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Fitting end to a scrambly season as VAR drams and tactical shift dragging quality down.
Published May 14, 2026 • Last updated 6 minutes ago • 5 minute read
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, centre, is fouled by West Ham United's Pablo Felipe in the build up to Callum Wilson disallowed goal.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, center, is fouled by West Ham United's Pablo Felipe in the build up to Callum Wilson disallowed goal during the English Premier League match in London, Sunday May 10, 2026. (John Walton/) PA via AP
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If last week’s debacle between West Ham and Arsenal taught us anything, it’s probably that we should be thankful the season is almost over.
Arsenal’s late goal put them in championship position with just two games remaining while West Ham are in serious danger of going down.
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While the team in first playing the team 18th shouldn’t produce drama, it did via an injury-time equalizer that took 17 video reviews and more than 10 minutes to decide the goal was disallowed.
The decision all but handed Arsenal the title while seriously dragging West Ham into the probability of being relegated.
Was it the right call? Perhaps.
Yes there was a foul on Arsenal keeper David Raya on the corner that lead up to the goal. But in the same melee Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard both had their hands wrapped around West Ham’s attackers without even glancing at the ball.
If Raya was fouled, then by the same standards West Ham could feel aggrieved at not being awarded a penalty.
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Chris Kavanagh needs to be sacked.
This VAR commentary is damming - it shows he ignored other fouls being commited on West Ham players by Arsenal players even when pointed out by VAR! pic.twitter.com/ChXUUFuqYn
— Vic Singh - #BrownMunday 🏴🇬🇧⚒️☬ (@vicsinghb) May 13, 2026
The latest VAR debacle being punctuated with numerous rugby tackles off a corner are emblematic of a scrappy, soulless season where set piece chicanery has replaced quality attacking tactics. The days of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City teams holding possession and pinging the ball around the pitch to pull a defence apart seem long forgotten.
This season the so-called ‘dark arts’ of playing for free kicks and corners being effective if not pleasing to the eye, has been the biggest trend from top to bottom of the league.
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Manchester City beat Crystal Palace on Wednesday to give the appearance of a title race still existing, but the fact they need Arsenal to lose or draw one of their last two matches with their opponents being Burnley and Crystal Palace would suggest you can start prepping the red and white ribbons for the trophy.
Arsenal will be deserving champions. While you can quibble with their style, no one else took advantage of countless opportunities to get into the lead.
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City wobbled early and have had major patches of inconsistency, right up to their draw with Everton two weeks ago that gave Arsenal their own destiny.
A Guardiola squad of three or four years ago would never let a mid-table team trip them up on the home stretch like that, but that’s the kind of season it has been.
There are still some things to be decided and the games this week will have lots at stake.
FA Cup puts season on pause
City play Chelsea in the FA Cup Final on Saturday, so they don’t get their league games until Tuesday — and they’re both crackers.
Bournemouth host City with a chance to actually get into the Champions League. The Cherries sit in sixth place, four points back of Aston Villa and Liverpool, who play each other on Friday.
Both of those squads will be hoping for a win to put their Champions League fate in their own hands, but if Villa finish in the top five and win the Europa League final, then the sixth-place team — in this case tiny Bournemouth — would play in the Champions League next season.
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Then there’s the matter of relegation. West Ham are still seething over losing a valuable point against Arsenal. They’re two points behind Spurs, but have a massive gap in goal difference, 11 goals worse than Tottenham, so they’ll have to claw above their London brethren to escape relegation.
West Ham go to Newcastle on Sunday, but Spurs will get Chelsea who haven’t won in eight matches and have the Cup final on Saturday.
Chelsea did finally get a point in a moribund 1-1 draw with Liverpool last weekend, but both teams looked lethargic and disinterested. Spurs would be a good bet here, Chelsea honestly look like they’ve all booked their holidays and are mentally on the beach.
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Bournemouth and Brighton: Bournemouth have got a tough task against City, but they’ve been a machine the past two months. They finish with Nottingham Forest next week.
It’s an equally good story if Brighton sneak into the Champions League in the sixth spot should Villa win the Europa League. Brighton play Leeds and Manchester United in their last two and have to make up two points on Bournemouth.
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Where it gets tricky for Bournemouth is their goal difference is six worse than Brighton, so a draw and a win would leave the door open for the Seagulls to grab that last spot.
Both have been remarkable of late. Brighton have lost once in their past eight games while Bournemouth haven’t lost in their past sixteen. Though they’ll be wishing they could have just one of the eight draws in that stretch could have been converted to a win.
Either way you should want to see Villa win the Europa League just to see one of these south coast clubs get into the Champions League.
Leeds: Quietly unbeaten in five with two wins and three draws, have moved them to safety and well above the relegation fight.
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Crystal Palace: No wins in their past six, finishing the season with a whimper, though remarkably they could still win the Europa Conference League trophy as they’ve made the final against Raya Vallecano.
Aston Villa: A slumping end, drawing with Burnley to leave Champions League qualification in the balance. Only one win in their last five but like Palace, are focusing on winning the Europa League.
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Crisis club
Still Chelsea: They’ve got major work to do this off-season, but won’t have the $200 million in Champions League cash to do it.
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This weekend’s Premier League schedule
Friday: Aston Villa vs Liverpool.
Sunday: Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest; Brentford vs Crystal Palace; Everton vs Sunderland; Leeds vs Brighton; Wolves vs Fulham; Newcastle vs West Ham.
Monday: Arsenal vs Burnley.
Tuesday: Bournemouth vs Manchester City; Chelsea vs Tottenham.
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