Game 38 – Quick Summary

Match day summary 38

Sunday, May 24

Brighton 0-3 Manchester United

Despite having nothing to play for, United showed one of the strengths of the Premier League, which is that teams keep playing and rarely give the other side an easy day. As usual, the Seagulls held the ball and passed the ball for long periods of time, but both teams struggled to attack and Fernandes opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark from a corner kick, which was almost the first real shot on goal. It was significant as Fernandes set the record for most assists in a Premier League season, something that no doubt pleased Roy Keane. From that moment on, United seemed to be on par with Brighton, who were wilting in the sun. Ultimately, the Seagulls were lucky enough to finish the next season’s conference league in eighth place, but were unable to do anything and suffered a heavy defeat.

Starman:
Dolgu – Returned from injury and impressed on the left wing.
Fernandez – Ended a great season with a goal and an assist.

trigger:
Huzelle – Not sure what to do to get his team to perform when it matters.
Brighton players – very disappointing for themselves and the fans.

Burnley 1-1 Wolves

The wooden spoon battle to decide who was at the bottom resulted in a low-quality game that (unsurprisingly) ended in a draw with Wolves at the bottom. In this game, it will be difficult for both teams to recover immediately, and if they do come back, they still have a lot of work to do to give themselves a glimmer of hope of survival.

Starman:
Pires – A bit dodgy defensively, but showed some real flashes on the ball.
Fleming – Not a top goalscorer, but he put in an incredible effort for the team and got good results.
Mane – One of the attacking threats Wolves would love to have.

trigger:
Moller Wolfe – Contributed very little to the team.
A. Gomez – He has been very disappointed since he joined.
Edwards – The Wolves looked so disjointed under him, it was all just moments, flashes of play with no real sign of game pattern or organization in defensive situations.

Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal

With both teams eyeing the European finals but with little to play for in the league, the game ended up being Glasner’s farewell party and a game for Arsenal fans to celebrate the Premier League title. The game itself was almost an accidental affair, almost a reserves game, with the Gunners second-choice victory over Crystal Palace’s substitutes in routine fashion.

Starman:
Kaddings – An impressive debut for the teenager.
Jesus – showed up again on the final day and scored.

trigger:
Munoz – Looks tired.
Strand Larsen – His performances have been poor since moving from Wolves.

Fulham 2-0 Newcastle United

Another game that went nowhere and even the presence of Guimarães couldn’t get Newcastle a good result. They looked like they had headed to the beach and were easily beaten by Fulham. The Toons were not helped by the three-at-the-back system Howe chose to use, which simply did not work and helped Fulham end their winless run.

Starman:
Diop – A very comfortable day and a goal.
Castagne – able to help push Hall back down Newcastle’s left flank.

trigger:
Osula – After a good performance, had a bad day.
Walter Made-Howe has yet to figure out how to get the best out of the German big man.
Murphy – Gets pushed back and offers little offensive threat.

Liverpool 1-1 Brentford

Another in a long line of slow, boring limping performances from Liverpool this season, this one is probably the funniest due to the odd new kit with mismatched colors for the shirt and shorts (perhaps a mismatched metaphor for Liverpool and Slott?). Sadly, what should have been a wonderful send-off for two of Liverpool’s greats, Salah and Robertson, was badly botched by the club. Even the chance to eventually give Henderson a proper red card on his first return to Liverpool was handled poorly. This was in stark contrast to the way Klopp’s departure was handled. All the good feelings from his reign seem to have been completely destroyed by this season. I must admit, I was quite surprised by the Bees’ attitude. Knowing how bad Liverpool’s games have been lately, they seemed to have an easy time making sure they didn’t spoil the game.

Starman:
Salah – Looking more like the Salah of old, he not only received an assist but also hit the post with a direct free kick.
Szoboszlai – Liverpool’s best player this season – once again put in the work that some of his teammates have been lacking.

trigger:
LFC – The final day was a mess, starting with Sloter’s speech to Salah and Robertson on the training ground the day before, which bordered on disrespect. The presentation was poorly handled and completely devoid of any real feeling. In the end, Slaughter kept his job for no apparent reason. Absolute chaos.
Ngumoha – People call Gakpo one dimensional and then rave about this lad who plays the left wing role in exactly the same way except with the addition of a leg wave or seven wave. He still has a long way to go. Normally, I would think that getting some coaching should make him a better player, but after seeing the degradation of nearly every player under Slott, I have concerns about this lad’s future.
Ouattara – fast but brainless.

Manchester City 1-2 Aston Villa

Despite the defeat, Seat completed a series of farewells, not only did Pep Guardiola leave, but Bernardo Silva and John Stones also left. Even losing the Premier League title failed to dampen the party atmosphere as fans celebrated their heroes. Even Emery joined in to give Guardiola a gift before kick-off, although he was unwilling to give Guardiola the victory on the last day! However, Bernardo Silva’s guard of honor may have been a little too much when he was substituted. City dominated the first half, but they just lacked the final ball to get the goal they wanted. The game changed quickly in the second half when Villa had their first try within 30 seconds of kick-off, with Watkins’ goal completely changing the game. After that, the game lost its meaning as a football match, and although Watkins’ second goal was beautiful, everything was diverted by the substitutions and the celebrations of the players who came on.

Starman:
Semenho – Manchester City’s goalscorer and best player.
Silva – everywhere.
Watkins – Two goals from the England striker.
Buendia – Currently in good condition.

trigger:
Stones – made a terrible mistake in Villa’s opener and then was betrayed in the second game.
Luiz – Doesn’t look like a right back.
Ake – Poor performance from left back, lack of positioning.
Bailey – He must be a nightmare to play with, so much speed and running ability, but his end product is terrible. He struggled to control his feet at times, let alone handle the ball.

Nottingham Forest 1-1 Bournemouth

Bournemouth earned a spot in the Champions League in the competition, an incredible achievement for a team that sold its entire backline in the summer. They certainly fell short of the target, but just qualifying for any kind of European football competition would be almost miraculous. Forest endured a tumultuous season but managed to reach the Europa League semi-finals and avoid relegation in the Premier League. Their fans will be looking forward to a season of consolidation while praying they can retain their gem. Forest took the lead early in the first half, with Bournemouth comfortably dominating the first half. Despite putting intense pressure on Forest through a sense of urgency and quick movement, the Cherries struggled to create chances against a very resilient Forest side.

Starman:
Gibbs-White – He struggled to regain form after a summer move to Tottenham, but he grew again as a player and became key to everything Forest did, including scoring goals. It’s shocking he didn’t make the England squad.
Milenkovic – Despite some minor mistakes, the Serbian defense was strong.
Tavernier – equalizer for the Cherries.
Truffaut – Looks like the next player they’ll sell for a big price.

trigger:
Cunha – Feeling uncomfortable at full-back.
Evan Nelson – Too many wasted opportunities to score or compete against others.

Sunderland 2-1 Chelsea

With the victory, the MacMs secured a surprise European spot which could further bolster their squad next season. What’s even more surprising is that despite all the extra tickets being given out and all the money being spent these days, Chelsea have failed to qualify for Europe. No doubt they will rue the day they appointed Liam Rosenior to age their soldiers. Sunderland look back on a bright, lively and aggressive side who started the season strongly. All hard running and attacking intent. Chelsea are still struggling to shake off problems this season, looking slow and heavy and passing the ball too slowly when in possession. The players were there but the tactics and style of play weren’t working for them.

Starman:
Le Fee – Great results this season.
Hume – Finished his goal brilliantly.
Pedro – He has been outstanding at Chelsea at times this season.

trigger:
Rovers – He was having a good season before getting injured, but his mistake cost the team a goal.
Gusteau – Even when playing at full-back, he always looks completely out of position. An own goal was added for good measure.
Fofana – It’s hard to figure out how he keeps his place despite his continued poor form. He reminds me of Konate, who plays with absolutely no positional sense or intelligence. No wonder he ended up getting two yellow cards, he was too stupid to be in the right position to handle anything, so he ended up with an unnecessary foul.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Everton

With the support of much of the country, the Toffees failed. Given the defensive set-up Moyes has given them, it’s surprising that their defense has been so poor this season, with the combination of Tarkovsky and Keane simply not working. This pulls them deeper and often puts them on top of Pickford, who would then struggle to handle the ball under pressure. It doesn’t help that they have two very poor options at fullback, who seem completely unable to stop the pass. Everton need to make changes in the summer to take the club forward, with the defense in desperate need of an update. Spurs just want more. They are not a good team and they are rightfully in the relegation zone, but they are the better team simply because the Toffees do not have the desire or will to win in this game.

Starman:
Palinha – Scored a goal and made a hard-fought effort to keep Spurs alive.
Polo – Pushes forward well and rarely comes under any defensive pressure.
GARNER – He has been a shining light this season.

trigger:
Barry – An odd choice to begin with, another poor performance.
O’Brien – Completely unsuitable as a full-back.
Pickford – Struggles under pressure.

West Ham United 3-0 Leeds United

Leeds started well but quickly fell into trouble and succumbed rather meekly to what was probably their worst performance of the season. It was clear that the Hammers still had too much at risk and a lot of passion, while Leeds looked like what they are, a team that took no risks. In the end, West Ham secured a very comfortable victory, but it had no impact on their future as they were still behind.

Starman:
BOWEN – After a forgettable season, the captain finally showed up and got a goal and an assist.
Castellanos – Another goal from him.
Fernandez – assist.

trigger:
Calvert-Lewin – Needs better service.
Ampadu – Poor performance in midfield, West Ham went all out and he was a bit overwhelmed.
Rodon – had a great season, improved well, but had a poor game.

Written by Tris Burke May 27, 2026 16:11:02

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