End of season review: Robin Van Persie goals provide fitting farewell gift to Sir Alex Ferguson Man City 2 Man Utd 3. The moment when the title started to slip away from the champions, and towards their arch-rivals. Worst match of the season Reading 0 QPR 0. An absolute shocker of a match that showed why both sides went down. Best goal Robin van Persie. His second against Villa at Old Trafford, helped by Wayne Rooney's magnificent pass for the assist. Most successful wheeler dealer Michael Laudrup Where to start? £2 million for Michu and got twice as much, and more, when selling Danny Graham to Sunderland. Best buy Michu Goals, goals, goals. Worst buy Jose Bosingwa Hardly made many friends at Loftus Road with his attitude. Favourite memory Frank Lampard Breaking Bobby Tambling's Chelsea scoring record. Astonishing from midfield. A longer title race with more teams involved. Next season I want to see more of... And less of... Being content with finishing fourth. A dangerous culture which is akin to everyone getting medals at the school sports day. The season in five words Average, but some spectacular moments. Paul Hayward Man of the season Sir Alex Ferguson. Carried entertainment's torch in English football for 26 years. Match of the season West Brom 5 Man Utd 5 was the perfect end to Ferguson's era. Pure excitement. Impossible to say, but likely to have featured Stoke City. Robin van Persie against Aston Villa. His over-the-shoulder volley was a masterpiece of shaping and execution. Not Queens Park Rangers. West Bromwich and Swansea traded well to finish eighth and ninth. Christian Benteke is a good alternative to Michu and Robin van Persie. The Belgian striker kept Aston Villa up. Adam Johnson should have been a good buy for Sunderland but went missing in action. Watching Gareth Bale at full gallop. Discussion about the game itself and the players. Discussion about personalities and rolling 'news. Must do better next season. Alan Hansen To end his career with yet another league title is phenomenal. He intended to go out on a high and has achieved that. West Brom 5 Man Utd 5. United have only ever lost a three-goal lead once in the Premier League. To do so in Ferguson's final game was amazing. Southampton 3 Man City 1. Not for Southampton, but the repercussion on the title race and Roberto Mancini's future became evident as United eased to the title. Robin van Persie against Aston Villa, for sheer co-ordination and technique. Van Persie has done it before and it was a fitting way to seal the title win. Steve Clarke. Had a tough assignment replacing Roy Hodgson, but added a couple of names - including Romelu Lukaku - and secured a credible eighth place. In simple terms, signing Robin van Persie was the difference between the two Manchester clubs. The Dutchman proved to be a superb acquisition. Javi Garcia, who cost a fortune and I can't think of any telling contributions he made. He is symbolic of the terrible transfer business City conducted last summer. The goodwill and sense of nostalgia in the closing weeks of the season as a series of club legends bowed out. Football supporters showed their appreciation. A title race. Also English clubs" performances in the Champions League has been average in the last two years. We must close the gap on Spain and Germany. Poor quality football across the league. Within two weeks Norwich went from flirting with relegation to an 11th-placed finish indicating the dearth in quality. Could have been much better. Chris Bascombe Sir Alex Ferguson for obvious reasons. From now on, at least, Old Trafford's press conference room can finally enjoy double occupancy after fixtures. Man City 2 Man Utd 3.The season's dramatic finale happened six months early. They might as well have held the trophy ceremony after Van Persie's late winner. Stoke 0 Sunderland 0. It is a case of looking through Stoke's calendar and choosing accordingly. They have turned being dour and grinding into an art. Luis Suárez for Liverpool against Newcastle. An exquisite 50-yard pass was finished using superb technique by this season's most-lethal striker. Took over from Roy Hodgson and kept West Bromwich in the race for the top six for much of the season. Romelu Lukaku was an inspired loan signing. In terms of his impact on the title race it is clearly Robin van Persie. In terms of value for money it is Michu. In the spirit of variation, Swansea's Michu gets the nod. Swansea City paid £2 million for Michu and sold Danny Graham to Sunderland for £5 million. That's borderline corporate negligence. A howler for the Black Cats. The farewells of David Moyes at Goodison and Jamie Carragher at Anfield. Seemed more emotional for those watching than the men themselves. Luis Suárez. The moralistic, sanctimonious drivel spouted about the Uruguayan irks. He is a footballer, not a candidate to be the next Pope. The peculiar on-field eating habits of Luis Suárez. The sooner he stops providing his dissenters with just cause to chastise him, the better for Liverpool and himself. Was sentimental more than riveting. Jeremy Wilson He was determined to go out a winner and succeeded thanks to summer signing of Robin van Persie and team's relentless midseason form. Southampton 2 Man Utd 3. Southampton played United off the park for 85 minutes but Robin van Persie scored twice in final three minutes to steal a dramatic victory. Two clubs who needed a win to survive but finished with a drab stalemate that sealed their fates in an appropriate, uninspired fashion. Robin van Persie against Aston Villa, which had everything. A wonderful assist from Wayne Rooney, a breathtaking finish and also clinched the title. Steve Clarke at West Bromwich. Got excellent value with Romelu Lukaku's loan as well as signings of Ben Foster, Claudio Yakob and Markus Rosenberg. Michu, who has faded slightly but 18 Premier League goals for only £2 million still just beats Christian Benteke as the best signing of last summer. Where to start with QPR? Ji-Sung Park probably shades it over Christopher Samba, Jose Bosingwa, Samba Diakité and midfielder Esteban Granero. Seeing Roberto Martínez and Dave Whelan rewarded for their work at Wigan Athletic with the FA Cup success over Manchester City even if relegated. Tottenham's Gareth Bale performing to a level that gives the Premier League a player comparable to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in Spain's La Liga. Managers blaming everyone else. Roberto Mancini at City and Harry Redknapp at QPR were the standout performers in this regard this season. Farewell Fergie, welcome back Jose. Luke Edwards Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest club manager of all time, waved goodbye to the Premier League. Man City 2 Man United 3. The deposed champions landed a huge psychological blow by winning at the home of the noisy neighbours. Sunderland 1 Norwich 1. Norwich played with 10 men for more than two thirds of the game and were still far too comfortable against Sunderland.Best goal Aston Villa's Matthew Lowton against Stoke. Took the ball down on his chest and smashed it into the top corner from 30 yards in a relegation six-pointer. Alan Pardew. They may not have settled properly yet, but Newcastle picked up three senior France internationals cheaply in the rip-off January window. Michu. Few had heard of a player who has scored 22 goals in his first season following a £2 million move from Rayo Vallecano to Swansea City. Adam Johnson, a £10 million signing for Sunderland. Should have been a star back in the North East but has never been more than mediocre. The official statement by Sunderland that said it was "insulting" to accuse Paolo Di Canio of having "fascist sympathies" even though he had called himself a fascist. Teams playing with two strikers, rather than dressing up 4-2-3-1 as an attacking formation when it's just a rebooted version of a 4-5-1 line-up. Manchester United were utterly dominant. Jim White Sir Alex Ferguson, who had enjoyed 26 years at the top: about 25 years longer than most managers are given these days. A rip-roaring derby, won, appropriately enough, in Fergie time. QPR 0 Stoke 2. Contained moments of play that redefined the term hapless. And some of those players involved were on £90,000 a week. Robin van Persie, whose volley for Manchester United against Aston Villa was stupendous. Michael Laudrup, the Swansea City manager. Michu, signed by Michael Laudrup for about the cost of the annual car valeting bill at the Etihad. Ji-Sung Park, meant to bring winning know-how to Queens Park Rangers but appeared to have forgotten how to play. Paul Walsh, driven to shrieking incoherence reporting on the final minute of Brentford-Doncaster on Sky Soccer Saturday. Wilfried Zaha, the latest winger to sign for Manchester United. Will the 20-year-old, born in the Ivory Coast, prove a hit like the others at Old Trafford? Diving. Fond farewell to the finest. Mark Ogden Facing arguably the biggest challenge of his career, Ferguson re-energised his squad and ensured he retired as a winner. Man United 2 Spurs 3. Gareth Bale was devastating at Old Trafford, while United appeared to be sliding. Their second-half fightback set the tone for title success though. Man City 2 Chelsea 0. Although both teams still harboured hopes of overhauling Manchester United, the pair played out a dismal game. The Manchester United forward's goals ultimately secured the title and his volley against Villa was the best of the lot. Has not been a classic year, but Ferguson's £40 million investment in Shinji Kagawa, Robin van Persie and Alex Büttner proved crucial. Christian Benteke. Just edges out Michu and Robin van Persie. The Belgian was a risk at £8 million, but 19 league goals in his first season saved Aston Villa. Maicon. Manchester City's only consolation is that they did not pay a fee for the Brazilian, who arrived out of shape. Summed up Roberto Mancini's poor summer. Sitting in the Manchester City press room while writing about Sir Alex Ferguson's plans to retire as Manchester United manager. Of all the places in all the world. Rafael Benítez. Chelsea fans will disagree, but Benítez has proved his managerial credentials again. He is a smart tactician, bold and outspoken. Meaningless games over the final month of the season. We were spoiled by the finale to the 2011-12 campaign, but too much was settled too soon this time. Manchester: the empire strikes back. John Percy After he finally waved goodbye to the land of cash and controversy, there could be only one winner. West Bromwich 5 Man Utd 5. This game was more than a fitting tribute to a departing Ferguson and a truly bonkers afternoon. Stoke City 0 West Ham 1. As grim as you can probably expect, this turgid spectacle was a crime against football. Cameron Jerome for Stoke against Southampton. The Gareth Bale show meant this Exocet went under the radar. Paul Lambert at Aston Villa (left). Yes, he spent around £23 million but bargains Matthew Lowton and Ashley Westwood have shone. Many watched him and many hesitated but Swansea City took the plunge and were spectacularly rewarded. Scott Sinclair to Manchester City. Why, why, oh why? From being one of the main men at Swansea to a player who failed to make even the 18-man squads. United's comeback from 2-0 down at Villa epitomised the grit, determination and sheer bloody-mindedness Sir Alex Ferguson demanded from his players. Emerging young English talent such as Luke Shaw, Jack Butland and Ashley Westwood enhancing their reputations for club and country. Referees attempting to steal centre stage. Too many prima donnas with whistles forgetting the game is about the players Premier League standards drop again. Jonathan Liew Branislav Ivanovic, who has become a far, far better player than anybody thought. Extra points for getting Luis Suárez into trouble. Everton 2 Newcastle 2 Spicy tackles, a late 'winner," an even later equaliser, and a goal that wasn't a goal. Madness. Reading 0 QPR 0 Despite both sides needing a win to stay up, this was sheer ineptitude. Gareth Bale's last-minute winner against West Ham. Given the angle, the distance and the situation, it almost defies belief. Paolo Di Canio. From League Two to the Premier League in 12 months, despite his fascist past. Get me his agent Dimitar Berbatov. An outrageous bargain at £5 million. At times, he almost seemed to be powering Fulham single-handedly. Fabio Borini, who proved so ineffective that Liverpool replaced him with Daniel Sturridge at the first available opportunity. Harry Redknapp's increasingly far-fetched claims that he would keep Queens Park Rangers up. Players kicking time-wasting ballboys. Players not celebrating goals against their former clubs. Not a patch on 2011/12. Alan Smith It's got to be Sir Alex Ferguson, a man for all seasons never mind just one. Southampton 2 Man Utd 3 Trailing twice, United fought back via Robin van Persie's hat-trick. Neither team could find any inspiration. Fitting that both their fates were sealed on this depressing day. Luis Suárez against Newcastle. The way he killed it on his chest was absolute genius. Sam Allardyce. The West Ham United manager secured the excellent Mohamed Diamé on a free and got Andy Carroll on loan. Swansea's Michu. £2 million for a 22-goal striker? The Spaniard is worth 10 times that now. Jose Bosingwa. Queens Park Rangers had a stinker with the ex-Chelsea right back. He lacked everything necessary for fighting relegation. The red flags flying at Old Trafford to wave Sir Alex Ferguson off. An incredible day to mark an incredible manager. More respect for referees. I'm fed up seeing players get away with mouthing abuse. Playacting. It's embarrassing for the individual and a blight on our game. Heartache, delight, bitterness and bites.