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Today’s top-flight fixtures in full:
Brighton v Manchester United
Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Fulham v Newcastle
Liverpool v Brentford
Manchester City v Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth
Sunderland v Chelsea
Tottenham v Everton
West Ham United v Leeds United
Hello world!
So, today is the day. No more procrastination, an end to doubt and vacillation. The single remaining relegation spot is by a margin the most significant position to be decided, and the crux of it is this: West Ham will go down if they don’t beat Leeds at home. They will also go down if Tottenham beat Everton at home, or if Spurs draw and West Ham win by fewer than 12 (twelve) goals. (The biggest margin of victory in the history of the Premier League is 9-0; in the history of the entire Football League there have been four victories by a margin big enough to save West Ham should Spurs win today, the most recent 80 years ago).
Meanwhile, though we know that Arsenal will finish first, Manchester City second and Manchester United third, no other position in the entire league is already determined. Liverpool need a point to seal a Champions League place, but if they beat Brentford at home and fourth-placed Aston Villa lose at Manchester City they would go to fourth, Villa drop to fifth and, thanks to Villa’s Europa League victory, a sixth Champions League spot will open up.
Bournemouth need a point at Nottingham Forest to be sure of finishing sixth, but if they lose Brighton would overtake them if they beat Manchester United at home. Chelsea need to beat Sunderland to be sure of European football, and Sunderland need to beat Chelsea if they are to have a chance of qualification themselves. If they draw Brentford would leapfrog Chelsea with a win at Anfield, but the point would still take Chelsea above Brighton if the Seagulls lose by at least two goals. A draw wouldn’t do Sunderland any good at all, and there will be no last-day gifts for them: if the Premier League gets an extra Champions League spot they will not also get an extra place in the Europa League. That whole seventh-to-10th area of the table is essentially a bit complicated.
And at the bottom, Burnley host Wolves in a wooden spoon playoff.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will be presented with their trophy after the final whistle at Selhurst Park, when Oliver Glasner will also wave goodbye to the home fans, while Pep Guardiola will bid farewell to the Etihad after City’s game against Villa and Andoni Iraola will take charge of Bournemouth for the final time. Mo Salah and Andy Robertson will play at Anfield for the final time (for Liverpool, at least).
