🔬 The Debrief as Liverpool are crowned Premier League champions | OneFootball

Premier League football returned on a Sunday featuring a fixture program dominated by Liverpool's chances of sealing their status as champions at Anfield under Arne Slot.

At the other end of the country, Manchester United's bid to get back to winning ways against Bournemouth started the day in the English top flight.

Here is how it all went down on Merseyside and the south coast.

What happened? 📝

The day started at Vitality Stadium as Bournemouth welcomed a languishing Manchester United to the coast, but Ruben Amorim and company would have the last laugh come full-time.

Antoine Semenyo's 23rd-minute opener would ultimately be canceled out by a Rasmus Højlund equaliser in the 6th minute of added time after the Cherries were reduced to ten men for the final 20 minutes thanks to Evanilson receiving his marching orders.

But the real focus of the day was on Liverpool, who had the chance to seal their 20th league title in the club's illustrious history.

And Arne Slot's Reds did just that on the day, despite going 1-0 down thanks to a Dominic Solanke opener, Liverpool stormed back to a massive 5-1 win, with Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, Luis Díaz, and Alexis Mac Allister all getting in on the act as Anfield erupted at full-time.

Player of the day 🔥

Shouts for Salah, Mac Allister, and Gakpo could all be justified, but Hungarian maestro Dominik Szoboszlai gets the nod here.

A pair of assists for the former RB Leipzig standout showed just how good he truly is when he's flying. He also becomes the first Hungarian to ever lift the Premier League trophy.

Stat of the Day 📊

Mohamed Salah is unquestionably one of the greatest players of the Premier League era, as well as the best-ever Egypt has ever produced.

With his goal against Tottenham, Salah set a new league record, surpassing Sergio Agüero as the highest-scoring foreigner in Premier League history.

Take another bow, Mo.

What this means 🤔

Liverpool can now coast for the rest of the season and soak it all in, but they head to Chelsea on Sunday to potentially receive a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Man Utd are now up to 14th in the table, while Bournemouth's 50-point total has them in tenth while setting a new club record along the way.

What they said 🗣️

Ruben Amorim remained stubborn yet determined in his post-match comments after Man Utd clawed their way back to a draw at Bournemouth, stating “The first thing is to focus on ourselves, not on the other teams."

“And I remember when I started (watching) the Premier League, it was the opposite, so everything can change."

“We need to focus on step by step, not trying to think too far ahead."

“We have an ultimate goal, which is winning the Premier League. I’m not crazy, I know that is not going to be next year."

Bournemouth headmaster Andoni Iraola was critical of the VAr process in the aftermath at Vitality Stadium despite setting a new single-season points record for the Cherries.

“It’s common sense. He slips, everyone says that he slips," he said.

“He doesn’t catch him with a leg that goes high, the leg goes down on the floor."

“The VAR, supposedly, has to be something super clear and super obvious. The VAR is the one who decides and I want to see the process.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot spoke directly to the fans while paying homage to former club boss Jürgen Klopp on the Anfield pitch amid celebrations after the Reds confirmed their Premier League crown.

"Everybody felt there's no way we were going to lose this game," he said.

"Of course, it was made difficult after we went one-nil down, but we always find a way."

"It's the second in 35 years, but it's also the second in five years."

What's next? 👀

The Premier League returns later this week and at the weekend with a handful of clashes to come, including Arsenal hosting Bournemouth, Newcastle's trip to Brighton, and Villa playing host to Fulham in a six-point affair at Villa Park.

📸 PAUL ELLIS - AFP or licensors