England manager Thomas Tuchel made several bold selection calls for the World Cup, leaving out Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire while recalling Ivan Toney and backing a new-look squad built on chemistry and trust.
Manchester United wasted a glorious chance to catch Chelsea at the top of the Premier League when they lost 1-0 at home to Aston Villa on Saturday. Earlier leaders Chelsea were held 3-3 at home by Everton despite two goals from Didier Drogba.
Arsenal closed out 2025 in emphatic fashion, smashing third-placed Aston Villa 4-1 on Tuesday to surge five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester United and Tottenham face crucial Premier League tests this weekend, while Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea seek momentum.
A summary of the concluding matches of the Premier League season on Sunday.
Manchester City secured a narrow 1-0 victory over promoted Coventry City in the Premier League, maintaining their perfect start to the season despite a significant spending spree. Other matches saw Crystal Palace claim their first win against Fulham, while Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton, Leeds, Brentford, and Sunderland all played out draws. Several teams, including Coventry and Fulham, remain without points after three games.
Manchester City seized the opportunity of Arsenal's 2-1 loss at Aston Villa earlier in the day to climb within two points of the leaders.
West Bromwich Albion inflicted further misery on Manchester United, winning 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday to condemn the champions to their worst start to a Premier League season and leave them in the bottom half of the table after six games.
Lionel Messi sparked injury concerns after he left the field in the 73rd minute of Inter Miami CF's 6-4 victory over Philadelphia Union
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma received a signed Lionel Messi jersey and expressed his excitement on social media.
Arsenal missed a chance to tighten their grip on the Premier League title race with a 1-1 draw at 10-man Chelsea on Sunday.
Raphinha's hat-trick led defending champions Barcelona to a 3-1 victory over Sevilla, extending their winning streak in La Liga. Elsewhere, Lautaro Martinez secured a 2-2 draw for Inter Milan against Roma in Serie A, while Borussia Dortmund claimed the top spot in Germany. Premier League saw Arsenal lose its top position after a defeat to Brighton.
Arsenal begin their Premier League title defence as the hunted, facing heightened expectations and a reshaped league featuring new managers, major departures and ambitious rivals challenging their supremacy.
Arsenal re-established their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 home win against Brentford on Wednesday and for the second evening running the goals flowed as Aston Villa won 4-3 in a thriller at Brighton and Hove Albion.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Wednesday.
Manchester United defeated Aston Villa to strengthen their position in the Premier League top four, while Liverpool were held to a draw by Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal extends its lead in the Premier League, while Manchester United strengthens its top-four bid. Chelsea's Cole Palmer shines with a hat-trick, and West Ham earns a crucial win in their fight against relegation.
Matheus Cunha struck just before half-time to earn Manchester United a 1-0 victory at luckless Chelsea on Saturday, taking them a big step closer to Champions League football next season.
Manchester City and Chelsea both secured their Champions League places with victories on the final day of the English Premier League season and Newcastle United joined them despite stumbling to a last-day defeat.
The official 26-man squads for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Images from Tuesday's action in the Premier League
Manchester City defeated Arsenal in a crucial Premier League match, while Liverpool secured a late win against Everton. Nottingham Forest also claimed a significant victory against Burnley.
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez scored a smash-and-grab goal deep in injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday.
Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to deny 18th-placed West Ham United a 1-0 win.
Manchester City's spending of more than 180 million pounds ($223.58 million) was the second-biggest outlay ever worldwide by a club in the January transfer window.
Chelsea marked the start of Dutch coach Guus Hiddink's spell in charge with a 1-0 victory against Aston Villa in Birmingham on Saturday to keep their Premier League hopes alive. Hiddink, who has taken the job until the end of the season following the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari, watched the top flight's leading scorer Nicolas Anelka bag a vital three points with a well-worked goal before halftime.
Wolverhampton Wanderers stun Liverpool 2-1 with a 94th-minute winner to revive survival hopes and dent the Reds' top-five push, while Everton and Sunderland claim crucial Premier League victories.
Chelsea, playing with a swagger missing for much of the season, routed Aston Villa 8-0 on Sunday.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Sunday.
Frank Lampard passed the 150-goal milestone for Chelsea on Saturday with four goals in a 7-1 hammering of Aston Villa as Carlo Ancelotti's side roared back to the top of the English Premier League.
Chelsea outplay Villa in FA Cup
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Villa are sixth, five points behind the leading pair after four matches but have won both home games.
Lewis-Skelly gets England call-up; Recalls Rashford, Henderson return.
Moises Caicedo's blistering second-half strike cancelled out a Bruno Fernandes penalty as Chelsea salvaged a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
Aston Villa will try to become the first side to score against Chelsea this season when they visit the champions on Saturday.
Chelsea's defensive frailties were exposed again on Saturday when they gifted Aston Villa two goals from corners in a 2-1 away defeat, their second loss in three league games after they had won their first six.
Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, trimming the gap at the top of the table to two points as the title race sprints towards its conclusion.
Manchester City halved Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League to three points with a 3-0 win over visitors Fulham, while Aston Villa stayed in the frame with a late 1-0 victory at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.
