That’s it, then – Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is over for another year.
Come the opening weekend of 2026/27, much of what panned out on a balmy Gameweek 38 of this campaign will be forgotten about. A dozen teams had nothing tangible to play for, too.
But for the completionists, here are our takeaways – from both Neale and Tom – from the final day.
1. PEP ROULETTE IS NO MORE – AFTER ONE LAST HURRAH
Aston Villa spoiled Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and John Stones’ farewell with a surprise comeback victory at the Etihad.
In one final dose of ‘Pep Roulette’, the Spaniard went nuclear with his teamsheet, with just two survivors from the midweek draw at Bournemouth: Bernardo and Antoine Semenyo.
Erling Haaland – who won the Golden Boot regardless – Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi didn’t even make it onto the bench.
Still, in a dominant first-half display, Manchester City played some superb football.
Semenyo netted the opener, firing home after Tijjani Reijnders’ corner was inadvertently flicked to the back post.
In the right place at the right time, it was Semenyo’s 23rd attacking return of the season, the second-most of any midfielder:
Above: Players sorted by attacking returns in 2025/26
City easily could have had more in the first half, but somewhat surprisingly, they offered nothing after the break.
Instead, a much-changed Villa XI – minus Morgan Rogers, absent for the first time this season – completed a superb turnaround, just days after the celebrations of their European triumph, thanks to a brace of goals from Ollie Watkins.
Watkins finishes the season in excellent form, with three double-digit hauls in six matches.
“Ollie Watkins is a fighter. He is a warrior. How he finishes the season is really fantastic. Tammy [Abraham] was sick. Maybe at the beginning we thought to give him less minutes, but he was angry about scoring more goals.” – Unai Emery on Ollie Watkins
Phil Foden was denied late on. He rifled the ball into the roof of the net, but VAR ruled it out… because his backside was in an offside position!
2. BEWARE THE FINALISTS
Two sides with European finals to play in the next week met at Selhurst Park, in a dead rubber, in 30-degree heat.
Despite Oliver Glasner’s pre-match suggestions that he might not go overboard on the rotation, it was no real surprise that there were swathes of changes on either side.
“Regarding the football, it was not our best match, especially defensively. Late in the evening yesterday, I changed the starting line-up.” – Oliver Glasner, speaking after full-time
Looking at the starting XIs, there were only four Palace regulars starting and maybe one or two of the likely Arsenal side that Mikel Arteta will send out to face PSG next Saturday. Of that group, most of them – Daniel Munoz, Ismaila Sarr, Daichi Kamada and Riccardo Calafiori – came off at half-time.
Others, such as Gabriel Magalhaes, emerged at the interval.
The result was a “glorified open training session” (Match of the Day’s Steve Wilson) with little meaningful to learn from it – other than to be wary of any team reaching a European final next season!
Second-stringers Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke bagged the Gunners’ goals on either side of half-time, with Jean-Philippe Mateta notching a consolation.
Despite the mass rotation, Arsenal nearly bagged a 20th clean sheet of 2025/26. Palace didn’t threaten too much until Mateta’s late striker, with Munoz forcing the one good save from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Gunners, by contrast, wasted a hatful of superb opportunities, including a trio of ‘big chances’ from Jesus and sitters from replacements Eberechi Eze and the fit-again Mikel Merino. Another sub, Viktor Gyokeres, probably should have scored, too.
3. SALAH WILL BE A MISS – BUT SZOBOSZLAI IS ON THE WATCHLIST FOR 2026/27
Farewell, then, to two of the FPL greats. Or, at least, a Liverpool farewell. Andrew Robertson might be staying in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, if rumours are to be believed.
It’s unlikely that we’re going to see Mohamed Salah pop up any other English club, however. The Egyptian was desperate to end on a goalscoring high on Sunday, hitting the post with one superb free-kick, racking up a game-joint-high four shots, and taking a few heavy touches when it looked like he might be in on goal.
Salah at least signed off with an assist, teeing up Curtis Jones for Liverpool’s opener.
With the Egypt international on his way, will Dominik Szoboszlai cement his status as the go-to Liverpool midfielder next season? The Hungarian could benefit from full-time penalty-taking duties, for starters.
He’ll never offer the same goal threat as his departing teammate, of course. The respective FPL prices reflect this. He did finish the season with 10 attacking returns in his final 15 starts, however, and was again in a more advanced role on Sunday.
The Hungarian ended up with his second-highest non-penalty xG figure of the campaign (0.77), and was involved in three big chances (two assisted, one of his own).
Liverpool did their usual trick, coming out strong, leading 17-2 on shots by early in the second half, and then wilting somewhat, allowing their opponents back in the game.
The recalled Kevin Schade nodded Brentford back level as the Bees turned the screw. Ultimately, Keith Andrews’ side fell just a point short of European qualification – but that makes them all the more appealing for FPL next season, with no midweek distractions to worry about.
4. BRIGHTON TO PLAY ON EITHER SIDE OF GAMEWEEK 1
The final day again didn’t result in a goal-fest but it did produce the kind of result that makes a mockery of pre-Gameweek planning.
Brighton and Hove Albion were well-fancied to see off Manchester United at the Amex. In their last Casemiro-less away match, at Sunderland in Gameweek 36, United looked every inch the side ‘on the beach’. Here, they were excellent, swatting aside a Seagulls outfit who were still looking to seal a European place.
Albion just didn’t get going. They didn’t have a shot on target till the 86th minute, while they didn’t really have any clear-cut chances. Diego Gomez had about the best of them, trundling two efforts not far wide. Danny Welbeck departed before the hour mark without having a shot, while Jack Hinshelwood – the leading midfielder for xG in the eight Gameweeks before this one – barely had a sniff.
As a consequence of Brighton’s loss and results elsewhere, the Seagulls will now be in the UEFA Conference League in 2026/27. That means a two-legged play-off in late August, which will be on either side of Gameweek 1.
Probably not the ideal start Fabian Hurzeler would want for the new campaign.
5. WILL RECORD-BREAKING BRUNO BE AS RELIABLE IN 2026/27?
Bruno Fernandes got his record-breaking assist at the final time of asking, then. The Portuguese playmaker’s corner was nodded in by Patrick Dorgu to give United the lead, although replays do call into question whether it could eventually go down as an own-goal.
bThe Premier League’s Goal Accreditation Panel (using Opta data) reviews disputed goals and own-goal claims after the match. If they rule the ball went in off Verbruggen’s hand after the crossbar (making it an own goal), Bruno’s assist would be removed and the record would be… pic.twitter.com/yKa9t1TvFv
— Tendo M.S Kevin (@TendoKevin) May 24, 2026
Fernandes drilled in a goal of his own to make it 3-0. Bryan Mbeumo had earlier tapped in an Amad Diallo cross following a fine, intricate move.
Catching the eye was the fit-again Dorgu, making his first start since January. A run-out on the left wing for the ‘out of position’ defender neatly brought us back full circle to Carrick’s first game(s) in charge, when the Amad-Bruno-Mbeumo-Dorgu frontline was first used.
It’ll be interesting to see how FPL classify Dorgu over the summer.
Above: Dorgu was United’s leading shot-taker on Sunday, seeing another ‘big chance’ besides his goal saved
Next season, of course, United will have to juggle European football. That’s something they didn’t have in 2025/26. Will we see more rotation from Carrick as a result? Maybe even Fernandes could see bench-warming duty on occasion, as Ruben Amorim forewarned.
We’ll be impressed if Luke Shaw completes 38 starts again, as he did on Sunday!
6. NEW MANAGER, NEW WORKLOAD CHALLENGES FOR CHERRIES
Aston Villa’s top-four finish means no UEFA Champions League football for Bournemouth, who waved goodbye to head coach Andoni Iraola on Sunday.
Nevertheless, by earning a point at the City Ground, the Cherries have secured a place in next season’s UEFA Europa League, having gone 18 games unbeaten in the second half of the season.
How will they cope with the rigours of European football, especially under a new manager?
With two contrasting styles of football on display in Nottingham, the in-form Morgan Gibbs-White netted the opener.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder ends 2025/26 with 15 Premier League goals, 12 of which have been scored since the turn of the year, including 53 points in his final five matches!
He nearly added a second on Sunday, too, when his volley inside the box hit a Bournemouth player and sailed over the bar.
Marcus Tavernier later equalised for Bournemouth, but, to be fair, it was down to Adrien Truffert, who supplied his sixth assist of the campaign.
The left-back has remarkably returned (be it a goal, assist, clean sheet and/or DefCon) in every match he’s played from Gameweek 26 onwards, outscoring every other defender in that period (84 points).
Meanwhile, James Hill gained DefCon points from the late refresh:
Alex Scott suffered an injury in the warm-up that kept him out.
7. BIG SUMMERS NEEDED FOR FULHAM + NEWCASTLE
Newcastle’s miserable season came to a fitting end on Sunday.
The Magpies finished as the Premier League’s bottom club for shots (seven) and xG (0.25) in Gameweek 38, with all the renewed optimism built up over the last few weeks dissipating. Man of the moment Will Osula was starved of service and had just eight touches.
In fairness, Eddie Howe was trialling a different system, more specifically a 3-5-2. It didn’t work, but if you can’t do it now, in a Gameweek 38 dead rubber, when can you?
Two of the first-choice midfield three missed out, too (Sandro Tonali bowing out in the warm-up), while Bruno Guimaraes later came off with an injury.
It’s a huge summer ahead for Newcastle, with several big-name players probably exiting. On the plus side, no Europe next year could reinvigorate the Magpies as FPL picks; they’re at their best with no continental distractions.
There’s an equally crucial post-season ahead for Fulham. Will Marco Silva be off, as the rumours suggest? He’s had the Cottagers arguably punching above their weight in recent seasons, so any managerial change would be greeted with trepidation.
There’s also the question of Harry Wilson‘s future. Named on the bench for the second straight game, the potentially outgoing winger at least signed off with an assist – not that it was much of one, with Tom Cairney scoring a humdinger from distance.
Kevin and Oscar Bobb, Fulham’s likely future on the flanks, were very bright. They’re potentially ones to watch in 2026/27. Kevin saw an excellent free-kick hit the woodwork, with Issa Diop following in to score.
8. ALONSO’S CHELSEA TO HAVE NO EUROPEAN DISTRACTIONS
Sunderland secured an unlikely European spot, as they held on to claim a crucial victory at the Stadium of Light.
In a dominant display, Trai Hume – who scored and created six chances – and a Malo Gusto own goal ensured Chelsea’s defeat.
Cole Palmer later netted his first goal since Gameweek 29, although it proved to be nothing more than a consolation, not helped by Wesley Fofana getting sent off for a second yellow card.
Defeat for Chelsea means they will be without European football under Xabi Alonso next season.
However, that may be a blessing from a Fantasy perspective, given that the focus will be on domestic matters from the outset.
After his World Cup disappointment, Palmer will be getting the summer off, too.
That said, watching this performance, there is plenty for Alonso to fix.
9. SPURS ALREADY LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026/27
Tottenham Hotspur avoided the drop on the final day, as they triumphed 1-0 over a poor Everton side.
Not for the first time under Roberto De Zerbi, Joao Palhinha netted the decisive goal, scoring on the rebound after his header struck the post.
On loan from Bayern Munich, he racked up five shots against the Toffees and ends the season with eight attacking returns and 24 DefCon points.
“Joao Palhinha is a great example. He’s on loan here but he’s one of the first players to start here and as we look to rebuild next season.” – Roberto De Zerbi on Palhinha
Elsewhere, the third-most transferred-in defender of Gameweek 38, Pedro Porro delivered his second double-digit haul in six matches, thanks to a clean sheet, DefCon and a share of the bonus.
De Zerbi has been a good appointment for Spurs, with 11 points from 21 enough to keep the north London club up.
Focus has already shifted to next season for the Italian tactician.
“Next season we have to build a top, top, top team. We don’t have to change too many players in our squad but we have to bring in some first level players.” – Roberto De Zerbi
As for Everton, Thierno Barry started up front ahead of Beto, but in a thoroughly disinterested display, they didn’t record a shot on target until second-half stoppage time.
10. WILL BOWEN LEAVE WEST HAM AND CONTINUE TO BE A FANTASY OPTION?
Victory wasn’t enough for West Ham United, then, who join Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship next season.
The most-bought player of Gameweek 38, Jarrod Bowen, was the star of the show, with a goal and an assist.
Despite his goal drought leading up to this encounter, it’s been a good season for Bowen, who finishes as FPL’s sixth-highest scorer:
The question is now: Where will Bowen be playing next season, and should he transfer to a Premier League team, will he be a viable choice for our Fantasy squads?
Taty Castellanos, who earned a recall as Nuno Espirito Santo switched to a back four, and substitute Callum Wilson also got on the scoresheet, with Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville providing assists.
For Leeds United, it was a game too far for them, although they probably won’t give two hoots about losing.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both missed decent opportunities, while Ethan Ampadu banked DefCon points for the eighth time in 12 matches.
11. COULD FLEMMING DO A JOB FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE NEW BOYS?
One of the reasons that Gameweek 38 was a bit of a damp squib was that the two whipping boys, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers, faced each other. No chance of hauls from well-owned players against the division’s worst defences, then.
Most of the players on show will be slipping beneath the surface to the depths of the Championship and not reappearing in FPL 2026/27.
Zian Flemming might be an exception. He finished with an excellent record of 11 goals in just 21 Premier League starts (and a handful of sub appearances), adding his latest strike on Sunday.
Could Premier League new boys Coventry City and Hull City be tempted by him?
Matheus Mane will have his suitors, too. Despite blanking, he really caught the eye, registering four shots and six chances created. His corners caused problems, while Burnley’s Max Weiss brilliantly tipped one of Mane’s efforts onto the post.
Above: The leading players for xGI at Turf Moor on Saturday
Wolves bossed the first half, with Adam Armstrong scoring a penalty, before Burnley came out on top after the break. Either side could have won it, neither side really deserved to. Few FPL managers will lament the loss of the players on show.
