The Premier League season has come to an end and it was a day of drama with European sports and relegations still on the line
The final ball of the 2025/26 Premier League season has been kicked in a dramatic final day with relegation and European places still on the line.
Arsenal had already been crowned as Premier League champions – Manchester City’s slip up against Bournemouth on Tuesday night sparked wild scenes across north London as the Gunners won their first title in over two decades.
And as Mikel Arteta’s side geared up to lift the Premier League trophy at Selhurst Park, their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur were fighting for their top flight future as they welcomed Everton, knowing a win would be enough.
Relegation battle
Tottenham and West Ham both went into the final day of the season with the threat of relegation. Spurs, however, held their future in their own hands – with anything other than loss keeping them up thanks to their superior goal difference.
Roberto de Zerbi’s side struck the first blow of the battle as João Palhinha bundled the ball home from a corner. Spurs had been the better of the two sides, and they took a deserving lead.
Taty Castellanos headed West Ham ahead against Leeds – but the Hammers still needed a miracle over in north London. West Ham’s 3-0 was not enough, as Everton failed to beat to Tottenham, consigning them to a season in the Championship.
European race
Heading into Sunday, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Chelsea, Brentford and Sunderland were all in the race for Europe.
Aston Villa won the Europa League on Wednesday evening, securing a Champions League spot, but their win over Manchester City meant Liverpool also qualified for Europe’s top table while finishing in fifth.
Bournemouth and Sunderland, who beat Chelsea on the final day, will play in the Europa League while Brighton have qualified for the Europa Conference League.
Manchester City farewells
There were emotional scenes in Manchester as Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and John Stones waved goodbye. Silva struggled to hold back the tears ahead of kick-off.
And when he was substituted just past the hour mark, Aston Villa and City players gave him a guard of honour that even had Guardiola in tears.
Ten minutes later and it was Stones’ turn to wave one last goodbye. City, in the final game of Guardiola’s tenure, lost 2-1 to Villa, after VAR chalked off a Phil Foden equaliser.
However, the result didn’t matter as City fans stuck around after the full-time whistle to say goodbye to their iconic boss. Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson were also presented the crowd after their exits last summer.
Mohamed Salah‘s last dance
Guardiola’s departure wasn’t the only goodbye to a Premier League icon, and over on Merseyside, Liverpool fans had one last glimpse at Mohamed Salah.
Salah signed off his Liverpool career with an assist as the Reds drew with Brentford to guarantee Champions League football next season.
After the final whistle, Salah was seen in tears in the centre of the pitch and he was then given a guard of honour.