Premier League 2025–26: Who's Soaring and Who's Crashing Compared to Last Season

Progress rarely follows a straight line, and the assumption that things will only improve inevitably leads to letdown.

In exceptional circumstances, advancement is steady and consistent, free of setbacks. Occasionally, there's a dramatic surge. At the opposite extreme, sharp declines are not just possible — they're commonplace.

When making preseason Premier League predictions, many of us fall victim to a broader version of the "hot hand" fallacy — unreasonably projecting future outcomes based solely on recent results.

There are simply too many variables for things to stay constant, and there were significant shifts between the 2024–25 and 2025–26 Premier League standings.

Here's a look at how the two seasons stack up.

2024–25 & 2025–26 Premier League Tables Compared

Who Had the Biggest Improvement From 2024–25?

Manchester United, by a considerable margin, made the greatest strides in 2025–26, having suffered their worst-ever Premier League campaign under Ruben Amorim the previous season.

The Portuguese manager left at the start of 2026 with United just outside the top five — already a marked improvement — but the Red Devils continued their upward trajectory after Michael Carrick returned for a second interim stint in the dugout.

Carrick won 12 of his 17 league matches in the second half of the season, with United accumulating a league-best 39 points following his arrival. Securing a Champions League return with a third-place finish, Man Utd racked up a remarkable 29 additional points in 2025–26 and climbed 12 spots in the table — no surprise that Carrick was handed the role on a permanent basis.

They are one of just six clubs to accumulate more points this season than in 2024–25. Everton and Bournemouth each added a single point, though the latter finished three places higher and qualified for European competition for the first time in their history.

Despite a difficult campaign, Tottenham Hotspur actually picked up three more points than the previous season. They'll be looking to move on from back-to-back 17th-place finishes with Roberto De Zerbi now at the helm.

The top two also made gains following Liverpool's dominant title triumph the season prior. Arsenal finished a distant second that year, but added 11 points this time to edge out Manchester City and clinch their first league championship in 22 years. City, meanwhile, added seven points and moved up one place, though they couldn't push the title race to the final day.

Who Dropped Off the Most From 2024–25?

Eleven clubs recorded a points drop compared to last season, though two of them — Aston Villa and Brentford — actually climbed the table despite the decline.

Villa rose from sixth to fourth despite collecting one fewer point, while Brentford — widely tipped for relegation following a summer of departures — finished three points down yet narrowly missed out on a European spot.

Brighton & Hove Albion earned eight fewer points but still secured a Conference League place. West Ham United's gradual slide proved the most damaging, as a four-point drop was enough to relegate them to the second division.

Five clubs experienced significant declines, most notably reigning champions Liverpool. After cruising to the title in Arne Slot's debut season, the Reds were woeful for much of 2025–26, finishing fifth with 24 fewer points.

Wolverhampton Wanderers ended up at the foot of the table after rallying under Vitor Pereira the previous season to avoid the drop. Their 22-point fall proved fatal, while Nottingham Forest (-21 points) also found themselves in a relegation battle.

Chelsea and Newcastle United's underwhelming campaigns mean both clubs will be absent from European football in 2026–27.