Arsenal End 22-Year Wait

Arsenal are Premier League champions for the first time since 2004.

Mikel Arteta's side beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday to cap a season that ended the 'nearly men' narrative once and for all. Three straight second-place finishes. Now a title. The Gunners finished on 85 points, seven clear of Manchester City in second.

Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the 42nd minute. Nuno Tavares added a second early in the second half. Crystal Palace pulled one back through Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 89th minute — but it didn't matter. The trophy was already Arsenal's.

"That was beautiful," Arteta told BBC Sport after lifting the trophy at Selhurst Park. "Look at the joy of all of the people, they have been waiting for this for so long."

Arsenal fans have waited more than two decades for this. The city of north London finally has its answer to Liverpool and City's recent dominance.

Guardiola's Departure Overshadowed

Every outlet is leading with the celebration. But the timing deserves attention: Pep Guardiola's era at Manchester City ended on the same afternoon Arsenal claimed the title.

The man who blocked Arsenal more than anyone — six Premier League titles in ten seasons at City — left the stage as Arsenal finally claimed theirs. According to BBC Sport, Guardiola broke down in tears when captain Bernardo Silva was substituted off in the 59th minute of City's 1-2 defeat to Aston Villa. Both men cried on the touchline. Guardiola called it "an incredible sense of peace."

City finished second with 78 points. By normal standards, an enormous season. But now someone must manage the most expensively built squad in English football history without the architect who created it. That transition will define the next chapter of the title race.

West Ham: From Conference League Trophy to Championship in Three Years

In May 2023, an estimated 70,000 fans lined the streets of east London to celebrate West Ham winning the Europa Conference League. According to BBC Sport, that was their first trophy in 43 years.

On Sunday, they were relegated.

The Hammers beat Leeds 3-0 — goals from Castellanos (57'), Bowen (79'), and Wilson (90+4') — but it was irrelevant. Tottenham beat Everton at the same time, which sent West Ham down to the Championship regardless of their own result.

West Ham had been in the Premier League since the 2012-13 season. Fourteen straight years gone.

Chairman David Sullivan is taking heat from supporters. BBC Sport notes that fans directed angry chants at Sullivan during the Leeds game. The club issued a statement: "The plain truth is that we have not been good enough."

Jarrod Bowen scored 20 Premier League goals and assists despite playing for a relegated team. According to the final standings published by Bolavip, West Ham finished 18th with 39 points and a goal difference of -19. The club now faces a critical question: how many of their best players stay?

According to the Daily Mail, a five-way battle is already forming for Bowen, and West Ham could lose their entire first XI. Relegation typically triggers such departures across a squad.

Tottenham: Survival Is Not a Success Story

Spurs beat Everton 1-0 — Joao Palhinha scoring the only goal — to finish 17th with 41 points. They survived. The celebrations were genuine.

But banners in the stands told a different story: "Promised Success. Delivering Failure. ENIC Out."

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty noted that this was Tottenham's second straight 17th-place finish. The club went through Thomas Frank in eight months. Then hired Igor Tudor, who lasted 44 days and lost five of seven games. Then emergency-hired Roberto de Zerbi, who stabilized things just enough to avoid the drop.

Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange were both in attendance on Sunday. Their decision-making — particularly the Tudor appointment — will face serious scrutiny in the coming weeks.

Surviving relegation is a minimum standard, not a season highlight. The Tottenham board will need to address that distinction before the summer transfer window opens.

The Full Final Standings

According to Bolavip's confirmed final table, the 2025-26 Premier League season ended:

Relegated: West Ham (39 pts), Burnley (22 pts), Wolves (20 pts)

Champions League next season: Arsenal, Man City, Man United, Aston Villa, Liverpool

Europa League: Bournemouth, Sunderland

Conference League: Brighton

Aston Villa, who also won the Europa League on Wednesday, finished fourth. Manchester United — managed by Michael Carrick according to BBC Sport — beat Brighton 3-0 and finished third on 71 points. Bruno Fernandes reportedly broke the Premier League assists record with 21 in a single season.

What Comes Next

Arsenal now face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday. A win would extend this moment well beyond the domestic season.

For everyone else: City need a new manager. West Ham need a miracle. Tottenham need accountability that reaches the boardroom. And 20 other clubs need to figure out how to compete with an Arsenal side that has just proven it can win under pressure.

Arteta told his players after the trophy presentation: "This shirt now represents something else."

For 22 years, it represented hope and disappointment. Now it represents something the next generation of Arsenal fans hasn't seen before.