Arsenal end their 22-year wait: European football season-finale recap, May 18–25
The 2025-26 European football season closed with Arsenal lifting the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years — 85 points, a 7-point margin, unbeaten all season in UCL. Pep Guardiola said farewell at Manchester City. La Liga's final day sent down Mallorca on a tiebreaker and Girona after a dismal run. Full standings, individual awards (Haaland Golden Boot, Fernandes POTY), and the UCL Final injury picture ahead of Arsenal vs PSG in Budapest on May 30.
This is the season-finale edition. Coverage spans May 18–25, 2026 — the week the 2025-26 European football season reached its conclusion. The Premier League and La Liga both played their final matchdays simultaneously on Friday May 22–Saturday May 23 and Sunday May 24 respectively, and the Champions League Final between Arsenal and PSG is now five days away in Budapest. Three storylines define the week: Arsenal's first title in 22 years, a chaotic La Liga relegation scramble that produced two cruel farewells, and the injury uncertainty clouding both squads ahead of the May 30 final.
Arsenal lift the Premier League trophy for the first time since 2004
The mathematics were settled on May 19, when Manchester City drew 1–1 at Bournemouth and Arsenal's lead became impossible to overhaul with one round remaining. But the emotional reckoning came five days later, on the final Sunday of the season, when Martin Ødegaard lifted the trophy at Selhurst Park after a 2–1 win over Crystal Palace.1
Arsenal finished with 85 points, 7 clear of Manchester City, on a record of 26 wins, 7 draws, and 5 losses.1 The previous title was the 2003-04 Invincibles season — 22 years and three painful runners-up finishes under Arteta ago. Three runner-up finishes under Mikel Arteta in 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 had built a mythology of near-misses; this time there was no collapse.
The final day's match at Crystal Palace finished 2–1. Gabriel Jesus converted a near-post finish after a Max Dowman assist deflected off Nathaniel Clyne, then Noni Madueke headed in from a corner early in the second half.2 Jean-Philippe Mateta pulled one back in the 89th minute, and Yeremy Pino thought he had equalised in stoppage time, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. The pink confetti and red flares that followed at the final whistle were visible from the away end, where 3,000 Arsenal supporters had gathered.2
Arteta was thrown in the air by his players on the pitch, then appeared at his post-match press conference in an Arsenal shirt with "26 Champions" printed on the back, a gold medal around his neck. He turned immediately to Budapest: "We talked already about what we have to do in Budapest, how we're going to use all the incredible energy that we're all carrying towards that final. We can't wait to write a new chapter in the history of our club and lift the Champions League."3
Bukayo Saka captured the emotional register of the dressing room more directly. Speaking during the on-pitch celebrations, he delivered the week's most-shared line: "22 YEARS THEY WERE LAUGHING, THEY WERE JOKING. They're NOT LAUGHING anymore."4
Beyond the scoreline, the statistics that will attach to this title are genuinely unusual. Arsenal became the first side in Premier League history to complete a full season without receiving a red card and without conceding a penalty — across all 38 matches.5 The Opta graphic noting this fact drew 10,080 upvotes on r/soccer and 1,662 comments within hours of publication, making it the week's second-highest engagement thread. Oliver Kay of The Athletic wrote in the post-season roundtable that Arsenal were "without doubt... the best team this season, even if they were sometimes dull," adding that the consistency of performance over such a long stretch — particularly at a club that had twice built large leads only to collapse in the spring — was the most notable thing about the title.6
Substitute Max Dowman, 16 years and 144 days old, also became the youngest player to appear in a Premier League season and the youngest member of a title-winning squad in the process.1
Guardiola's 593rd — and final — Manchester City match
While Arsenal celebrated across south London, the other story of the afternoon played out at the Etihad. Aston Villa won 2–1, with Ollie Watkins scoring twice — his 20th goal of the season across all competitions — to complete a comeback after Antoine Semenyo had put City ahead early.6 Manchester City finished on 78 points, runners-up by 7.
Pep Guardiola had announced his departure five months earlier. His farewell speech on the pitch afterwards carried the weight of that advance notice: "The next few years, all around the world, if you see me on the streets, if you are a Man City fan come and hug me. I mean it, I will need it."7 The clip received 12,711 upvotes on r/soccer with a 98% approval rating — the highest of any post during the week, a cross-club response that reflected something broader than Manchester City fandom saying goodbye.
Bernardo Silva and John Stones were also making their final City appearances. Both were substituted off in tears. Andy Robertson, thousands of miles away, addressed Guardiola directly in his own post-match interview: "There are two other very important people leaving their clubs. Pep pushed us to completely new limits. We would have won more if it wasn't for that man. I wish him all the best."8
Enzo Maresca, who left Chelsea in January to take the City job, inherits a squad that has just lost its manager, captain, and a central defensive cornerstone simultaneously. Sarah Shephard of The Athletic predicted the transition would be severe, writing that Maresca "would struggle to fill the void and might be out before Christmas."6 Whether or not that holds, City's summer looks more complicated than any they have faced under Guardiola's tenure.
Premier League final day — all the results and where everyone finished
The 10 matches kicked off simultaneously at 4pm BST on Sunday May 24. Here are all the results:
| Match | Score | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Palace vs Arsenal | 1–2 | Arsenal's trophy presentation follows |
| Manchester City vs Aston Villa | 1–2 | Guardiola's farewell; Watkins brace |
| Manchester United vs Brighton | 3–0 | Fernandes goal + 21st assist (record) |
| Tottenham vs Everton | 1–0 | Palhinha; Spurs survive relegation |
| West Ham vs Leeds United | 3–0 | West Ham still relegated |
| Liverpool vs Brentford | 1–1 | Mohamed Salah's final Liverpool match |
| Sunderland vs Chelsea | 2–1 | Sunderland lock up Europa League |
| Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth | 1–1 | Bournemouth secure sixth |
| Burnley vs Wolves | 1–1 | Both already relegated |
| Fulham vs Newcastle | 2–0 | — |
The final Premier League table:
| Pos | Club | W | D | L | Pts | GD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 26 | 7 | 5 | 85 | +44 | Champions, UCL |
| 2 | Manchester City | 23 | 9 | 6 | 78 | +42 | UCL |
| 3 | Manchester United | 20 | 11 | 7 | 71 | +19 | UCL |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 19 | 8 | 11 | 65 | +7 | UCL |
| 5 | Liverpool | 17 | 9 | 12 | 60 | +10 | UCL (UEFA performance spot) |
| 6 | Bournemouth | 13 | 18 | 7 | 57 | +4 | Europa League |
| 7 | Sunderland | 14 | 12 | 12 | 54 | −6 | Europa League |
| 8 | Brighton | 14 | 11 | 13 | 53 | +6 | Conference League |
| 17 | Tottenham | 10 | 11 | 17 | 41 | −9 | Survived |
| 18 | West Ham | 10 | 9 | 19 | 39 | −19 | Relegated |
| 19 | Burnley | 4 | 10 | 24 | 22 | −37 | Relegated |
| 20 | Wolves | 3 | 11 | 24 | 20 | −41 | Relegated |
A few threads worth pulling out:
West Ham's 14-year run ends. Despite beating Leeds 3–0, West Ham (39 points) were overtaken by Tottenham (41 points, following their 1–0 win over Everton via Joao Palhinha's 43rd-minute goal) and finished 18th.10 They played in the Premier League continuously since 2012. Declan Rice — West Ham's former captain, now Arsenal's midfield engine — was filmed reacting to his former club's relegation news in the moments after Arsenal's own title triumph, a juxtaposition that circulated widely.11
Tottenham finish 17th for the second consecutive season — the first time that has happened since 1910.12
Bournemouth qualify for Europe for the first time in their history, securing sixth place under Andoni Iraola — a manager who lost four of his five starting defenders in the summer and guided them to Europa League football regardless.1 Newly promoted Sunderland finish seventh and also qualify for the Europa League in their first top-flight season back.
Mohamed Salah played his last match for Liverpool, finishing 1–1 against Brentford at Anfield. His teammates formed a guard of honour as he left the pitch. Liverpool finish fifth (60 points) and will play Champions League football next season via the Premier League's European performance spot — the additional UCL berth awarded to England based on its clubs' collective performance in European competition over recent seasons.9
La Liga final day: two cruel exits and a season of farewells
La Liga's final round of matches fell on Friday May 23, with all nine remaining fixtures kicking off simultaneously. The relegation picture was settled — and was hard on at least one side that had done enough in almost any other season to stay up.
Mallorca went down despite winning 3–0. Goals from Pablo Torre, Manu Morlanes, and Vedat Muriqi beat already-relegated Real Oviedo, but it wasn't enough: Mallorca finished with 42 points and were eliminated on a three-way head-to-head tiebreaker against Levante and Osasuna, both of whom also finished on 42 points.13 In La Liga, when clubs finish level on points, goal difference is not the first tiebreaker — head-to-head record across all six encounters between the tied teams is. Mallorca lost that count. Sergi Darder, their midfielder, gave the post-match dressing room its most honest statement: "I am torn up. It's our fault we are going down."13
Girona also dropped, finishing 19th with 41 points after drawing 1–1 at home with Elche.14 Two years ago, the club — 47% owned by City Football Group (CFG), the same conglomerate that owns Manchester City, with chairman Pere Guardiola as Pep's brother — finished third in La Liga and qualified for the Champions League. They spent this season losing eight of their final nine matches and never recovered.14 Pol Ballús of The Athletic described the relegation as a significant blow to CFG's strategy of using Girona as a talent pipeline; the club's ability to attract high-quality loan players from the group's network diminishes sharply in the second division.
The farewells at the top of the table carried a different weight. Robert Lewandowski scored Barcelona's only goal in a 1–3 loss at Valencia — his 120th in four seasons for the club — before being formally bid farewell by teammates on the pitch at Mestalla.13 The 37-year-old Polish striker leaves having won three La Liga titles. He said afterwards: "It has been an honor to play for this club. Once a Barça fan, always a Barça fan."15
At the Bernabéu, Dani Carvajal was substituted off in the 80th minute of Real Madrid's 4–2 win over Athletic Club — and both sets of players formed a guard of honour for the 34-year-old right-back who won six Champions League trophies with the club.13 "Today I can't stop recalling the golden age we shared," Carvajal told the press.13 Kylian Mbappé scored Real Madrid's third with a long-range strike outside the area, his 25th La Liga goal of the season — enough to win the Pichichi (top scorer award) for the second consecutive year.16
One farewell from the previous weekend (May 17) also deserves mention here. Antoine Griezmann scored for Atlético Madrid in their 1–0 win over Girona on Matchday 37, a 20-yard curling strike that served as his official goodbye before joining MLS.15 Diego Simeone, who has managed Atlético since 2011, described him in terms that left little ambiguity: "Griezmann is possibly the best one to have ever played here. He's an extraordinary guy, a genius. He's the most game-changing player that we've coached here."15
Final La Liga table (top and bottom):
| Pos | Club | Pts | GD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 94 | +59 | Champions, UCL |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 86 | +42 | UCL |
| 3 | Villarreal | 72 | +26 | UCL |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 69 | +18 | UCL |
| 5 | Real Betis | 60 | +11 | UCL (UEFA coefficient spot) |
| 6 | Celta Vigo | 54 | +5 | Europa League |
| 7 | Getafe | 51 | −6 | Conference League |
| 18 | Mallorca | 42 | −10 | Relegated (h2h tiebreaker) |
| 19 | Girona | 41 | −16 | Relegated |
| 20 | Real Oviedo | 29 | −34 | Relegated |
Barcelona's final haul of 94 points included a perfect 19-win home record across 19 matches.17
Budapest in five days: what we know about Arsenal vs PSG
Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain, Saturday May 30, 18:00 CEST, Puskás Aréna, Budapest. Arsenal's last Champions League final was in 2006 (a 1–2 loss to Barcelona in Paris, the match in which Jens Lehmann was sent off inside 18 minutes). For this week's irony: Lehmann gave current Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya his advice for May 30 — "Don't get sent off."18 PSG won their first ever Champions League last season, beating Inter Milan 5–0 in Munich. A second consecutive title would make them only the second club to defend it in the Champions League era, after Real Madrid's 2016-18 run.19
The injury picture is messy on both sides.
PSG's biggest concern is Achraf Hakimi (right-back), who has not played since sustaining a thigh muscle injury in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich on April 28. He missed PSG's final four Ligue 1 matches and was absent from the internal training-match the club held on May 24 at Poissy, with sources from several outlets rating his chances of starting at close to zero.20 If Hakimi doesn't start, Warren Zaïre-Emery is expected to fill in at right-back, shifting Fabian Ruiz into midfield.21 Ousmane Dembélé came off in the 27th minute of PSG's final Ligue 1 match on May 18 with a right calf problem and has been absent from training since. He told RMC Sport he is certain to be fit: "Will I be 100% for the final? Yes, yes, I think so, yes, I'll be ready. I have no doubt about it."22 Luis Enrique said after the Ligue 1 game that it was "just fatigue, nothing serious" — but Dembélé missing the May 24 training session while Mendes and Pacho returned raised further questions about whether he'll be ready to start.21 PSG have six players carrying injury concerns in total.21
Arsenal's own defensive situation is uncertain. Ben White (right-back) is confirmed out with a knee injury.21 Jurrien Timber (versatile defender) has been out since March 14 with a groin problem. Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman, speaking on Dutch TV on May 18, did not sound optimistic: "Jurrien has been dealing with this for quite some time. He is now training up again to see if he can make the Champions League final and if he is available for the World Cup. It doesn't look rosy at the moment."23 On the positive side, Mikel Merino — out for five months with a metatarsal fracture — returned to action as a substitute in Sunday's Crystal Palace match. His ability to play across midfield and forward positions gives Arteta an option he hasn't had available in months.3
The tactical framing is as clear as any final in recent memory. Arsenal kept 9 clean sheets in 14 Champions League matches this season, conceded just 6 goals in the competition, and posted a per-game xGA (expected goals against) of 0.84.24 PSG scored 44 goals in 16 Champions League matches — the second-highest total in a single European Cup campaign, behind Barcelona's 45 in 1999-2000 — at a per-game xGA of 1.38.24 A Reddit data analysis posted on May 21 framed the contrast starkly: no eventual Champions League champion in the modern era has been as defensively inferior to their opponent as PSG currently are relative to Arsenal.25 The analysis drew modest engagement (100 points) but was among the more cited threads in the week's pre-final discussion.
Luis Enrique, for his part, named Arsenal the benchmark. "Without the ball, they are the best team in the world, and with it they can score a lot," he told Sky Sports. "It is a wonderful combination for them. It makes sense that we are facing them in the final."26
The two sides met in last season's semi-finals, with PSG winning 3–1 on aggregate before going on to win the trophy. Arsenal know exactly what they are up against.
Season awards and the stories that close out 2025-26
Premier League individual awards:
- Golden Boot: Erling Haaland (Manchester City forward) — 27 goals, the third time in four seasons he has won the award. His Premier League career total stands at 112 goals in 132 appearances; he reached the century in December 2025, faster than any player in the competition's history.1 Igor Thiago (Brentford forward) finished second on 22 goals, Antoine Semenyo third on 17.
- Golden Glove: David Raya (Arsenal goalkeeper) — 19 clean sheets in 37 appearances, winning the award for the third consecutive season.1 His nearest challenger, Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), kept 15.
- Player of the Season / Playmaker award: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United midfielder) — 21 assists, breaking the single-season record of 20 held jointly by Thierry Henry (2002-03) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20).1 He also scored 9 goals, took the FWA Footballer of the Year, and helped United (71 points) secure third place and Champions League football. Tim Spiers of The Athletic called him "the best player in the league this season"; Oliver Kay's framing was more contextual — "given how few teammates were operating at the level he was, 21 assists is extraordinary."6
- Young Player of the Season: Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City, 21) — 34 appearances, 5 goals, 3 assists.1
La Liga individual awards:
- Pichichi (top scorer): Kylian Mbappé — 25 goals (8 from penalties), second consecutive season. Vedat Muriqi (Mallorca) finished second on 23 despite his club's relegation.16
- Zamora award (best goalkeeper): Joan Garcia (Barcelona) — 30 matches, 21 goals conceded, 0.70 goals per game. Barcelona's 22nd Zamora award.27
- Zarra award (best Spanish scorer): Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres (both Barcelona), tied on 16 goals each.28
One story outside the three main competitions: Como 1907 qualified for the 2026-27 Champions League by finishing fourth in Serie A — the club's first appearance in European football's top competition. Manager Cesc Fàbregas reflected on a trajectory that has moved from playing pre-match in a bar's changing rooms to Champions League qualification in four years.29 Harry Kane won the European Golden Shoe for 2025-26.30
Cover image from: RFI/AFP — Arteta urges Arsenal to make history in Champions League final
References
- 1Premier League: EVERYTHING that's been decided in 2025/26
premierleague.com
- 2
- 3
- 4r/soccer: Saka's celebration speech
old.reddit.com
- 5r/soccer: Arsenal zero red cards and zero penalties stat
old.reddit.com
- 6
- 7r/soccer: Guardiola farewell quote
old.reddit.com
- 8r/soccer: Andy Robertson tribute to Guardiola
old.reddit.com
- 9NBC Sports: Premier League 2025-26 final results
nbcsports.com
- 10
- 11r/soccer: Declan Rice reacts to West Ham relegation
old.reddit.com
- 12r/soccer: Tottenham back-to-back 17th
reddit.com
- 13AP/Outlook India: La Liga MD38 wrap
outlookindia.com
- 14
- 15AP/Outlook India: La Liga MD37 roundup
outlookindia.com
- 16Sporting News: La Liga top scorers 2025/26
sportingnews.com
- 17La Liga official standings 2025/26
laliga.com
- 18
- 19Olympics.com: UCL Final 2026 guide
olympics.com
- 20
- 21Heavy.com: PSG's six injury concerns
heavy.com
- 22ESPN Australia: Dembélé vows to be 100% fit
espn.com.au
- 23Fox Sports: Timber may miss UCL Final and World Cup
foxsports.com
- 24
- 25r/soccer: UCL defensive disparity analysis
old.reddit.com
- 26Sky Sports: Luis Enrique praises Arsenal
skysports.com
- 27FC Barcelona: Joan Garcia wins Zamora trophy
fcbarcelona.com
- 28Football Espana/Yahoo Sports: three Barcelona individual awards
sports.yahoo.com
- 29r/soccer: Como qualify for the Champions League
old.reddit.com
- 30
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