The 22 best moments of the Premier League season

Now the 2016-17 Premier League season is over, theScore goes back to the beginning to relive the best moments of a memorable campaign.

Leicester brought back down to earth

Hull City, rudderless following the pre-season departure of manager Steve Bruce and depleted by injuries, hosted Leicester City for the season's opening kick-off. The first goal was a strange one, with Adama Diomande and Abel Hernandez both appearing to simultaneously and acrobatically strike the ball, but it was Robert Snodgrass who drilled home in the 57th minute to secure a shock 2-1 victory for the Tigers.

Lineker takes his kit off

(Photo courtesy: BBC Sport)

Halfway through Leicester's procession to the 2015-16 title, former player and lifelong fan Gary Lineker pledged to host the first Match of the Day of the following season in his underwear if it finished top. He was true to his word, sporting some baggy boxers emblazoned with the Foxes' badge. Like the screened highlights of his team's match on the opening day, Gary displayed a modest package.

David Luiz returns

The pouting photo confirmed the return of David Luiz to Chelsea on the summer transfer window's final day. The move was questioned the media - how, in Antonio Conte's strict formula, would such an erratic defender fit in? - but he slotted into the Italian's designs seamlessly. A frontrunner for the season's best buy.

Mourinho given harsh homecoming

Welcome back, Jose. Chelsea shamed its ex-boss Jose Mourinho so much on his return that the Manchester United manager allegedly whispered a request into Conte's ear that he not rub it in so much with overzealous celebrations. The Stamford Bridge lot strolled to a 4-0 win in the October meeting.

Spurs make first statement

Manchester City travelled to White Hart Lane in October on the back of six league victories, but was promptly booted out of north London with a 2-0 loss. Tottenham Hotspur swarmed Pep Guardiola's side when it was in possession, and easily compensated for the injury absences of Mousa Dembele and Harry Kane. It was a tactical masterclass by Mauricio Pochettino.

Swans and Eagles play out nine-goal thriller

It was late November, and bottom-placed Swansea City - winless in 11 matches - welcomed Crystal Palace to the Liberty Stadium. Chaos ensued. Between 82 minutes and 93 minutes, Palace equalised and took a 4-3 lead, before Fernando Llorente scored first to level and then again to give the Swans a 5-4 victory. It was a madcap afternoon.

De Bruyne's fails to pot into open goal

One of the defining moments of Chelsea's march to England's summit is from an afternoon in Manchester. With City leading 1-0, Jesus Navas poked a ball across for Kevin De Bruyne to net a 57th-minute tap-in. It could've taken the game out of the visitor's reach, but the Belgian instead crashed the ball against the bar and a rejuvenated Chelsea went on to win 3-1. Adam Lallana and Andre Ayew may have missed easier chances over the course of the season, but De Bruyne's was the most important.

Cherries leave Liverpool red-faced

After 72 minutes, the hapless Artur Boruc almost carried over his own line to give Liverpool a 4-1 lead. In the last few seconds of injury time, loanee Nathan Ake capitalised on a Loris Karius spill to give Bournemouth an incredible 4-3 comeback win at Dean Court. It was a dramatic turn of events, as the Reds were previously unbeaten in 11 games before the December humbling.

West Ham's post awarded man of the match

West Ham United wasn't particularly impressive over 2016-17, so it shouldn't be of great surprise that fans chose lumber over a lumbersome Hammer for a Man of the Match award in December. The Irons beat Hull City 1-0 despite the visitor cracking the woodwork three times and having one effort cleared off the line.

Lingard's scared of Zlatan

Jesse Lingard set up Zlatan Ibrahimovic's opener for Manchester United at West Bromwich Albion in December and, for a split second, thought he was going to get flattened rather than thanked. The picture went viral.

Battle of the scorpions: Mkhitaryan vs. Giroud

A debate was sparked between two old rivals around the turn of the year when United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Arsenal's Olivier Giroud both dispatched sublime, athletic tallies. The former's Boxing Day hit did lose some gloss due to the Armenian converting from an offside position, while the arguments against Giroud's searching left peg mainly pointed to fortune.

Jumping Geordie

Two weeks after Giroud's beauty, Andy Carroll arguably trumped it. The West Ham hitman did have plenty of time to shape himself against Crystal Palace, but the cleanliness of his sideways-scissor strike was widely appreciated.

Swans fly on Merseyside

Swansea could've been deflated following a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal, but a spirited performance on Merseyside lifted it from bottom to 17th place, and dealt a severe blow to Liverpool's title hopes. The 3-2 win was Swansea's first ever in the league at Anfield, featured fine debuts from Tom Carroll and Martin Olsson, and saw the superb Gylfi Sigurdsson bag the winner,

Jesus justifies hype in a matter of minutes

It was the biggest introduction by a Manchester City player since Sergio Aguero's two goals and an assist in little over half an hour against Swansea in 2011. Gabriel Jesus made an instant impact when brought on in January's 2-2 draw with Tottenham, but was unlucky to see a goal ruled offside and also fell just short with a couple of headers.

Barkley celebrates before pocketing Everton's sixth

(Photo courtesy: Getty)

Romelu Lukaku's four-goal haul in a 6-3 thriller against Bournemouth was a masterclass, as he effortlessly galloped beyond defenders and finished with aplomb, but showman Ross Barkley stole the headlines. Everton's local lad celebrated before tapping in the last finish of the match, something that's common-place in rugby but was strangely branded by cocky by some in the flashy world of football.

Ranieri fired by Leicester

It wasn't a particularly proud moment for the English game when the affable, reigning champion of the Premier League was axed by Leicester. Claudio Ranieri was sacked in February with the Foxes one point above the relegation zone and a day after an away goal was salvaged from a Champions League defeat at Sevilla. Leicester enjoyed an upturn in fortunes thereafter, but Ranieri's dismissal after overseeing the previous term's miracle was cold-blooded cruelty.

Wexit

On March 11, some Arsenal fans introduced the world to an ugly blend of Wenger and Brexit - Wexit - in another toothless protest against the Frenchman's management. Seven days later, the veteran gaffer jimmied the broken zip of his frayed bag of tricks open for something much worse: a 3-1 defeat at West Brom. It was the poorest domestic day of Arsenal's season, as a Craig Dawson-inspired Baggies deservedly toppled the Gunners.

Charlie Adam's calamitous corner

Not many people would fondly recount a 1-0 Stoke City defeat at Burnley. But, thanks to Charlie Adam's spaghetti legs, it did have a memorable moment. The Scot's messed-up corner routine is destined for the vast number of football blooper videos that are released for Christmas.

Benteke haunts Liverpool

The sight of ex-Red Christian Benteke and Mamadou Sakho, on loan at Crystal Palace from Liverpool, having a giggle on the Anfield pitch would've rankled with the locals. Benteke scored twice as the Eagles took a precious three points from Merseyside, begging the question of why the Belgian and the ineligible Sakho weren't at Liverpool, when Divock Origi and Dejan Lovren were.

Batshuayi clinches the title

Chelsea's title triumph was a team effort, so it was fitting that one of its peripheral players took the limelight when the crown was clinched. Michy Batshuayi was dubbed a £33-million flop until he lifted the ball over Ben Foster at The Hawthorns. His 82nd-minute finish was enough for a 1-0 win, and exuberant celebrations in the West Midlands followed.

Diego Costa's antics

Diego Costa was in the mood to party at West Brom, so proceeded to squeeze John Terry's testicles, pour Lucozade into his eyes, and produce a variety of sexually charged dance moves in The Hawthorns' away-team quarters.

Related - Watch: All the maniacal ways Diego Costa celebrated Chelsea's title win

Harry Kane wins Golden Boot

On the final day of last season, Tottenham limped to an embarrassing 5-1 loss at Newcastle United. This season, Pochettino's ranks were made of sterner stuff. Spurs battered Hull 7-1 on Humberside, and Kane's hat-trick secured the Golden Boot and cemented his reputation as one of the Premier League's all-time most prolific frontmen.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images unless otherwise noted)