Tom Maston

As the 2025-26 Premier League season draws to a close, it's time to look back on what has been a campaign full of twists and turns. Arsenal eventually saw off the challenge of Manchester City to secure the title, but European places and the final berth in the relegation zone are still to be decided into the final day.

As the 2025-26 Premier League season draws to a close, it's time to look back on what has been a campaign full of twists and turns. Arsenal eventually saw off the challenge of Manchester City to secure the title, but European places and the final berth in the relegation zone are still to be decided into the final day.

And just like that, the Premier League title race is over. A truly absorbing battle between Arsenal and Manchester City swung this way and that throughout the second half of the campaign, but it is the Gunners who have come out on top, securing their first domestic title for 22 years with a game to spare.

Tottenham will head into the final day of the Premier League season still with work to do if they are to avoid relegation after they fell to a 2-1 loss at Chelsea on Tuesday. Richarlison's second-half strike wasn't enough for Roberto De Zerbi's side as their four-game unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of their rivals from across London.

Manchester City secured their second trophy of the season as Antoine Semenyo's second-half goal secured a 1-0 win over Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola's side edged what was a pretty lifeless affair at Wembley, and Semenyo's sublime flick, scored with 18 minutes left on the clock, proved to be the difference as City won the competition for the eighth time in their history.

Manchester City kept up the pressure on Arsenal in the title race as they secured a hard-fought 3-0 win over Brentford on Saturday. Second-half goals from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush helped Pep Guardiola's side close the gap on the league-leading Gunners to two points ahead of Mikel Arteta's men travelling to take on West Ham on Sunday.

Manchester United limped to a 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Saturday as Michael Carrick's side put in a performance that lacked energy on a wet and windy day on Wearside. With Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko absent due to injury, the Red Devils struggled to get a grip on the game, and were indebted to goalkeeper Senne Lammens for making two excellent saves to preserve their clean sheet.

Chelsea brought an end to their run of Premier League losses as they battled back to earn a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday. Enzo Fernandez's free-kick earned Calum McFarlane's side a point on Merseyside, though their hopes of sneaking into the Champions League via a sixth-placed finish continue to fade away after failing to record a much-needed victory.

With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly presumably disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d'Or hasn't felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players now beginning each campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer. Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued by injuries and inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he is among a crowded field of contenders one year on.

Atletico Madrid once again came up short in the Champions League as they suffered a 1-0 loss at Arsenal on Tuesday that meant they succumbed to a 2-1 aggregate defeat in their semi-final tie. Diego Simeone's side mustered just two shots on target in north London as their hopes of facing either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30 went up in smoke.

Chelsea's hopes of securing a top-five finish in the Premier League were ended on Monday as they put in a shameful performance in losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest. Cole Palmer missed from the penalty spot as the Blues' run of league defeats stretched to six games, meaning their hopes of securing Champions League qualification for next season hang by the finest of threads.

Liverpool lost out in a topsy-turvy game against Manchester United on Sunday, suffering a 3-2 defeat despite launching a second-half comeback. The Reds were two down at half-time, but goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo got them right back into the game, only for Kobbie Mainoo to fire home and secure all three points for Michael Carrick's side.

The 2026 World Cup is almost here. After years of build-up, dramatic qualifiers and numerous good - and bad - news stories surrounding FIFA's flagship finals, players and coaches from around the world are completing their last preparations before descending on the United States, Mexico and Canada in June for the biggest international football tournament to ever have been staged.

Atletico Madrid fought back to earn a 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Julian Alvarez netted from the penalty spot to equalise Viktor Gyokeres' own spot-kick as a tactical tweak from Diego Simeone helped the Rojiblancos battle back and avoid defeat on home soil in the Spanish capital.

Bayern Munich will have to come from behind if they are to reach the Champions League final as they lost out 5-4 to Paris Saint-Germain in the thrilling first leg of their semi-final clash. Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Dayot Upamecano and Luis Diaz all got on the scoresheet for the Bundesliga winners in what proved to be a game that showcased the very best in attacking football.

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table as Eberechi Eze's stunning strike secured a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday. The Gunners produced another nervy display in their bid to end their 22-year wait for the title, but the struggling Magpies couldn't take advantage as Mikel Arteta's side moved three points clear of Manchester City, albeit with Pep Guardiola's side again now having a game in hand.

Liverpool climbed up to fourth in the Premier League table with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. Alexander Isak and Andy Robertson's first-half goals put the Reds in control while third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman produced a number of superb saves to help preserve the lead before Florian Wirtz made the points safe in stoppage time. The afternoon was somewhat soured, however, after Mohamed Salah suffered an injury that might rule him out for the final weeks of his Liverpool career.

Manchester City's hopes of wrapping up the Women's Super League title with games to spare suffered a major blow as they slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Saturday. Kerolin had given the champions-elect an early lead on the south coast, but Andree Jeglertz's side were wasteful in attack and desperate in defence as they suffered just their third league defeat of the campaign.