Manchester City v West Ham: Premier League final day – live

4 min “If two teams finish on the same points,” says Phil Grey, “don’t you think the number of PGMOL apologies should come before goal difference?”

Phil Foden was moved into central midfield today, but I doubt even Pep Guardiola expected such an instant dividend. Bernardo Silva set the goal up with a square pass 20 yards from goal. Foden took it beautifully across his body, losing Ward-Prowse in the process, and arrowed a rising drive into the far corner. Areola had no chance.

It’s Foden 26th goal of the season.

GOAL! Man City 1-0 West Ham (Foden 2)

2 min City have started with Doku on the left, Foden in central midfield and Bernardo Silva on the right. West Ham’s formation is 5-3-1-1 with Kudus behind Antonio and Paqueta in central midfield.

1 min The players take a knee, and then Kevin De Bruyne gets things going. City are kicking form left to right as watch.

“Can you feel it, Rob?” says Charles Antaki. “More pertinently, can Moyes and his team feel it – the wave of love coming at them from the other side of London? Of course, like much love, it is destined to be utterly unrequited. But even if it wasn’t, if you’re going to beat Man City, then love probably isn’t going to have much to do with it.”

The players are late coming onto the field, so the kick-off could be delayed. Bit weird. The City fans are in fine voice, belting out their variation on Hey Jude.

The last three times City needed to win on the final day, they had to come from behind to do so:

The moral of this story will be exclusively revealed at about 5.52pm.

Arsenal v Everton, which will decide who wins the title should City fail to beat West Ham, is being followed by Daniel Harris. And John Ashdown has drawn the Clockwatch straw.

“As a Liverpool fan, all I want is for Arsenal to score early and for the Hammers to be resolute in defense for at least the first half,” writes Joe Pearson. “Then City can crush all our neutrals’ dreams with a devastating second half rout. For myself, I’m watching Klopp’s Last Rodeo, but I’ll be checking in with you to know when it’s all over.”

It’s odd that, in Europe’s other big leagues, the leaders are often overtaken on the final day. Never seems to happen in England though. Even 1988-89 was slightly different because the top two were playing each other (although Arsenal still needed a miracle). In the 1990s and early 2000s, in particular, it happened all the time in Italy, Germany and Spain. Maybe today’s the day for good old English jeopardy to strike back.

“Scott Murray remains adamant West Ham are going to nick a draw today, leading me to wonder if I shouldn’t reach out to his wife re: cognitive testing,” writes Grant Tennille. “We shall see…

“Not the album anyone would willingly choose, but perhaps you’ve discovered that Locust Abortion Technician isn’t a half-bad soundtrack for United’s season this year? Deeply unsettling, all over the shop, with some moments of absurd brilliance.”

You’re making these up now, aren’t you? (But seriously, thanks for the tip, I’ll give it a go once I find a way to stop playing this on loop.)

The Premier League as it stands

As does David Moyes

My emotions are fine. I’ve enjoyed my time at West Ham, I had a great send-off with a good result last week and we’re hoping we can that again today.

Declan Rice and Mikel Arteta were both great captains for me, but it’s got nothing to do with today. We’ve got to try to perform against a team who are really difficult to beat. We have to do our own job.

The bald genius speaks to Sky Sports

Normally, in all leagues, the last game [to win the title] is difficult. It is all about how you think. If your thoughts are positive, you will stay in the game in the bad moments. If your thoughts are negative, or you start thinking about what you are playing for, anything can happen.

This is the key point. The players have to try to be inside the game. What are my duties, individually and collectively? All the details, the transitions with Antonio. What do I have to do.

[On his team selection] It was a really gough decision because Kova has helped us play with rhythm. But I thought West Ham would [defend deep] and he has quality, especially one against one. That was the reason why.

It’s a privilege to be here. We all know how difficult it is to win the Premier League, especially with opponents like Liverpool and Arsenal. The reason we are here is [jabs his forehead] the mentality: not just the players but throughout the club.

Team news: Doku in for Kovacic, Bowen absent

Alternative preamble (jeopardy is alive! Ish)

“Good afternoon, Rob,” says Justin Kavanagh. “There are several shades of the final day of the 1995 season blowing in the wind today: All that stands between Mancunian champions reclaiming their title is a West Ham team with little to play for but their pride; meanwhile, a Liverpudlian team threatens to spoil the party for the challengers. But it’s hard to see the Hammers getting the required draw or Erling Haaland playing the Andy Cole role of roving around the park with a five-stringed instrument in search of a bovine derriere to swing at and miss. And miss again. Also, there’s maybe more than a millennium’s worth of daylight between the Liverpool of Barnes, McManaman and Fowler and Sean Dyche’s Everton. But that’s the joy of football, I suppose. For the neutral (at least until City score the first goal today), it’s the hope that thrills you.”

Poor Andy Cole: legend has it that he missed 49 open goals that day rather than hit the post and draw two very good saves from Ludek Miklosko.

This is also the last game of David Moyes’ second spell as West Ham manager. In four full seasons he won the Europa Conference League, reached the Europa League semi-final and finished 6th, 7th, 14th and 9th in the table. He is one of the greatest managers in West Ham’s history, even if he hasn’t always been treated as such.

Preamble