Important And Iconic Goals On The Last Day Of The Premier League Season

Football fans can look forward to a great deal of drama, intrigue and excitement on the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season. The relegation battle has gone down to the wire, with Everton, Leeds and Leicester all fighting for survival. It promises to be a nerve-wracking afternoon for their supporters, who will be desperate to see the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Rodrigo and Jamie Vardy score the goals to keep them afloat. To whet your appetite, we have delved into the history books to uncover the seven most important goals scored on the last day of previous Premier League campaigns.

Sergio Agüero, Man City 3-2 QPR, 2012

Man City and Man Utd were level on points at the top of the table as they geared up for the final day of the 2012-13 campaign. However, Roberto Mancini's men boasted a vastly superior goal difference, so they knew that victory over a relegation-threatened QPR side would see them clinch their first Premier League title. Full-back Pablo Zabaleta fired City into an early lead, but their fans were plunged into despair when goals from Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie handed QPR a shock 2-1 lead. Meanwhile, Man Utd were cruising to victory over Sunderland, leaving City on the brink of squandering the title.

They gained a lifeline when Joey Barton was sent off for QPR, but still the Hoops held on. When all hope appeared to be lost, Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko headed in a late equaliser in injury-time, sparking renewed belief among City's forwards. Superstar striker Sergio Agüero picked the ball up in the 95th minute and embarked on a mazy run into enemy territory. He played a one-two with Mario Balotelli, rounded the final defender and slammed the ball past the QPR goalkeeper, sparking pandemonium among City fans and crushing the Man Utd faithful in one fell swoop. Commentator Martin Tyler's "Agüeroooooooooooooo!" roar provided the perfect soundtrack to the most famous goal in Premier League history.

Ilkay Gündogan, Man City 3-2 Aston Villa, 2022

Man City repeated the feat by pulling off a dramatic 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on the final day of the 2021-22 season. They held a one-point lead over rivals Liverpool heading into the game, so they knew that victory would be enough to hand them the title. However, they made a dreadful start to the game, and they found themselves 2-0 down with just 15 minutes remaining. Goals from Matty Cash and former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho threatened to hand the title to Jurgen Klopp's side, who were coasting to victory against Wolves.

Pep Guardiola was getting desperate, and he threw on midfielder Ilkay Gündogan for Bernardo Silva in a bid to turn things around. It proved to be a masterstroke, as the German international pulled one back just eight minutes after coming onto the pitch. That sparked renewed hope among City's players, and fellow midfielder Rodri grabbed the equaliser two minutes later. They just needed one more goal to clinch the title, and super sub Gündogan swooped in at the back post to convert Kevin De Bruyne's pinpoint cross, making it 3-2 to Man City and ensuring they finished a point ahead of Liverpool.

Andy Cole, Man Utd 2-1 Tottenham, 1999

Man Utd were one point ahead of reigning champions Arsenal as they went into the final round of fixtures in 1999. The Gunners knew that they would only retain their crown if they beat Aston Villa at Highbury and United somehow slipped up against Tottenham. They did their bit, as Nwankwo Kanu's goal handed Arsene Wenger's men a 1-0 victory, throwing the gauntlet down to the Red Devils.

Les Ferdinand put Spurs 1-0 up on 24 minutes at Old Trafford, but David Beckham equalised three minutes before the break. Andy Cole then scored what proved to be the decisive goal, with a sumptuous lob over Ian Walker. Tottenham threatened to do Arsenal a favour by grabbing a late equaliser, but United held on. Six days later, they beat Newcastle in the FA Cup final, and they then wrapped up a famous treble with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bayern in the Champions League final.

Jonathan Fortune, Charlton 2-2 Crystal Palace, 2005

West Brom pulled off the greatest escape in Premier League history back in 2005. They were bottom of the table before the teams kicked on the final day of the campaign, but the relegation battle was so tight that any of the teams in the bottom four could have gone down. Yet the Baggies were one point behind Southampton and Crystal Palace and two points behind Norwich, so their chances of survival looked bleak.

The Canaries suffered a 6-0 defeat to Fulham and Southampton lost 2-1 to Man Utd, killing off their chances of beating the drop, leaving a straight fight between West Brom and Palace. A superb volley from Geoff Horsfield put West Brom 1-0 up against Portsmouth, and Kieran Richardson then doubled their advantage with a well-taken finish. However, celebrations inside The Hawthorns were muted, as news filtered through that Palace had taken a 2-1 lead at Charlton through Andy Johnson's penalty. West Brom looked doomed, only for Jonathan Fortune to smash in an 82nd-minute equaliser for Charlton. The Addicks held on for a draw and the Baggies were saved, leading to a pitch invasion at The Hawthorns.

Carlos Tevez, West Ham 1-0 Man Utd, 2007

West Ham and Sheff Utd were level on points as they prepared for the last day of the 2006-07 Premier League campaign. The Blades were clinging onto 17th place, as they boasted a superior goal difference. They would have avoided relegation if Man Utd had beaten the Hammers on the final day. However, United had nothing left to play for, as the Premier League title was already in the bag. Meanwhile, West Ham were on a roll, and Argentinian forward Carlos Tevez had fired in seven goals in nine games.

Man Utd sent out a strong team, featuring Wayne Rooney, Alan Smith and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in attack. However, they lacked intensity and creativity, so they could not break down West Ham's dogged backline. At the other end of the pitch, Tevez tormented United's defence, and he scored the only goal of the game. Sheff Utd suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Wigan, and they were relegated. To make matters worse, it turned out that the Hammers had breached the league's third-party ownership rules by signing Tevez and compatriot Javier Mascherano. They ultimately had to pay Sheff Utd £18 million following an out-of-court settlement, but it took the Blades 12 years to return to the top flight.

Michael Hughes, West Ham 1-1 Man Utd, 1995

Michael Hughes was the unlikely hero for Blackburn Rovers on the last day of the 1994-95 Premier League season. They were two points clear of Man Utd, and victory over Liverpool would have handed them the title. Star striker Alan Shearer put them on course for victory, only for Jamie Redknapp to equalise with a free-kick. John Barnes made it 2-1 to Liverpool, leaving Blackburn fans fearing the worst.

It meant that United just needed to beat West Ham - a mid-table team with nothing to play for - to be crowned champions. However, they found themselves 1-0 down at the break after Hughes converted Matt Holmes' cross. Brian McClair equalised on 52 minutes, but West Ham goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko produced arguably the best performance of his career to keep the Red Devils at bay. He made a string of superb saves, thwarting Lee Sharp, Mark Hughes and Andy Cole to ensure Blackburn's players wielded the trophy aloft at the end of the day.

Thierry Henry, Arsenal 4-2 Wigan, 2006

Arsenal brought the curtain down on 93 years at Highbury with a 4-2 victory over Wigan on the last day of the 2005-06 season. It ensured they finished two points ahead of rivals Tottenham and secured a place in the Champions League. However, that outcome looked unlikely at the start of the day, as Spurs held a one-point advantage over their fierce rivals.

Unfortunately, a dodgy batch of lasagne proved to be their downfall. Their players suffered food poisoning, and they slumped to an unexpected 2-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham. Arsenal nearly blew their chance at securing a top-four finish, as they were 2-1 down against the Latics. Robert Pires had opened the scoring, but Wigan hit back through Paul Scharner and David Thompson. Yet cometh the hour, cometh the man, as the great Thierry Henry stepped up and scored a hat-trick to hand his team a thrilling victory on an emotionally charged occasion. The decisive goal was his second strike, an archetypal Henry finish to settle the nerves. It would be 11 years before Tottenham finished above Arsenal.

We hope to see a lot more excitement and intrigue on the final day of the current campaign. The table currently looks very different to how we priced teams at the start of the season, with Leicester in all sorts of trouble. How do you expect it to unfold? Check out our football spread betting markets and make your plays now.