The latest Premier League season concluded with Arsenal claiming the title for the first time in 22 years. They surpassed Manchester City in the penultimate week to secure the championship. This marks the first time since 2008 that Pep Guardiola did not win the league for two consecutive seasons.
Top Performers
Individually, Brentford’s Igor Thiago competed closely with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot, awarded to the season’s top goalscorer. Haaland earned the title with 27 goals, securing the award for the third time in four years in England.
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United led the Playmaker award race with a record-breaking 21 assists. Arsenal’s David Raya won the Golden Glove for the third successive year, achieving 19 clean sheets.
Alternative Premier League Awards
Most Improved Team: Manchester United
Manchester United showed significant improvement, increasing their points tally by 29 compared to their 15th-place finish in 2024-25. They were the only team to better their previous season by more than 12 points.
Conversely, Liverpool underperformed, finishing fifth with 60 points, 24 below their previous total. The tragic loss of Diogo Jota last summer contributed to their challenges.
Most Points Dropped from Winning Positions: Newcastle United
Newcastle dropped 27 points from winning positions, the highest in the league. Eddie Howe’s side struggled to maintain leads due to juggling domestic and European competitions.
“Certainly, from my side, there’s no part of me that ever wants to take the lead and then to sit on a lead. The opposite—we want to go for more goals,” said Howe after a derby loss to Sunderland.
By contrast, Nottingham Forest never lost after leading in 16 games, maintaining a strong record despite head coach changes.
Stoppage-Time Entertainers: Liverpool
Liverpool scored the most goals in stoppage time (10) and conceded seven. Late goals by opponents like Manchester City and Wolves often led to Liverpool’s defeat while they sought victory.
Set-Piece Dynamos: Arsenal
Arsenal led both offensively and defensively in set pieces, scoring 8.2 goals per 100 set pieces and conceding only 3.3 per 100.
Long Throw Specialists: Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace utilized long throw-ins extensively. With Chris Richards and Jefferson Lerma deploying this tactic, 73% of attacking-third throws reached the penalty area. Despite fewer shots, Palace led the league with six goals scored from long throws.
Crossing Tendencies: Spurs and Bournemouth
Tottenham preferred the right flank, with Pedro Porro making the most open-play crosses (155). Bournemouth leaned left, with Adrien Truffert contributing significantly.
Most Stable Squad: Everton
Everton had the most stability in player selection, with only 1.5 changes per game. Moyes relied on a consistent core of players.
Chelsea’s frequent changes reflected their inflated squad and managerial instability during the season.
Low Block Experts: Sunderland
Sunderland played in a low block 28% of the time, the highest rate in the league, while maintaining the most compact formation.
Most Entertaining Team: Bournemouth
Bournemouth’s games offered high entertainment value due to their fast-paced style, leading to European qualification.
Individual Player Highlights
Possession Retained Under Pressure: Ezri Konsa from Villa retained a 94% pass completion rate under pressure.
Most Two-Footed Player: Rayan Cherki of City displayed nearly even distribution in his touch with both feet.
Most Active Line-Breaker: Adam Wharton of Palace broke the highest number of defensive lines, averaging 17.8 lines per 100 passes.
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