Premier League

Michael Oliver, the referee who took a stand and freed Narnia from the evil grasp of Sauron, returned to Premier League duty on Monday in a 1-1 draw between West Ham United and Stoke City. Okay, fine, Oliver didn’t fight any orcs or free Narnia, but the man did end Gianluigi Buffon’s dreams of winning the Champions league. 

Manchester City are champions again after Manchester United folded like a wet blanket against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. City has been in position for several weeks to bring home the title – earlier than almost any club in Premier League history, with five games remaining. Only Manchester United and Everton have wrapped up the title with as many games left in the season. There's little doubt that the list of Manchester City records set by the end of the season will be an impressive one.

Manchester City’s season took a blow with defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday. Combined with the second-half collapse to rival Manchester United last weekend, things were about as dismal as they could be for a team with a 13-point lead in the Premier League. But a 3-1 win for Manchester City vs Tottenham on Saturday at Wembley Stadium showed Pep Guardiola’s side is still the best in England.

What’s a Luddite’s favorite band? Rage Against The Machine. What’s a Luddite’s favorite football league? The English Premier League. 

The 20 English Premier League clubs decided against adding a VAR next season in a league vote on Friday. Instead, the league issued a statement saying it would continue testing Premier League VAR.