Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle have secured their spots in next season’s UEFA Champions League, while Liverpool celebrated winning the Premier League title with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on a thrilling final day of the season.
Liverpool, who clinched their record-equalling 20th league title weeks ago, were already confirmed champions alongside Arsenal, who finished second. Tottenham also qualified for the Champions League after their Europa League triumph midweek.
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City ensured a strong finish to an otherwise underwhelming campaign, sealing third place with a 2-0 win over Fulham. Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring with an acrobatic finish, and Erling Haaland added a second from the penalty spot, extending their run of Champions League qualifications to 15 straight seasons under Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea dashed Nottingham Forest’s hopes of a return to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 1980. Levi Colwill’s close-range finish from Pedro Neto’s delivery secured a 1-0 victory and fourth place for the Blues. Forest will instead play in the UEFA Conference League after finishing seventh.
Newcastle, despite a narrow 1-0 home loss to Everton—courtesy of a Carlos Alcaraz header—managed to cling to fifth place. Their position was protected after Aston Villa suffered a controversial 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Villa’s evening turned sour when goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez received a red card for a challenge on Rasmus Hojlund just before the break. They appeared to have scored the opener through Morgan Rogers, but his goal was disallowed for a foul on United keeper Altay Bayindir a decision upheld by VAR.
United capitalized quickly, with Amad Diallo heading home from a Bruno Fernandes cross, and Christian Eriksen later converting a penalty to seal the result. The Red Devils ended the season in 15th place, while Villa finished sixth and secured Europa League qualification as a consolation.
