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.

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.