All Of The Big Stories From The Final Day In The Premier League

The 2024/25 Premier League campaign was one that will be remembered for years to come.

Full of dominant displays, fairytale seasons, massive underachievers and controversy, Football Park takes a look at what went down as the curtain drew on another campaign.

Champions League achievement for City, Chelsea and Newcastle

The race for the UEFA Champions League came down to the wire, as Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest battled it out for the final three qualification places - with just three points separating third and seventh in the table.

Tottenham Hotspur confirmed their place in next season’s competition, having won the UEFA Europa League, while Liverpool and Arsenal had already cemented their spot.

Manchester City would cruise into the qualification positions. Having started the day in third place, City defeated Fulham 2-0 thanks to goals from Gundogan and Haaland to end the season. Fourth place was decided by a head to head clash between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.

See you soon, @ChampionsLeague. ⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/pavTx7T9MO

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 25, 2025

A win for the Blues would cement their Champions League spot, while Nottingham Forest needed to win and Aston Villa to be held to a draw/loss to qualify.

Chelsea would emerge victorious despite Forest’s efforts as Levi Colwill’s effort was enough for Enzo Marseca’s side.

Newcastle United claimed the fifth and final spot in next season’s Champions League despite a 1-0 loss to Everton due to Aston Villa’s failure against Manchester United.

Unai Emery’s side suffered a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford. This loss meant that Villa finished the season in sixth, joining FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in the UEFA Europa League.

Aston Villa’s complaint to PGMOL

Aston Villa’s defeat to Manchester United didn’t come without any controversy, as a formal complaint was written to PGMOL in regards to the officiating for the fixture.

The written complaint is based on the referee, Thomas Bramall disallowing a goal from Morgan Rogers for a foul on goalkeeper Altay Bayinder, in what was a clear and obvious error.

“Aston Villa can confirm the club has written to the PGMOL to raise concerns over the selection process of match officials following today’s game with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

With such high stakes surrounding today’s fixture, the club believe a more experienced referee should have been appointed. Of the 10 referees to officiate across the Premier League today, Mr. Bramall was the 2nd least experienced.

The decision to disallow Morgan Rogers' goal, which would have given the club a 1-0 lead with 17 minutes remaining in the match, was a major contributing factor to the club not qualifying for the Champions League.

Unai Emery couldn't believe it when Manchester United scored after Villa's goal was disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper.

At the moment, Aston Villa will be playing Europa League football next season 😮 pic.twitter.com/41NgNb1vnd

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 25, 2025

As per the standards that have been established over the course of the season, a decision to whistle early is clearly inconsistent with current refereeing guidelines. VAR exists to ensure that these types of situations receive the scrutiny they deserve. Unfortunately, the technology was not allowed to serve its purpose.

Ultimately, we acknowledge that the outcome for us will not change, but we believe that it is important to address the selection methodology to ensure that high stakes matches are treated as such with regards to officiating and to ensure that the implemented VAR technology is allowed to be effective.”

Brighton miss out

Brighton came into the final game of the season with the aspiration of qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League, following a 3-2 win against Liverpool in mid-week.

However, the Seagulls would need help from Nottingham Forest and the rest of the clubs fighting for a top five spot, if they wished to qualify.

Due to Chelsea reaching the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League, if the Blues were to win the tournament they would automatically qualify for the UEFA Europa League.

This would mean that if Chelsea fail to finish in the top six spots, Brighton would be given the UEFA Europa Conference League spot.

Unfortunately for Brighton, Chelsea’s victory against Forest ruined any chance of them playing in Europe next season, despite a 4-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur.

To add insult to injury, rivals Crystal Palace’s FA Cup heroics meant that they qualified for a place in the UEFA Europa League.

So, how come Brighton aren’t in Europe next season? ☺️#CPFC pic.twitter.com/KjzN8j1eYf

— Team Called Palace (@TCPalacePod) May 25, 2025

Had Crystal Palace not won the competition, there would have been a European qualification place for the side that finished eighth - which Brighton did.

Trent’s fairytale farewell

Trent Alexander-Arnold closed the Liverpool chapter of his career on the final day of the season.

The English fullback had announced that he will be leaving his boyhood club at the end of the campaign, with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid lined up.

Alexander-Arnold had come under fire from the Liverpool supporters for his departure, having allowed his contract to expire in order to join Real Madrid on a free transfer.

Fairytale ending ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jZbRu10oN9

— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) May 26, 2025

Such criticism was met with a hostile reception for the remainder of the season with loud boos ringing around stadiums towards Alexander-Arnold.

Jurgen Klopp came to the defence of his former defender before the final game of the season, stating;

“I’m not saying don’t be disappointed he’s leaving (to Madrid) but don’t forget what he’s done for the club. I heard the booing & switched off my TV. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. This isn’t us.”

Klopp’s words seemed to have an impact on the Liverpool faithful as Trent received his Premier League winners medal to a chorus of cheers, calling off what has been an iconic career with the Reds.