Premier League Standings Update: Title, Cup Spots Up for Grabs on Final Day of Games
The Premier League season culminates in a day of games at 11 AM EST on Sunday, May 19th. While there are seasons where many of the races for spots are wrapped up and there is no room for drama, this year is not one of those seasons. The main event is Arsenal and Man City fighting for the top spot, but other positions in the Premier League standings are up for grabs as well.
Here are the current Premier League standings, and a rundown of each of the ten games on Sunday and how each factors into the final standings:
Manchester City - 88 Points, +60 Goal Differential
Arsenal - 86 Pts, +61 GD
Liverpool - 79 Pts, +43 GD
Aston Villa - 68 Pts, +20 GD
Tottenham - 63 Pts, +10 GD
Chelsea - 60 Pts, +13 GD
Newcastle - 57 Pts, +21 GD
Manchester United - 57 Pts, -3 GD
West Ham - 52 Pts, -12 GD
Brighton - 48 Pts, -5 GD
Bournemouth - 48 Pts, -12 GD
Crystal Palace - 46 Pts, -6 GD
Wolves - 46 Pts, -13 GD
Fulham - 44 Pts, -8 GD
Everton - 40 Pts, -10 GD
Brentford - 39 Pts, -7 GD
Nottingham Forest - 29 Pts, -19 GD
Luton Town - 26 Pts, -31 GD
Burnley - 24 Pts, -36 GD
Sheffield United - 16 Pts, -66 GD
West Ham (9th Place, 52 Pts, -12 GD) @ Man City (1st Place, 88 Pts, +60 GD)
West Ham has nothing to play for, as they are locked into ninth place. Their sole motivation to win this game is to prevent Man City from winning the title, which given Man City’s goal differential versus Arsenal’s, a tie could get the job done as long as Arsenal does their part. It will be interesting to see how West Ham approaches the game. Man City has to win to guarantee their fourth consecutive title. They are two points ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League standings and behind on goal differential, so it’s essentially a must-win.
Everton (15th Place, 40 Pts, -12 GD) @ Arsenal (2nd Place, 86 Pts, +61 GD)
Everton isn’t at risk of relegation but after a steep point deduction penalty, they can fall lower than 15th. A win would guarantee them 15th, but a loss and a Brentford win could drop them to 16th. This game is much more meaningful to Arsenal, who have a chance to usurp the three-time defending champs in the Premier League standings. With a win and a Man City draw or tie, Arsenal can win the Premier League for the first time since their undefeated 2003-04 season.
Wolves (13th Place, 46 Pts, -13 GD) @ Liverpool (3rd Place, 86 Pts, +43 GD)
Wolves can jump as high as tenth with a win and a loss from Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, and Brighton. Given each team is playing a team higher than them in the Premier League standings, that is very possible. Liverpool has nothing to play for standings-wise but in Jurgen Klopp’s last game, they would like to honor their top manager by ending his Liverpool career with a win. Facing the 13th-place team, that should be the expectation.
Aston Villa (4th Place, 68 Pts, +20 GD) @ Crystal Palace (12th Place, 46 Pts, -6 GD)
Aston Villa clinched fourth place and a Champions League spot with a draw against Liverpool and a Tottenham loss to Man City last week, so they don’t have anything to play for beyond pride. Crystal Palace has much more to play for, and like Wolves, can jump to as high as tenth in the Premier League standings with a win and the teams above them losing. With their great attacking form in recent games, a potentially post-partying Villa may mean a potential high-scoring affair for Palace. The win could come down to how well they defend.
Tottenham (5th Place, 63 Pts, +10 GD) @ Sheffield United (20th Place, 16 Pts, -66 GD)
Tottenham is in a great position to clinch a Europa League fifth-place spot against last-place Sheffield. The Spurs can clinch fifth with at least a draw. Even if they did lose, they could earn a spot in the Europa League depending on FA Cup results. Sheffield is in last place in the Premier League standings no matter what, so they will be playing for pride and hoping to build momentum heading down into the second English league.
Bournemouth (11th Place, 48 Pts, -12 GD) @ Chelsea (6th Place, 60 Pts, +13 GD)
Bournemouth is also in the group that can jump to tenth place behind West Ham, so a win and a Brighton loss to Man United can bring them up in the standings. Chelsea has a lot to play for, but like Tottenham, depends on the FA Cup result between Man City and Man United. If Man City wins, sixth place can earn a spot in the Europa League, but if Man United wins, sixth place means Conference League instead. Chelsea can get to fifth place in the Premier League standings and confirm a Europa League spot with a win and a Tottenham loss.
Newcastle (7th Place, 57 Pts, +21 GD) @ Brentford (16th Place, 39 Pts, -7 GD)
Given their goal differential, Newcastle has a chance to jump to sixth with a win and a loss from both Chelsea. They are in a similar spot to Chelsea in that they will be cheering for Manchester United to lose in the FA Cup final, stealing an extra spot in the top two European competitions for England. Brentford can’t fall in the Premier League standings, only surpass Everton with a win and Everton loss or draw to Arsenal. Everton isn’t likely to win, but Brentford should have a tough time beating a superior Newcastle team with a lot to play for.
Manchester United (8th Place, 57 Pts, -3 GD @ Brighton (10th Place, 48 Pts, -5 GD)
Man United’s poor goal differential is coming back to bite them for this game, as it means they are likely maxed out at seventh place with a win. While they will try their best to win this game, the more important game for them is the FA Cup final, as that is what will earn them the best cup competition possible. Brighton has a lot of teams chasing them for tenth in the Premier League standings, so a win wouldn’t improve their standing but would prevent them from dropping beyond a massive Bournemouth blowout win.
Fulham (14th Place, 44 Pts, -8 GD @ Luton Town (18th Place, 26 Pts, -31 GD)
Fulham could jump to 12th if things go right, and can’t fall farther down 14th if things go wrong. They can only jump Crystal Palace and Wolves in the standings. Behind by 12 in goal differential, only a massive win and massive loss from Nottingham Forest can stop Luton from relegation. A loss and a Burnley win could also drop them to 19th in the Premier League standings. Either way, Luton will look to win and show why they could easily return to the top flight sooner rather than later.
Nottingham Forest (17th Place, 29 Pts, -19 GD @ Burnley (19th Place, 24 Pts, -36 GD)
Nottingham Forest has practically clinched a spot outside of relegation, but a result would confirm that. As long as they don’t get blown out by 19th-place Burnley, they should be fine. Burnley, like Sheffield, has clinched a relegation spot, but can at best jump to 18th with a win and Luton Town loss. They could also jump Luton in the Premier League standings with a big win and Luton draw due to goal differential.
Not the most dramatic final day of games, but some drama nonetheless. Given the varying stakes levels, it will be fun to see how each team approaches their games. Some teams will be motivated to jump places, while others will be motivated to hurt their opponents in the Premier League standings. When some teams have everything to lose while others have nothing to lose, anything can happen on the final day of games.
