Premier League Table: 2016 Final Standings and Reaction After Week 38 Results | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Jessica Hardy
Published Mar 25, 2026
Arsenal leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 2015-16 Premier League season, which ensured the Gunners finished above their rivals for the 21st straight year, per Bleacher Report UK:
B/R Football @brfootballCongratulations, Arsenal đ The âSt. Totteringhamâs Day Trophyâ is secured for a 21st consecutive season đ
Spurs appeared to be on track to avoid yet another edition of St. Totteringhamâs Day for most of the season, but a late meltdown meant manager Mauricio Pochettinoâs men couldnât afford to lose against Newcastle United in Week 38. The day turned into a nightmare at St. Jamesâ Park, however, as the Magpies won 5-1.
Arsenal beat Aston Villa 4-0, thanks to an Olivier Giroud hat-trick, securing yet another finish above Tottenham in the standingsâsomething theyâve done every year since 1995. Hereâs a look at Sundayâs results:
| EPL Results | ||
| Arsenal | 4-0 | Aston Villa |
| Chelsea | 1-1 | Leicester |
| Everton | 3-0 | Norwich |
| Newcastle | 5-1 | Spurs |
| Southampton | 4-1 | Crystal Palace |
| Stoke | 2-1 | West Ham |
| Swansea | 1-1 | Manchester City |
| Watford | 2-2 | Sunderland |
| WBA | 1-1 | Liverpool |
| WhoScored.com | ||
The latest Premier League standings:
| Premier League Standings | |||||||||
| 1 | Leicester | 38 | 23 | 12 | 3 | 68 | 36 | +32 | 81 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 38 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 65 | 36 | +29 | 71 |
| 3 | Tottenham | 38 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 69 | 35 | +34 | 70 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 71 | 41 | +30 | 66 |
| 5 | Southampton | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 59 | 41 | +18 | 63 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 37 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 63 |
| 7 | West Ham | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 65 | 51 | +14 | 62 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 63 | 50 | +13 | 60 |
| 9 | Stoke | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 41 | 55 | -14 | 51 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 59 | 53 | +6 | 50 |
| 11 | Everton | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 59 | 55 | +4 | 47 |
| 12 | Swansea | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 42 | 52 | -10 | 47 |
| 13 | Watford | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 40 | 50 | -10 | 45 |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 34 | 48 | -14 | 43 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 39 | 51 | -12 | 42 |
| 16 | Bournemouth | 37 | 11 | 9 | 17 | 44 | 64 | -20 | 42 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 48 | 62 | -14 | 39 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 44 | 65 | -21 | 37 |
| 19 | Norwich | 38 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 39 | 67 | -28 | 34 |
| 20 | Aston Villa | 38 | 3 | 8 | 27 | 27 | 76 | -49 | 17 |
| WhoScored.com | |||||||||
Recap
Spurs entered Week 38 in dreadful form, having lost their last two and gone winless in four straight matches, but Pochettinoâs troops reserved their worst performance of the season for Sunday.
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who has spent the 2015-16 season on loan with AS Roma, didn't hide his feelings toward his parent club's main rivals after their meltdown at St. James' Park:
Bleacher Report's Dean Jones also weighed in on how the final weeks of the season played out for Spurs:
Dean Jones @DeanJonesBRSpurs have finished third in a two horse race for the title đ¤
Against the already-relegated Magpies, Tottenham were completely overrun. Georginio Wijnaldum opened the scoring after 19 minutes, and Aleksandar Mitrovic added a second goal shortly before half-time.
Bleacher Report UK imagined how Spurs fans across the country must have felt:
B/R Football @brfootballA live look at every single Tottenham Hotspur fan on the planet right now...
Those fans were likely hoping for a positive response, and they seemed to get it after half-time. Erik Lamela reduced the gap to a single goal after 61 minutes, and Mitrovic was sent off for a bizarre tackle with his studs up shortly after.
Copa90 thought the performance summed up the Serb in a nutshell:
COPA90 @COPA90Plays well, scores a goal, gets sent off. Mitrovic's whole season in one game.
But even with the man advantage, Spurs couldnât overcome the hosts. Wijnaldum restored the two-goal cushion from the penalty spot, and Rolando Aarons and Daryl Janmaat completed the embarrassing rout in the final minutes.
At the same time, Arsenal were cruising against Aston Villa, powered by the beleaguered Giroud, who opened the score after five minutes and added two more goals late in the second half.
Arsenal fans had one eye on Newcastle, however, and the Emirates Stadium had plenty of reasons to celebrate, per TV personality Piers Morgan:
Piers Morgan @piersmorganBOOOOOOM!!10-man Newcastle go 3-1 up against Spurs. Emirates erupts like we've won the League. #StTotteringhamsDay
An own goal from Mark Bunn completed the victory, but for the Gunners, the score hardly mattered. After a long and inconsistent season, the team secured a second-placed finish on the final matchday, and the on-pitch celebrations showed just how much it meant for the team.
Meanwhile, Manchester City played out a 1-1 draw with Swansea City in Wales, with Kelechi Iheanacho and Andre Ayew taking care of the scoring. The Citizens had a chance of finishing third entering Sunday's contest, but Arsenal's easy win over Villa quickly killed that dream.
The draw means City are all but assured a top-four finish, as Manchester United would have to overcome a goal difference of 18 in their final match against Bournemouth to pass their rivals in the standings.
The Red Devils can still qualify directly for the Europa League by grabbing points against the Cherries, in which case they would pass Southampton in the standings, or by winning the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
If manager Louis van Gaal's troops win the final, West Ham United will enter the Europa League's qualification rounds. The Hammers will miss out on European football if the Eagles win the FA Cup.
Southampton's 4-1 win over Crystal Palace sealed qualification for the Europa League, while Liverpool can no longer qualify for the competition following their 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion. The Reds can still qualify for the Champions League by beating Sevilla in the Europa League final, however.
