Matchday 37 of the EPL season is in the books, and we’re here to review it, identify the big takeaways, and examine the markets.
Ollie Watkins scored a timely brace for Aston Villa to beat Liverpool 4-2 in the opening fixture of Matchday 37. Despite the result, Arne Slot looks set to retain his job, especially with other managerial targets taking jobs elsewhere, but the pressure is on him and will remain through to the start of next season
Bruno Fernandes orchestrated the goal for Manchester United to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 and, in doing so, matched the single-season assist record.
Since Bruno Fernandes joined Man Utd, he has created more chances (670) and registered more assists (71) than any other player in the Premier League.
Peerless playmaker. 🔝 pic.twitter.com/kH8oBkEQVT
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 18, 2026
An 88th-minute equaliser keeps Brentford in the hunt for European competition following their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. Sunderland remain alongside them after coming from behind to beat Everton 3-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Leeds United have continued their strong finish to the EPL season with a last-gasp 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck the winner six minutes into injury time to put a significant dent in the Seagulls’ hopes of European football next season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will take any points they can get at the moment. Although they’ll be disappointed to finish 1-1 after leading Fulham 1-0 after 25 minutes. More disappointing still, West Ham were thrashed 3-1 by Newcastle United, with relegation now looking much more likely.
They didn’t know it at the time, but Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Burnley would be enough to claim the Premier League title. Manchester City’s draw with Bournemouth confirmed as much 24 hours later.
Lastly, Tottenham Hotspur looked the better team for much of the match but struggled early to create dangerous chances. In the end, Spurs couldn’t make the most of those they did create for Chelsea to win 2-1.
Chelsea (0.76) 2-1 (1.97) Tottenham
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) May 19, 2026
It leaves Tottenham in the fight to avoid relegation, with West Ham only two points behind heading into the final day.
3 Takeaways From Matchday 37
Arsenal Crowned Premier League Champions
The wait is over for Arsenal.
After 22 years and too many bottle-jobs to cover, they’ve finally been crowned Premier League champions.
Three consecutive second-placed finishes are behind them and, ultimately, led them here to EPL glory. While their 1-0 win over lowly Burnley sealed the deal, they’ve been the best team in the league all season and learned from failed campaigns past.
The Arsenal. Your Premier League champions. pic.twitter.com/gNnfzesrhP
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 19, 2026
Far from highlight-producers, Mikel Arteta’s side stuck to their identity, dug in defensively, and suffocated their opposition every match. Conceding only 26 goals all season, the Gunners comfortably finished with the best defensive record in the EPL while scoring 69 goals of their own.
Said to be overreliant on the set piece at times, you can afford to lean on it when scoring 28 goals from them throughout the season. They set a new EPL record with 17 goals from corners, with nearly a third of their total goals this season from set plays.
It’s been a long time coming for Arteta and Arsenal, but there is still more to play for with a Champions League Final against PSG to come.
Alonso Commits
Things didn’t go to plan for him at Real Madrid, but that hasn’t stopped Chelsea from signing Xabi Alonso to take over from next season.
Notably, he’s been announced as the new “manager,” not the head coach, as others have been in the past.
Signed to a four-year contract, it remains to be seen how much control Alonso is given of the squad. He lasted only 233 days at the Bernabéu and doesn’t arrive at Chelsea with a whole lot to fall back on. Still, the issue for Chelsea in recent seasons has centred around the disconnect between the manager and those who make the big decisions.
Alonso brings tactical brilliance at the very least. He’s not afraid to make changes to personnel or formation, which holds him in good standing for the EPL.
Contract length means little at Chelsea these days. If he’s not up to it, Alonso won’t last the season. He will no doubt have a close eye on their last game of this one as $1.95 favourites to beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Pep’s Last Ride?
It’s been rumoured for months, and the man himself is still failing to confirm it, but Pep Guardiola is expected to leave Manchester City at the end of this season. For City, their title hopes were extinguished on Matchday 37 following their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.
Now the focus is back on Guardiola and his future. Fittingly, as Chelsea hire their new man, Enzo Maresca has been tossed up as Guardiola’s likely replacement.
🚨🔵 BREAKING: Enzo Maresca has a total verbal agreement with Manchester City, HERE WE GO!
The Italian manager has always been considered the ideal candidate to replace Pep Guardiola.
Deal in place and Maresca will sign an initial three year deal at #MCFC. 🇮🇹
New era, soon. pic.twitter.com/njb3sXRl7w
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 19, 2026
Maresco has big shoes to fill and expectations to live up to in the wake of Guardiola. Pep added 20 trophies to the cabinet in his time at the club, including six EPL titles and Manchester City’s first Champions League title in 2023.
They have the financial backing and the playing group to win everything every season, but as we’ve seen in this one, it’s not always that simple.
City will play Aston Villa on the final day of the EPL season as $1.40 favourites, but theirs ended in a stalemate on Matchday 37.