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Premier League finale with survival on line for Spurs and West Ham – matchday live | Football
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And while we’re at it, can anyone help out Sunderland fan Steve?
“I haven’t degree in applied maths. Any chance you could explain what has to happen for Sunderland to get into Europe. Probably best if it doesn’t happen, but it would be the second time in my life. I have sworn for decades I would go to the first away leg which of course will be either Azerbaijan or Connahs Quay.”
I also do not have a degree in applied maths. But I think given Sunderland play Chelsea, all they need to do is win their fixture, and hope Brentford draw or lose to Liverpool, which would mean the Mackems would hop to eighth from tenth and find themselves in Europe! Please, however – someone, anyone, correct me if I’m wrong.
Simone’s holiday lives on:
“Thank goodness Arsenal won the league on Tuesday as my husband, unconsciously trying to avoid deep disappointment, booked flights at the PRECISE time we will be playing today. He is a Gooner since birth. CHAMPIONES!”
This is an excellent point Simone. There I was thinking about all the great places Arsenal fans might have been celebrating, but I hadn’t stopped to consider some of the worst. There must be some catastrophic absences, missed title wins and dreary celebrations that fans have had over the years. Keep the emails coming.
Arsenal fans, how did you celebrate on Tuesday?
And did you have as good a night as Gunners fan Daniel Bull, who sipped champagne with Ian Wright and ended up in the same Mayfair nightclub as the entire squad.
Adam Griffiths has an important point to make:
“While Spurs getting relegated would be the funniest of the outcomes, I would prefer them to stay up because I would still get to say “it’s ze De Zerbi derbi” when they play Brighton. Cheers.”
Hard to argue, really. Keep your emails on all things football coming in.
Keep your World Cup feelings coming in:
This just in from Kári Tulinius.
“On the one hand, this is a bloated World Cup where the first gazillion games will only lead to a handful of eliminations, but on the other my son is ten and is already excited. I’ll be swept up in the whole thing, I know, despite my reservations.”
We’ve also had a few emails expressing reservations about the competition citing hiked up ticket prices, Trump’s relationship with Infantino and the potential presence of ICE agents at matches. “Can’t help feeling hopelessly compromised,” emails in Michael Knuppell. Before adding: “Go Socceroos.”
A message from Joshua Keeling:
“Don’t support either team, but want Spurs to go down. Come on West Ham/Everton.”
I also, as a supporter of neither team, want Spurs to go down. For no good reason other than I’d find it funny.
David, please can we have that favour again?
David Moyes saved West Ham from relegation twice, and delivered a first major trophy in 43 years, but was nevertheless let go for a second time in May 2024.
Now, the Hammers need David Moyes’ Everton side to do the business against Tottenham for them to have any chance of staying up.
Read Sam Cunningham’s preview of West Ham’s final day here.
Spurs first, as Robert De Zerbi reaffirmed his commitment to Tottenham even if the club go down.
“It’s still an honour to be a coach for Tottenham, even if on Sunday we play for the relegation fight, it’s not a problem,” he said in his pre-match presser.
Injured captain Cristian Romero had attracted criticism for choosing to attend a fixture in Argentina rather than being present for Spurs’ final fixture, although reports on social media from Alasdair Gold, Tottenham’s correspondent for football.london, are now suggesting the Argentinian is back in the capital for the match.
Right. Let’s focus on the bottom end of the Premier League table and who, out of Tottenham and West Ham, will survive.
Spurs have not been relegated since 1977 but are favourites to stay up with a draw against Everton all they should need to stay in the Premier League.
West Ham, however, need to beat Leeds, and cross their fingers that David Moyes’ Everton side does them a favour. The same David Moyes of course, who West Ham fired in 2024.
Comment from hubbahubba:
“I want to say I’m excited for World Cup to start, but this time…I’m just not feeling it.”
I’ve been hearing this a lot recently and intrigued to other people’s thoughts. Personally, I know as soon as the World Cup starts I’ll be swept up in it. Qatar v Switzerland, Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina, Australia v Turkey. Give me the lot.
Do get in touch via email or in the comments section below about how you’re feeling about the World Cup.
Make sure to read Jonathan Liew on Arsenal’s title celebrations.
As a recently new resident of Finsbury Park myself. Can attest to the presence of several thousand Lime bikes outside the station. Flags in windows remain everywhere. The title parade next Sunday is going to be a remarkable event.
Over in Germany, Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in the DFB-Pokal Cup as Bayern Munich completed the double.
Kane has played 147 games for Bayern, and scored 146 goals. Remarkable.
The Premier League may end today. But football never really does as the World Cup looms ever closer.
Read Jonathan Wilson’s column on Brazil and Carlo Ancelotti’s selection of Neymar in their World Cup squad.
Lionel Messi was 35 when he lifted the World Cup. Neymar is now 34. Can Brazil’s talisman have his own fairytale finish?
It’s been a hell of a season. We asked our fans’ network to review each and every teams season including the highs, the lows, and what they need from the summer ahead.
Brighton for the Champions League?
I’ve enjoyed this a lot from David Howell who has been in touch.
“There is a way Brighton can get into the Champions League, hinging on a sequence of four results.
“As mentioned, wins for City (against Villa) and Liverpool will put Villa fifth and cascade the European Performance Spot down to sixth; wins for Forest (against Bournemouth) and Brighton will mean the Seagulls swoop into that spot.
“That would have seemed unthinkable four months ago, let alone back in the club’s infamous Gillingham groundshare days…”
On the ball – guess the footballer
The Guardian has kicked off a new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first daily football game, On the ball. It is now live in the app for both iOS and Android … so what are you waiting for?
And later today, Bolton take on Stockport County in the League One playoff final.
At the beginning of May, Dominic Booth sat down with Stockport manager Dave Challinor and it includes one of the more remarkable sporting stats I’ve come across. In Challinor’s 16 years as a manager, his team has finished in a playoff spot or higher in 15 of them!
Are you also that good at your job? Let us know in the comments.
It’s not just the Premier League on today. The final weekend of May is always fun as the weekend of playoff finals continues. Yesterday, Hull nabbed a dramatic win against Middlesbrough to win a final that had the shadow of spygate hanging over it. Read Jonathan Wilson’s piece from Wembley here.
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A question from Albert Birkicht:
“With Aston Villa winning the Europa League, isn’t there a sixth guaranteed spot for England in the Champions League? Greetings from Switzerland.”
Albert, I’m glad you asked. So in a quirk of various rules, England could have six teams in next years Champions League, but only if Aston Villa finish fifth.
This is because, as Europa League winners, Villa won’t need the European Performance Spot that is awarded to the fifth-placed team, so it would drop down to sixth. Unai Emery’s side are currently fourth, so would need to lose today and for Liverpool to win for this to happen.
What to look out for on the final day
Our writers have done the rounds on the ten things to keep an eye on during the final day of the season. Many things to keep an eye out for (ten, to be precise) but I’m with Will Unwin that the real jeopardy is to be found at Turf Moor where Burnley and Wolves will duke it out to see who finishes rock bottom of the table.
Today’s Premier League fixtures
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Brighton v Manchester United
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Burnley v Wolves
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Crystal Palace v Arsenal
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Fulham v Newcastle
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Liverpool v Brentford
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Manchester City v Aston Villa
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Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth
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Tottenham v Everton
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Sunderland v Chelsea
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West Ham v Leeds
Preamble
Hello, good morning and good day. We’re back with another Matchday live for the final day of the Premier League season!
After Arsenal wrapped up the title on Tuesday after Manchester City drew with Bournemouth, eyes turn to the bottom of the table where we’ll finally discover who survives out of West Ham and Tottenham. There’s also the small matter of who pinches the final Champions League spot between Liverpool and Bournemouth. All 10 matches start at 4pm BST so set your watches.
We’ll also be covering the major stories of yesterday, including Hull’s dramatic injury-time winner to seal promotion to the Premier League, as well as Celtic securing the domestic double, and Charlton beating Leicester on penalties to gain promotion to the WSL.
And finally, if you weren’t happy with England’s World Cup squad, I’ve got good news. Pep Guardiola hasn’t ruled out one day managing the national side. Stick with us for the latest updates and news from around the football world and send me an email with your thoughts.
Police say the remains found are believed to be of one person.
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French Open 2026: Raducanu v Sierra; Zverev eases through on day one at Roland Garros – live | French Open 2026
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And she’s broken again, now down 0-6 1-3 to Sierra. She’ll do well to get out of this one, and though we might argue that, having won a major, she’s done more than anyone ever thought possible, it does feel like she’s letting her career run away from her. A clear run of fitness isn’t something she can control, but settling with a coach and trusting them would, I think, help her a lot.
Solidarity, Raducanu-style.
He makes his way to net, doesn’t do enough with his volley … and Pavlovic nets! Fonseca leads 7-6!
I’ve ducked off Raducanu for a moment as Fonseca leads Pavlovic 7-6 in their first-set tiebreak…
She said don’t cry till you finish the tournament but she’s been through a lot this year and this is her favourite surface. At the start, Haddad Maia used her experience, going for stuff and playing more aggressively, but she found her way in, though she reckons she looks like a tomato in the weather. And, er, that’s it.
Raducanu is on the board against Sierra, trailing 0-6 1-1, but forget here for a minute because here’s Fran!
Basavareddy leads Fritz 5-4 in the breaker, and a terrific point, serve-volleyed then finished with a spinning backhand at net, means he has set point … spurned with a slightly wild backhand, swiped long. Oh, but then Fritz opens a lane to go down the line on backhand … overhitting! The 21-year-old leads 7-6, the number 7y seed with a match on his hand!
Oh man, this is awesome. Jones, almost in tears at match point, runs to the crowd and hugs a woman I presume is her mum – imagine the pride and gratefulness here. They’ll have dreamed of this moment together for so many years, all the sacrifices and miles travelled, and in one overwhelming afternoon, she’s made it all worthwhile. Well done both of them.
Fran Jones beats Bea Haddad Maia 1-6 7-6(4) 6-2
Wow! An incredible win for Jones, her first in a slam, and after losing the first set so resoundingly, against a player who’s made the last four of this competition. Next for her: Bouzkova.
Basavareddy holds to 15, forcing a first-set breaker against Fritz, while Jones has 30-40 and match point against Haddad Maia!
Jones holds quicksmart and is now a game away from her maiden grand slam win; Fonseca leads Pavlovic 6-5 in the first, on serve, as Fritz does Basavareddy.
Sierra closes out a bagel set against Raducanu, who didn’t manage a single winner in it. Can she build on … nothing? Back with Jones, she’s just broken Haddad Maia, now up 4-2 in set three, and the biggest win of her career is but two holds away. Which makes securing it sound much easier than it is.
Raducanu just can’t get it going; she trails Sierra 5-0 in the first, but will know that, though this set is gone, she’s good enough to do something in the second. Back on 14, Jones leads Haddad Maia 3-2 in the third.
On Court Six, Federico Cina, an Italian qualifier, leads Reilly Opelka, a political philosopher, 4-2 in the fifth, while on Mathieu, Fonseca and Pavlovic are 4-4 in the first.
Raducanu hasn’t played much lately, a lone I should save somewhere, having been ill, and Sierra breaks her, consolidates, then breaks her again. She leads 3-0, but at 0-30, perhaps Raducanu is appearing into the match.
Elsewhere, Fritz leads Basavareddy 4-3 on serve and, as I type, Jones breaks Haddad Maia back for 2-2 in the third.
While we’re here, I’m sure you’ll all join me in celebrating one of life’s great coincidences … or not. Happy birthday Bob Dylan, 85 today, and happy birthday Eric Cantona, 60 today. How lucky we are to live in their time.
She was really happy to play on Chatrier and on day one. She’s practised against Forro a lot, so expected a tough game, and is, of course, “super-happy” with the win.
Sometimes she gets tense, but today told herself that whatever happens happens and even after sending down three doubles, told herself it’s not easy to come back and if her opponent does, good for her. It’s always special to be in Paris and she’s hoping to do better than last year.
I’d not be remotely shocked if Haddad Maia’s consolidation game chugs through numerous deuces but, in the meantime, let’s look at the Mirra.
Mirra Andreeva (8) beats Fiona Ferro 6-3 6-3
She looked great too – against limited opposition, it’s fair to say. Next for her: Bsssols Ribera or Arango.
Haddad Maia breaks Jones immediately in set three, but then finds herself down 30-40 – no one familiar with her oeuvre will be surprised – nor that she quickly gained deuce with two big forehands.
Fritz and Basavareddy are settling in on Lenglen, the no 7 seed up 2-1 on serve. Clay is far from his favourite surface, and his 21-year-old compatriot will fancy himself – he’s a percentage player, keeping the ball in play because he lacks big power to finish points, which might just work for him in this matchup, on this surface. Other hand, the weather makes the clay more like a hard court, so Fritz’s power could be more effective than is ordinarily the case.
That being the case, I’m going to watch their third set, I’m swapping Andreeva for Fritz v Basavareddy, and I’m also on Raducanu v Sierra.
Now then! I can’t lie, I sort of assumed she was done, but Fran Jones has just levelled against Haddad Maia, winning a second-set breaker to four, forcing a decider in the process.
Next on Court 13: Emma Raducanu v Solana Sierra.
The men’s no 23 seed has gone, Nuno Borges dealing with Tomas Martin Etcheverry 3,4 and 2. Next for borges: Miomir Kecmanovic.
The highest-ranked seed in Fonseca’s eighth is Djokovic, with Ruud also there; in the section he’d meet the winner of the last eight, there’s Rublev, who he beat in Australia, and De Minaur.
Elsewhere, Joao Fonseca, seeded 28, is under way against Luka Pavlovic, a French qualifier. He’s another ridiculous talent who has every chance of winning a slam one day, and will want to improve on last year’s third round appearance.
And, as I type, Andreeva breaks Ferro to lead 6-3 2-1. She’s nearly there.
Mirra Andreeva, who might face Baptiste in the last eight, has taken the first set against Ferro 6-3, and as ever, the question is whether she’s now ready to push into a grand slam final. She made the last four here in 2024, only to lose 3 and 1 in a winnable match against Paolini – who was then gubbed 2 and 1 by Swiatek in the final – but she’s a more mature player now. Does she, though, have the power, or the smarts to do without the power, to beat the elite when it really matters?
Next on Lenglen: Taylor Feritz (7) v Nishesh Basavareddy.
Baptiste says it’s not easy to come back when you’re down match points, but it was a mental and physical battle, so she’s really pleased to come through. She knew that being mad with herself or negative isn’t going to help, so her mentality was to do what it took to win the match.
She had to save match points when she beat Sabalenka too, and is using that experience to push her through but, before then, she’s two days off in which she plans to shop, her favourite pastime in any city.
Hailey Baptiste (26) beats Barbora Krejcikova (7)6-7 7-6(6) 6-2
We said this looked like the match of the day and, though it took a while to get going, it did not let us down. Next for her: Xiy Wang.
And serving for the match, she races to 40-0, pressure resting easily on her very, very serious shoulders…
The prime minister said it was “right” that the boys’ sentences were being urgently reviewed.
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