Harrison really pulling out the performances now, great work.

A very strange month for sure. Losing to Norwich and truly humbled by Burnley but then to smash Chelsea of the park and come so close to a point against United is a strange way of doing things! Being out of the FA Cup does, as you said, allow you to now solely focus on survival and if you can find some consistency again, you will surely manage just that.

RIP Chelsea

ScottT: Look up incosistent in the dictionary and you'll probably find my Leeds side this year. As long as we have enough good days, I'll be happy

Jack: Harrison's pulled it out the bag recently. The option to buy is starting to look extremely inviting

TheLFCFan: We'll enjoy the cupless run-in while we can, we ought to be going after one or two in the next few years' time

Justice: Frank Lampard did a lot of crying that day


Luke Ayling 50


Coming off the high of a 4-1 dismantling of Chelsea, we welcomed Sheffield United to Elland Road. We played Sheffield United on our long-awaited return to the Premier League in a 0-0 draw at Bramall Lane. I said at the time that Sheffield United can look forward to a good season but it hasn't quite panned out that way. They've been sat second bottom for most of the season and are looking a good bet to go down.

Having dominated the game, we finally took the lead five minutes after the restart. After some long patient build-up play in the visitors' half, McCalmont pinged a ball from the left touchline which Ayling met with an absolute thunderbastard of a half volley from a position just to the right of the D. After working so hard to get in front, we pissed it al away a few minutes later, switching off during another set-piece. It was a long free kick from Luke Freeman from just in front of the centre circle and John Egan rose highest, to head past Casilla. For all the chances we created, we were sorely missing a finish and that just wasn't good enough. The fact that our only goal from 18 shots came from a right-back is very damning for our forwards. We have to be better.


Next up in our time off playing the 'big six' was a clash with Newcastle, who were level on points with us. After a high octane 3-3 draw at St James' Park, we were hoping to at least defend a little bit better.

We got the defensive improvement, but it came at the cost of action at the other end. They came and parked the bus and we lacked the creativity and ruthlessness to break them down. Another two dropped points against a side at the lower end.


Neal Maupay 12
Noussair Mazraoui 17


The last game of a short month for us saw us make one of our longest trips of the season, in a visit to the AMEX stadium to play Brighton. Brighton are chasing European football and are currently in contention to play in the new Europa League II. We had a rough afternoon against them at Elland Road and I wasn't expecting much different.

Their first goal came from our breakaway. Harrison drove us over the halfway line and- opting not to play in Haberer, who would have been onside and through on goal- chose to keep cutting across to the right, eventually playing in Ayling. A moment of sheer indecision between Ayling, Harrison and Perez lost us the ball, before Will Hughes lashed a clearance over the halfway line to Neal Maupay, who was onside and through on goal and was never going to miss. They doubled their lead five minutes later, when Davy Propper's shot cannoned of Florin Andone- causing Casilla to commit across his goal- and Noussair Mazraoui reacted fastest to stick it into the gaping hole in our goal. I was up against my kryptonite, a 5-2-3 system, so I had to make a change. Costa and Harrison were sacrificed for Eze and Bamford, as we switched to a narrow 4-2-3-1 in an attempt to overload their three centre backs. It worked shortly after the restart, when Eze dispossessed Mazraoui on halfway and played a quick ball over the top to Bamford, who got the beating of Dan Burn before burying the one-on-one. The effectiveness of our switch quickly faded away in an attacking sense, but they didn't create a lot of good chances either. This one's on me for still not finding a way around five-man defences.


After a disappointing month in which we've dropped seven points, we're fortunate to not have our league position affected. We're five points clear of the relegation spots, but with only two of the 'big six' left to play and only ten games remaining, we've edged closer to survival with another month spent clear of the bottom three. We're truly in the driving seat and have the kinder run-in (I avoided the word 'easier' because we've proven that no game in this league is easy. Except Middlesbrough), if we balls this up it will be an absolute travesty. A cursory glance at both ends shows Man City in the driving seat for the title again (imagine my shock), but interestingly the one team with a chance of taking it off them is Arsenal. Do Arsenal need us in the Premier League to win it? It would explain why they've not won it since 2004. Brentford appear to be falling away from the top end (look at that goal difference!) but I have to say, for all we've achieved in staying as clear of the bottom three as we have done, full credit to Brentford for fully upstaging us as best new boys this year so far.


Three matches is quite a small sample size to judge from and no one has excelled in all three matches. With that in mind, February's award goes to Luke Ayling, as his better performances were better than anyone else's in the side. His absolute scorcher of a volley against Sheffield United was a real highlight not just this month, but over the whole season. He defended brilliantly against Newcastle and although he could've been of more help against Brighton, there can be no taking away what he did for us in his better performances this month.


The Premier League has seen just one manager relieved of his duties this month. Tottenham's poor league form, which has seen them slump to 9th, has cost Jose Mourinho his job. After unsuccessful spells at Man United and now Spurs, the Special One seems to be finished as a top-level manager in England at least. He's yet to be replaced, with under 18s assistant manager and former Birmingham boss Pep Clotet filling in as caretaker manager.

In the Championship, a disastrous run of form for Cardiff culminated in the sacking of Steve Morison, after a 1-0 defeat at fierce rivals Swansea saw them slump to 14th, having been 5th just a month earlier. He's yet to be replaced, with under 23s manager Jarred Harvey stepping up to the caretaker role. Another side that's fallen a long way in a short time has been Wigan, who were 5th in November and now sit in 18th after a torrid run of just 9 points from 15 games which cost Paul Cook his job. He's been replaced by ex-Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray.

Sticking with the Championship, West Ham are currently leading the way to an immediate return to the Premier League. They sit top of the league on 75 points, seven points clear of 3rd placed West Brom. Watfor sit in 2nd on 70. Rounding off the top six are Bristol City, Aston Villa and Derby, with Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield, Fulham, Swansea and Stoke all in hot pursuit. At the other end, it's beginning to look like the game is up for all the new boys, with Coventry sat bottom 11 points adrift of safety and Sunderland and Bristol Rovers both looking likely to join them, with both sat seven points adrift. Should either of them mount a great escape, Barnsley, Charlton and QPR are the sides sat in harm's way at the moment although with Wigan dropping like a stone, they're also ones to watch.

The Carabao Cup final takes place a little later this year, coming on 14th March, so no further updates on that for this month. The Fifth Round of the FA Cup is also still yet to be played, with only two Fourth Round replays having been played this month, where Southampton thrashed Gillingham 4-0 and Accrington nicked a 1-0 away win at Bristol Rovers. Their reward is a tie at home to Sheffield United.

The Champions League has returned, with currently only the first leg of the Round of 16 having been played so far. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were tied together, with the two giants currently level after 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena; Atletico were also drawn against a favourite in PSG and are currently ahead after a 2-0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano; Spurs are to host Lyon on level terms after a 0-0 draw in France; Chelsea are all but through after a 5-1 dismantling of Europa League champions Torino away from home; Man United currently trail Dortmund after a 2-1 defeat at Signal Iduna Park; Barcelona make the trip to Italy with the advantage after a 4-2 win against Napoli at the Nou Camp; Man City hold all the cards against Inter Milan after a 3-1 victory at the San Siro; and Juventus have to come from behind at their place after losing 1-0 to Benfica at the Stadio Da Luz.

The Round of 32 in the Europa League has been played in full: Arsenal are through after a 2-0 aggregate win against Bayer Leverkusen; Liverpool have progressed after battering Hapoel Be'ersheva 6-1 on aggregate; whilst Bournemouth over-turned a 2-1 deficit to progress after a 3-2 aggregate win over Porto.



That's all from me for now. March is another short month so there could well be another update by the end of today (although I'm also on the gin and takeaway tonight so no promises!)

As long as you keep picking up the odd win here and there, and you don't throw away points when in winning positions, your Leeds side should be safe and not have to worry too much about relegation. If you can try hit the 40 point mark, that should be enough, but it is very tight down there, so you cannot become complacent.

The league is very tight, just five points off the relegation zone but also nine off the top half. It's going to be an interesting end to the season and having played the majority of the big six now, you'll have a better chance of picking up some points. However, those games you dominate, like against Sheffield United, need to turn into three points. Hopefully that will come next season.

Not a fantastic month results-wise but you're still doing enough to keep your head above water. That's all that matters. Hopefully you can do a little better in the final run of games to complete the job.

Still in a good position but you can't rest on your laurels here!

That really isn't the month you want with ten games to go. A win or two will be vital going forward to survive. I think Bill has answered the all-important question of if he can hack it in the Premier League as well!

Eoin97: We need some more results, but this is where it gets all complicated with games in hand

TheLFCFan: Getting results against teams we should be beating would be a big help

ScottT: Time to start scrapping. Best get the claws out!

Griffo: It's a results business, get a few more and we'll be fine

Jack: A rough month indeed. We've had a few of them


Just a quick note, there were only actually two games as the third games got pushed all the way back to April due to cup fixtures. It would be pointless just having two games in this update, so I am going to cheat a bit and throw the third one in from April anyway.


Carles Perez 22


This was probably our most important fixture of the run-in. Sat four points behind us in 18th (other teams had played before this fixture), Crystal Palace were a team we could not afford to lose against us. A win would get us seven points breathing space, whereas a defeat sucks us right into the relegation battle.

The only goal of the game came midway through the first half. After a slick passing move in Palace's half, Haberer found himself on the edge of the box with his back to goal. He played in Perez- overlapping on the right- who took a touch and lashed it into the far corner. It was a massive performance although I would've like to have seen us be more clinical in front of goal. Nonetheless, it was a brilliant dominating performance and a massive three points against a team we really needed to push clear of.


Ruben Neves pen 14
Ruben Neves 44


After a big result against Crystal Palace, we were handed a tough visit to Molineux to play 6th-placed Wolves. We'd earned a point at Elland Road after a quality performance, but Wolves have come on leaps and bounds since then so this was going to be difficult.

And true to form, when handed a difficult fixture, we opted to make it even harder for ourselves when Douglas bundled over Morgan Gibbs-White in the box. The ref reviewed it on VAR and still pointed to the spot, but it was clearly a penalty. Ruben Neves stepped up and slammed it home to Casilla's left. Their second goal wasn't as avoidable as their first, Gibbs-White's corner from the left was flicked on by Conor Coady and met with a fierce volley into the roof of the net from Neves. We were woefully bad in midfield and didn't look at any point as if we had anything resembling control of the match, which is why we created so few chances.


Michael Keane 88


Rescheduling meant that there were three weeks between the Wolves game and the Everton game. With games around us having already been played, we were now in 16th, with Everton in 17th just three points behind us. Another massive game in the relegation battle.

The winning goal was- you guessed it- entirely avoidable. Ayling gave away a free kick down our right which he was booked. Whilst he was pissing around getting into position, Lucas Torreira put the free kick over his head and onto the head of Michael Keane at the near post. After dominating possession, it was yet another game in which we enormously underachieved. We've put ourselves right in it with this.


It's a lot better than it looks. We're four points clear of the drop zone with a game in hand and a chance to make it seven. Thos around us may be currently doing a better job of keeping clear, but as a collective we all seem to be pulling away. Middlesbrough are already relegated with six games still to play, although they can take heart from the fact that a couple of wins since Christmas has kept them from breaking Derby's 10-point record. At the other end, Man City are still top, although Arsenal have a chance in their game-in-hand to narrow the gap.


More of a man of the match award than player of the month- seeing as absolutely no one covered themselves in glory during the defeats- this month's award goes to Carles Perez. The Barcelona loanee scored a vital goal against Crystal Palace and it was particularly well taken. He was a constant threat with his dribbling and caused their defence all sorts of problems. Straw clutching I know, but it had to be someone.


Crystal Palace's relegation scrap has cost Alan Pardew his job, he's been replaced by ex-Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder. Tottenham have now found a permanent replacement for Mourinho, with the appointment of Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez.

There have been quite a few casualties in the Championship. Having been already relegated, Coventry have parted company with Kenny Jackett. He's yet to have been replace, with Luke Tisdale stepping up as caretaker. Nottingham Forest have fallen away from the playoff spots into mid-table, which has cost Sabri Lamouchi his job. He's been replaced by ex-Preston boss Alex Neil. Ben Garner has left Bristol Rovers to take the Cardiff job, he's been replaced by ex-Wigan boss Paul Cook. Mark Bowen has lost his job at Reading as a result of a takeover and has been replaced by Lincoln boss Michael Appleton.

Sticking with the Championship, Watford and West Ham have both secured spots in the top six although they'll both be heavily disappointed if they don't go up automatically, with both sides eight points clear of third. West Brom, Aston Villa, Stoke and Swansea round off the top six, with Huddersfield, Bristol City, Fulham, Derby, Blackburn, Cardiff and Forest still well in with a shout. As previously mentioned, Coventry have now been relegated with fellow newcomers Sunderland and Bristol Rovers still in the bottom three. Barnsley sit four points clear and look the only real relegation candidates, with Charlton and QPR having pulled away to seven points clear.

Leicester have become the first English club to qualify for the inaugural Europa League II, with a 2-1 win after extra time over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. There have been no real shocks in the FA Cup, although Spurs are now out, having fallen to a 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool in the FIfth Round.

In the Champions League, Chelsea decided that a 5-1 dismantling of Torino in the first leg wasn't enough as they then went and destroyed them 7-1 at Stamford Bridge, leaving an eye-watering aggregate score of 12-2. Tottenham have been eliminated from the competition having lost 1-0 at home to Lyon thanks to a late winner from Martin Terrier. PSG overturned a 2-0 deficit, battering Atletico Madrid 4-1 at the Parc des Princes to progress to the quarter finals. Real Madrid used home advantage in a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich, beating them 4-2 on aggregate. Man City rubbed salt into Inter Milan's wounds, with a 4-1 win at the Etihad giving them a 7-1 aggregate victory. Juventus overturned a 1-0 deficit against Benfica in a 2-0 win at home. Three goals for Dortmund in the first half hour at Old Trafford did the damage, with two late goals from the hosts not enough to stop Man United from crashing out. Napoli were held to 0-0 draw in their return leg against Barcelona in a 4-2 aggregate defeat.

In the Europa League, Arsenal faced Bournemouth in an absolute classic in the Round of 32, drawing 2-2 at the Emirates before Bournemouth grabbed a 3-2 win after extra time on a famous night at Dean Court. Liverpool are through to the next round after a 7-1 aggregate thrasing of Marseille.


That's all from me for now. Seven games to go. There's a high chance our fate could be decided one way or another by the next update...

EDIT: The next update will cover both April and May. Working title is 'The Run In'

Looking positive with your game in hand, but it's really a must win. I think if you win it you are almost safe. Middlesbrough doing you a huge favour with only 11 points!

Seven massive games ahead of Leeds. If you Leeds can stay up, the financial boost will help the cause for next season.

I still have full faith you'll avoid the drop. A win in your game in hand will be absolutely massive.

Strap yourselves in fellas...


Janik Haberer 74


After a disappointing result at Goodison Park last week, we were set to host Bournemouth, who had fallen like a stone since dropping out of the European places. Elland Road took centre stage on Monday Night Football, as an expectant crowd turned up to help us continue our survival push.

We dominated the first half, but couldn't come up with an opener. The second half was much more evenly matched as Bournemouth grew into the game, so naturally it was them who took the lead with 20 minutes remaining. Saphir Taider dinked a ball over from the right to Ryan Fraser, who had Fry and Phillips out of sync with the back line playing him onside, before he unleashed a volley back across Casilla and into the corner. We responded well and bagged an equaliser just a few minutes later. Carvalho sent over a corner from the left which saw Haberer make a run from the far post, lose his marker and head home. It was a decent result against what was ultimately a pretty good side to stop another series of defeats from emerging. We ought to have won it given how we played in the first half though.


Christian Norgaard 89


This was a fixture I'd been looking forward to since the start of the season. An away trip to Brentford and their new stadium is a novelty I'm sure many other teams in the Premier League were looking forward to when the fixtures were announced. Similarly to Bournemouth, Brentford had found themselves chasing European football earlier in the season and had plummeted down the league, more to our level.

After dominating the game, we finally got a huge opportunity to take a deserved lead with twelve minutes left. It was another patient build-up that eventually saw Clerc break into the box before being bundled over by Valentin Rosier. It took a VAR check, but eventually the penalty was awarded. Haberer stepped up and smashed it into the top corner to David Raya's right. Having worked so hard to get in front, it was all ruined in the dying minutes. We were hit on the counter, which saw Rosier play a through ball to Christian Norgaard, who skinned Fry- the last defender- and buried the one-on-one. If we'd been more clinical, we'd have wiped the floor with them, but once again the front three's wastefulness absolutely killed us. Another point on the board at least.


Janik Haberer 29


As usual, Man City were a team I'd never expect us to beat (unless we got to their level lightyears in the future), as long as I got a decent performance I'd be happy. They're the only team in the league I have enough respect for to have us sat back defending against from minute one.

I don't mind coming up against better sides with a gulf in quality, I really don't, that's why we're here, to test ourselves. What I don't like is when we take it upon ourselves to make such hard games even harder with silly mistakes. City took the lead from just that midway through the first half, when Clerc was caught napping when Benjamin Mendy's cross from the left found an unmarked Bernardo Silva at the far post, who was present with as simple a finish as you could ask for. We pulled level five minutes later though, although it initially came from VAR denying us a penalty after Max Aarons was adjudged to have fouled Clerc outside the box, rather than in it. The resulting free kick was floated over by Carvalho and headed home at the far post by Haberer. Another mistake gifted City the lead again, when Fry was caught dallying on the ball by Lautaro Martinez, who then had a free run at Casilla and finished it well. The third goal was genuinely decent play, when Rodri's dinked cross from the left found the head of Martinez. I don't mind us dropping points against sides like this, but it rankles a bit when we ship such avoidable goals against them and this was another example of that. We defended a lot better in the second half, although I suspect they were happy to not have to get out of second gear with a 3-1 lead.


Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 3


Despite a run which had seen us take just two points from our last five games, today was the day we could effectively seal survival. With three games remaining, Palace sat in 18th, six points behind us but 27 goals behind us on goal difference. They were due to play Man United, so a defeat for them a win would see us secure survival in every sense but a mathematical one. 18 years after we beat Arsenal at Highbury to hand the red lot the title, could our rivals finally return the favour?

We didn't get off to the greatest start, however for all I complain about defensive errors, this was a goal we couldn't do anything about, perhaps with the exception of not giving the foul away in the first place. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg stood over the resulting free kick from 25 yards and lashed a beauty into the top corner. We grew into the game as it went along and eventually got level with just over 20 minutes to go. Eze intercepted Andrija Zivkovic's pass out of his own half, setting off a brilliant first touch move, playing it in-field to Phillips, who passed to Bamford, who played a through ball to Harrison. Harrison took a touch and fired home into the far corner. Not for the first time at St Mary's (see the 4-3 turnaround in 2005), we turned the game on its head. This time it came from subsitute Alfie McCalmont, whose fierce effort from 25 yards was too hot for Angus Gunn, who got two hands to it, but still couldn't prevent it from going in. It was a fantastic win in which we showed sheer spirit when we needed it most.

Man United finally returned an 18-year-old favour by beating Palace, all but securing our place in the league for next year. Palace were due a trip to Newcastle before our next game, so it could be all wrapped up mathematically by the time we face Norwich.


Janik Haberer 9
Jack Harrison 59


All eyes had turned to St James' Park on the Friday nght as Crystal Palace fought for a stay of execution (Sheffield United have already been relegated by this point). They didn't get it and collapsed like a house of cards, in a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the Toon Army, securing our Premier League status for next year. There was a party atmosphere at Elland Road as we took on Norwich, in a bid to now finish as high as possible.

We got off to a flyer and took the lead inside ten minutes, when Douglas' free kick from the left found the head of Haberer at the far post. We dominated the game and doubled our lead inside the hour, when Eze's cross from the left found Harrison at the far post, who unleashed a brilliant volley. That was as good a performance as I'd seen all season at both ends. The change in mood from desperation to relief was evident in how we played, much more relaxed and confident than when we were scrapping it out.


Filip Benkovic 40


With survival secured and a strong mid-table finish now the goal, we went to the King Power to face Leicester. Leicester had already secured European football with their Carabao Cup victory, but were keen on reflecting that in their league position, with a place in the top 7 secured.

The only goal of the game came from a set piece. Marc Albrighton's corner was headed back across goal by Alex Iwobi to Benkovic on the front post, who headed home from a yard out. We were unlucky. We played well, but found ourselves up against a quality side. We kept it as tight as we could and can take heart from the fact we limited them to 1-0. We move on.


Janik Haberer 1
Ebere Eze 16
Ebere Eze 35
Ebere Eze pen 90+4


We may have secured survival and were now just playing for more pride, but on the last day we found ourselves caught in the cross-fire in the title race on the final day. A win over Leicester in midweek had put Man City level on points with Arsenal, but with a far superior goal difference. City were handed a trip to already relegated Sheffield United, so in the unlikely event of dropped points at Bramall Lane, Arsenal could take the title by bettering City's result. The Sky camera's were in town, with the focus on Arsenal's potential first title since we were last in this league back in 2004.

We were quite insistent on taking centre stage though and were not going to just be 'part of the narrative', but fully intent on creating a headline. We got off to an absolute flyer, with some slick build-up play which resulted in Douglas' cross from the left which was met with Haberer's near post header, which put us in front with 25 seconds played. We doubled our advantage over a shell-shocked Arsenal after 15 minutes, when Douglas' corner from the left found Eze's head at the far post. The Gunners pulled one back ten minutes later, when Fry lost the ball to Alexandre Lacazette on halfway. Lacazette had the freedom of our half and even had the cheek to skin Casilla before knocking it into an empty net. We weren't thrown off our game though and with ten minutes to go of the first half, we restored our two-goal advantage when Matteo Guendouzi's clearance was cut out in the air by Phillips, who cushioned a headed through ball to Eze, who took a touch and lashed home a shot into the far bottom corner. With Arsenal fans stood in the away end perplexed, shell-shocked and with hands on their heads, we piled on the misery in the dying minutes, when VAR helped to award a penalty for a push on Eze in the box by Hector Bellerin. Eze stepped up and tucked it into the bottom corner to Bernd Leno's left to wrap up a magnificent hat-trick.

Similarly to the Chelsea game, I was utterly speechless by the end. We took on serious title contenders and absolutely battered them. Man City won 3-1, ultimately rendering our result irrelevant, but the performance will live long in the memory as the day we humbled Arsenal and sent the title to Manchester. Not for the first time, eh Gunners?


So there it is. Still in the Premier League, quite comfortably too in the end, finishing 13 points clear of the bottom 3. In fact, points-wise, we finished slap bang in between the European spots and the relegation zone, with 13 points separating us from either end. If we can go up a gear next season, who's to say we can't push on to achieve continental football? Equally as pleasing as where we ultimately finished, was the fact that of all teams outside the top seven, we had the joint best attack and the third best defensive record. If we can be a little deadlier going forward and just tighten up the screws at the other end next season, we'll be going places. Looking further down the table, we wave goodbye to Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, who will all be playing Championship football next season. Middlesbrough's silver lining is that they avoided breaking Deby's record low of 10 points as they looked as though they might earlier in the season, their 'improvement' in the second half of the season pick up 13 of the 17 points they accrued all season. At the top, the so-called big-six have been broken up, with Wolves finishing 6th and Leicester behind them in 7th- a disappointing season has seen Spurs finish 9th. City have their fourth title in a row, good luck to anyone who tries to topple them.


Technically 'Player of the Two Months', given that I've rolled April and May into the same update, Janik Haberer has re-established his goalscoring form at just the right time for us. He had been on a ten hour goal drought before his goal against Brentford, which set him off on a run of five goals in seven games, making him crucial to our survival. Honourable mention goes to Ebere Eze, whose fantastic hat-trick Arsenal was a brilliant way to wrap up a season which has very much gone our way.


The main news from goings on at the club is that we've retained the services of Pablo Hernandez. Pablo will be hanging up his boots at the end of the season and stepping into a coaching role in our under 18s side, having pre-agreed a contract which will see him take on a full-time role in the backroom staff whilst we support his development as a coach. An absolute icon- more of the Championship era- lives on.

There's been just the one managerial casualty in the top two tiers, with Aston Villa's campaign ending in defeat in the play-off semi-final against Stoke and ultimately costing Mark Hughes his job. Villa are yet to announce a replacement.

Watford and West Ham confirmed automatic promotion with games still to play with Watford taking the title. West Brom finished 3rd, handing them an away tie against 6th-placed Derby, whilst Stoke finished 4th, landing them a trip to 5th-placed Aston Villa.

As expected, all newcomers were relegated, with Sunderland and Bristol Rovers joing Coventry in the final bottom three, the latter were already down in March.

In the FA Cup, Man City progressed to the final with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley. In the other semi-final, Liverpool progressed past Arsenal on penalties after a 1-1 draw over the 120 minutes.

In the Champions League, Man City have made the final, after a 4-0 demolition job at Stamford Bridge was followed up by a 0-0 draw at the Etihad before beating PSG 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-final. The quarter-final also pitted Barcelona against Real Madrid in another El Clasico showdown, with Barcelona following up a 2-0 win at the Nou Camp with a 5-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu, before being stunned by Lyon with a 4-3 aggregate defeat in the semi-final.

In the Europa League, Bournemouth's adventure saw them through to the semi-final after a victory on away goals over PAOK in the quarter-final following a 2-2 aggregate draw, before a 4-0 aggregate humbling by Liverpool in the semi-final saw them crash out. RB Leipzig made it to the final after a 4-3 aggregate win over Lazio and a 5-2 aggregate win over Athletic Bilbao.


That's all for this update. We're safe! And now I've got to find a way to do the summer update. This should be fun...

Great detail and awesome writing mate! Respectable first season in the Prem as well, good luck for next season!