Key events
GOAL! Ipswich 0-1 West Ham (Ward-Prowse 43) Jarrod Bowen pounces all over a mistake in the Ipswich defence and sets up James Ward-Prowse to score. Bowen is ruthlessly efficient in the final third.
GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Arsenal (Tierney 43)
A really nice moment for one of the good guys – Kieran Tierney has put Arsenal ahead in his final game for the club, finishing crisply from Ben White’s cross.
40 min: Bournemouth 0-0 Leicester Evanilson has missed a really good chance to put Bournemouth ahead. Bournemouth can’t qualify for Europe but they’d still love to finish in the top half; right now, with Crystal Palace ahead at Anfield, they’re 11th.
Premier League latest scores
The last day of the season usually means an orgy of goals. Today, not so much, at least not yet.
37 min: Man Utd 0-0 Aston Villa It’s one-way traffic at Old Trafford, where the home side have had eight attempts at goal, five on target, to Villa’s none.
Can Manchester United score? They occasionally score.
33 min: Newcastle 0-0 Everton Anthony Gordon dives to win a free-kick and gets a pious, hard-faced telling-off from the aggrieved Everton defender, Ashley Young.
I think football may just have jumped the shark.
31 min: Nottm Forest 0-0 Chelsea There’s a long way to go, literally an hour, but as things stand a goal for Nottingham Forest would put them into the Champions League places. You can follow that game with Scott Murray.
30 min: Bournemouth 0-0 Leicester Oliver Skipp thought he’d given Leicester the lead; VAR had other ideas and the goal was ruled out for offside.
28 min: Man Utd 0-0 Aston Villa Diogo Dalot has just smacked the post after another thrilling bit of wingplay from Harrincha. Man Utd will hope this is a trailer for next season because they’re playing superbly.
“Hi Rob,” says Ollie. “Is anyone here old enough to remember the last match Liverpool won?”
25 min: Liverpool 0-1 Crystal Palace
“Nice as it is for Liverpool to give Palace a guard of honour,” begins Tim Woods, “I’m disappointed they didn’t just get out a picnic hamper and take it in turns to challenge Eze to a leisurely game of chess. It wouldn’t have been a huge stretch, given how they’ve taken already-on-the-beaching to new levels these past weeks.”
Premier League latest scores
The Champions League race, as it stands
GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Man City (Gundogan 21)
City take a deserved lead through an improvised, close-range overhead kick from Ilkay Gundogan, his first Premier League since returning to the club. City only need a draw to qualify for the Champions League so they should be fine now.
GOAL! Wolves 0-1 Brentford (Mbeumo 20) Bryan Mbeumo combines with you-know-who to give Brentford the lead. He and Yoane Wissa really should come as a pair if they leave Brentford.
As things stand, Brentford are in eighth place and could yet qualify for the Conference League.
“Man Utd are absolutely battering Villa,” says Rick Harris. “Mason Mount is suddenly playing like the player he was at Chelsea and has had three chances already with Martinez lucky that the third hit Hojlund as the keeper was wrong-footed.
“Where has this United side been all season?”
Not sure. The Kerguelen Islands?
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Brighton (Solanke 17 pen) Spurs take the lead against the run of play. Mathys Tel is fouled in the penalty area, Dominic Solanke does the needful from the spot.
“I’d be lying if I said I’d shared Steph Jones’ optimism about Liverpool’s season in August (or any time up until the final whistle against Tottenham, if I’m honest), but I have to agree that it’s been great fun,” says Matt Dony. “In the league, so few bad results (until it didn’t matter). Some great performances, some steady performances, and some performances that we could charitably call ‘efficient’, but always a sense that the players were genuinely giving their all, working together, trying to win games AND entertain. In a few hours, I’ll start worrying about next season. But right now, let’s enjoy whatever happens. All together, now; #AR-NE SLOT, Da da, da, dada…#”
As somebody who thought he was the world’s most pessimistic football fan until he met you, I admire your self-awareness.
13 min: Man Utd 0-0 Aston Villa United have started with surprising brilliance – “the best I’ve seen them play this season” according to Clinton Morrison on Sky – but have missed some decent chances to take the lead.
13 min: Ipswich 0-0 West Ham “I’m acting on a film set outside Istanbul and it’s drizzling,” says Rob Lewis. “I’m playing an American millionaire whose wife is having an affair with his daughter’s fiance. Yes, this is Turkish drama. It means I’m going to miss about my only West Ham game this season. But we Irons have seen little drama and a lot of dross in 2024-25, so farewell to not very much.”
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Crystal Palace (Sarr 9)
Palace get the first goal of the day. Conor Bradley’s pass out of defence is intercepted by Tyrick Mitchell, who plays a fine early through ball to Ismaila Sarr. He runs off a leaden-footed defence and drives a low shot past Alisson.
Has Arne Slot taken Liverpool as far as he can?
7 min: Tottenham 0-0 Brighton This has just been described as a “massive game” on a popular TV channel. I think we all need a summer break to reset and recover from the damaging effects of incessant hype. The 2025-26 Premier League season doesn’t start until mid-August. Thank goodness there’s no foo- oh.
5 min: Liverpool 0-0 Crystal Palace “Both sides’ opening moves and touches look slightly champagne-soaked,” says Peter Oh.
Nothing to report so far. No goals, anyway. I’d be lying if I said I’m scrutinising all 10 games.
Peep peep! This is the beginning of the end, beautiful friends.
“Hi Rob,” begins Alessia Vialli. “My tribute to Kevin De Bruyne is to understand what makes him unique. I went to a conference where a manager stood up to explain about scanning. He explained that De Bruyne that is off the charts in terms of how often he scans. He basically does it every time another player touches the ball. No other player does/did that in world football that they’ve tested.
“Yes it is also his passing that makes him world class but that doesn’t happen without the scanning.”
Liverpool are giving the Crystal Palace players a guard of honour, and why not. The match is almost an inconvenience – everyone at Anfield just wants to celebrate a glorious season.
Jurgen Klopp is back at Anfield today, his first visit since he left the club a year ago. The atmosphere, as you can imagine, is decibellous in the extreme. No, that isn’t actually a word.
For the last time this season, LOOK THE FECK OUT
Might Jordan Pickford prove a one-man human barrier blocking Newcastle’s route to the Champions League? Much as he loves life at Everton, the England goalkeeper will always adore Sunderland, the club he supported as a boy and where he began his career. Newcastle fans routinely barrack Sunderland old boys but their dislike of Pickford not only elevates such rivalry to a new level, but often seems to bring the best out in a keeper boasting high-calibre footwork his Newcastle counterpart Nick Pope must envy. Should Pickford’s saves send Eddie Howe’s side to the Europa League next season, he will revel in being the toast of Wearside. If Everton’s outfielders may not be quite as motivated, David Moyes has fashioned an obdurate side and Howe will be hoping that Alexander Isak overcomes groin trouble in time to start. If so, it could be a case of Sweden striker v England goalkeeper.
Newcastle v Everton
”Adding to the complications and permutations tonight is the fact that I have the entire United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea sitting in front of me on my desk,” writes our Australian Newcastle tragic (and film-maker) Chris Paraskevas.
“That’s 320 articles (plus a whole bunch of annexes which contain their own articles) and a bunch of research papers by people who delight in terms like ‘effective control’. The assignment was due at 11 so I’m already incurring P̶S̶R̶ ̶P̶o̶i̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶D̶e̶d̶u̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ a penalty on this one.
“I suppose this is a positive way to end the season: even if we don’t qualify for the Champions League, after tonight I’ll know extensively about my rights and obligations if I ever make it to the Port of Tyne by dinghy. Nice to see Wor Buoy Isak back.”
Nottm Forest v Chelsea – live
A reminder that Scott Murray is covering the big game in the City Ground in a dedicated MBM.
The race for the Golden Boot
Oh jeopardy where art thou?
Premier League clubs Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton will play two matches against Charlton in 2025-26. Sure, that’s one of the more contrived links of the season but it allows us to post John Brewin’s report from the League One playoff final at Wembley: Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient.
Twenty clubs, twenty fans, twenty verdicts. I had no idea Mystic Meg was a Kopite.
Liverpool
It’s been a blast from start to finish. The loss to Forest at home in our fourth game was the smallest of dips and early enough not to matter. We were top by the start of November and stayed there, an incredible achievement and a “think again” for every pundit and talking head who predicted we’d do well to finish in the top four. Winning with four games still to go has turned the last few weeks of the season into a party, with the visit of FA Cup winners Palace still to come. Was it expected? By some of us, yes. 10/10
Jonathan Wilson considers the 2024-25 Premier League season
This is where the positive impact of PSR can be seen. Manchester United cannot spend their way out of trouble. If Chelsea lose, they will find ambitions restricted. Forest, meanwhile, could suddenly be elevated, probably not to be regular Champions League qualifiers, but at least to be fairly secure in mid-table, adding further heft to the Premier League’s middle class.
The last day of the season is usually emotional and this year is no different. Dozens of players and managers will leave their clubs after today. Some we know, some we don’t. None have enriched English football like Kevin De Bruyne.
David Hytner
Daniel Levy did mention Ange Postecoglou in his Tottenham programme notes ahead of today’s Brighton game, which is more than he did at the end of March when he gave a statement to accompany the club’s financial report. The chairman thanked Postecoglou and his players for delivering Europa League glory. But there was nothing more, no clues as to what he intends to do with the manager now. At best, it feels as though Levy has moved to buy himself a bit of time.
Will Still, 32, has been confirmed as the new Southampton. Michael Buffer must be very confused.
Tottenham v Brighton team news
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3) Vicario; Porro, Danso, van de Ven, Udogie;
Sarr, Bentancur, Gray; Johnson, Solanke, Tel.
Subs: Kinsky, Bissouma, Richarlison, Spence, Odobert, Davies, Moore, Ajayi,
Olusesi.
Brighton (possible 4-2-3-1) Verbruggen; Wieffer, van Hecke, Webster, Igor; Hinshelwood, Baleba; Gruda, Ayari, Adingra; Minteh. Subs: Rushworth,
Dunk, Milner, Cashin, Mitoma, Gomez, O’Riley, Veltman, Howell.
Referee Rob Jones (Northumberland)
Nottm Forest v Chelsea
Nottm Forest (4-D-2) Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare; Dominguez, Anderson; Gibbs-White; Wood, Elanga.
Subs: Carlos Miguel, Morato, Hudson-Odoi, Toffolo, Jota Silva, Yates,
Sosa, Danilo, Boly.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Caicedo, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Pedro Neto.
Subs: Jorgensen, Badiashile, Dewsbury-Hall, Chalobah, Gusto, George,
Acheampong, Guiu, Lavia.
Referee Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Bournemouth v Leicester team news
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1) Arrizabalaga; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Adams, Brooks; Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson.
Subs: Dennis, Huijsen, Scott, Soler, Jebbison, Araujo, Hill, Silcott-Duberry, Winterburn.
Leicester (4-2-3-1) Stolarczyk; Justin, Coady, Faes, Kristiansen; Skipp, Soumare; McAteer, Ayew, Thomas; Daka.
Subs: Iversen, Okoli, Ricardo Pereira, Golding, Buonanotte, Aluko, Evans, Monga, Braybrooke.
Referee Lewis Smith (Lancashire)
Fulham v Man City team news
Kevin De Bruyne starts on the bench. Jack Grealish does not, and he’s not in the XI either. That’s a pretty sad end to his Manchester City career.
Fulham (4-2-3-1) Leno; Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson; Cairney, Lukic; Traore, Andreas Pereira, Wilson; Jimenez.
Subs: Benda, Bassey, Vinicius, Berge, Iwobi, Willian, King, Sessegnon, Smith Rowe.
Man City (4-2-3-1) Ederson; Matheus Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Nico Gonzalez, Gundogan; Bernardo Silva, Marmoush, Doku; Haaland.
Subs: Ortega, Ake, Rodri, De Bruyne, Savio, Echeverri, Foden, O’Reilly, Lewis.
Referee Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)
Newcastle v Everton team news
The main man is back for Newcastle: Alexander Isak replaces Callum Wilson up front, the only change from Newcastle’s defeat at the Emirates last weekend.
Newcastle (possible 3-4-3) Pope; Schar, Botman, Burn; Murphy, Guimaraes, Tonali, Livramento; Barnes, Isak, Gordon.
Subs: Dubravka, Trippier, Lascelles, Wilson, Krafth, Osula, Willock, Longstaff, Miley.
Everton (4-2-3-1) Pickford; Young, Keane, O’Brien, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Harrison, Alcaraz, Ndiaye; Beto.
Subs: Virginia, Begovic, Patterson, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin, Doucoure, Chermiti, Broja, Welch.
Referee Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
Ipswich v West Ham team news
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) Palmer; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Broadhead; Hirst.
Subs: Walton, Woolfenden, Jack Taylor, Burgess, Delap, Szmodics, Luongo,
Clarke, Boniface.
West Ham (3-4-1-2) Fabianski; Todibo, Kilman, Mavropanos; Wan-Bissaka, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Scarles; Soucek; Bowen, Fullkrug.
Subs: Areola, Cresswell, Coufal, Lucas Paqueta, Kudus, Luis Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Irving.
Referee Tim Robinson (West Sussex)
Southampton v Arsenal team news
Southampton (4-2-3-1) Ramsdale; Sugawara, Wood-Gordon, Taylor, Welington; Downes, Ugochukwu; Robinson, Fernandes, Sulemana; Stewart.
Subs: Moore, Sanda, Onuachu, Archer, Bree, Smallbone, Aribo, Manning, McCarthy.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Raya; Partey, White, Kiwior, Tierney; Nwaneri, Rice, Zinchenko; Sterling, Merino, Martinelli.
Subs: Lewis-Skelly, Kabia, Henry-Francis, Havertz, Jorginho, Trossard, Odegaard, Saka, Neto.
Referee Darren Bond (Lancashire)
Wolves v Brentford team news
Wolves (3-5-2) Jose Sa; Doherty, Agbadou, Toti Gomes; Nelson Semedo, Joao Gomes, Munetsi, Andre Trindade, Ait Nouri; Cunha, Goncalo Guedes.
Subs: King, Bueno, Larsen, Hwang, Rodrigo Gomes, Sarabia, Bellegarde, Pedro Lima, Mane.
Brentford (4-2-3-1) Flekken; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Yarmolyuk; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Thiago, Ajer, Konak, Nunes Gomes.
Referee Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Man Utd v Aston Villa team news
Alejandro Garnacho, who flapped his gums about his exclusion from the Europa League final, isn’t in the Man Utd squad. Youri Tielemans, who has missed the last two games, returns to the bench.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Bayindir; Lindelof, Maguire, Heaven; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Diallo, Mount; Hojlund.
Subs: Heaton, Eriksen, Dalot, Ugarte, Evans, Mainoo, Collyer, Fredricson, Obi.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara,
Onana; Rogers, Asensio, McGinn; Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Mings, Barkley, Tielemans, Digne, Garcia, Malen, Bailey, Ramsey.
Referee Thomas Bramall (Sheffield)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace team news
Trent Alexander-Arnold starts on the bench for Liverpool, with Conor Bradley continuing at right-back. We’ll have a boo-ometer set up in time for the second half.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah Diaz, Gakpo.
Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Nunez, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1) Henderson; Lerma, Lacroix, Richards; Munoz,
Hughes, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.
Subs: Turner, Ward, Nketiah, Franca, Esse, Devenny, Kporha.
Referee: Darren England (South Yorkshire)
It’s great when you’re eighth… yeah
There may yet be a Conference League place for the team that finishes eighth. And that team will be Brighton, just as long as they get at least a draw away to a team who have justifiably spent the last few days imbibing pints of 17 Year Itch. Should Spurs beat Brighton, Brentford will go above them if they win at Wolves.
For the team in eighth to qualify, two things need to happen.
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Chelsea win the Conference League and
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Chelsea finish seventh in the Premier League (which isn’t beyond the realms) or Chelsea finish sixth and Newcastle seventh. The latter is mathematically possible but let’s not go there again.
Champions League permutations
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Manchester City will qualify if they drew at Fulham. Mathematicians will tell you otherwise, but they need to live a little. If you said 420 to them the first think they’d think is ‘60 x 7’, could also be 105 x 4’.
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Newcastle need to beat Everton to be sure of finishing in the top five. A draw will be enough if Aston Villa fail to win at Old Trafford or Chelsea draw at the City Ground.
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Chelsea must – must – beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground to be sure. A draw will only be enough if Villa fail to win at Old Trafford or Newcastle suffer death by Moyes at St James’ Park.
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Aston Villa will qualify if they beat Man Utd and one of the following happens: Man City lose at Fulham, Newcastle fail to win, Chelsea fail to win. A draw could be good enough, but only in the sense that Donald Trump could wake up tomorrow morning with the temperament of the Dalai Lama.
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Nottingham Forest need to beat Chelsea and hope that Newcastle or Villa fail to win.
Confused? Of course you are, that’s the whole point of permutations. All I need at the three digits on the back of the card and you’re free to go.
Preamble
This is the end, beautiful friends. Another Premier League season has whooshed by faster than you can say “You know what, I’m not sure Liverpool are going to have a blip”, and it will come to an end this afternoon – as a Premier League season always should – with 10 simultaneous fixtures being played on a sultry Sunday in May.
The first game of the 2024-25 season took place 282 days ago. In one sense it feels like last month, in another a lifetime ago: that match was Manchester United 1-0 Fulham, and cautious optimism abounded at Old Trafford.
Man Utd are one of many teams with nothing to play for except pride, and you can probably insert your own joke here. The biggest issues – who wins the title and who goes down – were settled ages ago, but the dogfight for Champions League places has kept the hype going right to the end.
Five teams, separated by three points, are scrapping for three places. And two of them, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, meet each other at the City Ground. Scott Murray is doing a separate MBM for that game, but this is the place for breathless goalflashes and hastily adjusted permutations.
These are today’s games. Just in case you’ve been at a digital retreat in the Kerguelens for the past month, the teams fighting for Champions League places are in bold. (Cool your jets, data fam, we’ll get to eighth place in a minute.)
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Bournemouth v Leicester
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Fulham v Man City
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Ipswich v West Ham
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Liverpool v Crystal Palace
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Man Utd v Aston Villa
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Newcastle v Everton
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Nottm Forest v Chelsea
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Southampton v Arsenal
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Lads, it’sTottenham v Brighton -
Wolves v Brentford
Kick-offs 4pm.
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2025-05-25 14:03:36