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 conclude the season away at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon, but Casemiro will not be involved in the final match. The decision follows a long-standing plan: it had long been decided that Casemiro would leave the club following the expiration of his contract this summer.

Across the campaign Casemiro established himself as a regular alongside Kobbie Mainoo in Carrick’s pivot and has been a consistent presence in the midfield. That influence, the club accept, will make him a difficult player to replace when the summer transfer window opens.

He said his goodbyes to Old Trafford last week after United controversially beat Nottingham Forest, and that game will prove to be his last for the club.

Casemiro was among those supportive of Carrick getting the job full-time after a successful interim spell, and the Brazilian’s wish was granted ahead of the final day. Carrick has been appointed Man Utd boss on a two-year deal, having helped the Red Devils return to the Champions League via a third-place Premier League finish.

United enter the final day with a clear objective beyond the result at Brighton: ensuring Bruno Fernandes breaks the single-season assist record. Casemiro has played a notable role in that chase — the midfielder’s final six United goals were teed up by Fernandes.

The choice to leave Casemiro out of the squad was taken after last Sunday’s win. Explaining the decision, Carrick said: “It just felt the right time, I think, for Case; it was decided, and he was part of that as well. It was the right time, there is an element of balance, like I’ve just said, the last game, we’re not done, the season’s not done for us. We’re really conscious of that.

“So, there’s a real balance between trying new things, moving forward, keep evolving. There are always games we’ll try different things in that some might notice, some people might not notice others. So, I think the biggest thing is we’re really conscious to respect this last game, what it stands for, and obviously try and make the best of it for us. We want to go down there and put in a good performance and try to win the game.”

With the forward positions already addressed, Man Utd will prioritise the signing of Casemiro’s replacement at the start of the summer transfer window.

Bruno Fernandes became the first Manchester United star to be crowned Premier League Player of the Season since Nemanja Vidić won the award in 2010–11. Fernandes was also crowned the Player of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association and may very well complete a clean sweep of individual accolades at the PFA awards. “A lot of players came out and said I was player of the season. For that, I am very grateful,” Fernandes acknowledged this week. Yet, he has loftier ambitions. “I want collective awards more than anything,” he stressed. “I want to win the Premier League, I want to win the Champions League.” For now, he will have to settle for this solo piece of recognition.

The list of winners since 1994–95 reads as a mixture of dominant seasons and singular brilliance. Some recipients carried title-winning sides, while others stood out amid struggle. Juninho Paulista is a striking example from 1996–97: Middlesbrough were relegated in the same season the Brazilian directly contributed to 20 goals, 12 scored and eight created, for a side that finished 19th. Kevin Phillips claimed the individual award in 1999–00 despite his Sunderland side finishing seventh; Phillips struck an extraordinary 30 Premier League goals that season.

Manchester United enjoyed a strong run in this award during their period of domestic dominance. From 2006–07 to 2010–11, five straight awards went to United players. Nemanja Vidić’s 2010–11 gong was the most recent United winner until Fernandes this term.

More recently, the prize has often fallen to players from Liverpool and Manchester City. N’Golo Kanté in 2016–17 was the last player from outside that Liverpool-City period to claim the award.

Only five players have won the prize more than once: Thierry Henry (2003–04, 2005–06), Cristiano Ronaldo (2006–07, 2007–08), Nemanja Vidić (2008–09, 2010–11), Kevin De Bruyne (2019–20, 2021–22) and Mohamed Salah (2017–18, 2024–25). No player has completed a hat-trick of titles, and Cristiano Ronaldo remains the only member of that group to win in consecutive seasons.