On an afternoon of farewells, including those of Bernardo Silva and Pep Guardiola from Manchester City and Mohamed Salah and Robertson from Liverpool, the Premier League brought the season to a close with the final matchday. The most dramatic question was who would occupy the final relegation spot, Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham, and Roberto De Zerbi’s side did not falter against Everton, securing their survival.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, meanwhile, thrashed Leeds United, but it was not enough as they needed Tottenham to lose to stay in the Premier League for another year. West Ham must now rebuild their project in the Championship to try and return to the Premier League as soon as possible. But it will not be easy in one of Europe’s most competitive leagues.

There were no changes at the top of the table following Aston Villa’s surprise victory at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City and Liverpool’s draw at Anfield Road against Brentford. As a result, the Premier League missed out on a historic opportunity to have six teams in next season’s Champions League.

Premier League Matchday 38 Results

• Brighton 0-3 Manchester United
• Burnley 1-1 Wolves
• Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal
• Fulham 2-0 Newcastle
• Liverpool 1-1 Brentford
• Manchester City 1-2 Aston Villa
• Nottingham Forest 1-1 Bournemouth
• Sunderland 2-1 Chelsea
• Tottenham 1-0 Everton
• West Ham 3-0 Leeds United

Bournemouth and Sunderland head to the Europa League

One of the teams left out in the cold because Liverpool failed to overtake Aston Villa in the table was Bournemouth. Anoni Iraola’s side needed a point away at Nottingham Forest to finish sixth. And they got it. But with Unai Emery’s side finishing fourth, Bournemouth will have to settle for a place in the Europa League – a historic achievement for the club.

Another team that made history on their return to the Premier League is Sunderland. The Red and Whites beat Chelsea on a memorable afternoon at the Stadium of Light to leapfrog the Londoners and, capitalising on Brighton’s slip-up, secure the seventh spot that grants entry to the Europa League. No one thought Sunderland would even be in contention for European places, but they have managed to return to Europe 53 years later.

The final ticket to travel across the continent goes to Brighton. They had secured eighth place, and a draw at home against Manchester United would have seen them finish seventh and qualify for the Europa League. With this slip-up, they must settle for the Conference League, something they would have signed up for at the start of the season and which they must consider a resounding success.

Final Premier League table

1. Arsenal 85 points +44
2. Manchester City 78 points +42
3. Manchester United 71 points +19
4. Aston Villa 65 points +7
5. Liverpool 60 points +10
6. Bournemouth 57 points +4
7. Sunderland 54 points -6
8. Brighton 53 points +6
9. Brentford 53 points +3
10. Chelsea 52 points +6
11. Fulham 52 points -4
12. Newcastle 49 points -2
13. Everton 49 points -3
14. Leeds United 47 points -7
15. Crystal Palace 45 points -10
16. Nottingham Forest 44 points -3
17. Tottenham 41 points -9
18. West Ham 39 points -19
19. Burnley 22 points -37
20. Wolves 20 points -41