No lookback would be complete without a mention of Champions Manchester City, who were Premier League betting favourites from the get-go…
What can we say that hasn't already been said? And what insight can we offer that analysis hasn't already been pointed out elsewhere?
The Citizens became the first team to win four straight Premier League titles, taking six of the last seven.
Since 2020-21, the side has won almost three-quarters of all their league fixtures (73.7%), averaging 2.4 points per game, and their 125 goals against is only twenty-one more than Sheffield United conceded this season alone!
Some might say boring, but I'd say bloody brilliant… we are witnessing one of the best teams ever to grace the top flight of any era.
But credit must also go to Arsenal, who managed to take the title race down to the wire. The Gunners conceded the fewest goals (29), had the best xGoal Difference (50.5), a metric they overperformed (62), and amassed the second-highest points tally for a team finishing second (89).
Still, ultimately, it was all in vain, as the City juggernaut shows no sign of coming to a halt. However, the numbers bode well for Arsenal, with Pep Guardiola admitting that Mikel Arteta pushed his team to 'another level' in 2023-24.
"We get the message; we know they will be there for many years. Young manager with big talent - they sent us a message that you have to be careful for the next few years!"
In fourth place, Aston Villa may have ended their season with a shellacking at Selhurst Park (5-0), but with a Champions League place already secure, plus a host of injuries, players could be forgiven after losing to the in-form Eagles.
They were my Team of the Season, and in Ollie Watkins, they had a player who excelled once again: Goal Involvements: 37 (1st) and Assists: 18 (1st).
The Villains' run towards the end of 2022-23 gave us a glimpse of what we could see this year, but few would have imagined a side capable of maintaining such consistency throughout an entire campaign.
Villa bounced back from a disastrous opening day defeat at St James' Park (5-1) - a game which also saw the loss of captain Tyrone Mings for the season due to a knee injury - to sit in third-place by Gameweek 15, within touching distance of the leaders.
However, as the rigours of European football began to take its toll, performances became more inconsistent, and they could never match the overperformance of numbers that stood them in good stead up to Christmas.
Their season petered out with only three wins in eleven, but the highlight was a two-nil win at The Emirates in April, the Gunners' only league defeat this year.
Spurs' dropoff, taking only nine points from a possible 24 during the run-in, proved damaging, with the side just holding onto fifth place as Chelsea came from nowhere to snatch a Europa League spot.
Their collapse gives Ange Postecoglou food for thought, as only three sides had a bigger overperformance on expected points (8.58) throughout 2023-24.
A strong finish to the campaign papered over the cracks at Chelsea and probably saved Mauricio Pochettino from the chop. Only Manchester City and Arsenal could better the Blues' form from the beginning of February, a run that saw them lose just twice in sixteen matches.
The arrival of Cole Palmer during the summer provided much promise, and so it proved, although no one could have reasonably expected the 22-year-old to make such an impact.
His 35 Goal Involvements (2nd) earned him the Premier League Young Player of the Season award to sit alongside his Chelsea Player of the Year trophy. Palmer was pivotal throughout the campaign, and his form quite rightly saw Gareth Southgate include him in the Euro 2024 England squad.
Chelsea showed a 19-point upturn from their previous season, but defensively, they must improve: Clean Sheets: 8 (10th), xG Conceded: 58.6 (9th) and Goals Against: 63 (12th).
A repeat of 2022-23 was always going to be a tough ask for Newcastle, especially with the loss of their big summer signing – Sandro Tonali – and a Champions League schedule to contend with.
Playing three games a week hit hard, and over the campaign, the Magpies lost close to 5.5 years to players on the sidelines, the most of any team. Nick Pope was a major setback, while fitness concerns over Callum Wilson often meant a half-fit Alexander Isak was called upon to lead the line.
However, the Swedish international did deliver, hitting 21 goals (3rd) and playing a part in more than a third of the side's goals (36%).
Newcastle were also 5.59 points below where the projected metrics suggested, and with a bit more luck, they could have finished in fourth place, as the predicted table indicates.
Northern counterparts Manchester United also struggled with the injury bug, finishing with the highest burden in the Premier League, close to a half-century. However, while the schedule is one factor to consider, Erik Ten Hag must shoulder some blame for his management of players like Luke Shaw.
The Red Devils could finish with an FA Cup win, but their eighth-place finish is the lowest in the Premier League, and their defensive record is the worst in over thirty years – xG Conceded: 69.6 (16th), Shots Against: 667 (19th), and xClean Sheets: 7.17 (18th).
Elsewhere, Brentford finished the season in sixteenth, and it was a disappointing final few months for Ivan Toney, who looks sure to end his four-year association with the club.
The striker missed more than half of the season due to a suspension, and his return failed to spark a resurgence with only four goals scored. No team lost more points from winning positions than the Bees, who, after going ahead on 22 occasions, could only win ten, suffering six defeats and six draws.
Individually, Wolves shot-stopper Jose Sa deserves credit for another outstanding season. The Portuguese goalkeeper had an xG Prevented of 9.5, meaning his side were almost ten goals better off, and his Post-Shot xG minus Goals Against (0.23) places him in the 95th percentile across Europe's Top 5 leagues.
And Pascal Gross was once again an unsung hero. The German posted the sixth-highest attacking sequence involvements, the fourth highest xA (8.89) and only Bruno Fernandes delivered more key passes (104).
What a season 2023-24 turned out to be, and with the Euros just around the corner, there'll be plenty of online betting opportunities to keep you busy throughout the summer.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
