With the 2020-21 Premier League campaign having drawn to a close, here’s my review of the season.

Team of the season: (4-2-3-1) Ederson; Walker, Dias, Fofana, Shaw; Kante, Foden; De Bruyne, Soucek, Bruno Fernandes; Harry Kane
Subs: Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Reece James, John Stones, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount

Goal(s) of the season: Youri Tielemans in the cup final. Edinson Cavani’s chip v Fulham. Eberechi Eze for Crystal Palace at Sheffield United. Callum Robinson’s goal for West Brom to make it 3-1 in their 5-2 victory over Chelsea. Matheus Pereira’s solo goal against Arsenal on the day Brexit-voting Sam Allardyce was relegated for the first time in his career. Alisson’s 95th-minute header against West Brom.

Manager of the season: Pep Guardiola, with honourable mentions for Moyes and Bielsa. And a fond farewell to the gentleman Roy Hodgson.

Worst manager(s) of the season: Jose Mourinho, Ryan Mason

Most embarrassing moment: Sergio Aguero’s penalty against Chelsea. The European Super League. The utterly useless Chelsea reject Willian – one of the worst players ever to wear the red and white of the Arsenal no less – finally scoring after 37 games in the 90th minute of a meaningless match against a relegated side. Summed up everything that is wrong with Arsenal at the moment. 

Most disappointing match: Arsenal 0-0 Villarreal. Any team that goes down without a fight doesn’t sit well with me, but when it’s my beloved Arsenal it hurts like hell. And of course, well done to Unai Emery for lifting his fourth Europa League trophy. An incredible achievement. Less well done to the grudging Paul Scholes on BT, whose first reaction after the whistle was to say: “No disrespect to Unai Emery, but… .” Remind me, how did you get on at Oldham again mate?

Best moment: Supporter solidarity shooting down the shameful plans of rapacious billionaires. Guardiola smoking a cigar while singing Oasis. VAR disallowing Chelsea’s “equaliser” in the FA Cup Final — as Oscar Wilde once said: “You’d need a heart of stone not to laugh.” Leicester winning the FA Cup final. Their chairman celebrating with the manager, players and staff (see Stan Kroenke, it can be done). Wes Morgan lifting the trophy. I messaged a friend of mine who’s a loyal Leicester fan moments after the final whistle; he got back to me on the Saturday night after plenty of (deserved) imbibing. His joyous text simply read: “I’m a mess.” The realisation that the only time Gareth Bale failed to win a trophy since he left Spurs was when he joined Spurs. 

Signings of the season: Dias. Thomas Tuchel, Tomas Soucek

Worst signing of the season: Willian

Best matches: West Ham 3-3 Spurs, West Ham 3-3 Arsenal, Villa 7-2 Liverpool

Best performance: Des Kelly refusing to be browbeaten by Jurgen Klopp in a post-match interview that should be required viewing for all NCTJ sports journalism students.

Most promising young player: Phil Foden

Thing I’ll miss most about football behind closed doors: No traffic on matchday. Apart from that selfish reason, absolutely nothing: football without fans is nothing. 

What I’ll be glad to see the back of: The lack of fans in stadiums. The lack of printed matchday programmes. Canned crowd noise. Managers being interviewed post-match on Zoom and for their weekly presser: not for me thanks. Continually getting turned down for accreditation at Barnsley. 

My on-the-road moments of the season: Interviewing a thoughtful Joey Barton at Bristol Rovers. Catching up with my old mate Dino Maamria at Burton (well done to him and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on steering the Brewers away from certain relegation). The wonderfully warm welcome at Accrington Stanley (and the brilliant chippie round the corner). Finally visiting the Iron Bridge after I covered nearby Shrewsbury: I studied the industrial revolution for History A-Level a long time ago and it had always fascinated me. The guard of honour for Romain Vincelot at Scunthorpe v Stevenage to cap a worthy career in English football. And an emotional Poitiers-born Romain telling me afterwards that he was looking forward to plenty of glasses of red wine that night to mark his retirement. Being shown to my own personal executive box to cover Newcastle v Arsenal, a mere 24 hours after sitting in a League One stand with no roof as the rain pelted down. Making a detour to Tynemouth after Arsenal won 2-0 at St James’s to have a cracking fish & chip supper on the beach, prior to a six-hour drive back down south to make it 1,000 miles in the car covering football in 24 hours that weekend. And I couldn’t even tell anyone about it because of the social media boycott.

Also: Saving the Gooner Fanzine. Not to mention selling it in the pouring rain to matchday supporters before Arsenal v Brighton, taking part in the Kroenke Out protest, then covering the game from the press box. 

Strangest moment: Having an entire Circle Line train to myself at the height of the third lockdown after covering QPR vs Brentford: a feeling as disconcerting as it was eerie. The canned crowd noise blaring out for 90 long minutes that was so loud it made your ears bleed when covering Luton vs Sheffield Weds at Kenilworth Road. Trying to write about the brilliant Ivan Toney during Brentford v Reading while hearing that buffoon Boris Johnson had cancelled Christmas.