The last Gameweek of the 2024/25 Premier League season was vital for the top five race, with the league winners and relegated teams confirmed almost a month back. As many as six teams were fighting for the remaining three UEFA Champions League spots.
The Blues won narrowly against the Tricky Trees, while the Villans lost to the Red Devils. The Magpies ensured UCL qualification even after a loss against the Toffees, while Manchester City beat Fulham to make sure they qualified as well.
Let’s take a look at all the action from Gameweek 38.
Bournemouth 2-0 Leicester City
The Cherries ended the season on a winning note by beating the already-relegated Foxes.
The hosts started brightly, with Justin Kluivert being the creator of every good chance that came their way. First, he played a superb through ball to Evanilson, but the Brazilian forward scuffed his shot wide. Then, he crossed to the far post, but David Brooks’ header hit the upright. Kluivert then hit a curling goal-bound shot that was saved by Mads Hermansen, as the two teams went goalless into the break.
Bournemouth’s persistence finally paid off in the 74th minute when Antoine Semenyo latched onto a ball falling in the box from a corner routine and slotted it in. He earned his brace in the 88th minute by capitalising on a sloppy clearance and lashing his shot in at the near post.
Though Bournemouth narrowly missed out on European football, they registered their highest points total ever in the league. Leicester City, meanwhile, will have to contend with life in the Championship next season.
Fulham 0-2 Manchester City
Manchester City ensured UCL qualification by beating Fulham away from home.
Ilkay Gündogan opened the scoring for the Cityzens in the 20th minute with an overhead kick after Bernd Leno had parried Matheus Nunes’s shot. Five minutes later, Harry Wilson’s strike was denied by Ederson after Antonee Robinson’s cross was cleared by Joško Gvardiol into the Welshman’s path. Nico González could have doubled City’s lead before the break, but he shot straight into Leno’s hands. Wilson had another chance to equalise when he found himself in acres of space on the right, but his shot was parried off by Ederson and Andreas Pereira couldn’t guide it in from the rebound at the far post. An eventful first half ended with City 1-0 up against Fulham.
The Cottagers had a superb chance a few minutes after the restart, with Wilson involved again. On the counter, he drove into the box, but instead of shooting he chose to pass and the ball was intercepted. Pereira had a chance off the missed clearance but shot straight into Ederson’s hands. In the 72nd minute, City doubled their advantage when Gündogan was fouled in the box and they were awarded a penalty. Erling Haaland stepped up and converted the spot kick. Both City and Fulham had chances later on, but neither could capitalise as the Sky Blues secured three massive points.
While City ensured UCL qualification for next season and finished the season in third, Fulham ended their campaign in 11th place and would be disappointed as they were in with a chance to make the European places this time around.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Brentford
Wolves and Brentford ended up sharing the spoils at Molineux Stadium.
Brentford opened the scoring inside 20 minutes from main man Bryan Mbuemo, who struck from a Christian Nørgaard pass after his initial shot was blocked. The Bees then had a golden opportunity on the counter when Yoane Wissa was played through and he found Keane Lewis-Potter, but his lobbed shot went narrowly over the bar. Matheus Cunha also had a volleyed effort saved by Mark Flekken.
The two teams came back after the break looking to attack. Wissa missed a fine opportunity to increase his side’s lead, while at the other end Nélson Semedo’s powerful curling strike was palmed off by Flekken. Wolves’ best chance of the game came from Marshall Munetsi’s precise cross, which found Gonçalo Guedes, but he pulled his shot wide at the far post. However, the enterprising Zimbabwean did manage to level proceedings in the 75th minute with a scorching strike from the edge of the box after Jørgen Strand Larsen headed a long-range pass into his path.
Brentford ended their season in tenth place, while Wolves ensured a 16th-place finish, having improved in recent months to avoid relegation after a dismal start to the season.
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Chelsea
The Blues finally managed UCL qualification after two seasons outside of the competition by narrowly beating Nottingham Forest.
Forest had a chance in the eighth minute when Anthony Elanga sent in a cross for Chris Wood in the box, but Levi Colwill was alert to the danger. Chelsea had their first real chance at the half-hour mark when Cole Palmer found Pedro Neto in the box, but the winger missed from point-blank range. Just before the break, Wood also scuffed his shot after Ola Aina’s superb teasing cross into the box.
Five minutes into the restart, Chelsea broke the deadlock when Neto’s pass found Colwill at the far post and he tapped in. Forest did try to get a hold in the game but lacked the cutting edge to create a goalscoring opportunity. Ultimately, Chelsea managed to hold on to the all-important three points.
It’s a heartbreaking end to the season for Forest, given they looked set for a top-five finish for the majority of the season. They have clinched European football, however, and will play in the UEFA Europa Conference League next season.
Manchester United 2-0 Aston Villa
Ten-man Villa suffered defeat and heartbreak at Old Trafford as they failed to book a UCL spot for next season.
The hosts created the early chances, but Emi Martínez kept them at bay. United had a golden opportunity in the 12th minute through Amad Diallo, but he pulled his shot wide of the near post. Diogo Dalot’s curling strike hit the upright as the Villa defence scrambled to avoid conceding a goal. The defining moment came in the first-half stoppage time though as Martínez rammed into Rasmus Højlund—who was through on goal—and received a red card.
The going got even more difficult for Villa after the incident. Casemiro narrowly missed the far post with a curling strike in the 53rd minute. Morgan Rogers thought he had put Villa ahead in the 72nd minute when he took the ball off United keeper Altay Bayindir and scored, but the referee denied the goal for a foul on the keeper. Four minutes later, United broke the deadlock as Bruno Fernandes’ in-swinging cross found Amad at the far post and he headed it in. In the 84th minute, Christian Eriksen converted the spot kick when a penalty was awarded for a foul on Amad in the box. The game ended 2-0.
While United have endured a difficult season, Aston Villa must have felt hard done by as they missed on UCL qualification and will now have to contend with the Europa League next season.
Southampton 1-2 Arsenal
The Saints lost their last league game of the season to the Gunners at St Mary’s Stadium. This game had little significance as Southampton had already been relegated and Arsenal had secured a second-place finish last weekend.
The hosts thought they should have been awarded a penalty when Declan Rice handled the ball in the box, but both the on-field referee and the VAR denied it. Mikel Merino then had a decent chance at the far post from a Gabriel Martinelli cross into the box, but he headed it over the crossbar. Martinelli then had a 1v1 opportunity from a long ball, but an onrushing Aaron Ramsdale smothered his shot. Arsenal’s fullbacks then combined to open the scoring in the 43rd minute—Kieran Tierney turned the ball in from a Ben White cross to give his side a well-deserved lead.
However, Southampton came back after the break and equalised in the 56th minute from a Rob Stewart header at the end of a corner-kick routine. Arsenal missed several chances, with Yukinari Sugawara clearing his lines to deny Rice a shot and an Oleksandr Zinchenko shot being blocked by Southampton defence. However, Arsenal’s continued threat loomed dangerously and, at exactly the 90th minute, a low strike from Martin Ødegaard found the far bottom corner.
Arsenal ended the season ten points behind Liverpool, while Southampton will look to bounce back straight up after getting relegated in April.
Newcastle United 0-1 Everton
The Magpies were fortunate to secure UCL football even after a 1-0 defeat to Everton at home.
The hosts had the first real chance when Sandro Tonali’s curled shot was parried off by Jordan Pickford, who also denied Alexander Isak from the rebound. At the other end, Vitalii Mykolenko crossed into the box for Carlos Alcaraz, whose thumping header was superbly palmed off by Nick Pope. Alcaraz’s strike from distance was also denied by Pope. Everton were also denied a penalty at one point as it looked like one of Newcastle’s defenders had handled the ball in the box.
Everton broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when Mykolenko and Alcaraz combined again, only this time Alcaraz’s header found the far corner. Newcastle had a chance through Fabian Schär’s speculative strike from distance, while Everton also had a great chance to double the lead, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s shot was saved by Pope and he blazed the rebound over the bar.
Everton ended the season in 13th place, while Newcastle clinched the last UCL spot with a fifth-place finish.
Liverpool 1-1 Crystal Palace
Liverpool drew with Crystal Palace after going a man down in the second half. This was another game that didn’t hold much significance for either side.
The hosts were dealt a shock when Ismaïla Sarr curled the ball into the far bottom corner inside ten minutes. Moments later, Luis Díaz almost equalised as his curled shot whizzed narrowly past the far post. Díaz missed another gilt-edged chance when Mohamed Salah found him in the box with a delightful pass, but his on-the-turn shot was stopped by Dean Henderson.
The second half started brightly as Liverpool looked to create chances. Salah’s shot on goal was handled by Maxence Lacroix, but a penalty wasn’t awarded as his hand was close to his body. Things got worse for the Reds in the 68th minute when Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for a foul on Daichi Kamada while preventing a goalscoring opportunity. However, the Reds continued to attack, with Diogo Jota hitting the upright. Salah finally equalised in the 84th minute when Darwin Núñez’s cross from the right was headed down in the box by Cody Gakpo and the Egyptian slammed it under the crossbar. The game ended 1-1.
Liverpool lifted their second PL trophy in five years, while the Eagles will play in the Europa League next season after winning the FA Cup this year.
Ipswich Town 1-3 West Ham United
The Hammers finished the dismal season on a positive note as they thrashed the relegated Tractor Boys.
The first half was fairly uneventful except for Nathan Broadhead being denied by a superb reaction save from Lukasz Fabianski. Towards half-time, Ipswich captain Sam Morsy saw his sloppy back pass intercepted by Jarrod Bowen, who teed up James Ward-Prowse for a low strike into the far corner in the 43rd minute.
Ipswich restored parity in the 52nd minute when Broadhead drove past the West Ham defence and struck precisely into the bottom left corner. However, the Irons regained the lead four minutes later through Bowen’s powerful drive. Mohammed Kudus then put the game to bed with a curling shot into the far corner from inside the box in the 87th minute.
West Ham ended the season dismally in 14th place, while Ipswich Town’s return to the PL was a short one and they will try to return to the top flight again next season.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Fresh from their Europa League triumph, Spurs suffered an embarrassing defeat at home against the Seagulls.
Spurs opened the scoring from a Dominic Solanke penalty after Mathys Tel was fouled in the box in the 17th minute. There wasn’t much effort from either side after this early goal.
However, Jack Hinshelwood came on after the break and restored parity in the 51st minute with a close-range finish. Carlos Baleba then struck the far post with a vicious swing of his right foot. Hinshelwood scored his second in the 64th minute with a cute backheel flick from a corner kick. Matt O’Reilly sealed all three points for Brighton in the 88th minute by converting his spot kick. The best of the lot came from Diego Gómez in stoppage time when he curled in a long-range strike into the top right corner.
Brighton grabbed the three points but ended up in eighth place and will not be playing in Europe next season. Spurs, meanwhile, registered their worst finish in the Premier League by ending the season in 17th. However, winning the Europa League has ensured they play Champions League football next season.
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