The final day of the Premier League delivered decisive outcomes for European qualification after a season of shifting permutations. Arsenal were crowned champions on Tuesday evening after Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth, and the Gunners also head into next weekend’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain with the possibility of entering next season’s competition as holders.

Aston Villa, Europa League winners, beat Manchester City 2–1 and secured fourth place. That result, combined with earlier developments, left the top five comprised of Arsenal, Man City, Man Utd, Aston Villa and Liverpool as the Premier League’s Champions League representatives for next season.

Liverpool’s route to Europe hinged on midweek events. Erling Haaland’s equaliser at the Vitality Stadium meant Liverpool needed a point at home to Brentford. Curtis Jones opened the scoring before Kevin Schade cancelled it out, and the draw was enough for Liverpool to finish fifth and take the extra Champions League berth awarded after a strong English showing in continental competitions.

Manchester United had already confirmed their place among Europe’s elite by beating Liverpool 3–2 earlier in the month. United went into the final day locked in third and ended the season with a 3–0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion; Bruno Fernandes broke the single-season assist record.

Bournemouth will compete in the Europa League after holding Nottingham Forest to a 1–1 draw and completing an 18-game unbeaten run. Sunderland produced the biggest surprise, rising from 10th on the morning of the final day to secure Europa League qualification with a 2–1 win over Chelsea.

Régis Le Bris has done a remarkable job, and surely the rumors of a potential successor being lined up will be squashed after what his team achieved on the final day.

Crystal Palace can still reach the Europa League by winning the Conference League final. There have been nine English finalists in UEFA’s three club competitions since 2021, with Palace aiming to become the second Premier League outfit to win the Conference League.

Brighton were beaten 3–0 by Manchester United but finished eighth after other results, while their European experience under Roberto De Zerbi in 2023 remains part of the club’s recent continental history.

Manchester United closed the season with a composed 3-0 victory at Brighton, a match that belonged to Bruno Fernandes after he set a new Premier League single-season assist record. The opener arrived from a Fernandes corner, with Patrick Dorgu leaping to head past Bart Verbruggen via the crossbar. United settled into a relaxed performance thereafter and controlled the key moments.

The second goal arrived from a well-worked move finished by Bryan Mbeumo, and Fernandes sealed the win early in the second half with a low drive. Brighton offered few sustained threats and much of the attention in the stands shifted to results elsewhere. Brentford’s draw at Liverpool meant Fabian Hürzeler’s side qualified for the Conference League despite slipping a place.

Thierry Henry’s single-season assist record had stood since 2002–03, matched only by Kevin De Bruyne in the years since. Fernandes went into the final day level with that figure and produced the decisive contribution to reach 21 Premier League assists this term. Nine of his 21 league assists this term have come from set plays, with Casemiro absent on the final day.

United’s performance also featured a number of solid individual displays. Senne Lammens settled after early nervy moments and was not heavily tested. Noussair Mazraoui provided technical security in the build-up, while Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez were steady at the back. Luke Shaw made his 38th Premier League start of the season and offered an attacking threat down the left.

Standout ratings from the match: Senne Lammens 8.1; Amad Diallo 8.1; Bruno Fernandes 8.9; Patrick Dorgu 8.5; Bryan Mbeumo 7.7. Substitutes included Shea Lacey (62’), Joshua Zirkzee (74’) and Leny Yoro (74’), with Zirkzee given minutes in Benjamin Šeško’s absence.

Match statistics underlined United’s control: expected goals 1.82 to 0.81, shots on target 7 to 2 and four big chances to Brighton’s zero. Possession was close, 51% to 49%, and United finished the season in third, the day marked most memorably by Fernandes’s piece of Premier League history.

Chelsea closed the 2025/26 Premier League campaign with a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland, a result that confirmed the Blues would not play European soccer next season. Cole Palmer reduced the deficit soon after the opener and briefly offered hope, but Wesley Fofana’s sending-off left Chelsea with 10 men for the final half hour and effectively ended any realistic comeback.

Sunderland secured Europa League qualification while Chelsea finished 10th, a tally that reflects one of the club’s poorest recent campaigns. Xabi Alonso will take charge of a squad without European football and with clear structural problems.

The match itself was emblematic of Chelsea’s season. McFarlane’s men applied an aggressive press early and denied Chelsea the rhythm to string passes together. Chelsea’s defence produced errors that invited danger; the midfield was at times unimaginative and stagnant; and an attack that has struggled for consistency again looked incapable of generating sustained threat. The goalkeeper could have done more to deny the opener.

There were visible declines in the performances of players who had previously been influential, including Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo and Cole Palmer. The other results Chelsea needed occurred, but the team failed to take their opportunity and also missed qualification for the Conference League by finishing outside the top seven.

Match statistics underline Sunderland’s dominance in attempts and quality of chances: Expected goals 1.93 to 0.90; total shots 21 to 8; shots on target 6 to 3. Possession was 45% for Sunderland and 55% for Chelsea. Passing accuracy was level at 83% each and big chances were 2 apiece.

Player ratings

GK: Robert Sánchez — 7.0

CB: Wesley Fofana — 5.1

CB: Levi Colwill — 6.7

CB: Jorrel Hato — 6.2

RWB: Malo Gusto — 6.0

CM: Enzo Fernández — 6.6

CM: Moisés Caicedo — 6.7

LWB: Marc Cucurella — 6.3

AM: Pedro Neto — 7.8

AM: Cole Palmer — 7.5

ST: João Pedro — 7.1

Subs: Reece James 6.5; Trevor Chalobah 6.5; Josh Acheampong 6.0; Liam Delap 6.0. Unused subs listed in the matchday squad.