So, we finally have a minute to breathe and actually look back at what just happened. If you’d told me a year ago that we’d be sitting here staring at a last season premier league table where Manchester City wasn't at the top, I probably would’ve laughed you out of the room. I mean, Pep's machine seemed literally invincible. But football is weird, man. It’s glorious and messy and sometimes just plain cruel.
Last season wasn't just a "changing of the guard" moment; it felt like a total structural collapse of the status quo.
The Slot Machine and the Red Renaissance
Arne Slot had the impossible job. How do you follow Jürgen Klopp? Honestly, most of us thought Liverpool would spend a year or two just trying to find their footing. Instead, Slot basically walked into Anfield, tweaked a few tactical dials, and turned them into a 26-match unbeaten juggernaut.
Liverpool finished the season with 84 points. They didn't just win; they strangled the life out of the competition. By the time they hammered Tottenham 5–1 at Anfield in late April, the title was already mathematically theirs with four games to spare. It equalled Manchester United's record of 20 English league titles, which has to sting for the folks over at Old Trafford.
Mohamed Salah was basically a cheat code. 29 goals. 18 assists. At his age, he’s still making world-class defenders look like they’re playing in slow motion. When he signed that contract extension alongside Virgil van Dijk, you could practically hear the collective sigh of relief from the Kop.
💡 You might also like: Huskers vs Michigan State: What Most People Get Wrong About This Big Ten Rivalry
Why City Cracked
People want to talk about "tactical fatigue," but let's be real: the Rodri injury was the beginning of the end. You can't lose the best holding midfielder in the world to an ACL tear and expect a 38-game season to stay on the rails. City looked human for the first time in years. They finished on 71 points, which is respectable for anyone else, but for them? It’s a crisis.
That 5–1 drubbing they took from Arsenal in February was the loudest wake-up call imaginable. Seeing Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly—actual teenagers—tearing through a Pep Guardiola defense was surreal. City finished third. Third! Below Arsenal, who once again played the role of the "always the bridesmaid" by finishing second with 74 points. Mikel Arteta is going to be seeing red (and not the Liverpool kind) in his sleep for a while.
The Chaos in the Middle
If you want to know why the last season premier league table looks so lopsided, look at the "Big Six." Or rather, the lack of one. Manchester United and Tottenham were, frankly, a disaster domestically.
Spurs ended up in 17th place. Let that sink in. A club with a stadium that nice and a squad that expensive nearly flirted with the unthinkable. The only reason their season wasn't a total write-off is because they managed to beat Manchester United in the Europa League final. That weirdly earned them a Champions League spot for next year despite finishing one spot above the relegation zone. It’s a loophole that feels like it shouldn't exist, but here we are.
📖 Related: NFL Fantasy Pick Em: Why Most Fans Lose Money and How to Actually Win
- Chelsea (4th, 69 pts): Enzo Maresca actually did it. He stabilized the chaos.
- Newcastle (5th, 66 pts): Solid, consistent, and finally back in the big time.
- Aston Villa (6th, 66 pts): Unai Emery continues to be a wizard.
- Nottingham Forest (7th, 65 pts): The absolute shock of the season.
Forest finishing 7th is the kind of story that makes you love the Premier League. They beat Brighton 7–0 in February. Seven-nil. I had to refresh my phone three times to make sure it wasn't a glitch.
The Relegation Heartbreak
At the bottom, it was a grim year for the newcomers. Usually, at least one promoted team puts up a fight. Not this time.
Southampton broke a record nobody wants. Relegated by April 6th with seven matches left. They finished with a measly 12 points. 12! They went 14 games without a win. Watching Russell Martin get sacked after a 5–0 loss to Spurs—only for his replacement Ivan Jurić to last about 100 days—was a masterclass in how not to run a survival campaign.
Leicester City and Ipswich Town followed them down, making it the first time since 1998 that all three promoted teams went straight back to the Championship. It raises some serious questions about the financial gap between the two tiers. Can anyone actually come up and stay up anymore without spending half a billion?
👉 See also: Inter Miami vs Toronto: What Really Happened in Their Recent Clashes
The Mid-Season Managerial Merry-Go-Round
The sack race was brutal last year.
- Erik ten Hag: Gone by October. Ruben Amorim came in, but the damage was done. United finished 15th.
- Gary O'Neil: Sacked by Wolves in December while they were 19th.
- Sean Dyche: Sacked by Everton in January, only for David Moyes to return like a ghost from the past to save them.
Final Standings Summary
| Position | Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 84 | +45 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 74 | +35 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 71 | +28 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 69 | +21 |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 66 | +21 |
| 15 | Manchester United | 42 | -10 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | -1 |
| 20 | Southampton | 12 | -60 |
Honestly, looking at those numbers for Spurs and United feels like looking at a typo. But it’s the reality of the last season premier league table. The mid-table has swallowed the giants, and the gap between the Top 4 and the rest is widening in very strange ways.
If you’re trying to make sense of this for your fantasy league or just to win an argument at the pub, keep the "Europe factor" in mind. Spurs and Crystal Palace (FA Cup winners) are in Europe despite their league positions. It’s going to be a very crowded, very confusing calendar next year.
Next Steps for the Off-Season:
Check out the official Premier League transfer tracker to see how City is planning to replace the "irreplaceable" Rodri, and keep an eye on the newly promoted sides—Leeds, Burnley, and Sunderland—to see if they can avoid the "One-Season-Wonder" trap that claimed last year's bottom three.