The incredible finale (part two)

With QPR losing in such dramatic style, the door would have been opened up for Bolton to achieve Premier League survival. However, by that point, full time had blown at the Britannia with the Trotters only earning a draw away to Stoke, a result that meant they were relegated, whatever happened at the Etihad. How Bolton must have been kicking themselves once they got the news of the late swing in City's favour. Had Bolton managed one more goal, they would have been safe. The relegation fight took almost as many swings as the battle for the title, with Bolton coming back from a goal down to lead at half time. Coupled with QPR being a goal down at the break, Bolton had moved out of the bottom three. It was then Rangers' turn to look like staying up as they drew level after the interval, before stunningly taking the lead over City. Bolton were now looking doomed, whatever their result, and the final nail in their coffin was hammered when Stoke earned and scored a debatable penalty. With the fans and players surely aware of events elsewhere, perhaps the belief needed to go out and regain their lead had vanished from Bolton, and they had to settle for a solitary point that confirmed their relegation. News of the Bolton result will have reached QPR fans around the time that they saw their lead overturned, and so watching their side concede two late goals will not have been the massive blow it otherwise could have been. It is therefore goodbye from the Premier League to Bolton after eleven seasons. It is a shame to see them go down under Owen Coyle who has revamped their playing style which had previously still been an ugly hangover from the days of Allardyce-ball. Unfortunately, the reduction in their direct tactics has also proved less effective, and they have suffered from poor home form, with only 16 points taken at the Reebok. Coyle was unhappy with the decision for Stoke’s opener to be allowed after what looked a clear foul on his keeper Adam Bogdan, but then QPR were similarly unhappy when they had a goal ruled out earlier in the season against Bolton when Bogdan clawed the ball out from behind the line. What goes around comes around.

The third set of twists and turns came in the battle for third place and the final guaranteed Champions League place. With Chelsea contesting the Champions League final on Saturday, the usual fourth placed qualification spot is not a certainty, making finishing third all the more important. Usually third is the last spot that guarantees a place in the group stage, with fourth needing to go through a preliminary round, but this time it is the last spot that guarantees being in the competition at all. Newcastle had an outside shot, but realistically it was a straight fight between Arsenal and Tottenham, with the Gunners having a point advantage going in to the games. It took less than two minutes for Spurs to strike the first blow and move in to third, thanks to Emannuel Adebayor's early goal at home to Fulham. However, it took only that amount of time again for Arsenal to reclaim their spot as Yossi Benayoun took advantage of a howler from West Brom keeper Marton Fulop who was making his first league appearance for the Baggies because of an injury to Ben Foster. Ironically, Fulop endured a frustrating period as a Tottenham player a few years ago, not making a single appearance, and he did his best to frustrate his former employers with a shocking performance against their big rivals. West Brom struck back twice to lead 2-1 and put Spurs back in to third place, before Andre Santos beat Fulop at his near post from outside the box to give the Gunners hope. It would be harsh to put all the blame on Fulop for this goal, but he will feel he could have been better. It was Fulop who was involved again as Arsenal scored their winning goal to seal third, his poor punch gifting Laurent Koscielny an open goal. The victory for Arsenal meant that Jermain Defoe doubling Tottenham's lead was irrelevant, with Spurs staying in the fourth place in which they had started the day. What was quite amusing was seeing the celebrations of the Arsenal contingent, which were at a similar level to those witnessed at the Etihad. Perhaps this is a sign of just how huge the Champions League has grown; perhaps it is a sign of how Arsenal's ambitions have lowered from their Premier League winning days.

Newcastle finish a very credible fifth after an excellent season that surpassed all expectations, and which could have seen them qualify for the Champions League had they not run out of steam with defeats in their last two games to Manchester City and Everton. Whether they can keep hold of their star players this summer remains to be seen, but either way they will have to cope with the Thursday-Sunday schedule brought on by Europa League qualification. The same schedule awaits Liverpool thanks to their Carling Cup win, the one positive - FA Cup final defeats aren't really positive surely? - from a poor season for the Reds. They ended the campaign on another low note, losing 1-0 at Swansea. For the Swans it has been a tremendous first season in the top flight since the early 1980s, and they deserve their 11th place finish after being a breath of fresh air with their passing game. Fellow newly-promoted side Norwich also deserve much praise after finishing 12th, with just goal difference separating them from Swansea after a routine victory over hapless Aston Villa. It looks increasingly likely that Alex McLeish will leave his job as Villa manager, hardly surprising as he was never wanted, even before a poor, poor season. I should probably give positive mentions to Fulham and West Brom, who despite finishing with defeats have deserved their places in the top half of the table. It will be interesting to see who the Baggies bring in to replace England-bound Roy Hodgson and whether the new man can match the relative success Hodgson has achieved. The top half was rounded out by 7th placed Everton, who finished four points clear of neighbours Liverpool, although manager David Moyes refused to describe the achievement as something worth celebrating.

The final day action was rounded out by the last Premier League games for at least a year for Wolves and Blackburn. It was party time at the DW Stadium where Wigan hosted Wolves, with the home team and their fans celebrating having retained their Premier League status for yet another year. Wolves threatened to spoil the party with an excellent strike from Matt Jarvis, one of their better performers this season. However, it did not take long before the Latics hit back, and they ran out 3-2 winners. If Wigan can keep hold of Roberto Martinez and learn how to perform over the course of a season then they could well be clear of the relegation battle next season. Their form in recent weeks has been superb, and they were only four points off the top half in the end, with relegation a whole seven points away. Why they always leave it so late to get their act together, I don't know. That left Blackburn who went down 2-1 to a Chelsea side for whom team selection clearly had the Champions League final in mind. Champions League glory may await Chelsea, but Championship football definitely awaits Rovers.