Premier League Matchweek 38 delivered one of the most dramatic final days in recent memory.
On Sunday, 24 May 2026, all 10 matches kicked off simultaneously, causing chaos across the board. Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy at Selhurst Park after beating Crystal Palace 2-1. West Ham were relegated after Tottenham beat Everton 1-0.
Liverpool confirmed Champions League football with a 1-1 draw against Brentford. Sunderland stunned Chelsea 2-1 to secure Europa League football. Nothing about this final day was quiet.
Arsenal finished with 85 points, completing a season that began with enormous expectations and ended with a 22-year drought finally broken. Captain Martin Odegaard lifted the trophy in front of thousands of Arsenal fans who had made the trip to South London, many of whom had waited decades for this moment.
Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards that there were times he doubted himself as the right man for the job. Sunday answered that question definitively. Arsenal are champions of England for the 14th time in their history, and Arteta becomes the first former Premier League player to win the title as a manager.
However, the final day was not just about Arsenal, though. Across the ten simultaneous kick-offs, two relegation spots were confirmed, and the European qualification race reached its conclusion. An era ended at Manchester City with Pep Guardiola’s farewell, and Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson said their emotional goodbyes at Anfield. This was a day of celebration, heartbreak, and everything in between.
Table of Contents
Full Matchweek 38 Results
- Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace (Gabriel Jesus 42′, Noni Madueke 48′; Mateta 89′).
- Tottenham 1-0 Everton (Palhinha 43′).
- Manchester City 1-2 Aston Villa (Semenyo 23′; Watkins 47′, 61′).
- Sunderland 2-1 Chelsea (Hume 25′, Gusto OG 50′; Palmer 56′).
- Brighton 0-3 Manchester United (Dorgu 33′, Mbeumo 44′, Fernandes 48′).
- Liverpool 1-1 Brentford (Jones 58′; Schade 64′).
- Nottingham Forest 1-1 Bournemouth (Gibbs-White 34′; Tavernier 54′).
- Fulham 2-0 Newcastle (Diop 20′, Cairney 80′).
- West Ham 3-0 Leeds (Castellanos 67′, Bowen 79′, Wilson 94′).
- Burnley 1-1 Wolves (Flemming 47′; Armstrong 5′)
Arsenal Lift the Trophy at Selhurst Park
Gabriel Jesus put Arsenal ahead just before half-time, finishing calmly after a flowing move. Noni Madueke doubled the lead two minutes into the second half, and the trophy celebrations began in the away end almost immediately. Jean-Philippe Mateta pulled one back for Palace late on, but it changed nothing. The final whistle confirmed what had been mathematically sealed days earlier: Arsenal are champions.
Bukayo Saka, who described himself as having been “in a dark place” before this season, was among the most emotional on the pitch after the trophy lift. Declan Rice revealed that a players-only meeting had been crucial in the run-in, with Odegaard, Christian Norgaard, and Eberechi Eze all speaking openly about the group’s mentality. Arteta was already looking ahead, telling his squad that from Monday, full focus shifts to PSG and the Champions League final in Budapest on 30 May.
Key Arsenal season statistics:
- 85 points, finishing seven clear of Manchester City in second
- Goal difference of plus 44, the best in the division
- 18 goals from corners across the season, a Premier League record
- 19 clean sheets across the season
West Ham Relegated, Spurs Survive
Meanwhile, the relegation drama was extraordinary. West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 at the London Stadium, with Valentín Castellanos, Jarrod Bowen, and Callum Wilson all scoring. It was not enough. Joao Palhinha’s 43rd-minute header gave Tottenham a 1-0 win over Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, sending West Ham to the Championship.
The mood inside the London Stadium captured everything. West Ham fans chanted protests directed at majority shareholder David Sullivan throughout the second half despite leading the match. Roberto De Zerbi called Spurs’ survival the biggest achievement of his managerial career, having taken over on 31 March and collected 11 points from his last six games. Captain Jarrod Bowen said he wants to lead West Ham back to the Premier League, though his own future at the club remains uncertain.
The European Qualification Picture
Champions League places went to Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Liverpool. Villa’s stunning 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium, with Ollie Watkins scoring twice, confirmed a fourth-place finish and pushed Liverpool into fifth. Bruno Fernandes broke the Premier League assist record in Manchester United’s 3-0 win at Brighton, with Patrick Dorgu, Bryan Mbeumo, and Fernandes himself all scoring.
Bournemouth and Sunderland secured Europa League football. Sunderland’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, in their first season back in the Premier League after promotion via the play-offs, was one of the stories of the entire campaign. Chelsea, who had beaten Aston Villa 4-1 as recently as March, collapsed to finish in tenth place. Brighton secured Conference League football with an eighth-place finish despite a 3-0 defeat to United on the final day.
Goodbyes at the Etihad and Anfield
Pep Guardiola managed his final Manchester City match on Sunday, ending a ten-year tenure that produced six Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, and a historic treble in 2023. Bernardo Silva broke down in tears in the tunnel before kick-off. John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, and Ederson were also farewelled. Guardiola’s final words on the pitch summed up a decade of dominance perfectly: “It has been f—ing fun”.
At Anfield, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson received a guard of honour from players and staff before standing in the centre circle to take in a final roar from the Kop. Both are leaving the club after nine years of extraordinary service. These emotional scenes underlined just how much this final day carried beyond the results themselves.
The Road Ahead
The Premier League season is over, but the biggest night in Arsenal’s recent history is just days away. On Saturday, 30 May, Mikel Arteta’s side face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. Win that, and Arsenal complete the domestic and European double. No English club has achieved that feat since Manchester City in 2023.
The summer transfer window opens on 15 June. West Ham, Wolves, and Burnley prepare for the Championship. Tottenham, under De Zerbi, begins a rebuild. And somewhere in Budapest, a squad of Premier League champions is already preparing for the biggest 90 minutes of their careers.
