Final Premier League Round: Arsenal Lift Trophy, Relegation Battle, and Farewells

The 2025-26 Premier League season concludes on Sunday (May 24) with a simultaneous kick-off for all 10 matches, where drama remains at both ends of the table. Arsenal have already secured the title, and the four Champions League spots are set: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Aston Villa. Attention now turns to the remaining European places and the relegation fight.

Arsenal Lift Trophy After 22 Years

Arsenal will officially lift the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years in their match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The Gunners' title was confirmed on Tuesday (May 19) when Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth.

Manager Mikel Arteta admitted he didn't even watch City's game, instead hosting a barbecue at home with his family. His son, Gabriel—who is in Arsenal's academy—brought the good news: “My eldest son opened the garden door, ran to me, crying, and hugged me saying: ‘Dad, we are champions.’”

Arteta said the feeling of winning the title is one of the greatest he has experienced after six and a half years in charge. That emotion will peak when Arsenal lift the cup, and even more so if they beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30.

Relegation Battle: Tottenham or West Ham?

The drama at the bottom is clear: one of two London clubs will be relegated—Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham. Spurs are in a better position, sitting 17th with 38 points, two points above West Ham (18th) who occupy the third relegation spot. Only one combination of results can send Tottenham down: they lose to Everton at home, while West Ham beat Leeds.

“When you fight to stay up, you have to stay in the league until the last minute of the last game of the season,” said Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi. “The most important thing is to keep your dignity, your pride, and go on holiday with your head held high.”

Race for European Places

Liverpool hold the biggest advantage in the race for a fifth Champions League spot, hosting Brentford, needing just a point to secure it. Bournemouth, who guaranteed European football with their draw against City, trail Liverpool by three points but have a vastly inferior goal difference.

Bournemouth are on a 17-match unbeaten run, one of the season's most impressive stories. They travel to Nottingham Forest. Aston Villa's Europa League win midweek created the possibility of a sixth English team in next season's Champions League, but only if Villa finish fifth. That requires Liverpool to win and Villa to lose to City.

If Villa finish fourth, the door closes, and the sixth spot goes to the Europa League. Brighton & Hove Albion—hosting Manchester United—are the most realistic contenders for sixth place, three points behind Bournemouth.

Mohamed Salah Says Goodbye to Liverpool?

Mohamed Salah will bid farewell to Liverpool on Sunday, though it's unclear how, as manager Arne Slot has not committed to starting the Egyptian striker against Brentford. Salah, one of the club's greatest goalscorers, publicly criticized Liverpool's style of play after their defeat to Aston Villa last Friday.

That outburst—Salah's second public disagreement with Slot this season—adds to the tension as the team fights for a Champions League spot. In March, the 33-year-old Salah announced he would leave at the end of the season after agreeing to terminate his contract a year early. His form has dipped in his ninth year at Anfield, to the point where he was dropped from the squad late last year.

Pep Guardiola Bids Farewell to Man City

“Don't ask me why I'm leaving. There's no reason, but deep inside I know the time has come,” said Pep Guardiola in a statement confirming his departure from Manchester City. The most successful manager in the club's history will end a trophy-laden 10-year tenure, with his final Premier League match against Aston Villa.

Guardiola, who had one year left on his contract, led City to six Premier League titles and their first Champions League in 2023, along with 17 major honors out of a career total of 35. He will take on a global ambassador role at the club. Enzo Maresca—former Chelsea boss and once Guardiola's assistant—is the leading candidate to replace him.