2024 has come to an end and what a year it was. Lots of controversy, plenty of drama, many great games, great goals and many wonderful moments. Football delivered once again and now it's time to look back at the entire year.
JANUARY
The year opened with a game between two sides who have had a number of great games between them over the years in Liverpool and Newcastle. Liverpool ran out 4-2 winners to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League with Mohamed Salah scoring twice, in his final game before heading off to AFCON.
The following weekend saw the Premier League teams enter the 3rd Round of the FA Cup, with one of the ties being a return of an old rivalry as Sunderland faced Newcastle for the first time in eight years. Newcastle won the bragging rights on Tyneside as they won 3-0 to earn their first win over Sunderland since 2011.
The standout tie of the entire round was Arsenal taking on Liverpool and it was Liverpool who went through, beating a wasteful Arsenal 2-0 to book their place in Round 4.
We lost a true icon of the game early in the year in former Germany defender and manager Franz Beckenbauer, who died at the age of 78. Beckenbauer was part of West Germany's 1974 World Cup winning side before leading them to glory as manager in 1990. He was decribed by many as the greatest defender of all time.
The Premier League returned and the first round of fixtures of the year was split due to a winter break. Kevin De Bruyne made an instant impact on his return to the Man City side as he came off the bench to inspire Man City to a 3-2 win after being 2-1 down.
The following week saw the return of another player as Ivan Toney made his long awaited return to football following an eight month suspension for breaking betting rules. He marked his return with a goal as he opened the scoring in Brentford's 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
In between both set of fixtures, the Carabao Cup final was set as Liverpool beat Fulham and Chelsea breezed past Middlesbrough in the semi finals.
The entire football world was in shock as Jurgen Klopp announced that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season. Klopp's farewell tour got off to the best possible start as they beat Norwich 5-2 in the FA Cup before comfortably beating Chelsea 4-1 in the Premier League.
FEBRUARY
Under pressure Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino had the pressure on him turned up another level as his side were beaten 4-2 by Wolves, courtesy of a Matheus Cunha hat trick.
In the title race, Arsenal put themselves right back in it as they beat leaders Liverpool 3-1 to cut the gap at the top to two points. A day later, Man City gave their chances a boost as Phil Foden's hat trick helps them beat Brentford 3-1.
The Champions League returned for the first round of knockout games with defending champions Man City winning the first leg of their last 16 tie against Copenhagen 3-1. The next day saw Bayern Munich suffer a shock 1-0 defeat to Lazio.
The Premier League resumed a few days later with all three of the title chasers winning. Man City beat Everton 2-0 and Liverpool beat Burnley 3-1 before Arsenal thrashed West Ham 6-0 with Declan Rice scoring on his return to the London Stadium.
The first managerial movement of the year took place at Crystal Palace as Roy Hodgson left potentially his final job in football. He was later replaced by Austrian Oliver Glasner, who arrived hoping to play a more expansive brand of football.
The first silverware of the season was won by Liverpool as Virgil Van Dijk's goal gave them a 1-0 win over Chelsea to win the Carabao Cup, ensuring that Jurgen Klopp won something in his final season in charge of the reds. The reds had to play a host of young players in the final due to injuries to some of their key players.
Their youngsters did it again a few days later as they beat Southampton 3-0 in the FA Cup with two of them scoring in Jason Koumas and Jayden Danns, who got two. Holders Man City meanwhile thrashed Luton 6-2 to book their place in the Quarter Finals with Erling Haaland scoring five.
MARCH
Man City moved to within a point of Liverpool as they beat rivals Man United 3-1 in the Manchester Derby with Phil Foden netting twice to keep up his incredible season. The next day saw Arsenal keep up the pressure as they thrashed strugglers Sheffield United 6-0, their second straight win by that score line away from home.
Arsenal won their first Champions League knockout match in 14 years as they beat Porto on penalties to book their place in the Quarter Finals, where they would play Bayern Munich who turned their tie against Lazio around by winning 3-0.
In the FA Cup, Championship Coventry caused the shock of the round as they came from behind to beat Wolves in stoppage time to reach the semi finals. The next day saw two of the biggest clubs in the country in Man United and Liverpool face off against each other in the game of the round. Man United left it late to come from behind and beat the reds 4-3 in extra time to keep their season alive.
The final international break before the Euros came round and there were still spots at the tournament up for grabs. Georgia made history as they beat Greece on penalties in their play off to qualify for their first major tournament. But if was heartbreak for Wales as they missed out after losing to Poland on penalties.
The Premier League returned at the end of the month and Liverpool moved three points clear as they beat Brighton 2-1. Neither Man City or Arsenal were able to respond to that as they played out a goalless draw later in the day.
APRIL
Cole Palmer netted his first career hat trick as Chelsea kept their European hopes alive by beating Man United 4-3 to ease the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino.
Arsenal's title hopes took one big hit as they were beaten 2-0 by Champions League chasing Aston Villa, who would do the doubler over Unai Emery's former club. Man City ended the weekend top of the league as they hammered Luton 5-1 whilst Liverpool were beaten 1-0 at home by Crystal Palace.
That same weekend saw Bayern Munich's dominance of the Bundesliga finally come to an end as Bayer Leverkusen won their first ever league title, following their 5-0 win over Werder Bremen. Xabi Alonso's side would later go the entire season undefeated.
In the Champions League Quarter Finals, both English sides went out as holders Man City were beaten on penalties by Real Madrid, and Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich. Barcelona would also go out after they were beaten by PSG, who piled more pressure on manager Xavi.
Liverpool's title hopes were pretty much brought to an end as they were beaten 2-0 in the Merseyside Derby by Everton, who in turn gave their hopes of survival a massive boost.
Leicester bounced straight back up to the Premier League with Leeds' defeat to QPR being enough for them to secure promotion. They would later go on to win the Championship title.
MAY
Ipswich ended their 22 year exile from the Premier League as they beat Huddersfield 2-0 to join Leicester in the top flight. Their promotion was their second successive one after winning promotion from League One last year.
Aston Villa made their long awaited return to the Champions League since it replaced the European Cup as Spurs were beaten 2-0 by Man City, who would return to the top of the league ahead of the final day of the season.
On the final day of the season, Man City did what no other team has done in winning four successive Premier League titles after they beat West Ham 3-1 to secure their sixth title in seven seasons. Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool on a high as he won his final game in charge 2-0 against Wolves. At the other end of the table, all three newly promoted sides went straight back down as Luton were demoted a few weeks after Sheffield United and Burnley's fates were sealed.
Bayer Leverkusen finally suffered their first loss of the entire season as they were stunned 3-0 by Atalanta in the Europa League final in Dublin. Ademola Lookman scored all three goals for Atalanta.
Man United gave their fans something to cheer about as they beat rivals Man City 2-1 to win the FA Cup final at Wembley. This win would be enough to keep Erik Ten Hag in charge as he would later sign a new contract.
Southampton bounced straight back up to the Premier League as Adam Armstrong's goal gave them a 1-0 win over Leeds in the Championship Play Off final at Wembley.
JUNE
Before the season ended, there was still one more competition yet to be decided in the Champions League. Real Madrid would win their 15th crown as they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final at Wembley.
Before the Euros kicked off, there were some managerial appointment being made with Enzo Maresca leaving Leicester to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, and Fabian Hurzeler replacing Roberto De Zerbi and Brighton, becoming the youngest manager in Premier League history at the age of 31.
The Euros kicked off in Germany with the hosts kicking off with a comfortable 4-1 win over Scotland. The next day saw Spain kick off with a resounding 3-0 win over Croatia before holders Italy kicked off their defence with a 2-1 win over Albania.
England got their campaign off to a winning start as they won their opening game 1-0 against Serbia with Jude Bellingham. France got their tournament underway the next day with a 1-0 win over Austria where Kylian Mbappe went off with an injured nose. He would play the rest of the tournament wearing a mask.
The groups stages came to a close a week later with Georgia causing the shock of the tournament as they won their final game 2-0 against Portugal, who they join in the last 16.
The knockout stages came round with Switzerland kicking off the first stage with a surprise 2-0 win over holders Italy. England were seconds away from suffering an embarrassing exit in their tie against Slovakia, but up stepped Jude Bellingham whose bicycle kick saved England and took the game to extra time. The Three Lions would go on to win 2-1 with Harry Kane scoring the winning goal.
JULY
Away from the Euros, Arne Slot began work at Liverpool a month or two after being announced as Jurgen Klopp's successor as clubs returned for pre-season training.
Back to the Euros, Spain booked their place in the semi finals as they defeated hosts Germany 2-1 after extra time. England would join them the next day as they beat Switzerland on penalties.
Following Germany's exit, Toni Kroos retired from professional football after a 17 year career. He won everything on offer at club level including six Champions League's. He also won the 2014 World Cup with Germany.
Away from the Euros, Wales appointed former-player Craig Bellamy as their new manager a month after the sacking of Rob Page.
The semi finals came round and it was Spain who booked their place in the final first as they came from behind to beat France 2-1 with 16 year-old Lamine Yamal scoring a scorcher. England joined them in the final as they beat Holland in their semi final 2-1.
England's hearts were broken yet again as they were beaten 2-1 by Spain in the final. Spain were deserved winners and the better side throughout the entire tournament.
Kylian Mbappe finally got his dream move as he joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from PSG after seven seasons with the French giants.
AUGUST
Ahead of the start of the season, clubs were strengthening their squads in the transfer market. Spurs strengthened their attack with the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth for £55 million. Chelsea once again spent big in this window with their latest signing being Pedro Neto from Wolves for £51.3 million.
Man City got their revenge on rivals United as they beat them on penalties in the Community Shield at Wembley, three months after the two rivals faced each other in the FA Cup final.
Man United continued to strengthen their squad in the transfer market as Erik Ten Hag was reunited with two of his former Ajax players in Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
Kylian Mbappe got his Real Madrid career off to a god start as he scored on his debut against Atalanta in the Super Cup. Real won the game 2-0 in Warsaw.
The Premier League season got under way and Liverpool kicked off the Arne Slot era with a 2-0 win at newly promoted Ipswich. Defending champions Man City got their title defence off to a winning start the following day as they beat Chelsea 2-0 in Enzo Maresca's first game in charge of the blues.
Football lost another famous name as former-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson passed away at the age of 76. Sven managed England at three major tournaments leading them to the Quarter Finals in every single one.
SEPTEMBER
Liverpool kept up their strong start under Arne Slot as they comfortably beat Man United 3-0 at Old Trafford to pile the pressure on Erik Ten Hag, whose side were enduring another tricky start.
The first international break of the season got under way as the first round if Nations League games came around. England kicked off life after Gareth Southgate with a 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in interim manager Lee Carsley's first game in charge. Wales meanwhile kicked off the Craig Bellamy era with a goalless draw against Turkey.
The Premier League returned and we immediately had a shock as Nottingham Forest beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield to hand Arne Slot his first defeat as reds boss. The next day saw Arsenal win the bragging rights in North London as Gabriel's goal gave them a 1-0 win at Spurs in the North London Derby with a weakened side. They were without Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard through suspension and injury respectively.
The Champions League returned with a brand new format with the new league phase replacing the group stages. Bayern Munich got off to the best possible start as they hammered Dynamo Zagreb 9-2 with Harry Kane scoring four. Liverpool were the only English side to win their first game as they beat AC Milan 3-1.
The following weekend saw the two favourites for the title in Man City and Arsenal face each other and they played out a 2-2 draw. But City lost the influential Rodri to an ACL injury which would rule him out for the rest of the season.
In the Carabao Cup, Man United booked their place in the 4th Round as they hammered Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all scored twice.
But they couldn't repeat that in the league as they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Spurs, who put more pressure on Erik Ten Hag.
OCTOBER
Aston Villa had their first memorable night back in Europe as they beat Bayern Munich 1-0 with Jhon Duran once again scoring from the bench.
One of the all-time greats in Andres Iniesta retired after a glittering career. He won everything on offer for both club and country including multiple La Liga's and Champions League's with Barcelona, and two Euros and a World Cup with Spain.
England went with an all-out attacking line up with no recognised striker in their Nations League game against Greece, but it backfired as they looked flat and lost the game 2-1.
Their search for a new manager finally ended nearly a week later as they appointed Thomas Tuchel as their new manager. He'll start his new job in the new year.
The Premier League returned following the international break and we saw Arsenal's unbeaten start come to an end as they were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth with William Saliba sent off. The next day saw Liverpool return to the top of the league as they passed their first big test as potential title contenders by beating Chelsea 2-1 at Anfield.
Erik Ten Hag was finally sacked by Man United following the club's worst ever start to a season. Assistant manager and former player Ruud Van Nistelrooy took over on an interim basis.
In the Carabao Cup, an under strength Man City side went out of the competition as they were beaten by Spurs who book their place in the Quarter Finals.
NOVEMBER
Man United appointed Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim as their new manager replacing Erik Ten Hag. He doesn't start work until after the international break.
Man City's unbeaten start to the season comes to an end as they're beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth, who earn their first ever win over City. They lost again a few days later as they were beaten 4-1 by Ruben Amorim's Sporting Lisbon with Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat trick.
In the final international break of the year, England secured promotion to League A of the Nations League with their 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland being the result that secured their promotion.
Man City suffered yet another defeat as they got thumped 4-0 by Spurs who ended their two year unbeaten run at the Etihad Stadium.
In the Champions League, City's losing run came to an end as they drew with Feyenoord. But their defence was again exposed as they threw away a three goal lead to draw 3-3. The next day saw Liverpool finally get their revenge on Real Madrid as they beat the defending champions 2-0 at Anfield.
After impressing in his interim spell at Man United, Ruud Van Nistelrooy was appointed as the new manager of Leicester, replacing Steve Cooper who sacked a few days earlier.
DECEMBER
Liverpool hand Man City a fourth successive Premier League defeat as they beat the champions 2-0 to move 11 points clear at the top. Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah got the goals.
City suffered yet another defeat a week and a half later as they were beaten 2-0 by Juventus in the Champions League, putting a big dent in their hopes of reaching the knockout stages. They suffered another defeat the following weekend as they lost the Manchester Derby 2-1 to United, who came from behind to win the game.
Two managers were sacked on the same day in Gary O'Neil of Wolves and Russell Martin of Southampton, with both clubs at the bottom of the league.
Real Madrid were crowned world champions as they beat Mexican side Pachuca 3-0 to win the Intercontinental Cup in Qatar.
In the Carabao Cup, Spurs booked their place in the semi finals as they beat Man United 4-3 in an entertaining cup tie that saw errors from both keepers.
Liverpool went into Christmas four points clear at the top of the Premier League as they beat Spurs 6-3 in an entertaining game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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