Uncertainty at Phoenix reason for leaving
All that is left to decide on the final day of the English Premier League is whether Liverpool or Chelsea take the final Champions League place.
And it is advantage Liverpool – by two points and a vastly superior goal difference.
Juergen Klopp has friend David Wagner to thank for Liverpool only requiring a draw against Brighton to hold onto a top-four finish on Monday when Chelsea are at Newcastle.
Wagner’s Huddersfield held dethroned champion Chelsea to a 1-1 draw yesterday, ensuring the northern English team will have a second season in the Premier League.
"This is the least you can do as a friend,’’ Wagner said of Klopp, ‘‘to do him a favour.’’
Since Brighton and Newcastle were already safe, all three promoted teams this season have avoided the drop.
‘‘It’s a bigger achievement than getting promoted,’’ Wagner said. ‘‘We were predicted as a team to get relegated.’’
Newcastle’s 1-0 loss at Tottenham allowed the north London club to complete its season at its temporary Wembley home by securing a place in the top four. Harry Kane curled a shot into the top corner to guarantee third-place Tottenham will open their new stadium in the Champions League for a third consecutive season.
The three teams going down are Stoke, West Bromwich Albion and, almost certainly, Swansea. Although the south Wales club
can still catch Southampton on points on the final day, its goal difference is inferior by nine.
Monday will be the final time Arsene Wenger manages Arsenal after 22 years. The Frenchman’s penultimate game ended in a 3-1 loss at Leicester yesterday.
On a miserable night for Chelsea, three of their Premier League records were broken by Manchester City after the titlewinners beat Brighton 3-1.
City moved onto 97 points, two more than Chelsea’s final total from the 2004-05 season, and 105 goals, two more than Chelsea’s previous record haul from the 2009-10 season. Pep Guardiola’s team also now has 31 wins, surpassing the previous record of 30 set by Chelsea last season. Matthew Ridenton has revealed that the uncertain future for the Wellington Phoenix was a major factor in his decision to leave the football club.
The 22-year-old midfielder signed a two-year contract with beaten A-League finalists Newcastle Jets, where he is set for a reunion with former Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick.
Despite being off-contract at the end of the season, Ridenton planned on sticking with the Phoenix. That was until he received a ‘‘surprise’’ phone call from Newcastle’s head of football operations, Joel Griffiths, who said the Jets were interested in signing him as an import.
Ridenton said the timing of the offer could not have been better as it came amid ongoing speculation about the future of the Phoenix, who at this stage are only guaranteed an A-League licence for a further two seasons.
"To be honest I wasn’t really looking at other A-League teams because I didn’t think that anything would possibly come up there. I was looking at other options because I was out of contract but I was really happy when a couple of A-League teams showed interest in me,’’ he said.
Ridenton was sold on a move to Newcastle pretty quickly. He was familiar with Merrick’s methods, had always wanted to play overseas, and said they provided security the Phoenix were unable to match.
Ridenton said he, like many young New Zealand players, had ambitions to play overseas. And while a move to Newcastle is not exactly a major change, he was still excited about the prospect of tackling a new challenge in a new environment after five seasons in Wellington.
‘‘I think going to Newcastle will be a really good next step in my career and hopefully I can go over there and prove myself and push towards a starting spot there as well,’’ he said.