2021–22 in English football

Football in England
Season2021–22
Men's football
Premier LeagueManchester City
ChampionshipFulham
League OneWigan Athletic
League TwoForest Green Rovers
National LeagueStockport County
FA CupLiverpool
EFL TrophyRotherham United
EFL CupLiverpool
Community ShieldLeicester City
Women's football
FA Women's Super LeagueChelsea
FA Women's ChampionshipLiverpool
FA Women's National LeagueSouthampton
Women's FA CupChelsea
FA Women's League CupManchester City
Community ShieldNot held
← 2020–21 England 2022–23 →

The 2021–22 season was the 142nd competitive association football season in England.

National teams

England men's national football team

Results and fixtures

Friendlies
26 March 2022 England  2–1   Switzerland London, England
17:30
Report
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (Sweden)
29 March 2022 England  3–0  Ivory Coast London, England
19:45
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium)
FIFA World Cup qualification
UEFA Group I
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 10 8 2 0 39 3 +36 26 Qualification for 2022 FIFA World Cup 2–1 5–0 1–1 4–0 5–0
2  Poland 10 6 2 2 30 11 +19 20 Advance to play-offs 1–1 4–1 1–2 3–0 5–0
3  Albania 10 6 0 4 12 12 0 18 0–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 5–0
4  Hungary 10 5 2 3 19 13 +6 17 0–4 3–3 0–1 2–1 4–0
5  Andorra 10 2 0 8 8 24 −16 6 0–5 1–4 0–1 1–4 2–0
6  San Marino 10 0 0 10 1 46 −45 0 0–10 1–7 0–2 0–3 0–3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
2 September Hungary  0–4  England Budapest, Hungary
20:45 CEST Report
Stadium: Puskás Aréna
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
5 September England  4–0  Andorra London, England
19:45 BST
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (Greece)
8 September Poland  1–1  England Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CEST
Report
Stadium: PGE Narodowy
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
9 October Andorra  0–5  England Andorra la Vella, Andorra
20:45 CEST Report Stadium: Estadi Nacional
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)
12 October England  1–1  Hungary London, England
19:45 BST
Report
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Alejandro Hernández (Spain)
12 November England  5–0  Albania London, England
19:45 GMT
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 80,366
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France)
15 November San Marino  0–10  England Serravalle, San Marino
20:45 CET Report
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico de Serravalle
Attendance: 2,775
Referee: Rade Obrenovič (Slovenia)
UEFA Euro 2020
Knockout phase
3 July 2021 QF Ukraine  0–4  England Rome, Italy
21:00 CEST Report
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico
Attendance: 11,880
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
7 July 2021 SF England  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Denmark London, England
20:00 BST
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 64,950
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Final
Italy 1–1 (a.e.t.) England
Report
Penalties
3–2
Attendance: 67,173
UEFA Nations League
Group 3
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation Italy Hungary Germany England
1  Italy 6 3 2 1 8 7 +1 11 Qualification for Nations League Finals 2–1 1–1 1–0
2  Hungary 6 3 1 2 8 5 +3 10 0–2 1–1 1–0
3  Germany 6 1 4 1 11 9 +2 7 5–2 0–1 1–1
4  England (R) 6 0 3 3 4 10 −6 3 Relegation to League B 0–0 0–4 3–3
Source: UEFA
(R) Relegated
4 June 2022 (2022-06-04) Hungary  1–0  England Budapest, Hungary
18:00 Report Stadium: Puskás Aréna
Attendance: 26,935
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)
7 June 2022 (2022-06-07) Germany  1–1  England Munich, Germany
20:45
Report
Stadium: Allianz Arena
Attendance: 66,289
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)
11 June 2022 (2022-06-11) England  0–0  Italy Wolverhampton, England
20:45 (19:45 UTC+1) Report Stadium: Molineux Stadium
Attendance: 1,782
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
14 June 2022 (2022-06-14) England  0–4  Hungary Wolverhampton, England
20:45 (19:45 UTC+1) Report
Stadium: Molineux Stadium
Attendance: 28,839
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)

England women's national football team

Results and fixtures

Friendlies
16 June 2022 England  3–0  Belgium Wolverhampton, England
20:00
Report Stadium: Molineux Stadium
Attendance: 9,598
Referee: Sara Persson (Sweden)
24 June 2022 England  5–1  Netherlands Leeds, England
20:00
Report
Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 19,365
Referee: Sandra Bastos (Portugal)
30 June 2022 Switzerland  0–4  England Zürich, Switzerland
18:00 (CEST)
Report
Stadium: Letzigrund
Attendance: 10,022
Referee: Ainara Andrea Acevedo Dudley (Spain)
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification England Austria Northern Ireland Luxembourg North Macedonia Latvia
1  England 10 10 0 0 80 0 +80 30 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup 1–0 4–0 10–0 8–0 20–0
2  Austria 10 7 1 2 50 7 +43 22 Play-offs 0–2 3–1 5–0 10–0 8–0
3  Northern Ireland 10 6 1 3 36 16 +20 19 0–5 2–2 4–0 9–0 4–0
4  Luxembourg 10 3 0 7 9 45 −36 9 0–10 0–8 1–2 2–1 3–2
5  North Macedonia 10 2 0 8 10 62 −52 6 0–10 0–6 0–11 2–3 3–2
6  Latvia 10 1 0 9 8 63 −55 3 0–10 1–8 1–3 1–0 1–4
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
17 September 2021 (2021-09-17) England  8–0  North Macedonia Southampton, England
Report Stadium: St Mary's Stadium
Referee: María Martínez (Spain)
21 September 2021 Luxembourg  0–10  England Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:15 CEST (UTC+2)
Report
Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Referee: Aleksandra Česen (Slovenia)
23 October 2021 (2021-10-23) England  4–0  Northern Ireland London, England
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (Croatia)
26 October 2021 (2021-10-26) Latvia  0–10  England Riga, Latvia
Report
Stadium: Daugava Stadium
Referee: Katarzyna Lisiecka-Sęk (Poland)
27 November 2021 (2021-11-27) England  1–0  Austria Sunderland, England
Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)
30 November 2021 (2021-11-30) England  20–0  Latvia Doncaster, England
Report Stadium: Keepmoat Stadium
Referee: Veronika Kovarova (Czech Republic)
8 April 2022 (2022-04-08) North Macedonia  0–10  England Skopje, North Macedonia
20:00 Report
Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena
Referee: Vivian Peeters (Netherlands)
12 April 2022 (2022-04-12) Northern Ireland  0–5  England Belfast, Northern Ireland
20:55 (19:55 BST) Report Hemp 26', 60'
Toone 52'
Stanway 70', 79'
Stadium: Windsor Park
Referee: Riem Hussein (Germany)
2022 Arnold Clark Cup
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  England (H, C) 3 1 2 0 4 2 +2 5
2  Spain 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
3  Canada 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
4  Germany 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Source: BBC
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head result; 5) fair play ranking.
(C) Champions; (H) Hosts
17 February 2022 England  1–1  Canada Middlesbrough, England
Report
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 8,769
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (Finland)
20 February 2022 England  0–0  Spain Norwich, England
Report Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 14,284
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu (Romania)
23 February 2022 England  3–1  Germany Wolverhampton, England
Report
Stadium: Molineux Stadium
Attendance: 14,463
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (Finland)

UEFA competitions

UEFA Super Cup

UEFA Champions League

Group stage

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MCI PAR RBL BRU
1 England Manchester City 6 4 0 2 18 10 +8 12 Advance to knockout phase 2–1 6–3 4–1
2 France Paris Saint-Germain 6 3 2 1 13 8 +5 11 2–0 3–2 4–1
3 Germany RB Leipzig 6 2 1 3 15 14 +1 7 Transfer to Europa League 2–1 2–2 1–2
4 Belgium Club Brugge 6 1 1 4 6 20 −14 4 1–5 1–1 0–5
Source: UEFA
Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIV ATM POR MIL
1 England Liverpool 6 6 0 0 17 6 +11 18 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 2–0 3–2
2 Spain Atlético Madrid 6 2 1 3 7 8 −1 7 2–3 0–0 0–1
3 Portugal Porto 6 1 2 3 4 11 −7 5 Transfer to Europa League 1–5 1–3 1–0
4 Italy Milan 6 1 1 4 6 9 −3 4 1–2 1–2 1–1
Source: UEFA
Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MUN VIL ATA YB
1 England Manchester United 6 3 2 1 11 8 +3 11 Advance to knockout phase 2–1 3–2 1–1
2 Spain Villarreal 6 3 1 2 12 9 +3 10 0–2 2–2 2–0
3 Italy Atalanta 6 1 3 2 12 13 −1 6 Transfer to Europa League 2–2 2–3 1–0
4 Switzerland Young Boys 6 1 2 3 7 12 −5 5 2–1 1–4 3–3
Source: UEFA
Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JUV CHE ZEN MAL
1 Italy Juventus 6 5 0 1 10 6 +4 15 Advance to knockout phase 1–0 4–2 1–0
2 England Chelsea 6 4 1 1 13 4 +9 13 4–0 1–0 4–0
3 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 1 2 3 10 10 0 5 Transfer to Europa League 0–1 3–3 4–0
4 Sweden Malmö FF 6 0 1 5 1 14 −13 1 0–3 0–1 1–1
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase

Round of 16
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sporting CP Portugal 0–5 England Manchester City 0–5 0–0
Chelsea England 4–1 France Lille 2–0 2–1
Atlético Madrid Spain 2–1 England Manchester United 1–1 1–0
Inter Milan Italy 1–2 England Liverpool 0–2 1–0
Quarter-finals
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chelsea England 4–5 Spain Real Madrid 1–3 3–2 (a.e.t.)
Manchester City England 1–0 Spain Atlético Madrid 1–0 0–0
Benfica Portugal 4–6 England Liverpool 1–3 3–3
Semi-finals
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City England 5–6 Spain Real Madrid 4–3 1–3 (a.e.t.)
Liverpool England 5–2 Spain Villarreal 2–0 3–2
Final
Liverpool England0–1Spain Real Madrid
Report
Attendance: 75,000

UEFA Europa League

Group stage

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SPM NAP LEI LEG
1 Russia Spartak Moscow 6 3 1 2 10 9 +1 10 Advance to round of 16 2–1 3–4 0–1
2 Italy Napoli 6 3 1 2 15 10 +5 10 Advance to knockout round play-offs 2–3 3–2 3–0
3 England Leicester City 6 2 2 2 12 11 +1 8 Transfer to Europa Conference League 1–1 2–2 3–1
4 Poland Legia Warsaw 6 2 0 4 4 11 −7 6 0–1 1–4 1–0
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head–to–head points: Spartak Moscow 6, Napoli 0.
Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WHU DZA RWI GNK
1 England West Ham United 6 4 1 1 11 3 +8 13 Advance to round of 16 0–1 2–0 3–0
2 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 6 3 1 2 9 6 +3 10 Advance to knockout round play-offs 0–2 3–1 1–1
3 Austria Rapid Wien 6 2 0 4 4 9 −5 6 Transfer to Europa Conference League 0–2 2–1 0–1
4 Belgium Genk 6 1 2 3 4 10 −6 5 2–2 0–3 0–1
Source: UEFA

Knockout stage

Round of 16
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sevilla Spain 1–2 England West Ham United 1–0 0–2 (a.e.t.)
Quarter-finals
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Ham United England 4–1 France Lyon 1–1 3–0
Semi-finals
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Ham United England 1–3 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 1–2 0–1

UEFA Europa Conference League

Qualifying phase and play-off round

Play-off round
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Paços de Ferreira Portugal 1–3 England Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 0–3

Group stage

Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification REN VIT TOT MUR
1 France Rennes 6 4 2 0 13 7 +6 14 Advance to round of 16 3–3 2–2 1–0
2 Netherlands Vitesse 6 3 1 2 12 9 +3 10 Advance to knockout round play-offs 1–2 1–0 3–1
3 England Tottenham Hotspur 6 2 1 3 11 11 0 7 0–3 3–2 5–1
4 Slovenia Mura 6 1 0 5 5 14 −9 3 1–2 0–2 2–1
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ The Tottenham Hotspur v Rennes match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Rennes due to numerous positive COVID-19 tests in the Tottenham Hotspur squad.

Knockout stage

Knockout round play-offs
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Leicester City England 7–2 Denmark Randers 4–1 3–1
Round of 16
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Leicester City England 3–2 France Rennes 2–0 1–2
Quarter-finals
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Leicester City England 2–1 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 0–0 2–1
Semi-finals
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Leicester City England 1–2 Italy Roma 1–1 0–1

UEFA Youth League

UEFA Champions League Path

Group stage
Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PSG BRU MCI LPZ
1 France Paris Saint-Germain 6 4 2 0 16 7 +9 14 Round of 16 3–2 1–1 3–0
2 Belgium Club Brugge 6 3 2 1 18 11 +7 11 Play-offs 2–2 1–1 4–1
3 England Manchester City 6 2 2 2 12 11 +1 8 1–3 3–5 5–1
4 Germany RB Leipzig 6 0 0 6 4 21 −17 0 1–4 1–4 0–1
Source: UEFA
Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIV ATM POR MIL
1 England Liverpool 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11 Round of 16 2–0 4–0 1–0
2 Spain Atlético Madrid 6 3 1 2 9 6 +3 10 Play-offs 2–0 1–2 3–0
3 Portugal Porto 6 3 1 2 8 9 −1 10 1–1 1–2 3–1
4 Italy Milan 6 0 2 4 3 10 −7 2 1–1 1–1 0–1
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head: Atlético Madrid 3 pts (0 GD, 3 GF), Porto 3 pts (0 GD, 3 GF). Goal difference in all group matches: Atlético Madrid +3, Porto –1.
Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MUN VIL ATA YB
1 England Manchester United 6 5 0 1 12 9 +3 15 Round of 16 1–4 4–2 2–1
2 Spain Villarreal 6 3 2 1 15 9 +6 11 Play-offs 1–2 2–0 3–3
3 Italy Atalanta 6 2 1 3 11 12 −1 7 1–2 2–2 3–0
4 Switzerland Young Boys 6 0 1 5 7 15 −8 1 0–1 1–3 2–3
Source: UEFA
Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JUV CHE ZEN MAL
1 Italy Juventus 6 5 1 0 18 7 +11 16 Round of 16 3–1 4–2 4–1
2 England Chelsea 6 3 1 2 15 10 +5 10 Play-offs 1–3 3–1 4–2
3 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 2 1 3 10 13 −3 7 0–2 1–1 3–2
4 Sweden Malmö 6 0 1 5 8 21 −13 1 2–2 0–5 1–3
Source: UEFA

Play-offs

Knockout round play-offs
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Genk Belgium 5–1 England Chelsea
Round of 16
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Liverpool England 1–1 (4–3 p) Belgium Genk
Manchester United England 2–2 (1–3 p) Germany Borussia Dortmund
Quarter-finals
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Juventus Italy 2–0 England Liverpool

UEFA Women's Champions League

Qualifying rounds

Round 1
Semi-finals
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Arsenal England 4–0 Kazakhstan Okzhetpes
Final
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Arsenal England 3–1 Netherlands PSV
Round 2
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Arsenal England 7–0 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 3–0 4–0
Real Madrid Spain 2–1 England Manchester City 1–1 1–0

Group stage

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WOL JUV CHE SER
1 Germany VfL Wolfsburg 6 3 2 1 17 7 +10 11 Advance to Quarter-finals 0–2 4–0 5–0
2 Italy Juventus 6 3 2 1 12 4 +8 11 2–2 1–2 4–0
3 England Chelsea 6 3 2 1 13 8 +5 11 3–3 0–0 1–0
4 Switzerland Servette Chênois 6 0 0 6 0 23 −23 0 0–3 0–3 0–7
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Head-to-head points: Wolfsburg 5, Juventus 5, Chelsea 5. Head-to-head goal differences: Wolfsburg +2, Juventus +1, Chelsea −3.
Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAR ARS HOF KOG
1 Spain Barcelona 6 6 0 0 24 1 +23 18 Advance to Quarter-finals 4–1 4–0 5–0
2 England Arsenal 6 3 0 3 14 13 +1 9 0–4 4–0 3–0
3 Germany 1899 Hoffenheim 6 3 0 3 11 15 −4 9 0–5 4–1 5–0
4 Denmark Køge 6 0 0 6 2 22 −20 0 0–2 1–5 1–2
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Arsenal 3, 1899 Hoffenheim 3. Head-to-head goal differences: Arsenal +1, 1899 Hoffenheim −1.

Knockout phase

Quarter-finals
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Arsenal England 1–3 Germany VfL Wolfsburg 1–1 0–2

Men's football

League Promoted to league Relegated from league Expelled or Dissolved Re-elected
Premier League None None
Championship None None
League One None None
League Two None None
National League None None

Premier League

Having looked all but sewn up at the start of 2022, the title race ended up going to the final day of the season, with Liverpool and Manchester City once again battling it out – a battle that City once again came out on top of in thanks in part to a superb run of form in the closing weeks and despite a very late scare on the final day, securing manager Pep Guardiola his fourth Premier League title in six seasons. Despite falling short in their hunt for a second top-flight title since 1990, ending hopes of an unprecedented quadruple, Liverpool nevertheless managed to end the season with trophy success, winning both the League Cup and the FA Cup on penalties, whilst going unbeaten in the league at Anfield for the fourth time in five seasons, reaching their third Champions League final in five seasons (narrowly losing to Real Madrid) becoming the first English team to reach the final of the Champions League and the domestic cup competitions in the same season.

Having also been in the title race at Christmas, Chelsea only secured a top-four spot in the closing week of the campaign, whilst also finishing the season empty-handed, including a third FA Cup final loss in three years (also losing the League Cup final to Liverpool), as their season quickly unravelled amid off-field troubles caused by sanctions being placed against owner Roman Abramovich in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, forcing Abramovich to put the club up for sale. North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur ended up battling it out to secure fourth place; in the end, Tottenham emerged victorious in spite of a dreadful start to the season under former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo, with the appointment of former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte ultimately proving to be an inspired choice – as a result, despite recovering from their worst ever start to a Premier League season to achieve a return to European football, Arsenal could only manage fifth place as a result of several big losses in the new year.

Despite making an overall good start, Manchester United endured arguably their worst season since the retirement of Alex Ferguson, enduring early exits in both domestic cups and several big losses in the league, including losing 5–0 at home to bitter rivals Liverpool (and then 4–0 at Anfield in the return game) and 4–1 at promoted Watford, the latter game ultimately resulting in the sacking of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær – and despite the appointment of Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis and the goals of returning striker Cristiano Ronaldo keeping them in the Champions League race, an equally poor end to the season saw the Red Devils finish sixth and with their lowest Premier League points total, only barely ensuring a Europa League spot. Newcastle United had what proved to be an eventful season both on and off the pitch, a very poor start to the season being offset by the takeover of the club by the Public Investment Fund after years of protest and anger against controversial owner Mike Ashley – and whilst the threat of relegation still lingered over the Magpies in the New Year, the appointment of new head coach Eddie Howe and a number of shrewd January signings helped the club rocket up the table and comfortably into mid-table.[citation needed]

Despite picking up fewer wins than the previous year and seeing a number of first-team players depart in the summer, Crystal Palace had an impressive first season under the management of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, the Eagles hitting the ground running with a more attacking style of football and with the end results being quite successful, the club never once looking like being in a relegation battle on top of reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, finishing with a positive goal difference and taking four points off Manchester City in the league. Brentford enjoyed what proved to be a rollercoaster campaign in their first top flight season in 74 years, first making a superb start before both results and points dried up – but the January signing of midfielder Christian Eriksen, itself a remarkable comeback for the Dane following his cardiac arrest the previous summer, proved to be a big turning point for their season, the Bees picking up a number of wins (including their first away win against Chelsea in 83 years) in the closing months to ensure a second successive season in the Premier League, a fantastic achievement for the London club.[citation needed]

Having won automatic promotion the previous season, both Norwich City and Watford endured an immediate return to the Championship – the tone for the Canaries' season being set by an opening run of six straight losses, with even the surprise decision to replace promotion-winning manager Daniel Farke with Dean Smith after eleven games failing to give the Norfolk club much in terms of inspiration; likewise for Watford, despite a reasonable start that included a 4–1 home victory over Manchester United in November, the Hornets simply never got to grips with the fast pace of the top-flight, making it through three different managers across the season and breaking a number of unwanted records for their form at Vicarage Road, including consecutive home losses and number of home losses as well as failing to keep a clean sheet until May. Taking the final relegation place, after weeks of twists and turns, were Burnley, the Clarets falling into the relegation zone in the closing minutes of the season; despite a late upturn in form following the controversial sacking of long-serving manager Sean Dyche, a late collapse that saw them gain just one point from their last four games proved fatal. Leeds United finished just above them, the equally controversial decision to sack promotion-winning manager Marcelo Bielsa in favour of Jesse Marsch proving to give the Yorkshire club just enough to avoid the drop, in spite of an atrocious defensive record - whilst Everton overcame one of their worst league seasons, including securing their joint-worst points tally for a league campaign in their history and recording just three wins in 23 between the start of October and early April, to finish in 16th.[citation needed]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester City (C) 38 29 6 3 99 26 +73 93 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Liverpool 38 28 8 2 94 26 +68 92
3 Chelsea 38 21 11 6 76 33 +43 74
4 Tottenham Hotspur 38 22 5 11 69 40 +29 71
5 Arsenal 38 22 3 13 61 48 +13 69 Qualification for the Europa League group stage
6 Manchester United 38 16 10 12 57 57 0 58
7 West Ham United 38 16 8 14 60 51 +9 56 Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-off round
8 Leicester City 38 14 10 14 62 59 +3 52
9 Brighton & Hove Albion 38 12 15 11 42 44 −2 51
10 Wolverhampton Wanderers 38 15 6 17 38 43 −5 51
11 Newcastle United 38 13 10 15 44 62 −18 49
12 Crystal Palace 38 11 15 12 50 46 +4 48
13 Brentford 38 13 7 18 48 56 −8 46
14 Aston Villa 38 13 6 19 52 54 −2 45
15 Southampton 38 9 13 16 43 67 −24 40
16 Everton 38 11 6 21 43 66 −23 39
17 Leeds United 38 9 11 18 42 79 −37 38
18 Burnley (R) 38 7 14 17 34 53 −19 35 Relegation to the EFL Championship
19 Watford (R) 38 6 5 27 34 77 −43 23
20 Norwich City (R) 38 5 7 26 23 84 −61 22
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) If the champions, relegated teams or qualified teams for UEFA competitions cannot be determined by rules 1 to 3, rules 4.1 to 4.3 are applied – 4.1) Points gained in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.2) Away goals scored in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.3) Play-offs
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Since the winners of the 2021–22 FA Cup and the 2021–22 EFL Cup, Liverpool, qualified for the Champions League, the spot given to the FA Cup winners (Europa League group stage) was passed to the sixth-placed team and the spot given to the League Cup winners (Europa Conference League play-off round) was passed to the seventh-placed team.

Championship

Despite a few shaky spells of form across the season, Fulham secured promotion back to the Premier League as champions – their third in five years and their second consecutive immediate return – the London club never looking like falling out of the top six all season, becoming the first second-tier team in twenty years to score over 100 goals in a season and with star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring an unprecedented 43 of those, a new record for the second tier. Taking the second automatic promotion spot were Bournemouth, who put both their play-off disappointment the previous year and an inconsistent run of form over the winter months behind them to return to the top-flight after two years and earning manager Scott Parker his second promotion in three seasons (having ironically moved to the club from Fulham). In one of the biggest turnarounds of the season, Nottingham Forest took the final spot through the play-offs – having looked like facing relegation early in the season with one point from their first seven games, the appointment of former Swansea and England youth manager Steve Cooper saw the East Midlands club rocket up the table and solidify themselves in the top six after the March international break, before squeezing through the play-offs and ending a 23-year exile from the top-flight with victory over Huddersfield Town.

At the bottom of the table, owing to a points deduction being imposed on Reading for breaching financial rules, the Royals ended up enduring yet another relegation battle, albeit one that they managed to win at the expense of Barnsley, Derby County and Peterborough United – Barnsley enduring a horrendous opening half of the season and falling back into League One after three years, with even their usual late rally proving to be not enough to stave off the drop as the Tykes never quite recovered from the loss of manager Valérien Ismaël to West Bromwich Albion before the season started. Just one year after pulling off a narrow escape from relegation and in spite of some big results across the campaign, the points deductions imposed on Derby early in the season (12 for entering administration and 9 for financial irregularities) proved to be too much for the Rams to overcome, consigning the club to the third tier for the first time since 1986 – with even attempts to find new owners during the season almost ending in disaster, with a planned takeover falling through in June, before an ultimately successful takeover on the eve of the following season. Despite a late rally, Peterborough United endured immediate relegation back to League One, never really looking like escaping the drop in spite of both a decent run of wins in the early months of the season as well as the late return of former manager Grant McCann. Ultimately, Derby suffering the two points deductions spared the Royals from the drop, though in the event of neither side receiving any points deductions, they would still have been relegated due to their inferior goal difference compared to Birmingham City.


Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Fulham (C, P) 46 27 9 10 106 43 +63 90 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Bournemouth (P) 46 25 13 8 74 39 +35 88
3 Huddersfield Town 46 23 13 10 64 47 +17 82 Qualification for Championship play-offs
4 Nottingham Forest (O, P) 46 23 11 12 73 40 +33 80
5 Sheffield United 46 21 12 13 63 45 +18 75
6 Luton Town 46 21 12 13 63 55 +8 75
7 Middlesbrough 46 20 10 16 59 50 +9 70
8 Blackburn Rovers 46 19 12 15 59 50 +9 69
9 Millwall 46 18 15 13 53 45 +8 69
10 West Bromwich Albion 46 18 13 15 52 45 +7 67
11 Queens Park Rangers 46 19 9 18 60 59 +1 66
12 Coventry City 46 17 13 16 60 59 +1 64
13 Preston North End 46 16 16 14 52 56 −4 64
14 Stoke City 46 17 11 18 57 52 +5 62
15 Swansea City 46 16 13 17 58 68 −10 61
16 Blackpool 46 16 12 18 54 58 −4 60
17 Bristol City 46 15 10 21 62 77 −15 55
18 Cardiff City 46 15 8 23 50 68 −18 53
19 Hull City 46 14 9 23 41 54 −13 51
20 Birmingham City 46 11 14 21 50 75 −25 47
21 Reading 46 13 8 25 54 87 −33 41
22 Peterborough United (R) 46 9 10 27 43 87 −44 37 Relegation to EFL League One
23 Derby County (R) 46 14 13 19 45 53 −8 34
24 Barnsley (R) 46 6 12 28 33 73 −40 30
Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Reading were deducted 6 points for breach of profit and sustainability regulations.
  2. ^ Derby County were deducted 12 points for entering administration, and a further 9 points for financial irregularities.

League One

The battle to finish in the top six ended up going to the last day of the season, owing to a big drop in form for frontrunners Rotherham United and the teams in and around the play-off places picking up points – but Wigan Athletic ultimately emerged as champions, putting the uncertainties of the previous year behind them and securing their third promotion to the Championship since 2016. Rotherham ultimately finished in second, a late good run of form propelling the Millers back into the second tier and ensuring their third immediate promotion from League One in five years, as well as the sixth consecutive season in which they moved between the Championship and League One. Taking the final promotion spot with a convincing play-off final win against Wycombe Wanderers were Sunderland, the Black Cats overcoming the surprise sacking of manager Lee Johnson at the end of January and some poor away form in the campaign to secure their first promotion in 15 years - with the equally surprising decision to appoint former Norwich City manager Alex Neil as head coach proving to be a successful one.

Just two seasons after having been promoted, Crewe Alexandra endured a truly awful campaign that saw them become the first team in the Football League to be relegated, never once leaving the relegation zone after only their second game and enduring several heavy losses. The remaining three relegation places ended up being decided on the last day, AFC Wimbledon enduring their first ever relegation and falling back into League Two after six years – a miserable run of form that saw them fail to win any games after Christmas Day ultimately proving fatal for the Dons. Despite being among the pre-season promotion favourites, Doncaster Rovers finished just above them, having also fallen into the relegation zone after only their second game and never really looking like pulling off a great escape – though a few big wins in the closing weeks of the campaign ensured that the Yorkshire club managed to starve off relegation. Taking the final place in a tightly contested battle were Gillingham, who looked like having turned a corner following the sacking of manager Steve Evans, only for the teams above them to pick up form in the closing weeks and send the Gills down for the first time in nine years; escaping the drop as a result were Fleetwood and Morecambe, who overcame the worst defensive record in the season to ensure a successful first campaign in League One.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Wigan Athletic (C, P) 46 27 11 8 82 44 +38 92 Promotion to EFL Championship
2 Rotherham United (P) 46 27 9 10 70 33 +37 90
3 Milton Keynes Dons 46 26 11 9 78 44 +34 89 Qualification for League One play-offs
4 Sheffield Wednesday 46 24 13 9 78 50 +28 85
5 Sunderland (O, P) 46 24 12 10 79 53 +26 84
6 Wycombe Wanderers 46 23 14 9 75 51 +24 83
7 Plymouth Argyle 46 23 11 12 68 48 +20 80
8 Oxford United 46 22 10 14 82 59 +23 76
9 Bolton Wanderers 46 21 10 15 74 57 +17 73
10 Portsmouth 46 20 13 13 68 51 +17 73
11 Ipswich Town 46 18 16 12 67 46 +21 70
12 Accrington Stanley 46 17 10 19 61 80 −19 61
13 Charlton Athletic 46 17 8 21 55 59 −4 59
14 Cambridge United 46 15 13 18 56 74 −18 58
15 Cheltenham Town 46 13 17 16 66 80 −14 56
16 Burton Albion 46 14 11 21 51 67 −16 53
17 Lincoln City 46 14 10 22 55 63 −8 52
18 Shrewsbury Town 46 12 14 20 47 51 −4 50
19 Morecambe 46 10 12 24 57 88 −31 42
20 Fleetwood Town 46 8 16 22 62 82 −20 40
21 Gillingham (R) 46 8 16 22 35 69 −34 40 Relegation to EFL League Two
22 Doncaster Rovers (R) 46 10 8 28 37 82 −45 38
23 AFC Wimbledon (R) 46 6 19 21 49 75 −26 37
24 Crewe Alexandra (R) 46 7 8 31 37 83 −46 29
Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points based on yellow and red cards received excluding the last four games of the season (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences; 9) If the tie affects the automatic promotion or relegation places, a play-off game or games would be held between the two tied teams
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

League Two

After consecutive campaigns of near-misses and heartbreak, Forest Green Rovers marked both five years in the Football League and Rob Edwards' first season as head coach with their first ever promotion to League One, going up as champions on goal difference and not falling out of the top three once in the campaign, even with poor form in the New Year nearly making them lose out on top spot. Exeter City finished not far behind them, finally achieving promotion back to the third tier following years of play-off final losses, heartbreak and near-misses in manager Matt Taylor's fourth season as manager. Taking the third automatic promotion spot in extraordinary circumstances were Bristol Rovers, who managed an immediate return to the third tier by virtue of goals scored after a 7-0 victory in their final game, narrowly edging out Northampton Town despite having never been in the top three prior to the final day. Ending a five-year absence from the third tier by winning the play-offs were Port Vale - who overcame both a run of inconsistent form in the New Year and the absence of manager Darrell Clarke for nearly three months following the death of his daughter to secure fifth place and run out comfortable winners in the final.

Despite missing out on a play-off spot on the last day, Sutton United enjoyed a very successful maiden campaign in the Football League that included a narrow loss in the EFL Trophy final; having started slowly, the London club rocketed up the table, staying in and around the top seven from October onwards and with only a heavy home loss in their penultimate game going against the club. Having made a decent start on their return to the Football League, the departure of manager Dave Challinor to Stockport County saw Hartlepool United suffer a steep decline in form that saw them fall from the play-off places to mid-table; whilst the worse form of the teams below them ensured that the Pools never fell into the relegation battle, a disappointing 17th place was all the club could manage, a fair cry from their promotion chasing run early in the season.

After 72 years of Football League membership and just eleven years after having been in the Championship, Scunthorpe United's resilience finally gave out and they endured relegation to the National League, the Iron only escaping the drop zone once after their seventh game and securing just four wins across all competitions, as well as going down with statistically the worst playing record of any club relegated to the National League since Doncaster Rovers' infamously poor 1997–98 campaign. The battle to avoid the second spot proved to be tighter, with Barrow, Oldham Athletic and Stevenage fighting it out – but despite the return of manager John Sheridan for a fourth spell as Oldham manager, both Barrow and Stevenage achieved good runs of form in the closing months, enabling them to escape the drop and ending the Latics' 115-year run in the Football League (also resulting in them becoming the first former Premier League club to be relegated out of the Football League), the club not being helped by escalating fan anger towards owner Abdallah Lemsagam, including an on-field protest in the game that saw them relegated.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Forest Green Rovers (C, P) 46 23 15 8 75 44 +31 84 Promotion to EFL League One
2 Exeter City (P) 46 23 15 8 65 41 +24 84
3 Bristol Rovers (P) 46 23 11 12 71 49 +22 80
4 Northampton Town 46 23 11 12 60 38 +22 80 Qualification for League Two play-offs
5 Port Vale (O, P) 46 22 12 12 67 46 +21 78
6 Swindon Town 46 22 11 13 77 54 +23 77
7 Mansfield Town 46 22 11 13 67 52 +15 77
8 Sutton United 46 22 10 14 69 53 +16 76
9 Tranmere Rovers 46 21 12 13 53 40 +13 75
10 Salford City 46 19 13 14 60 46 +14 70
11 Newport County 46 19 12 15 67 58 +9 69
12 Crawley Town 46 17 10 19 56 66 −10 61
13 Leyton Orient 46 14 16 16 62 47 +15 58
14 Bradford City 46 14 16 16 53 55 −2 58
15 Colchester United 46 14 13 19 48 60 −12 55
16 Walsall 46 14 12 20 47 60 −13 54
17 Hartlepool United 46 14 12 20 44 64 −20 54
18 Rochdale 46 12 17 17 51 59 −8 53
19 Harrogate Town 46 14 11 21 64 75 −11 53
20 Carlisle United 46 14 11 21 39 62 −23 53
21 Stevenage 46 11 14 21 45 68 −23 47
22 Barrow 46 10 14 22 44 57 −13 44
23 Oldham Athletic (R) 46 9 11 26 46 75 −29 38 Relegation to National League
24 Scunthorpe United (R) 46 4 14 28 29 90 −61 26
Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated


National League

Having also looked all but sewn up at the end of March, the title race ended up going to the last day of the season – but nine years after having fallen into the sixth tier, Stockport County continued their climb back up the football pyramid, achieving promotion back into the Football League for the first time since 2011 – a fantastic run of form in 2022 propelling the Hatters from the playoff places to automatic promotion, winning the title comfortably. Taking the second promotion spot in one of the most extraordinary playoff campaigns in the fifth tier were Grimsby Town, the Mariners going to extra time in all of their playoff games and scoring late winners in each of them to secure an immediate return to the Football League.

At the bottom of the table, Dover Athletic endured perhaps the worst season in the history of the top five flights of English football, enduring a points deduction before the campaign started for their failure to fulfil all their fixtures the previous year, finishing with just one point as a result and conceding 101 goals (Hyde United's 2013–14 campaign was statistically worse, but they did not have any points deducted and thus finished with ten points). Weymouth finished second from bottom, the Dorset club never quite looking like overcoming the loss of their promotion-winning manager two seasons prior, but at least prolonging their stay in the fifth tier until the closing weeks of the campaign – with King's Lynn Town finishing just above them in turn, the club enduring the relegation they had only avoided the previous year owing to there being no promotions or relegations between the National League tiers.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Stockport County (C, P) 44 30 4 10 87 38 +49 94 Promotion to EFL League Two
2 Wrexham 44 26 10 8 91 46 +45 88 Qualification for the National League play-off semi-finals
3 Solihull Moors 44 25 12 7 83 45 +38 87
4 FC Halifax Town 44 25 9 10 62 35 +27 84 Qualification for the National League play-off quarter-finals
5 Notts County 44 24 10 10 81 52 +29 82
6 Grimsby Town (O, P) 44 23 8 13 68 46 +22 77
7 Chesterfield 44 20 14 10 69 51 +18 74
8 Dagenham & Redbridge 44 22 7 15 80 53 +27 73
9 Boreham Wood 44 18 13 13 49 40 +9 67
10 Bromley 44 18 13 13 61 53 +8 67
11 Torquay United 44 18 12 14 66 54 +12 66
12 Yeovil Town 44 15 14 15 43 46 −3 59
13 Southend United 44 16 10 18 45 61 −16 58
14 Altrincham 44 15 10 19 62 69 −7 55
15 Woking 44 16 5 23 59 61 −2 53
16 Wealdstone 44 14 11 19 51 65 −14 53
17 Maidenhead United 44 13 12 19 48 67 −19 51
18 Barnet 44 13 11 20 59 89 −30 50
19 Eastleigh 44 12 10 22 52 74 −22 46
20 Aldershot Town 44 11 10 23 46 73 −27 43
21 King's Lynn Town (R) 44 8 10 26 47 79 −32 34 Relegation to National League North
22 Weymouth (R) 44 6 10 28 40 88 −48 28 Relegation to National League South
23 Dover Athletic (R) 44 2 7 35 37 101 −64 1
Source: National League official site
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Dover Athletic were deducted twelve points for failing to complete fixtures during the 2020–21 season.
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Gateshead (C, P) 42 29 7 6 99 47 +52 94 Promoted to the National League
2 Brackley Town 42 25 12 5 53 23 +30 87 Qualified for the National League North play-off semi-finals
3 AFC Fylde 42 24 8 10 68 37 +31 80
4 Kidderminster Harriers 42 21 11 10 72 35 +37 74 Qualified for the National League North play-off quarter-finals
5 York City (O, P) 42 19 9 14 58 50 +8 66
6 Chorley 42 17 14 11 62 49 +13 65
7 Boston United 42 18 9 15 63 57 +6 63
8 Kettering Town 42 16 13 13 54 48 +6 61
9 Alfreton Town 42 17 10 15 58 59 −1 61
10 Spennymoor Town 42 17 9 16 55 51 +4 60
11 Southport 42 14 15 13 60 55 +5 57
12 Hereford 42 15 10 17 51 52 −1 55
13 Darlington 42 14 11 17 57 58 −1 53
14 Curzon Ashton 42 13 13 16 51 63 −12 52
15 Leamington 42 12 12 18 39 47 −8 48
16 Chester 42 12 11 19 70 71 −1 47
17 Gloucester City 42 10 16 16 47 60 −13 46
18 Bradford (Park Avenue) 42 11 11 20 46 70 −24 44
19 Blyth Spartans 42 12 7 23 41 76 −35 43
20 AFC Telford United 42 7 16 19 48 65 −17 37
21 Farsley Celtic 42 9 10 23 37 78 −41 37
22 Guiseley (R) 42 9 8 25 31 69 −38 35 Relegated to the Northern Premier League
Source: National League official site
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Maidstone United (C, P) 40 27 6 7 80 38 +42 87 Promoted to the National League
2 Dorking Wanderers (O, P) 40 25 6 9 101 53 +48 81 Qualified for the National League South play-off semi-finals
3 Ebbsfleet United 40 24 4 12 78 53 +25 76
4 Dartford 40 21 11 8 75 42 +33 74 Qualified for the National League South play-off quarter-finals
5 Oxford City 40 19 12 9 71 46 +25 69
6 Eastbourne Borough 40 17 9 14 73 67 +6 60
7 Chippenham Town 40 16 11 13 61 50 +11 59
8 Havant & Waterlooville 40 15 12 13 58 55 +3 57
9 St Albans City 40 15 7 18 55 58 −3 52
10 Dulwich Hamlet 40 13 12 15 63 60 +3 51
11 Hampton & Richmond Borough 40 14 9 17 56 56 0 51
12 Hungerford Town 40 15 4 21 59 68 −9 49
13 Slough Town 40 12 13 15 51 69 −18 49
14 Concord Rangers 40 13 10 17 53 72 −19 49
15 Hemel Hempstead Town 40 13 9 18 49 72 −23 48
16 Tonbridge Angels 40 11 12 17 43 53 −10 45
17 Braintree Town 40 11 12 17 38 54 −16 45
18 Bath City 40 13 6 21 45 68 −23 45
19 Chelmsford City 40 9 14 17 46 53 −7 41
20 Welling United 40 10 8 22 46 87 −41 38
21 Billericay Town (R) 40 9 9 22 41 68 −27 36 Relegated to the Isthmian League
Source: National League official site
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

League play-offs

Football League play-offs

EFL Championship
Final
Huddersfield Town0–1Nottingham Forest
Report
Attendance: 80,019
Referee: Jonathan Moss
EFL League One
Final
Wycombe Wanderers0–2Sunderland
Report
Attendance: 72,332
Referee: Simon Hooper
EFL League Two
Final
Mansfield Town0–3Port Vale
Report
Attendance: 37,303

National League play-offs

National League
Final
Solihull Moors1–2 (a.e.t.)Grimsby Town
Report
Attendance: 22,897
Referee: Martin Woods

Cup Competitions

FA Cup

Final

EFL Cup

Final

Community Shield

Leicester City1–0Manchester City
Report
Attendance: 45,602

EFL Trophy

Final
Rotherham United4–2 (a.e.t.)Sutton United
Report
Attendance: 30,688
Referee: Seb Stockbridge

FA Trophy

Final
Wrexham0–1Bromley
Report
  • Cheek 64'
Attendance: 46,111
Referee: Thomas Bramall

Women's football

FA Women's Super League

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Chelsea (C) 22 18 2 2 62 11 +51 56 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Arsenal 22 17 4 1 65 10 +55 55 Qualification for the Champions League second round
3 Manchester City 22 15 2 5 60 22 +38 47 Qualification for the Champions League first round
4 Manchester United 22 12 6 4 45 22 +23 42
5 Tottenham Hotspur 22 9 5 8 24 23 +1 32
6 West Ham United 22 7 6 9 23 33 −10 27
7 Brighton & Hove Albion 22 8 2 12 24 38 −14 26
8 Reading 22 7 4 11 21 40 −19 25
9 Aston Villa 22 6 3 13 13 40 −27 21
10 Everton 22 5 5 12 18 41 −23 20
11 Leicester City 22 4 1 17 14 53 −39 13
12 Birmingham City (R) 22 3 2 17 15 51 −36 11 Relegation to the Championship
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

FA Women's Championship

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Liverpool (C, P) 22 16 4 2 49 11 +38 52 Promotion to the WSL
2 London City Lionesses 22 13 2 7 35 22 +13 41
3 Bristol City 22 11 4 7 43 28 +15 37
4 Crystal Palace 22 11 4 7 35 39 −4 37
5 Charlton Athletic 22 10 4 8 27 18 +9 34
6 Durham 22 10 4 8 30 28 +2 34
7 Sheffield United 22 9 6 7 34 31 +3 33
8 Lewes 22 9 2 11 23 24 −1 29
9 Sunderland 22 6 6 10 23 32 −9 24
10 Blackburn Rovers 22 5 2 15 17 41 −24 17
11 Coventry United 22 5 7 10 18 32 −14 12
12 Watford (R) 22 2 5 15 18 46 −28 11 Relegation to the National League
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Dependent on obtaining a licence.
  2. ^ Coventry United were deducted 10 points on 6 January 2022 for triggering an insolvency event.

FA Women's National League

Cup competitions

Women's FA Cup

2020–21 Women's FA Cup
Final
Arsenal0–3Chelsea
Report
Attendance: 40,942
Referee: Helen Conley (Durham)
2021–22 Women's FA Cup
Final
Chelsea3–2 (a.e.t.)Manchester City
Report
Attendance: 49,094
Referee: Kirsty Dowle (Kent)

FA Women's League Cup

Final
Manchester City3–1Chelsea
Report
Attendance: 8,004
Referee: Lisa Benn

Women's FA Community Shield

2021 Women's FA Community Shield

Managerial changes

This is a list of changes of managers within English league football:

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of departure Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Leyton Orient Jamaica Jobi McAnuff End of interim spell 8 May 2021 Pre-season Wales Kenny Jackett 21 May 2021
Swindon Town Scotland Tommy Wright England John McGreal 26 May 2021
Bradford City England Mark Trueman
England Conor Sellars
Sacked 10 May 2021 Scotland Derek Adams 4 June 2021
Walsall England Brian Dutton England Matthew Taylor 19 May 2021
Barrow England Rob Kelly End of caretaker spell 14 May 2021 England Mark Cooper 28 May 2021
Doncaster Rovers England Andy Butler End of interim spell 17 May 2021 England Richie Wellens 17 May 2021
West Bromwich Albion Resigned 23 May 2021 France Valérien Ismaël 24 June 2021
Sheffield United England Paul Heckingbottom End of caretaker spell Serbia Slaviša Jokanović 27 May 2021
Tranmere Rovers England Ian Dawes Scotland Micky Mellon 1 June 2021
Forest Green Rovers England Jimmy Ball Wales Rob Edwards 27 May 2021
Crystal Palace England Roy Hodgson End of contract 24 May 2021 France Patrick Vieira 4 July 2021
Tottenham Hotspur England Ryan Mason End of caretaker spell Portugal Nuno Espírito Santo 30 June 2021
Wolverhampton Wanderers Portugal Nuno Espírito Santo Mutual consent Portugal Bruno Lage 9 June 2021
Everton Italy Carlo Ancelotti Signed by Real Madrid 1 June 2021 Spain Rafael Benítez 30 June 2021
Morecambe Scotland Derek Adams Resigned 3 June 2021 Northern Ireland Stephen Robinson 7 June 2021
Barnsley France Valérien Ismaël Signed by West Bromwich Albion 24 June 2021 Austria Markus Schopp 29 June 2021
Swindon Town England John McGreal Mutual consent 25 June 2021 England Ben Garner 21 July 2021
Fulham England Scott Parker 28 June 2021 Portugal Marco Silva 1 July 2021
Bournemouth England Jonathan Woodgate End of contract England Scott Parker 28 June 2021
Rochdale Republic of Ireland Brian Barry-Murphy Resigned 30 June 2021 Scotland Robbie Stockdale 10 July 2021
Swansea City Wales Steve Cooper Mutual Consent 21 July 2021 Scotland Russell Martin 1 August 2021
Milton Keynes Dons Scotland Russell Martin Signed by Swansea City 1 August 2021 England Liam Manning 13 August 2021
Nottingham Forest Republic of Ireland Chris Hughton Sacked 16 September 2021 24th Wales Steve Cooper 21 September 2021
Newport County Wales Michael Flynn Resigned 1 October 2021 15th Wales James Rowberry 19 October 2021
Watford Spain Xisco Muñoz Sacked 3 October 2021 14th Italy Claudio Ranieri 4 October 2021
Carlisle United England Chris Beech 10 October 2021 22nd England Keith Millen 26 October 2021
Newcastle United England Steve Bruce Mutual consent 20 October 2021 19th England Eddie Howe 8 November 2021
Charlton Athletic England Nigel Adkins Sacked 21 October 2021 22nd England Johnnie Jackson 21 October 2021
Cardiff City Republic of Ireland Mick McCarthy Mutual consent 23 October 2021 21st Wales Steve Morison 24 October 2021
Barnsley Austria Markus Schopp Sacked 1 November 2021 23rd Sweden Poya Asbaghi 17 November 2021
Tottenham Hotspur Portugal Nuno Espírito Santo 8th Italy Antonio Conte 2 November 2021
Scunthorpe United England Neil Cox 24th England Keith Hill 5 November 2021
Hartlepool United England Dave Challinor Signed by Stockport County 10th England Graeme Lee 1 December 2021
Norwich City Germany Daniel Farke Sacked 6 November 2021 20th England Dean Smith 15 November 2021
Middlesbrough England Neil Warnock Mutual consent 14th England Chris Wilder 7 November 2021
Aston Villa England Dean Smith Sacked 7 November 2021 15th England Steven Gerrard 11 November 2021
Stevenage England Alex Revell 15 November 2021 21st England Paul Tisdale 28 November 2021
Manchester United Norway Ole Gunnar Solskjær 21 November 2021 7th Germany Ralf Rangnick (interim) 29 November 2021
Fleetwood Town England Simon Grayson 24 November 2021 22nd Scotland Stephen Crainey 24 November 2021
Oldham Athletic England Keith Curle 22nd Tunisia Selim Benachour (caretaker) 24 November 2021
Sheffield United Serbia Slaviša Jokanović 25 November 2021 16th England Paul Heckingbottom 25 November 2021
Doncaster Rovers England Richie Wellens 2 December 2021 23rd England Gary McSheffrey 2 December 2021
Ipswich Town England Paul Cook 4 December 2021 11th Northern Ireland Kieran McKenna 16 December 2021
Preston North End Scotland Frankie McAvoy 6 December 2021 18th England Ryan Lowe 7 December 2021
Plymouth Argyle England Ryan Lowe Signed by Preston North End 7 December 2021 4th England Steven Schumacher
Gillingham Scotland Steve Evans Mutual consent 9 January 2022 22nd England Neil Harris 31 January 2022
Everton Spain Rafael Benítez Sacked 16 January 2022 15th England Frank Lampard 30 January 2022
Colchester United England Hayden Mullins 19 January 2021 22nd England Wayne Brown (Interim) 22 January 2022
Oldham Athletic Tunisia Selim Benachour End of Interim Spell 22 January 2022 24th Republic of Ireland John Sheridan 22 January 2022
Watford Italy Claudio Ranieri Sacked 24 January 2022 19th England Roy Hodgson 25 January 2022
Hull City Northern Ireland Grant McCann 25 January 2022 19th Georgia (country) Shota Arveladze 27 January 2022
Sunderland England Lee Johnson 30 January 2022 3rd Scotland Alex Neil 11 February 2022
West Bromwich Albion France Valérien Ismaël 2 February 2022 5th England Steve Bruce 3 February 2022
Walsall England Matthew Taylor 9 February 2022 21st Wales Michael Flynn 15 February 2022
Bradford City Scotland Derek Adams 15 February 2022 11th Wales Mark Hughes 24 February 2022
Reading Serbia Veljko Paunović Mutual consent 19 February 2022 21st England Paul Ince (Interim)
Barbados Michael Gilkes (Interim)
19 February 2022
Peterborough United Scotland Darren Ferguson Resigned 20 February 2022 23rd Northern Ireland Grant McCann 24 February 2022
Morecambe Northern Ireland Stephen Robinson Signed by St Mirren 22 February 2022 21st Scotland Derek Adams 24 February 2022
Leyton Orient Wales Kenny Jackett Sacked 22 February 2022 18th England Richie Wellens 9 March 2022
Carlisle United England Keith Millen Mutual Consent 23 February 2022 23rd England Paul Simpson 23 February 2022
Leeds United Argentina Marcelo Bielsa Sacked 27 February 2022 16th United States Jesse Marsch 28 February 2022
Stevenage England Paul Tisdale 16 March 2022 22nd Scotland Steve Evans 16 March 2022
Barrow England Mark Cooper Mutual consent 20 March 2022 21st England Phil Brown 21 March 2022
AFC Wimbledon England Mark Robinson Sacked 28 March 2022 21st Wales Mark Bowen 30 March 2022
Crewe Alexandra Gibraltar David Artell 11 April 2022 24th England Alex Morris 11 April 2022
Burnley England Sean Dyche 15 April 2022 18th England Mike Jackson
England Connor King
England Ben Mee (joint-caretakers)
15 April 2022
Barnsley Sweden Poya Asbaghi Mutual consent 24 April 2022 24th Republic of Ireland Martin Devaney (Interim) 24 April 2022
Crawley Town England John Yems Suspended 5 May 2022 16th England Lewis Young (caretaker) 5 May 2022
Hartlepool United England Graeme Lee Sacked 16th England Michael Nelson (caretaker)

Deaths

Retirements

Diary of the season

  • 31 August 2021: The first month of the season ends with Tottenham Hotspur top of the Premier League as the only team with a 100% start to the season. Closely behind are five teams on seven points: West Ham United, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton, occupying second to sixth, followed by defending champions Manchester City in seventh. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Norwich City and Arsenal have lost each of their opening three games and occupy the relegation places. In the Championship, two of the recently relegated clubs, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, occupy the top two, with Queens Park Rangers, Huddersfield Town, Stoke City and Bournemouth in the playoff places. The third newly relegated club, Sheffield United, is in the relegation zone, sandwiched by Nottingham Forest and newly promoted Blackpool.
  • 30 September 2021: September ends with Liverpool top of the Premier League as the only team unbeaten in their first six games. Five teams, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton and Brighton, are all one point behind and occupy second to sixth, with West Ham United a further two points behind in seventh. Norwich, still without a point so far, sits at the bottom of the table, joined in the relegation zone by Burnley and Leeds United, with Newcastle United just outside the bottom three on goal difference. West Brom lead the Championship ahead of Bournemouth on goal difference, with Fulham, Coventry City, Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers occupying the playoff places. Huddersfield Town are just outside the playoff places on goal difference. After a 12-point deduction, Derby County sit bottom of the Championship, with Peterborough United and Hull City just above them in the bottom three.
  • 31 October 2021: At the quarter-way mark of the Premier League campaign, Chelsea sit top of the table, three points clear of Liverpool, who are one of two unbeaten teams in the top four divisions so far. Manchester City and West Ham are joint third, and Manchester United, Arsenal, and Brighton complete the top seven. At the other end of the table are the two teams in the Football League yet to experience victory, Norwich (20th) and Newcastle, newly flush with cash from their takeover by Saudi Arabia's PIF fund but yet to make any major moves beyond the mutual termination of head coach Steve Bruce's contract. Burnley are 18th, three points behind Aston Villa, Leeds, and Watford. Bournemouth - the second of the aforementioned unbeaten teams - lead the Championship with a five-point gap between them and Fulham. Fulham in turn have a four-point gap between them and third-placed West Brom. Coventy, Huddersfield and Blackpool lead a congested play-off chase. Derby County remain bottom of the Championship, with Barnsley now joining them and Hull in the bottom three.
  • 30 November 2021: November closes with Chelsea still leading the Premier League, a point ahead of Manchester City and two points ahead of Liverpool. West Ham hold the final Champions League spot, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. Wolves and Spurs (who have a game in hand) round out the top seven. Norwich have managed to end their winless streak and are now only three points adrift of 17th-placed Watford, though there is no such luck for Newcastle, now bottom of the Premier League; Burnley also remain in the relegation zone. Fulham have leapfrogged Bournemouth at the Championship summit, but the Cherries have extended their distance from third place - currently held by QPR - to seven points. West Brom, Blackburn, and Coventry finish November in the top six. A further 12-point deduction sees Derby finish November on 1 point, with a daunting 19-point gap between them and 21st-placed Reading, struck themselves with a deduction of six points. Barnsley remain stuck in the bottom three, while Peterborough take Hull's place in the bottom three.
  • 31 December 2021: Manchester City enter 2022 with an eight point lead at the top of the Premier League table over second-placed Chelsea. Liverpool are third with a game in hand. Arsenal hold the coveted fourth spot, four points ahead of West Ham, though Manchester United and Spurs have at least one game in hand over Arsenal. Norwich finish the year back on the bottom of the Premier League, a point behind Newcastle and Burnley, though Burnley have games in hand over fellow strugglers Leeds and Watford. In the Championship, Bournemouth have returned to the top of the table, four points clear of joint-second Fulham and Blackburn. West Brom, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield finish December in the top six, but with only 12 points between 6th and 18th, plus multiple teams holding games in hand over the top six due to postponements, competition remains fierce. A return of nine points from a possible 12 in December has seen bottom club Derby County narrow the gap between them and 21st (still held by Reading) to 11 points, giving the East Midlands battlers an outside chance of avoiding the drop. Barnsley (23rd) and Peterborough also remain in the relegation zone.
  • 31 January 2022: Manchester City extend their Premier League lead to nine points at the end of January, although second-placed Liverpool still have a game in hand. Chelsea have dropped to third, and Manchester United have seized fourth place ahead of West Ham, Arsenal, and Spurs, though the latter two have at least one game in hand over United. Norwich have climbed out of the relegation zone at the expense of Watford, now sandwiched between Newcastle (18th) and Burnley, though with their rivals all having at least one game in hand (including four for Burnley alone) the relegation battle is only just beginning to intensify. In the Championship, Fulham have seized the lead following a stunning month that has seen them score 23 goals in only five matches and now lead second-placed Blackburn by five points, although Bournemouth and QPR could leapfrog the Lancastrians by winning their respective games in hand. West Brom and Middlesbrough remain in the top six, ahead of Huddersfield on goal difference. The Championship bottom four remains unchanged except for Derby and Barnsley swapping position, with only seven points now separating Derby and Reading.
  • 28 February 2022: February ends with Manchester City's lead cut to six points, with second-placed Liverpool still having a game in hand. Chelsea, despite only playing once in February due to their cup obligations, remain third with a three-point gap and two games in hand over Manchester United. West Ham and Arsenal are two points behind Manchester United, the latter with three games in hand over their top four rivals, with Spurs rounding out the top seven again. Norwich have returned to the bottom of the table, five points adrift of 17th-placed Everton having played two games more. Watford and Burnley remain in the relegation zone, though Newcastle, Brentford, and Leeds are also still in the mix. Fulham lead second-placed Bournemouth by nine points in the Championship, though the south coast side have two games in hand over the free-scoring Londoners. Huddersfield have usurped Blackburn to take third, QPR climb to fifth, and Luton finish February in sixth, with Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Coventry, and Millwall still in play-off contention. At the other end of the table, time is starting to run out for Derby, with only 12 games left to make up an eight-point deficit between them and 21st-placed Reading. As it stands Barnsley (in 22nd) look more likely to escape the bottom three, standing six points behind Reading with a game in hand. Peterborough are now bottom.
  • 31 March 2022: With less than a quarter of the Premier League left to play, Manchester City's lead over Liverpool in the title race has been reduced to one point, with the Merseysiders still to play at the Etihad Stadium. Chelsea remain third, having won all three games in a turbulent month that saw owner Roman Abramovich's assets - including Chelsea - frozen, and two sponsors terminate their sponsorship agreements with the club. Arsenal have moved to fourth, three points ahead of arch-rivals Spurs with a game in hand. Manchester United and West Ham complete the top seven. The relegation zone remains unchanged. In the Championship, Fulham find themselves needing only 10 points from their final nine games to confirm an immediate return to the Premier League. Bournemouth have narrowed the gap to Fulham to eight points, though they only have one game in hand now. A good month sees Luton - relegated from the old First Division the year before its rebranding as the Premier League - rise to third, and seeking to be the first club to be promoted all the way from non-league to the top flight of English football. Huddersfield are fourth on goal difference, Sheffield United have risen to fifth, while Blackburn's promotion push continues to falter as they end March in sixth. It remains anyone's guess as to who will claim the playoff places, with only 12 points separating Luton and Preston North End (14th). Derby County drop to the bottom of the table, still eight points behind Reading (21st). Barnsley and Peterborough remain in the bottom three.
  • 30 April 2022: Manchester City enter the final stretch of the Premier League season still a point ahead of Liverpool. Chelsea have all but secured third, being six points clear of fourth-placed Arsenal with five games left to play. Arsenal are two points clear of fifth-placed Spurs with the North London derby still to be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Manchester United's top four hopes are all but over with three games left for them to make up four points to Arsenal; seven-placed West Ham, for their part, still have a chance at Champions League qualification via the Europa League. A resurgence under caretaker Mike Jackson has seen Burnley climb to 16th, ahead of Leeds on goal difference and with five points between them and Everton in 18th. Everton's last hope is their extra two games in hand over Burnley; there is no such luck for Norwich, who have confirmed a sixth Premier League relegation, and Watford, who will be relegated if they fail to win another match or if Burnley and Leeds each earn one more point. Another so-called "yo-yo club", Fulham, have secured another promotion from the Championship and need one more point to confirm the league title. Bournemouth remain second with two games left, though one of those is against third-placed Nottingham Forest, who are just three points behind the south coast side. Fourth-placed Huddersfield have also confirmed their playoff spot. Luton Town and Sheffield United hold pole position for the other two playoff spots as the final matchday approaches, though Middlesbrough and Millwall can still claim spots if results go their way. Derby, Peterborough, and Barnsley have all confirmed relegation.

New clubs

Clubs removed


This page was last updated at 2023-11-12 12:57 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari