What happens if Bournemouth and Liverpool finish level on points, goal difference and goals scored?

The Premier League title race and two relegation places are already decided, leaving most teams with little to play for on the final day. Champions League qualification for the top five remains a key incentive, with final standings potentially shifting based on results. Liverpool are positioned for fifth place, three points ahead of the Europa League champions with a superior goal difference. A rare scenario could occur if Bournemouth win 5-0 away to Nottingham Forest while Liverpool lose 1-0 at home to Brentford. In that case, both teams would finish on 59 points with identical goals for and against. Premier League tiebreakers would also fail to separate them, leaving head-to-head points and away goals equal, and home win margins would not matter.

"The Premier League top five will earn a place in next season's Champions League, and that could yet extend further depending how things shake out on the final day. You may like Realistically, Liverpool or Aston Villa are likely to finish in fifth place. The Reds are three points behind the newly-crowned Europa League champions with a superior goal difference. But it is also possible that Bournemouth might end up finishing the campaign level on points with Liverpool...and if the scorelines align just right, they may well end up level on goal difference and goals scored too."

"That is pretty unlikely, we should stress. The most plausible way for it to happen would be for Bournemouth to win 5-0 away to already-safe Nottingham Forest while Liverpool fall to a 1-0 defeat at home to Brentford. In that scenario, both Bournemouth and Liverpool would finish on 59 points with 62 goals scored and 53 conceded."

"The first two tiebreak criteria under rule 17 of the Premier League 2025/26 would not provide any separation, either. Points gained in head-to-head record gives them both three points each, and away goals scored in head-to-head games gives them two goals each. The fact that Liverpool won their home game 4-2 and Bournemouth 'only' won theirs 3-2 therefore doesn't enter into it."

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