We have put together our list of the greatest Premier League final day moments.
Whether it’s title-deciders, battles for European football or a desperate bid to avoid the drop, we have been spoilt with drama, delirium, despair and occasionally farce.
With so many moments to choose from, we haven’t found room for a Man City mauling at Middlesbrough, the first leg of a treble or even a lasagne that caused chaos in London.
But we do have some memorable great escapes, title-winning moments and retirements for two greats of the Premier League in our top 10 list…
10. Tevez keeps West Ham up
In August 2006, West Ham pulled off an unbelievable double transfer swoop, as they clinched the signings of Argentine duo Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
Both players failed to settle initially, and Mascherano never really did before moving on to Liverpool, but Tevez found a purple patch with six goals in nine games heading into the final day.
West Ham needed a point at champions Manchester United to ensure survival and it was Tevez who bundled in the game’s only goal on the stroke of half-time to keep the Hammers up and relegate Sheffield United.
Ironically, it was Tevez’s last act for the club before joining United, where he helped the club win the Premier League and Champions League before moving to rivals Manchester City.
9. Man City turn to David James
Now to the aforementioned farce, and we aren’t even talking about Man City thinking they were safe in the corner at the end of 1995/96 season, when in reality a late Coventry City goal meant that they needed to score to stay up.
They were relegated that day in barely believable scenes, and they suffered more misery on the final day of the 2004/05 season as they were pipped to a UEFA Cup spot by Middlesbrough.
Needing a goal to qualify for Europe, Stuart Pearce replaced midfielder Claudio Reyna with substitute ‘keeper Nicky Weaver and sent David James up front with two minutes to go. He even had a £5 million striker in Jon Macken sitting on the bench.
It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision from Pearce, who had an outfield number one shirt printed the day before in the hope that James would cause havoc in the opposition box at the end of the game.
It was one of the most comical moments in Premier League history, but it nearly paid off as Man City were awarded an injury-time penalty, only for it to be missed by the usually reliable Robbie Fowler.
8. Everton comeback seals survival
The Toffees have narrowly avoided the drop on more than one occasion, but none were as dramatic as the final day of the 1993/94 season.
Everton needed to beat Wimbledon at Goodison Park on the final day, but found themselves 2-0 down after 20 minutes courtesy of a Dean Holdsworth penalty and a Gary Ablett own goal.
Graham Stuart’s penalty reduced the arrears, before Barry Horne struck in the 67th minute to leave Mike Walker’s men needing to find one more goal to stay up.
With nine minutes to go, Stuart added his second to spark wild scenes as Sheffield United were relegated while Everton survived.
7. Fergie bows out with 5-5 thriller
In typical style, Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out of the Premier League with another first – even Sir Alex had never had a 5-5 game before.
United had already regained the Premier League title in the 2012/13 season, before Ferguson announced his impending retirement, with victory at home to Swansea followed by one final hurrah at West Brom.
In his 1,500th and final game in charge, United sauntered into a 5-2 lead, only for Romelu Lukaku to score twice to complete his hat-trick before Youssouf Mulumbu equalised to make it 5-5 in the dying moments.
It wasn’t the result that Ferguson wanted, but it was almost insignificant as an adoring away support saluted one of the greatest managers of all-time.
6. Gronkjaer signals start of Abramovic reign
A crucial moment in the history of Chelsea Football Club and we didn’t know just how big the moment was back in May 2003.
Dubbed the ‘£20 million match’, Chelsea’s 2-1 home win against Liverpool on the final day did a lot more than seal the final Champions League spot.
Chelsea were facing financial uncertainty at the time, but the security of Champions League football was the final piece in the jigsaw which led to Roman Abramovic parting with £140 million to buy the club.
The likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard became household names as Chelsea won trophy after trophy in the years that followed, but none of it might have happened if it wasn’t for Gronkjaer’s strike 20 years ago.
5. Stoke score six in Gerrard's last game
Without question the greatest Premier League player never to win the title, Gerrard headed to Stoke on the final day for a more modest farewell following the fanfare at Anfield the week before.
12 months earlier, Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea and the team’s capitulation in a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace resulted in the title going to Man City, but this time Liverpool were even out of the Champions League picture.
Mid-table Stoke City produced arguably their greatest ever Premier League display as the hosts led 5-0 at half-time before going on to win 6-1.
Gerrard showed no emotion when scoring Liverpool’s consolation, but he was applauded by all four corners of the ground, who rose to acknowledge a Premier League legend.
4. Bradford beat Liverpool to stay up
It seems a lifetime ago now, but at the end of the 1999/2000 season, Bradford City faced a mammoth task to stay up as they entertained Champions League-chasing Liverpool on the last day.
The Bantams were level on points with Wimbledon, who faced a trip to a Southampton side that had nothing to play for. The odds were certainly against a second season in the Premier League for Bradford.
It was Paul Jewell’s men who prevailed though, as David Wetherall grabbed the game’s only goal to keep Bradford up and relegate the Crazy Gang after 14 years in the top-flight.
3. West Brom complete great escape
It’s been proved over the years that being bottom at Christmas usually means one thing, relegation.
Even more so, if you’re bottom of the league on the final day, you’ve usually been relegated already. But on a remarkable afternoon in 2005, West Brom somehow escaped the drop.
Three from Southampton, Norwich, Crystal Palace and the Baggies would be doomed on the final day, and a crazy afternoon saw the situation change a number of times.
Norwich were dismantled 6-0 at Fulham, Southampton lost at home to Man Utd and Charlton equalised late on to deny Crystal Palace at the Valley.
West Brom won 2-0 at home to Portsmouth but faced an agonising wait on the pitch as other games hadn’t finished. News eventually came through that they had survived, sparking jubilant scenes at the Hawthorns.
2. Blackburn seal title at Anfield
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish returned to Anfield with the hope of winning the title as Blackburn Rovers manager at the end of the 1994/95 season.
They were two points clear of reigning champions Manchester United, who travelled to Upton Park to face West Ham United.
Rovers had one hand on the title when Alan Shearer gave them a first-half lead, but they were pegged back after the hour through John Barnes.
In East London, Brian McClair equalised for Man Utd, who had trailed to a Michael Hughes strike, meaning that a United winner would deny Blackburn and Dalglish.
United launched attack after attack, but were denied by an inspired Ludek Miklosko in the Hammers goal. United couldn’t find the elusive goal and Jamie Redknapp’s winner for Liverpool was in vain, as news filtered through from Upton Park to the delight of all of Anfield.
1. Aguero's last-gasp title-winner
There is no debate for the number slot. You’ll never see anything like this ever again.
Two city rivals, a Manchester United juggernaut on the verge of yet another Premier League title and their noisy neighbours looking to shout louder.
It’s a moment that will be played on repeat for ever and a day, as City found themselves needing two goals to win the title in the closing stages of their home game against relegation-threatened QPR.
Cue a series of events that the scriptwriters would not even dream of. Edin Dzeko made it 2-2 in injury time against a QPR side who had earlier been reduced to 10 men, after City old boy Joey Barton lashed out at former United striker Carlos Tevez.
The full-time whistle blew at Sunderland as United recorded a 1-0 victory to almost certainly seal the title, while QPR, managed by former United striker and City boss Mark Hughes, had their survival confirmed with Bolton failing to beat Stoke.
With QPR’s fans celebrating, Man City mounted one last attack and Sergio Aguero fired past Paddy Kenny in the 94th minute to give his side their first Premier League title in the most dramatic of circumstances.
