Premier League Shock Twist: Last-Minute Goal Shakes Up Title Race — Watch Highlights & Reactions

The Premier League reaches its 2024/25 crescendo this Sunday with every match kicking off simultaneously, and while Liverpool have already lifted the trophy, the table beneath the champions is a minefield of possibility. Five clubs—Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest—are still jostling for the three remaining UEFA Champions League berths, while Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford scrap over an eighth-place finish that could morph into a European ticket if Chelsea win the UEFA Conference League final next week. Champions League scramble Manchester City sit third on 68 points and boast a goal-difference cushion that means a draw at Fulham would virtually guarantee their 14th consecutive year of elite European football. Pep Guardiola’s side have not finished outside the top two since 2016/17, yet a season of frustration could still end with a podium finish if they avoid defeat at Craven Cottage. Three clubs are locked on 66 points. Newcastle United welcome Everton to a raucous St James’ Park knowing victory would secure a Champions League return after two decades away, unless Aston Villa create a freak 17-goal swing. Chelsea travel to Nottingham Forest for the weekend’s only head-to-head among top-five contenders. The Blues will clinch qualification with a win, but anything less drags them into calculator mode, relying on slips from Villa or Newcastle. Aston Villa, resurgent under Unai Emery, head to a vulnerable Manchester United side languishing in 16th. Villa must at least match the results of one rival and better another to leapfrog into fifth; a win combined with dropped points from Newcastle or Chelsea would complete their back-to-back Champions League fairytale. Nottingham Forest, extraordinary all season, kick off in seventh on 65 points and will treat the City Ground to a cup-final atmosphere. They must beat Chelsea and hope at least one of Newcastle or Villa fail to win to break into the top five; any other scenario leaves them settling for Europa League—and even that is not guaranteed if results spiral. Why eighth suddenly matters Eighth place barely earns a mention most seasons, but the Premier League’s European dominoes mean Brighton or Brentford could snag a UEFA Conference League passport. The Seagulls lead by three points; draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Fabian Hürzeler’s men will post their third straight top-eight finish. Lose, and Brentford—who visit Wolves—can leapfrog them on goal difference with a win. The Brentford camp know their fate isn’t entirely in their hands: they need Spurs to do them a favour and then must hope Chelsea defeat Real Betis in Athens on Wednesday to unlock the extra European slot. It would be a cruel twist to a season in which Thomas Frank’s side have claimed 55 points yet still sit on the continental bubble. Key storylines to watch • Will Manchester City’s dynasty absorb a turbulent year or close with a whimper? • Can Eddie Howe crown Newcastle’s cup triumph with Champions League football on Tyneside? • Is Chelsea’s £1 billion rebuild finally ready for Europe’s top table, or will another near-miss fuel more transfer-window upheaval? • Could Aston Villa seize Old Trafford as the stage for their greatest modern-era away day? • Might Nottingham Forest’s high-press adventure earn one more marquee scalp? Fantasy football angle Gameweek 38 is famously high-scoring, and the permutations feed into captaincy punts. Erling Haaland chases the Golden Boot and will fancy his chances against a Fulham defence that shipped three at Brentford last week. Cole Palmer faces his old club’s bogey ground and has double-digit hauls in three of his last four away games. Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Gibbs-White offer differential appeal if managers back their clubs’ desperation factor. What happens next All 10 matches begin at 15:00 BST on Sunday. Expect phones glued to live tables, radios crackling with simultaneous goals, and social timelines melting as plots twist in real time. By dusk the 20-team jigsaw will be complete: dreams realised, budgets locked, and 2025/26 pre-season storylines already brewing. For fans, neutrals and SEO-hunters alike, this is peak Premier League drama—one last 90-minute roller-coaster before the longest off-season in years.