As teams rounded off their 2020/21 Premier League season, the final matchday wasn’t devoid of its theatrics and fireworks.
Emotions ran wild as jubilation met regret and painful last-minute denials.
Africans were not left behind in the final matchday show. While some won big, some others, lost heavily.
News Central has drawn a list of winners and losers in the final matchday of the most followed league in the world, the Premier League.
Losers
Fulham started the league on a low ebb, and recorded terrible results at the beginning of the season. The club soon went into the market to draw so many loan signings including Nigeria’s Ola Aina and Josh Maja, from Torino and Bordeaux respectively.
While Aina became a regular feature and impressed when called upon, Maja also gave a good account of himself. The team also had Cameroonian midfielder, Andre Anguissa in its ranks but the Africans in the team couldn’t save them from the drop, just a season after qualifying to the Premier League via Playoffs.
Semi Ajayi’s West Bromwich Albion also gave a good account of themselves including good results against some of the league’s best sides. Those results, gotten rather too inconsistently proved to be their undoing as they couldn’t escape relegation. Nigerian international Ajayi however showed good quality that proved he may be a subject of interest from a Premier League team.
Kelechi Iheanacho was the toast of the league in the second half of the season. He scored world-class goals at will and flew on nicknames and the attention he got from his rich form. His compatriot, Wilfred Ndidi also impressed in the heart of the Foxes midfield, while Senegalse, Nampalys Mendy also showed flashes of quality when called upon.
Ghanaian international, Daniel Amartey hardly got minutes under his belt but when given the nod, he did his best. The Africans in the team however failed to help guide Leicester to a Champions League spot, as they fell on the last day to Chelsea, after a colossal loss to Tottenham at home.
Winners
In what is undoubtedly Riyad Mahrez’s best season yet in Manchester City’s colours, the Citizens won the league and the Algerian shown like a million stars.
His impressive displays on Man City’s right wing made him a constant menace in the league.
Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah helped Liverpool to pick third spot in a season that looked to have slipped away months ago. The Reds thrashed Crystal Palace on the final matchday and booked their place in next season’s Champions League.
Chelsea’s Senegalese goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy also helped the Blues to a place in Europe and must be satisfied with the important roles he played in that achievement.
While there were several other Africans who made good impressions in the league including Brighton and Mali’s Yves Bissouma, Palace and Senegal’s Cheikh Kouyate, Egypt and Aston Villa’s Trezeguet and a host of others, there were standout winners and losers from the league.