That is all from me here today but follow along our live coverage for the final day of the Premier League season.
And here is the table before kick-off. Title winners decided. Race for Europe and to avoid the drop? All to play for.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 37 | 43 | 82 |
| 2 | Man City | 37 | 43 | 78 |
| 3 | Man Utd | 37 | 16 | 68 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 37 | 6 | 62 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 37 | 10 | 59 |
| 6 | AFC Bournemouth | 37 | 4 | 56 |
| 7 | Brighton | 37 | 9 | 53 |
| 8 | Chelsea | 37 | 7 | 52 |
| 9 | Brentford | 37 | 3 | 52 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 37 | -7 | 51 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 37 | 0 | 49 |
| 12 | Everton | 37 | -2 | 49 |
| 13 | Fulham | 37 | -6 | 49 |
| 14 | Leeds | 37 | -4 | 47 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 37 | -9 | 45 |
| 16 | Nottm Forest | 37 | -3 | 43 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | -10 | 38 |
| 18 | West Ham | 37 | -22 | 36 |
| 19 | Burnley | 37 | -37 | 21 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 37 | -41 | 19 |
This matchday live will be wrapping up soon. Here is the final ten things to look forward to of this 2025-26 Premier League season.
Kev McCready writes in:
As a Liverpool fan, my patience, sanity and hairline have been sorely tested. End of an era, with two (possibly three) players leaving. We need a holding midfielder, a right-sided winger and a definite 9.
I notice Slot is bringing in Etienne Reijnen as a coach. He looks like a malevolent Steve McMananan. I hope this improves things.
Here is our reporting on Liverpool’s search for Slot’s right-hand man from this week’s The Talk:
Liverpool are closing in on the appointment of Etiënne Reijnen to their coaching staff, a move that would underline the club’s continued support for Arne Slot.
Slot’s position remains under intense scrutiny with Liverpool yet to seal Champions League qualification, the Anfield crowd turning on the style of play in the last home game and several members of the first-team squad liking Mohamed Salah’s critical social media post last Saturday. The club, however, are backing Slot’s request to strengthen his backroom team this summer and are working on a deal for the Feyenoord assistant manager Reijnen.
Reijnen played with Slot at PEC Zwolle and became the Liverpool head coach’s assistant at Feyenoord in 2023. Slot wanted to bring the 39-year-old with him when he was first appointed at Anfield but work permit issues scuppered the move.
A deal to reunite Slot with his former assistant has not been completed but is progressing. Feyenoord’s technical director, Dennis te Kloese, seemingly confirmed Reijnen’s exit this week when saying: “Reijnen is simply a very talented young coach. He doesn’t just go abroad to work for no reason.”
Slot refused to confirm the move on Friday. “As long as things are not done, then I will not be commenting on who we are signing or who we don’t,” he said. But he added: “It is fair to say that I have worked with him before and I have a very high regard for him in terms of the coach he is. It is also clear that I tried to sign him two years ago when I first came here but we couldn’t do it.”
The Liverpool head coach would also not be drawn on Salah’s latest attempt to undermine him or whether the Egypt international will be involved in Sunday’s finale against Brentford, when both the forward and Andy Robertson will say farewell to Anfield. But he agreed with Salah on the importance of Champions League qualification and insisted Liverpool’s focus must be on securing a top-five finish before turning to the send-offs.
“If you were to ask these two players – and I think it was also one of the things Mo said in his post – that he also understands how important qualification for the Champions League is for us.
“If we want to have an even more solid base than the one we have built this season, going into next season, then Champions League football is vital for that. It will give it an even more solid base than without Champions League football.”
Some early drama in the League One playoff final. It’s 1-1 but a VAR check is under way … Follow along with Emillia Hawkins here.
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Thanks Cameron and hello all. Some more of your emails have come in on the best/worst matches you’ve missed.
Kieran McHugh:
I missed the Villa 1-2 Spurs game this season. I was using a system known as Schroedingers Tottenham by simply ignoring all media until the morning after the game. A good rule of thumb for much of Spurs’ season. Obviously delighted to wake up and find out we had won. No such option available today as I’m on my way to the Lane now. COYS!
Kieran, is there any way you may have just relegated your club before they have even kicked off?
Andrew Thomas:
I had a ticket to see one of the all time greatest comebacks – Fulham beating Juventus 4-1 in the Europa league in 2010. We’d lost 3-1 in the first leg. I’d had a bad day at work and the idea of going out for further humiliation just didn’t appeal. So I went for a drink with friends instead and then totally forgot about it. Walking past a pub on the way to the tube home I heard a cheer and looked in. I’d just missed Clint Dempsey’s goal and stayed for the last five minutes of nailing biting to catch Juventus’ consolation goal.
That’s it from me. But I leave you in the very safe hands of Yara El-Shaboury who will take you through to 2pm.
Also make sure to check out our MBM blog of the League One play-off final between Bolton and Stockport County. That has kicked off right about …. now.
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The best/worst missed matches of your life.
“Cup Final Day 1992. Liverpool v Sunderland. My mate Mike and I were commanded by our bosses to do a conference presentation for Czech teachers of English, of course at exactly the same time as the game. The topic we chose was popular songs, which was not only guaranteed to go down well - we’d done it before elsewhere - but also allowed whichever of us was not actually leading any given segment of our workshop to listen to the match; the attendees, meanwhile, thought we were cueing up the next song. Well, at least till Michael Thomas put the Reds ahead...”
Very creative from Simon Gill. We’ve had some cracking tales of major matches missed this morning. Keep them coming either in the comments or via email.
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Hanoi, beer, lakes and beauty (and Arsenal).
“I’m sitting at one of my favourite bars in Hanoi, watching the sun set over West Lake and thinking about the beautiful prospect of watching an Arsenal game with absolutely nothing on the line. Life is good.”
Oliver Newman has got it all sorted over in Vietnam. I can’t imagine how much fun it would be to be an Arsenal player this afternoon. Waltzing around Selhurst Park with a smile on your face and a Premier League winners medal in your pocket.
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But if Pep Guardiola content is more your vibe.
Feast on the array of articles from Barney Ronay, Will Unwin and Jonathan Wilson who all wrote on Pep’s legacy and tenure at Manchester City across the week.
Bernardo Silva is, of course, also on his way out after almost a decade at Manchester City.
Simon Hattenstone wrote on the joys of watching a, “time-travelling, shapeshifting superhero.”
An afternoon of goodbyes.
It’ll be an historic day across the Premier League with two legends in Pep Guardiola and Mohammad Salah managing and playing in their final matches in the Premier League (for now).
On the Egyptian King, our writers put together their favourite six moments from his time at Anfield.
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The worst place to be for the cup final.
We’ve had a belter in from Phil Lewis.
“I’ve been an Ipswich fan since the days of Alf Ramsey. I promised myself that I wouldn’t go to Wembley until Ipswich did and in 1978 they finally made it. I unfortunately was on stage in Nairobi on that fateful day, playing Freddie in Pygmalion, and missed their 1-0 drubbing of Arsenal. Funnily enough our Higgins (the main character) was also an Ipswich fan. Our director had a short wave radio but refused to update us on the score during the show. After curtain down we were able to celebrate wildly which must have confused one or two of the locals.”
Email any and all of your tales here.
Actually, what am I talking about?
I want Eze in my team of the year. Pick him anywhere. As a QPR fan there are rare moments we can hold on to some form of Premier League glory so Eberechi makes the cut for me. Final answer.
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Who makes your team of the season?
With just one match to go, who makes your team of the season? There’s some bankers, of course. David Raya and Bruno Fernandes to begin with. But who are you giving the nod to?
For me, I’m going with: David Raya, O’Reilly, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber, Fernandes, Rice, Szoboszlai, Thiago, Haaland, Semenyo.
And as always with online team of the year selections. I’m sure everyone will accept that my choices are accurate and the only reasonable answer possible.
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All the latest: If you’re interested in a wrap of the most recent news stories from the Premier League, look no further than here.
A show of confidence in Arne Slot, Mikel Merino potentially back in action and Marco Silva’s future set to be decided. It’s all here.
Party on the streets of London.
Been getting a few emails through about how Arsenal fans spent their Tuesday night. Check out this gallery of some of the best snaps from the red-side of North London’s night of celebrations.
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There’s still plenty of time before kick-off.
Find all ten previews ahead of the league-wide 4pm start here.
And while we’re at it, can anyone help out Sunderland fan Steve?
“I haven’t degree in applied maths. Any chance you could explain what has to happen for Sunderland to get into Europe. Probably best if it doesn’t happen, but it would be the second time in my life. I have sworn for decades I would go to the first away leg which of course will be either Azerbaijan or Connahs Quay.”
I also do not have a degree in applied maths. But I think given Sunderland play Chelsea, all they need to do is win their fixture, and hope Brentford draw or lose to Liverpool, which would mean the Mackems would hop to eighth from tenth and find themselves in Europe! Please, however – someone, anyone, correct me if I’m wrong.
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Simone’s holiday lives on:
“Thank goodness Arsenal won the league on Tuesday as my husband, unconsciously trying to avoid deep disappointment, booked flights at the PRECISE time we will be playing today. He is a Gooner since birth. CHAMPIONES!”
This is an excellent point Simone. There I was thinking about all the great places Arsenal fans might have been celebrating, but I hadn’t stopped to consider some of the worst. There must be some catastrophic absences, missed title wins and dreary celebrations that fans have had over the years. Keep the emails coming.
Arsenal fans, how did you celebrate on Tuesday?
And did you have as good a night as Gunners fan Daniel Bull, who sipped champagne with Ian Wright and ended up in the same Mayfair nightclub as the entire squad.
Adam Griffiths has an important point to make:
“While Spurs getting relegated would be the funniest of the outcomes, I would prefer them to stay up because I would still get to say “it’s ze De Zerbi derbi” when they play Brighton. Cheers.”
Hard to argue, really. Keep your emails on all things football coming in.
Keep your World Cup feelings coming in:
This just in from Kári Tulinius.
“On the one hand, this is a bloated World Cup where the first gazillion games will only lead to a handful of eliminations, but on the other my son is ten and is already excited. I’ll be swept up in the whole thing, I know, despite my reservations.”
We’ve also had a few emails expressing reservations about the competition citing hiked up ticket prices, Trump’s relationship with Infantino and the potential presence of ICE agents at matches. “Can’t help feeling hopelessly compromised,” emails in Michael Knuppell. Before adding: “Go Socceroos.”
A message from Joshua Keeling:
“Don’t support either team, but want Spurs to go down. Come on West Ham/Everton.”
I also, as a supporter of neither team, want Spurs to go down. For no good reason other than I’d find it funny.
David, please can we have that favour again?
David Moyes saved West Ham from relegation twice, and delivered a first major trophy in 43 years, but was nevertheless let go for a second time in May 2024.
Now, the Hammers need David Moyes’ Everton side to do the business against Tottenham for them to have any chance of staying up.
Read Sam Cunningham’s preview of West Ham’s final day here.
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Spurs first, as Robert De Zerbi reaffirmed his commitment to Tottenham even if the club go down.
“It’s still an honour to be a coach for Tottenham, even if on Sunday we play for the relegation fight, it’s not a problem,” he said in his pre-match presser.
Injured captain Cristian Romero had attracted criticism for choosing to attend a fixture in Argentina rather than being present for Spurs’ final fixture, although reports on social media from Alasdair Gold, Tottenham’s correspondent for football.london, are now suggesting the Argentinian is back in the capital for the match.
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Right. Let’s focus on the bottom end of the Premier League table and who, out of Tottenham and West Ham, will survive.
Spurs have not been relegated since 1977 but are favourites to stay up with a draw against Everton all they should need to stay in the Premier League.
West Ham, however, need to beat Leeds, and cross their fingers that David Moyes’ Everton side does them a favour. The same David Moyes of course, who West Ham fired in 2024.
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Comment from hubbahubba:
“I want to say I’m excited for World Cup to start, but this time...I’m just not feeling it.”
I’ve been hearing this a lot recently and intrigued to other people’s thoughts. Personally, I know as soon as the World Cup starts I’ll be swept up in it. Qatar v Switzerland, Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina, Australia v Turkey. Give me the lot.
Do get in touch via email or in the comments section below about how you’re feeling about the World Cup.
Make sure to read Jonathan Liew on Arsenal’s title celebrations.
As a recently new resident of Finsbury Park myself. Can attest to the presence of several thousand Lime bikes outside the station. Flags in windows remain everywhere. The title parade next Sunday is going to be a remarkable event.
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Over in Germany, Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in the DFB-Pokal Cup as Bayern Munich completed the double.
Kane has played 147 games for Bayern, and scored 146 goals. Remarkable.
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The Premier League may end today. But football never really does as the World Cup looms ever closer.
Read Jonathan Wilson’s column on Brazil and Carlo Ancelotti’s selection of Neymar in their World Cup squad.
Lionel Messi was 35 when he lifted the World Cup. Neymar is now 34. Can Brazil’s talisman have his own fairytale finish?
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It’s been a hell of a season. We asked our fans’ network to review each and every teams season including the highs, the lows, and what they need from the summer ahead.
Brighton for the Champions League?
I’ve enjoyed this a lot from David Howell who has been in touch.
“There is a way Brighton can get into the Champions League, hinging on a sequence of four results.
“As mentioned, wins for City (against Villa) and Liverpool will put Villa fifth and cascade the European Performance Spot down to sixth; wins for Forest (against Bournemouth) and Brighton will mean the Seagulls swoop into that spot.
“That would have seemed unthinkable four months ago, let alone back in the club’s infamous Gillingham groundshare days...”
On the ball – guess the footballer
The Guardian has kicked off a new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first daily football game, On the ball. It is now live in the app for both iOS and Android … so what are you waiting for?
And later today, Bolton take on Stockport County in the League One playoff final.
At the beginning of May, Dominic Booth sat down with Stockport manager Dave Challinor and it includes one of the more remarkable sporting stats I’ve come across. In Challinor’s 16 years as a manager, his team has finished in a playoff spot or higher in 15 of them!
Are you also that good at your job? Let us know in the comments.
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It’s not just the Premier League on today. The final weekend of May is always fun as the weekend of playoff finals continues. Yesterday, Hull nabbed a dramatic win against Middlesbrough to win a final that had the shadow of spygate hanging over it. Read Jonathan Wilson’s piece from Wembley here.
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A question from Albert Birkicht:
“With Aston Villa winning the Europa League, isn’t there a sixth guaranteed spot for England in the Champions League? Greetings from Switzerland.”
Albert, I’m glad you asked. So in a quirk of various rules, England could have six teams in next years Champions League, but only if Aston Villa finish fifth.
This is because, as Europa League winners, Villa won’t need the European Performance Spot that is awarded to the fifth-placed team, so it would drop down to sixth. Unai Emery’s side are currently fourth, so would need to lose today and for Liverpool to win for this to happen.
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What to look out for on the final day
Our writers have done the rounds on the ten things to keep an eye on during the final day of the season. Many things to keep an eye out for (ten, to be precise) but I’m with Will Unwin that the real jeopardy is to be found at Turf Moor where Burnley and Wolves will duke it out to see who finishes rock bottom of the table.
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Today’s Premier League fixtures
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Brighton v Manchester United
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Burnley v Wolves
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Crystal Palace v Arsenal
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Fulham v Newcastle
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Liverpool v Brentford
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Manchester City v Aston Villa
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Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth
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Tottenham v Everton
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Sunderland v Chelsea
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West Ham v Leeds
Preamble
Hello, good morning and good day. We’re back with another Matchday live for the final day of the Premier League season!
After Arsenal wrapped up the title on Tuesday after Manchester City drew with Bournemouth, eyes turn to the bottom of the table where we’ll finally discover who survives out of West Ham and Tottenham. There’s also the small matter of who pinches the final Champions League spot between Liverpool and Bournemouth. All 10 matches start at 4pm BST so set your watches.
We’ll also be covering the major stories of yesterday, including Hull’s dramatic injury-time winner to seal promotion to the Premier League, as well as Celtic securing the domestic double, and Charlton beating Leicester on penalties to gain promotion to the WSL.
And finally, if you weren’t happy with England’s World Cup squad, I’ve got good news. Pep Guardiola hasn’t ruled out one day managing the national side. Stick with us for the latest updates and news from around the football world and send me an email with your thoughts.
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