Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle United secured their places in next season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) as Liverpool celebrated a record-equalling 20th English league title with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on the dramatic final day of the Premier League season.
With Ipswich, Leicester, and Southampton already relegated and the title wrapped up weeks earlier, the spotlight turned to the intense race for European qualification.
Liverpool and Arsenal had locked in the top two positions, with Tottenham Hotspur joining them via their Europa League triumph on Wednesday.
Man City, despite a below-par season by their standards, avoided disaster by booking their spot in Europe’s elite competition for the 15th consecutive season with a 2-0 win over Fulham.
Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring with a spectacular overhead kick before Erling Haaland doubled the lead from the penalty spot.
“It’s not perfect, but we’ll be in Europe next season in the Champions League,” said City boss Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea ended Nottingham Forest’s hopes of a fairytale Champions League return, last seen in 1980, with a hard-fought 1-0 victory. Levi Colwill bundled home Pedro Neto’s cross to ensure fourth place for Enzo Maresca’s side.
“We brought this club where it has to be,” Maresca said after the match.
Forest, finishing seventh, settle for a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League.
Newcastle United nearly squandered their top-five finish after a 1-0 home loss to Everton, courtesy of Carlos Alcaraz’s first-half header. However, goal difference saved the Magpies, as Aston Villa fell short in controversial fashion against Manchester United.
Villa’s hopes were derailed at Old Trafford when goalkeeper Emi Martinez was sent off before halftime for a foul on Rasmus Hojlund. They thought they’d taken the lead through Morgan Rogers, but the goal was disallowed for a foul on Altay Bayindir.
