Premier League 2013-14: the season in 50 photos

August 17: Fans voice their disapproval as Arsenal slump to a 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa – the big shock of the opening day of the season. With Arsène Wenger having failed to invest in players in the off-season, the message is clear: spend, spend, spend Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

August 17: Up on Merseyside, Liverpool's debutant keeper Simon Mignolet foils Jonathan Walters' last minute spot kick to become the first Liverpool keeper to save a league penalty at Anfield for 14 years. It secures a 1-0 win against Stoke City which gets the Reds' season rolling Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

August 17: David Moyes sees his Manchester United side beat Swansea 4-1 in his first match in charge. But, even from the get-go, he seems to cut an uncomfortable-looking figure on the touchline
Photograph: Tom Jenkins

August 25: Fraizer Campbell wheels off in delight as Cardiff City record a stunning 3-2 win over Manchester City Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

August 31: Matthew Briggs of Fulham tackles Yohan Cabaye of Newcastle United. Cabaye would leave the Magpies in January Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

August 31: Jonny Williams of Crystal Palace faces a wall of sunshine in a game against Sunderland, which Palace win 3-1 Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

September 14: Mesut Özil makes an immediate impact, having joined Arsenal from Real Madrid for £42.4m. Özil helps Arsenal to beat Sunderland away 3-1, pictured, before providing all three assists as Arsenal dispatch Stoke at the Emirates by the same scoreline Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Reuters

September 22: Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City team hammer Manchester United 4-1 in the 166th derby between the sides. Two goals from Sergio Agüero, plus strikes from Yaya Touré and Samir Nasri, above, ensure David Moyes' insipid side are routed Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

September 22: Swansea City's Spanish forward Michu celebrates scoring his team's first goal against Crystal Palace in a 2-0 win. Swansea's inconsistent form and fears of being sucked into a relegation battle would eventually cost the manager, Michael Laudrup, his job just 12 months after guiding the Swans to the League Cup Photograph: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

September 28: Hull's fans watch their team during a 1-0 win over West Ham courtesy of Robert Brady's 12th minute penalty Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

September 28: Malky MacKay, the Cardiff City manager, guides his side to a 2-1 win at Fulham – their second top flight win. Their third would not come until the South Wales derby in November, by which stage the vultures were circling over MacKay's head. The club's owner, Vincent Tan, would eventually issue MacKay with an ultimatum: resign or be sacked Photograph: GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

September 29: Chelsea's Spanish striker Fernando Torres gets up close and personal with Tottenham Hotspur's Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen during their clash at White Hart Lane, which ends 1-1 Photograph: IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images

October 5: Despite a midweek defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, City bounce back in the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Everton Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

October 6: Having beaten Manchester United the previous weekend, West Brom earn a valuable point at home to Arsenal. But November and December would prove fruitless times for the Baggies, who dally with the drop-zone after losing four in a row Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images

October 27: Chelsea win six out of six in all competitions in October to lift themselves to second in the table behind Arsenal. A 2-1 win over Manchester City, who have Joe Hart to blame for this last minute goalkeeping error, is the pick of the bunch Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action Images

November 2: The form of Aaron Ramsey, second left, is key to Arsenal's early season optimism. His goal in their 2-0 win over Liverpool is his twelfth of his season in all competitions Photograph: Alan Walter/Action Images

November 23: The Everton faithful watch as the honours are shared in the first Merseyside derby of the season, a 3-3 thriller which ends with Daniel Sturridge bagging a late equaliser Photograph: Tom Jenkins

December 1: André Villas Boas looks decidedly tense as Spurs face Manchester United. The game ends 2-2, but the Portuguese is dismissed a fortnight later and replaced by Tim Sherwood following a 5-0 shellacking at home to Liverpool Photograph: Tom Jenkins

December 8: Chris Herd of Aston Villa flies into a challenge with Dimitar Berbatov of Fulham as both sides endure a torrid season. Fulham win the clash 2-0 Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

December 14: Manchester City's Fernandinho (top right) scores his first goal of the game against Arsenal, which proves to be a stunning nine-goal fixture. City are victorious 6-3 Photograph: Dave Thompson/PA

December 21: With a goal against West Ham, Adnan Januzaj proves himself to be one of the few positives for Manchester United in an increasingly dismal season Photograph: ANDREW YATES/AFP/Getty Images

December 26: Luis Suárez of Liverpool talks to Vincent Kompany of Manchester City in a controversial match at the Etihad Stadium. Liverpool had a valid goal disallowed and lost 2-1 Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

December 28: West Bromwich Albion's French striker Nicolas Anelka makes a 'quenelle' gesture as he celebrates scoring against West Ham. The meaning of the gesture is disputed, but, on account of the racist overtones, Anelka winds up with a lengthy ban and eventually leaves the club Photograph: IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images

December 29: Luis Suárez and John Terry jockey for position as Chelsea further dent Liverpool's title ambitions by beating them 2-1 Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

January 11: John Ruddy of Norwich City fails to stop a free-kick by Kevin Mirallas of Everton who win 2-0 Photograph: Jan Kruger/Getty Images

January 18: With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm, Cardiff City look to drag themselves away from the relegation fight. But, defeats against West Ham, Manchester City and Manchester United in succession leave them in peril Photograph: ANDREW YATES/AFP/Getty Images

January 19: Samuel Eto'o celebrates after scoring a hat-trick as Chelsea punish a lacklustre Manchester United side Photograph: Tom Jenkins

January 29: Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor and Manchester City's Martin Demechelis clash as City run out 5-1 winners at White Hart Lane Photograph: Tom Jenkins

January 29: Eto'o can only manage a wry smile as Chelsea fail to pick up all three points in their next home match against West Ham. José Mourinho accuses the Hammers of playing 'football from the 19th Century' Photograph: CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images

February 1: Southampton's Adam Lallana is one of three Englishmen on the scoresheet at Fulham as the Saints record a 3-0 win. His England team mates Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert are the other scorers Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action Images

February 8: Ally Cissokho holds up five fingers to signal the scoreline as Liverpool crush Arsenal. Steven Gerrard later described the match as one of his top three games for the club. The Reds were 4-0 up inside 20 minutes and eventually won 5-1 Photograph: Tom Jenkins

February 8: Manchester City begin to wobble in early February with a defeat at home to Chelsea followed by a 0-0 draw at Norwich. Manuel Pellegrini's charges had flown through December and January, winning 19 and drawing two of their 21 matches Photograph: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

February 12: Steven Gerrard of Liverpool celebrates scoring a late penalty as the Reds snatch a precious victory at Fulham having twice come from behind Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

March 1: Gareth Barry roams with the ball as Everton endure a topsy turvy spring. In all competitions, Roberto Martínez's side go win-lose-win-lose for eight games running, but still they have their sights sets on a top-four finish Photograph: BPI/Greig Cowie/Corbis

March 1: Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew headbutts David Meyler of Hull City and duly earns himself a seven-match ban. Newcastle's form slides dramatically thereafter, and they lose eight of their remaining ten games Photograph: Tony Marshall/Getty Images

March 1: The ball is lofted high into the lilac sky above St Mary's Stadium, as Southampton and Liverpool engage in a one-sided affair. Liverpool win 3-0 Photograph: John Powell/Getty Images

March 29: Chelsea manager José Mourinho berates the Crystal Palace ball boy for not giving the ball back quickly enough. Chelsea lose the match 1-0 and with it their title hopes take a massive dent Photograph: Steve Bardens/Getty Images

March 30: Moussa Dembélé of Fulham controls the ball in seemingly impossible fashion as Fulham host Everton. Late goals from Kevin Mirallas and Steven Naismith condemn the home side to a 3-1 defeat Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

April 13: Philippe Coutinho celebrates scoring the winning goal as Liverpool come out on top in one of the games of the season: a 3-2 thriller with their title rivals Manchester City. It is a result which puts Liverpool in charge of their own destiny: they must at least win three and draw one of their remaining four fixtures to become the champions. Gerrard tells his team-mates: 'This does not slip now' Photograph: Tom Jenkins

April 19: David Luiz, who is being saved for a Champions League semi-final with Atlético Madrid, warms up on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge in what is expected to be a routine match for Chelsea against Sunderland. However, a Fabio Borini penalty hands Sunderland a remarkable win and condemns José Mourinho to his first ever league defeat at the Bridge in all his time with the London club Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

April 19: Crystal Palace's players salute their fans after a fifth successive victory, a 1-0 win over West Ham, secures their top flight status Photograph: Christopher Lee/Getty Images

April 20: The grim reaper is out for David Moyes as Manchester United visit his former ground, Goodison Park. It was a portent, as Moyes was swiftly axed by the United hierarchy, the 2-0 defeat at Everton having confirmed that United could not qualify for the Champions League next season Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images

April 27: With Liverpool fans daring to dream, the team bus is greeted at every home match by a swarm of fans Photograph: Tom Jenkins

April 27: José Mourinho keeps the ball despite the efforts of Steven Gerrard and Jon Flanagan. Chelsea's attempts to slow the game down from the opening whistle are as obvious as they are effective, and when Gerrard slips in his own half just before the break, Chelsea score the goal which, in many people's eyes, costs Liverpool the title Photograph: Tom Jenkins

April 27: Connor Wickham celebrates scoring for Sunderland against Cardiff as Gus Poyet's men achieve a miraculous escape from the relegation spots thanks to four straight wins Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

May 7: City fans taunt Steven Gerrard before their match with Aston Villa Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images

May 5: Luis Suárez is distraught as Liverpool's title challenge is effectively ended with a spectacular meltdown at Crystal Palace. Three goals up, Brendan Rodgers side tried to extend their goal difference in a bid to catch City's, but instead conceded three times in the last 11 minutes to throw away the victory Photograph: Tom Jenkins

May 11: A Fulham fan makes fun of Felix Magath – Fulham's third manager of the season – as the Cottagers bow out of the Premier League with a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace Photograph: Christopher Lee/Getty Images

May 11: Norwich City, another of the sides relegated from the top flight this season, have kept their sense of humour too. Their torrid run of fixtures at the end of the season concluded with a 2-0 loss to Arsenal Photograph: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

May 11: A comfortable 2-0 victory for Manchester City against West Ham on the final day of the season ensures they get their hands back on the Premier League trophy Photograph: Tom Jenkins