Premier League final day: An unforgettable 2019-20 campaign in pictures
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A prolonged top-flight season concludes on Sunday.
PA
Liverpool were crowned top-flight champions for the first time in 30 years in a season which was extended by the coronavirus pandemic.
Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the best images from an unprecedented Premier League campaign ahead of its conclusion on Sunday.
A step too VAR
Raheem Sterling, centre, leads the protestations after VAR made its mark in the Premier League for the first time. Sterling's hat-trick helped get the reigning champions' title defence off to a flying start in a 5-0 success at West Ham but City were denied another goal when, on review, he was ruled offside by a matter of millimetres having assisted fellow forward Gabriel Jesus, left (Adam Davy/PA)
Sharp Blade blunts Bournemouth
Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp, centre, celebrates wildly after stepping off the bench to grab a late equaliser at Bournemouth on the opening weekend. Chris Wilder's newly-promoted Blades enjoyed a season to remember, securing a top-half finish in their first Premier League campaign since 2006-07 (Mark Kerton/PA)
Frank assessment required
Frank Lampard, left, scratches his head during a nightmare start as Chelsea manager. Despite a relatively positive performance, the Blues were thumped 4-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford in Lampard's first competitive match since succeeding Maurizio Sarri (Martin Rickett/PA)
Saints becomes sinners
Ayoze Perez, right, and Jamie Vardy hit hat-tricks at St Mary's in October as rampant Leicester demolished sorry Southampton to equal the biggest win in Premier League history. Strikes from Ben Chilwell, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison helped inflict the heaviest defeat in Saints' 134-year existence as the Foxes emulated Manchester United's 9-0 success over Ipswich in March 1995 (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Tempers flare between England team-mates
Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling and Liverpool defender Joe Gomez clash at Anfield. Sterling admitted "emotions got the better" of him following the altercation with England team-mate Gomez during City's 3-1 defeat. The incident cost Sterling a place in Gareth Southgate's national team squad for a Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro (Peter Byrne/PA)
Jose back for Mour
Jose Mourinho clenches his fists in delight after returning to the Premier League with victory at West Ham. Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho, who left Old Trafford in December 2018, replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham manager in November and enjoyed a 3-2 London derby win against the Hammers on debut (John Walton/PA)
Almiron ends drought
Newcastle manager Steve Bruce, right, shares a joke with Miguel Almiron after the player ended his Premier League drought against Crystal Palace in December. Paraguay international Almiron, a £21million signing from MLS club Atlanta United, had gone 26 top-flight games without a goal before sparking wild celebrations at St James' Park by earning a 1-0 win over the Eagles (Owen Humphreys/PA)
Arsenal plump for Arteta
Mikel Arteta watches on as his new Arsenal side are held to a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Boxing Day. Former Gunners player Arteta was unveiled as the club's new manager following the sacking of Unai Emery. In March, his positive test for coronavirus was a major catalyst for the suspension of the Premier League (Mark Kerton/PA)
Agueroooo!
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, left, surpassed Arsenal great Thierry Henry as the highest-scoring foreign player in Premier League history after claiming a hat-trick in a 6-1 demolition of Aston Villa. The Argentina international moved on to 177 top-flight strikes following his treble at Villa Park, two ahead of Henry. Aguero also claimed the outright record for Premier League hat-tricks, moving on to 12, one ahead of Alan Shearer (Nick Potts/PA)
Short stay
Norwich midfielder Emi Buendia shows his frustration against Bournemouth. The Canaries won the match won 1-0 but endured a dismal season, finishing bottom of the table and suffering an immediate return to the Championship (Joe Giddens/PA)
Sharp shooter
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti takes a picture of the London Stadium on his mobile phone ahead of his side's game at West Ham. The Italian, formerly manager of Chelsea, returned to the Premier League in December following the sacking of Marco Silva (Yui Mok/PA)
Stunning Salah-bration
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah reveals his remarkable physique in front of a euphoric Kop having raced away to seal a 2-0 win over Manchester United in January. Victory over arch rivals United moved Jurgen Klopp's side 16 points clear at the top of the table, prompting chants of 'We're gonna win the league' from Reds fans (Martin Rickett/PA)
Water mistake
Jordon Ibe takes matters into this own hands after Bournemouth's home defeat to Wolves is briefly interrupted by a sprinkler malfunction. Winger Ibe left the Vitality Stadium before the end of the prolonged season having managed just five Premier League goals following a £16million move from Liverpool in 2016 (John Walton/PA)
Goal-line technology gaffe
Hawk-Eye, which runs goal-line technology, was forced to apologise for a major failing in the first game back after lockdown. Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland clearly carried a first-half free-kick from Sheffield United midfielder Oliver Norwood over the line but referee Michael Oliver did not receive a signal to award a goal. The game ended goalless, with Hawk-Eye explaining that Nyland, Villa forward Keinan Davis and the post had blocked the view of its cameras (Paul Ellis/PA)
Compatriots clash
Brighton striker Neal Maupay clutches his neck after falling to the ground following an altercation with fellow Frenchman Matteo Guendouzi. The compatriots clashed during Albion's last-gasp 2-1 win over Arsenal on the first weekend after football resumed. Gunners midfielder Guendouzi has not appeared for the club since (Richard Heathcote/PA)
Ozil in the shade
Arsenal's forgotten man Mesut Ozil shelters from the sun under a Southampton umbrella at St Mary's in June. Coronavirus restrictions resulted in substitutes being moved from dugouts and into the stands in order to comply with social-distancing rules. Germany midfielder Ozil has not played a single minute of post-lockdown action going into the final day (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Black Lives Matter
Southampton forward Nathan Redmond takes a knee in support the Black Lives Matter movement before a 3-0 win against former club Norwich at Carrow Road. The act has been performed by players from each Premier League club ahead of every game since football resumed (Mike Egerton/PA)
Guard of honour
Liverpool are given a guard of honour by former champions Manchester City. The Reds arrived at the Etihad Stadium with the title sewn up after City lost 2-1 at Chelsea in their previous league match. Virgil Van Dijk and Fabinho, pictured, endured an evening to forget as Pep Guardiola's hosts exacted a modicum of revenge with a thumping 4-0 success (Dave Thompson/PA)
Victory masks City's sorrow
Masked fourth official Mike Dean, centre, peers past Pep Guardiola during Manchester City's thrashing of champions Liverpool. City gave Jurgen Klopp's Reds a belated reminder of their power as they thrashed their newly-crowned successors 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium in early July (Laurence Griffiths /PA)
Jamie Vardy's having a party
Leicester striker Jamie Vardy slots home his 100th Premier League goal. The division's leading scorer, who made his top-flight debut at the age of 27, became only the 29th man to achieve the feat with the first of his two goals against Crystal Palace (Jason Cairnduff/PA)
Face first
Brighton winger Solly March heads face first into the turf following a strong tackle from Southampton's Oriol Romeu. Albion avoided the drop, with manager Graham Potter guiding the club to safety with a game to spare in his first Premier League season after replacing Chris Hughton at the Amex Stadium last summer (Neil Hall/PA)
Playing it safe
A steward disinfects the crossbar at Molineux ahead of Wolves' clash with Crystal Palace. The task became a regular occurrence at grounds across the country in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which prompted play to be suspended for more than three months (Catherine Ivill/PA)
Face mask for Fergie
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson fiddles with his face mask during West Ham's visit to Old Trafford. The protective equipment became compulsory for the select few fortunate enough to attend post-lockdown matches, including 78-year-old Ferguson ( Clive Brunskill/PA)
Champions at last
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson lifts the Premier League trophy after an entertaining 5-3 win over Chelsea. Henderson became the first Reds skipper in 30 years to lead the club to the title. Jurgen Klopp's men celebrated wildly at an empty Anfield as coronavirus restrictions prevented supporters from attending the presentation ceremony (Laurence Griffiths/PA)
On Klopp of the world
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revels in his success after receiving a Premier League winners' medal. The German became the first title-winning Reds boss since Kenny Dalglish. Club great Dalglish, right, was at Anfield as part of the presentation ceremony, sporting a red face mask (Paul Ellis/PA)
Red sky at night, Liverpool's delight
Fireworks light up the night sky above Anfield Stadium as Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy. Despite being urged to stay at home by the club, a number of Reds fans turned up at the stadium to savour a memorable moment (Peter Byrne/PA)
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