Premier League Table: 2016 Final Standings and Reaction After Week 38 Results

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:

Spurs appeared to be on track to avoid yet another edition of St. Totteringham’s Day for most of the season, but a late meltdown meant manager Mauricio Pochettino’s men couldn’t afford to lose against Newcastle United in Week 38. The day turned into a nightmare at St. James’ 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 standings—something they’ve done every year since 1995. Here’s a look at Sunday’s results:

Manchester United	Abandoned	Bournemouth
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

The latest Premier League standings:

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
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

Recap

Spurs entered Week 38 in dreadful form, having lost their last two and gone winless in four straight matches, but Pochettino’s 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:

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:

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:

But even with the man advantage, Spurs couldn’t 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.

Stu Forster/Getty Images

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:

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.

Tom Dulat/Getty Images

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. 

Christopher Lee/Getty Images

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.