Premier League 2024 year in review: Man City rollercoaster, sparkling Salah, Newcastle reality check

It has been a rollercoaster of a year for Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola that has seen historic highs and unexpected lows over a hectic 12 months.

In April, City's reign as European champions was ended at the quarter-final stage by eventual winners Real Madrid after a penalty shoot-out defeat at the Etihad Stadium but a historic fourth Premier League title in a row was sealed a month later.

A remarkable unbeaten run after losing at Aston Villa on December 6 saw City win 19 games and draw four which ensured they overtook long-time leaders Arsenal and finish the campaign two points above the Gunners.

But any hopes of becoming the first side to complete a domestic double in successive seasons were killed off when local rivals Manchester United sealed a 2-1 FA Cup final win after a surprisingly flat City performance at Wembley Stadium.

Guardiola's men started the new season in impressive fashion as City gained a semblance of revenge by beating United on penalties in the Community Shield and then embarked on a 13-game unbeaten run across all competitions.

That streak was ended by Spurs in the League Cup last-16 on October 6 as injuries began to take their toll on City, who had already lost key midfielder and future Ballon d'Or winner Rodri for the season due to a serious knee injury.

But few could have predicted what followed as Guardiola – who signed a contract extension with the club in November – suffered the worst run of his managerial career as City won just once in 13 games.

They at least ended the year with a win – beating Leicester City 2-0 in Guardiola's 500th game as manager – but sit fifth in the table, 14 points behind leaders Liverpool and with a verdict on accusations that City breached Premier League financial rules – vehemently denied by the club – set to be revealed in the new year.

Salah sparkles but Liverpool future in doubt

For Liverpool attacker Mohammed Salah, 2024 ended just as it started – with the Egyptian superstar hitting the back of the net and setting up goals for teammates.

On New Year's Day, Salah scored two and set up another as Liverpool defeated Newcastle United 4-2 at Anfield in a campaign that saw him reach the 20-goal barrier across all competitions for the seventh consecutive season at the club.

Fast forward to December 29 and Salah notched one and provided two more as the Merseysiders thrashed West Ham United 5-0 as he ended the year top of both the Premier League goals and assists charts with 17 and 13, respectively.

His efforts at the London Stadium meant Salah reached 30 goal involvements in fewer games (18) than anyone in Premier League history, while also becoming only the second player to do so in 20 games after Luis Suarez for the Reds in 2013/14.

Any thoughts Liverpool might struggle after Jurgen Klopp's exit in the summer have been blown away under new manager Arne Slot, with the Merseysiders ending 2025 top of the table in both the Premier League and Champions League, having lost just once.

But what the future holds for Salah remains unclear as the 32-year-old's contract runs out at the end of the season and he can discuss a free transfer with non-English clubs from January 1.

Salah admitted after the West Ham win the two parties are “far away” from signing a new deal, with the Saudi Pro League still waiting in the wings to make him the kingdom's latest superstar signing.

Newcastle's Saudi owners given reality check

For the first time since taking over the club in October 2021, Newcastle's Saudi Arabian-backed consortium have hit major stumbling blocks in their bid to make the Magpies a major force in European football.

A nightmare injury list for much campaign resulted in Newcastle finishing seventh, missing out on European football in the process having seen their first Uefa Champions League campaign in 20 years end at the group stage, as well as losing respected sporting director Dan Ashworth to Manchester United.

During a summer of discontent on Tyneside, minority shareholders – and the consortium's public faces – Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi surprisingly headed for the St James' Park exit as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) increased its stake in the club.

But the big setback arrived in the form of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) which has meant Newcastle, who have spent around £400 million since the takeover, could not make any major signings for two transfer windows in a row.

It also resulted in the forced sales of young talents Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh for around £65m to avoid a potential points deduction for breaking PSR rules.

There have also been reports of a rift between manager Eddie Howe and Ashworth's replacement Paul Mitchell while the club has found itself at loggerheads with Premier League rivals over changes to rules governing commercial deals.

Howe's side at least ended the year in positive fashion, winning five games on the spin – including Monday's game at Manchester United – and with a two-legged League Cup semi-final against Arsenal coming up in the new year.

Misery for Manchester United

The year has ended in disastrous fashion for Manchester United with the club experiencing turmoil on and off the pitch.

The decision to stick with manager Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup final victory proved a mistake with the Dutchman being sacked after a run that saw them win just once in eight games and the club sitting 14th in the table.

Ten Hag's replacement Ruben Amorim has struggled to make an impact and has just become the first United manager to lose five of his opening 10 games since Walter Crickmer in 1932.

New sporting director Ashworth – brought in at great expense and fanfare from Newcastle – lasted just five months in the role before he was forced out after overseeing a £200m summer spend on Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Light and Noussair Mazraoui.

Billionaire co-owner Jim Ratcliffe is coming under increasing criticism for a cost-cutting spree that has included making a quarter of the club's workforce redundant, raising match day ticket prices with concessions for children or pensioners taken away and cutting an annual £40,000 donation to a charity which helps support former players.

These measures arrive after the club confirmed the cost of paying off Ten Hag and his staff was £10.4m while the release clause to bring in Amorim from Sporting Lisbon cost £11m.

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