Manchester City elected to place Jürgen Klopp within a large poster celebrating Pep Guardiola’s decade at the club. The image, shared on X prior to kickoff, was presented as a detailed montage of Guardiola and the players who defined this period, with the club inviting supporters to “pinch and zoom to catch every detail.”

The artwork contains portraits of Guardiola and many City figures from the last ten years, including Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Fernandinho and Rodri. The only person shown who is not connected to the Sky Blues was Klopp.

Klopp’s Liverpool teams were the most obvious challengers to City during the period covered. The 2018–19 title race saw City complete 14 straight wins to finish on 98 points while Liverpool won their final nine matches to finish on 97. That 97 remains the highest total recorded by a side that did not win the title and sits as the fourth highest points tally in the history of English league football. A year later Liverpool were champions with 99 points, and 2021–22 produced another close duel in which both clubs exceeded 90 points and City again edged the contest.

The public recognition underlined the mutual impact the two teams had on each other. Klopp has reflected on the relationship, noting in 2024 that “for a rivalry, we don’t need to be disrespectful.” Guardiola also paid tribute, saying, “We cannot define our period here without him … without Liverpool. Impossible.”

Andy Robertson carried the same theme into his final Liverpool appearance, pausing after the 1–1 draw with Brentford at Anfield to acknowledge City. “Pep Guardiola pushed us to completely new limits,” Robertson said live on Sky Sports. “I think both will agree with that. And, probably, we should have won more Premier Leagues if it wasn’t for that man. What a servant to Manchester City, and I wish him all the best.”

Klopp has not returned to management since leaving Liverpool two years ago and now works in a Head of Global Soccer role for Red Bull. Guardiola is set to move into an ambassadorial and technical advisory role for the City Football Group. “As a coach I’m not completely finished. I haven’t reached retirement age.”

A season that divided spectators nonetheless produced clear individual standouts. “Most of the games I see in the Premier League are not, for me, a joy to watch,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted back in March, but within that contested landscape a handful of performers emerged with compelling cases for special recognition.

Between the posts, the familiar excellence of David Raya stood out. It is not normal to keep a clean sheet in more than half of your Premier League appearances and it certainly isn’t standard to win three consecutive Golden Gloves. It is increasingly normal for Raya to be the champions’ bravest passer and a defensive cornerstone.

Brentford’s Michael Kayode became a modern curiosity and a creative force. The fullback’s gender reveal in February — hurling a throw-in into an empty goal at the Gtech Community Stadium that prompted pink flares — captured his commitment to the long throw. “People think that you can play in the Premier League just because you have a good throw-in?” the Italy U21 international scoffed. “That’s crazy!” Kayode, a nominee for Best Young Player, completed the fourth-most dribbles in the division, ranking above Rayan Cherki, Bukayo Saka and Florian Wirtz, and helped drive the over-performing Bees upfield.

William Saliba approached defending with efficient precision, while Gabriel’s aggressive conception of beauty produced a consistently dominant campaign. “I think beautiful football is not only a beautiful pass,” the Brazilian theorized, “but also when you defend, the way you defend.”

Versatility shone at Manchester City through Nico O’Reilly, who spent most of the season at left back, offered ballast in Rodri’s absence and even operated as a box-crashing No. 8. “He has been a surprise,” Guardiola admitted, “even for me.”

Dominik Szoboszlai answered his own challenge: “I need to improve in a lot of things.” He did, dominating matches with a blend of power and finesse even as Liverpool colleagues did not match his trajectory.

At Manchester United, Casemiro rediscovered form, supplying defensive coverage and nine Premier League goals — a tally Ryan Giggs never matched for Manchester United after turning 22. Arsenal’s Declan Rice remained the team’s dependable linchpin after Arteta warned the squad their tilt would be a “roller coaster.” “There’s going to be ups, downs, so much talk,” the midfielder reflected. “The good thing with Declan is he’s so consistent, so reliable,” Arteta acknowledged.

Finally, Antoine Semenyo produced a standout season: after carrying Bournemouth’s frontline for six months he moved to Manchester City and, since his debut in January, no City player has matched his seven non-penalty Premier League goals.

The curtain has officially closed on Mohamed Salah’s nine-year spell with Liverpool, a period that fused extraordinary goalscoring with sustained success. A turbulent final campaign cannot erase a legacy built on relentless output and landmark achievements.

Salah announced himself from the off, scoring on his debut in the six-goal thriller with Watford in his first competitive match. By the time he left Anfield he had amassed 257 goals in 442 matches across all competitions, a total that underpins many of the records he set while at the club.

Those records are extensive. Salah finished as Liverpool’s top scorer in both the Premier League and the Champions League and stands as the most prolific African player in the history of English top-flight football. He recorded the most strikes in a debut season for the club, became the first Liverpool player to score 20 or more in eight consecutive campaigns and was the fastest Red to reach 100 goals.

Operating within the forward line that featured Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, Salah was primarily a scorer but also an important creator. He registered 123 assists in all competitions for Liverpool. His final assist came in his last match at Anfield, a moment that summed up his technical quality: he burst away on the counter before sending a brilliant ball with the outside of his left boot to Curtis Jones, who converted to make the game a 1–1 draw with Brentford. That trivela added another entry to his record book, taking him to 93 Premier League assists for Liverpool and making him the outright club leader in that category.

The 33-year-old departed with nine trophies won at Anfield, including two Premier League titles, the Champions League and both domestic cup competitions. The Europa League remains the only competition he played in with Liverpool that he did not win. When supporters look back, Salah’s nine-year spell will be remembered as one of the defining chapters of the club’s recent history.