An emotional final day of the Premier League season saw West Ham's 14-year stay in the top flight end while Tottenham survived to earn a 49th consecutive season in the division.
Relegation Drama
West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 but that wasn't enough. Fourth-from-bottom Tottenham won 1-0 at home to Everton, staying two points clear of their London rivals.
"We shouldn't be in the position we're in but we've found ourselves in it and we've not done enough to stay up," West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said. "Hurt is the only thing."
Tottenham won three of its last five games under recently hired coach Roberto De Zerbi to secure survival.
Guardiola's Farewell
Pep Guardiola's decade-long tenure at Manchester City ended with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa. The defeat featured a mid-match guard of honor for Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
Guardiola wept on the sideline as Silva left the field and was given his own guard of honor by players and staff after the match. His reign included six Premier League titles among 17 major trophies.
Arsenal Clinches Title
Arsenal had already clinched the title in midweek and closed its first championship-winning campaign since 2004 with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
The players received the trophy about an hour after fulltime at Selhurst Park, with coach Mikel Arteta and the team wearing jerseys with "Champions 2026" on the back.
European Qualification
In the final shake-up for European qualification, Bournemouth and Sunderland finished sixth and seventh respectively to enter the Europa League, while Brighton took eighth place to reach the Conference League.
Brighton lost 3-0 at home to Manchester United, with Bruno Fernandes scoring and recording a record-setting 21st assist of the season.
Sunderland beat Chelsea 2-1 and will play in Europe for the first time in 53 years—a remarkable achievement for a team in its first season back in the top division.
Chelsea missed out on European competition entirely after finishing 10th, despite winning the Club World Cup 10 months earlier.
West Ham's Third Relegation
Add 2026 to 2003 and 2011 as years when West Ham lost its Premier League status. The big difference this season is that the team now plays home matches in the 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium.
"This club deserves to be in the Premier League," said Bowen, who scored and set up a goal against Leeds. "Our aim now is to get this club back into the Premier League."
The club will now face teams like Wrexham, Wolves, and Burnley in the Championship.
De Zerbi Rescues Tottenham
A top-flight ever present since 1978, Tottenham was heading out of the Premier League before hiring De Zerbi in what proved to be an inspired appointment.
Joao Palhinha scored Tottenham's winner against Everton in the 43rd minute, forcing in a rebound after initially heading against the post. Spurs defended stoutly to stop Everton scoring the two goals that would have kept West Ham up.
"After a bad season like this one, we showed up as a collective and had amazing support from the fans," Palhinha said.