Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United on Sunday secured their spots in next season’s Champions League in a dramatic fashion on the last day of the 2024/2025 EPL season.
Final-day defeats for Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will see them play in the Europa League and Conference League next season, respectively.
City went into their clash with Fulham needing just a point to secure Champions League qualification, and Ilkay Gündogan’s sensational overhead kick settled any lingering fears of a first season without Champions League since 2009. Erling Haaland’s late penalty saw them lockdown third spot in style.
Enzo Maresca secured Champions League qualification in his first season in charge at Chelsea after a 1-0 win over fellow-contenders Nottingham Forest. It was a disappointing end to a dream campaign for Forest, who spent a majority of the season in Champions League places. A seventh-place finish sees them qualify for next year’s Conference League.
The final Champions League spot was secured by Newcastle, who returned to Europe’s elite despite a home loss to Everton courtesy of Aston Villa’s 2-0 loss at Manchester United.
The result means Unai Emery’s side will be playing in the Europa League next season.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez’s red-card at the stroke of half-time had left Villa with an uphill task. The Birmingham-based side briefly jumped above Newcastle to fifth when Carlos Alcaraz put Everton ahead at St. James’ Park and looked to have consolidated their spot when Morgan Rogers put the ball in the back of the net.
However, the goal was controversially disallowed and moments later Amad Diallo scored to put United ahead and drop Villa to sixth. Christian Eriksen’s late penalty confirmed their fate
Liverpool and Arsenal had already been confirmed as the top-two in the Premier League going into the final day. Champions Liverpool drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace on the day of their title coronation, while Martin Ødegaard’s 89th minute winner saw Arsenal wrap up their season with a win.
