Arsenal won the 2025-26 Premier League, finishing above Manchester City to claim their first league title in 22 years. Mikel Arteta’s side also reached a Champions League final, making their season the clearest example of prediction turning into something bigger than expected.
The top four carried several major storylines. City ended second and collected both domestic cups in Pep Guardiola’s final campaign at the club, while Manchester United surged to third after a mid-season managerial change, with Michael Carrick and his staff credited in the source with reviving the team. Aston Villa finished fourth and added the Europa League, beating Freiburg in the final.
Further down, the table was shaped by clubs that outperformed preseason expectations. Bournemouth finished sixth after an 18-match unbeaten run in the second half of the campaign, Sunderland rose to seventh and qualified for the Europa League, and Brentford reached ninth despite losing Thomas Frank and several important players.
Liverpool and Chelsea provide the sharper warning signs. Liverpool, tipped by the source as champions, ended fifth in what was framed as a poor title defence under Arne Slot, while Chelsea finished 10th despite entering the campaign with raised expectations after their Club World Cup success. For editors, the season offers a strong discussion point: was this a one-off disruption or evidence of a deeper shift in Premier League power?
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