Arsenal won the title. Liverpool imploded. And somewhere in between, Sunderland qualified for Europe. ESPN's Ian Darke has cast his verdict on the Premier League season — and it makes for compelling, occasionally uncomfortable reading.
Darke, who has covered the Premier League since 1982, selects his Team of the Year in a 4-3-1-2 and his Most Disappointing XI in a 4-3-3. The contrast between the two lineups tells the story of a wildly uneven season.
The Best XI: Arsenal's Spine, City's Firepower
David Raya anchors the team in goal — his third Golden Glove, capped by a crucial save from Mateus Fernandes in a 0-0 at West Ham that proved pivotal in Arsenal's title run. William Saliba and Gabriel form the centerback pairing behind him, a combination that delivered the best defense in the league. The 22-year title wait is over, and those two are as responsible as anyone.
Declan Rice gets his place as the engine of Arsenal's midfield, relentless and rarely absent. Granit Xhaka, reunited with English football via Sunderland after leaving Bayer Leverkusen, earns the signing-of-the-season argument — the Black Cats finished seventh and in Europe. Remarkable. Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest completes the three, topping the league in possession won and passing, and reportedly a certainty for England's World Cup squad.
Bruno Fernandes sits behind the front two with 21 assists — a new Premier League record — and twice as many chances created as any other player. His Footballer of the Year award under Michael Carrick's Manchester United revival feels entirely deserved. Up front, Erling Haaland claimed the Golden Boot with 27 goals and eight assists despite a mid-season dip, and Antoine Semenyo chipped in 17 goals across Bournemouth and City after a January move, including a backheel winner in the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
The oddity in the lineup is Dominik Szoboszlai at right back — Darke's own admission that it's a workaround to get Liverpool's best player in somehow. His long-range free kicks against Arsenal and City were the season's brightest individual moments at Anfield. That he's the best thing to come out of Liverpool this season says everything about how badly it went there.
Nico O'Reilly at left back completes what is heavily an Arsenal-City XI, the 19-year-old having gone from City's youth ranks to first-choice left back for club and country, scoring both goals in the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal.
The Disappointing XI: Liverpool's Fall, West Ham's Relegation
Liverpool dominate the worst XI almost as thoroughly as Arsenal dominate the best. Milos Kerkez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Mohamed Salah all make it — and Salah's inclusion is the most pointed entry on the list.
Darke acknowledges it's harsh to put a club legend in his farewell season here, but the numbers don't leave much room for sentiment. Seven goals this season, down from 29 in 2024-25. Salah claimed he was "thrown under the bus" by Arne Slot and called for a return to "heavy metal football" on his way out. That's not a farewell — that's a falling out.
Mac Allister looked jaded and disconnected for much of the campaign. Kerkez, a genuine star at Bournemouth, was regularly caught out of position and shares responsibility in a Liverpool backline that conceded 53 goals in 38 games — a record for a full Premier League season. Liverpool's title odds next season will hinge entirely on how thoroughly they rebuild.
West Ham contribute Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Max Kilman to the shame XI, the former having stayed with DR Congo to celebrate World Cup qualification while the Hammers were fighting for their lives. Manager Nuno Espírito Santo wasn't forgiving, and West Ham were relegated after 14 years in the top flight.
- Lucas Perri (Leeds) — Lost his starting spot to Karl Darlow after a 4-3 defeat at Newcastle and never got it back.
- Cristian Romero (Tottenham) — Two red cards, prone to errors, and public criticism of his own club. Spurs won three of their last seven games to stay up; Romero started none of them.
- Christian Nørgaard (Arsenal) — One start all season, on the final day when the title was already won. A squad player who barely featured.
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea) — Left out of England's World Cup squad entirely. A groin injury and Chelsea's structural chaos haven't helped, but this is a dramatic fall from his 2024-25 heights.
- Phil Foden (Manchester City) — Rayan Cherki's form pushed him out of the City XI. No World Cup squad place either.
- Yoane Wissa (Newcastle) — 19 league goals at Brentford last season. One league goal in his first season at Newcastle after a £55 million move. One.
Palmer and Foden are the two names that carry the biggest implications beyond this season. Both are out of England's World Cup squad, both are still in their mid-twenties, and both will need a clean summer reset to get back to where they were. Whether that happens depends partly on circumstances neither fully controls.
Wissa's situation is simpler and bleaker: £55 million for one Premier League goal. Newcastle will be asking hard questions in the transfer window.
