The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Premier League champions Manchester City were presented with the trophy after yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Huddersfield at the Etihad Stadium.
PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsene signs off in style while Pep lifts Premier silverware
ARSENAL5 BURNLEY 0
Arsene Wenger signed off in style at the Emirates Stadium yesterday as an emotional final home game as Arsenal manager ended in a fitting and stylish victory.
Tributes were paid to the outgoing Frenchman throughout the Premier League thrashing of Burnley, starting with an appreciative guard of honour from both sets of players and ending with speeches and presentations on the pitch.
Wenger emerged shyly from the tunnel into the scorching north London sunshine before waving to the capacity crowd as Gunners fans sang his name for one of the final times during his 22-year tenure.
Appearing slightly embarrassed by the amount of fuss and attention, he quickly and modestly retreated from the spotlight to the familiarity of his usual seat in the dugout from where he saw his team rise to the occasion with a convincing 5-0 win.
Thursday’s Europa League semi-final defeat to Atletico Madrid meant there would be no fairytale ending to his reign in terms of silverware but the overall supporter reception remained positive, in spite of regular protests over the course of the past few seasons.
Chants of “There’s only one Arsene Wenger” and “Arsene give us a wave” could be heard from the stands at regular intervals, while the majority of the 59,549 in attendance donned red T-shirts handed out by the club with the message “Merci Arsene”.
It was Wenger’s 606th home game in charge of the Gunners, a run which began on October 19 1996 with a goalless draw against Coventry at Highbury, a decade before the Gunners moved to their current home.
First-half strikes from forwards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette – who will surely be central to the plans of the man eventually named as Wenger’s successor -– set the ball rolling for a 416th home win, while the record books will show 1,295 Gunners goals scored during that time after Sead Kolasinac and Alex Iwobi got on the scoresheet prior to Aubameyang’s second.
MANCHESTER CITY 0 HUDDERSFIELD 0
Manchester City failed to fire on the day they were presented with the Premier League trophy as Huddersfield claimed a vital point at the Etihad Stadium.
The champions lacked their usual ferocity and had to settle for a goalless draw against a Huddersfield side who dug in for a result that could be critical in their battle to avoid relegation.
City had gone into the game on the brink of breaking league records for most wins, most goals and most points in a season but all three were put on hold.
CHELSEA 1 LIVERPOOL 0
Olivier Giroud scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea bolstered their hopes of a Premier League top-four finish by edging to a 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
The Frenchman’s header just after the half hour mark proved decisive as the Blues moved to within two points of fourth-placed Tottenham with two games of the season remaining.
Liverpool, who will face Real Madrid in the Champions League final, remain third but need to win their final game to guarantee their spot in Europe’s elite club competition next season.