 (-3)
Top Scorer: Marko Arnautovic (11)
Best day of 2017/18
Beating Chelsea at home was a moment to savour in a season where fans complained about almost everything.
Worst day of 2017/18
The 3-0 home loss to Burnley which saw angry supporters invade the pitch and forced the owners to evacuate their box was one of the ugliest scenes in Premier League history.
Premier League title odds 2018/19: 500/1
