Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks at the standout players and moments from Matchweek 37 so far.
Best moment - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Jamie Vardy’s career has played out in fairytale fashion so there was only one way for him to bring the curtain down on his Leicester City spell against Ipswich Town.
In his 500th and final Leicester game, 13 years since he joined the club from Fleetwood Town, the Foxes' greatest-ever player gave most of the crowd what they came for - one last goal, actually his 200th for the club.
It was also fitting that Vardy’s goal was the sort that he made his trademark.
Following a perfectly timed run in behind the opposition defence, he latched onto James Justin’s pass and produced a clinical finish before wheeling off in wild celebration towards the opposition fans.
Vardy's last goal for Leicester v Ipswich
Of the 34 players to reach the 100-goal landmark in the Premier League, Vardy’s percentage of goals scored from inside the box of 97.9 per cent (142 out of 145 goals) is second only to Dwight Yorke’s 98.4 per cent.
Whether that record changes will depend on which club Vardy moves to next, which is not yet clear.
But one thing is certain - Vardy will be sorely missed by Leicester. He was deservedly given a guard of honour by his team-mates when he was substituted and another after the game when former colleagues joining in.
Best history-maker - Iliman Ndiaye (Everton)
On an unforgettable and emotional day for Everton - their final men's matchday at Goodison Park - there were numerous potential opportunities for their players to etch their name in club folklore against Southampton.
Iliman Ndiaye wrote his name into the history books as the Toffees' final goalscorer at their iconic ground after netting both goals in their 2-0 win.
Ndiaye seized his moment in style, in part thanks to a brilliant individual effort befitting the occasion to open the scoring in the sixth minute.
When it comes to beating opponents, there are few Premier League players who are better at it than Ndiaye who has completed the joint fifth-most dribbles this season with 64.
Following another of his solo bursts, he bent a fine finish into the bottom corner to give Everton the lead against Southampton.
While tears understandably flowed as Everton said goodbye to Goodison, Ndiaye’s opener put smiles on fans’ faces and was one of many moments when the roof came off their famous old stadium.
Ndiaye then guaranteed Everton’s farewell game would be a winning one with a second strike just before half-time; in the process, he registered his first brace of goals since a Championship double for Sheffield United in August 2022.
Ndiaye's second goal v Southampton
Best save - David Raya (Arsenal)
The race for the Premier League’s Golden Glove will go down to the final week after more heroics from the winner of last season’s award, David Raya.
Arsenal edged out Newcastle United 1-0 to guarantee they will finish at least third while the clean sheet means Raya is now level with Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels on 13 shutouts with one game each to go.
Raya made five saves to defy Newcastle, his second-highest number in a Premier League game for Arsenal.
Raya's highest number of saves in one match
| Date | Match | Saves |
|---|---|---|
| 22/09/24 | Man City 2-2 Arsenal (PL) | 9 |
| 26/11/24 | Sporting 1-5 Arsenal (UCL) | 8 |
| 18/05/25 | Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle (PL) | 5 |
| 21/12/24 | Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal (PL) | 5 |
| 09/03/25 | Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal (PL) | 5 |
| 20/01/24 | Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace (PL) | 5 |
| 15/09/24 | Spurs 0-1 Arsenal (PL) | 5 |
His double save, to keep out Dan Burn’s header and then react equally impressively to kick away Sven Botman’s follow-up (below), was the best of the lot.
Raya's saves prevented a total of +1.94 goals, the highest he has managed since joining Arsenal in 2023 and making his display, by that metric, his best for the club.
Raya's highest goals prevented
| Date | Match | Goals conceded | Goals prevented |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18/05/25 | Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle (PL) | 0 | 1.94 |
| 26/11/24 | Sporting 1-5 Arsenal (UCL) | 1 | 1.89 |
| 07/05/25 | PSG 2-1 Arsenal (UCL) | 2 | 1.56 |
| 19/09/24 | Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal (UCL) | 0 | 1.47 |
| 24/09/23 | Arsenal 2-2 Spurs (PL) | 2 | 1.15 |
Newcastle’s five shots on target all came inside the opening 17 minutes, with Raya not having a save to make after that.
Rice then stole the headlines with a fine second-half winner. Raya’s role in the victory, though, could not be overlooked.
"This game would have been long gone in the first half if it wasn’t for their [Arsenal's] goalkeeper," said Gary Neville, the Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United defender.
Best goal - Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)
The upturn that West Ham United would have hoped for under Graham Potter may not have materialised but Jarrod Bowen’s continued output has been something to cling onto.
That was the case once more against Nottingham Forest when Bowen produced West Ham’s best moment of their 2-1 defeat.
Bowen showed outstanding reactions and technique to control Morato’s clearing header with his heel, flicking the ball up into the air.
With his second touch, Bowen lashed the ball into the net on the volley.
Bowen's volley against Forest
Since Potter’s January appointment as West Ham’s new head coach, only four Premier League players have produced more combined goals and assists than Bowen's 10 (seven goals, three assists). Bowen missed Potter's first three matches due to injury too.
Including his pre-Potter form, Bowen has contributed to 19 of West Ham’s 43 Premier League goals this season (12 goals, seven assists) and only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (55 per cent) has been involved in a bigger proportion of his team’s goals than West Ham's captain (44 per cent).
With West Ham unable to add to Bowen’s strike against Forest, it ended up being just a consolation.
But it was a goal which again highlighted how he is West Ham's source of inspiration and it was the weekend’s standout strike, ahead of other impressive efforts from the likes of Aston Villa’s Boubacar Kamara, Ndiaye, Fulham’s Harry Wilson and Arsenal’s Declan Rice.
Most goals and assists in PL since West Ham appointed Potter on 9 January
| Player | Goals and assists | Goals | Assists |
| Mohamed Salah | 15 | 10 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Isak | 12 | 10 | 2 |
| Ollie Watkins | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| Yoane Wissa | 11 | 9 | 2 |
| Jean-Philippe Mateta | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| Chris Wood | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| Jarrod Bowen | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Bryan Mbeumo | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Justin Kluivert | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Eberechi Eze | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Jacob Murphy | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Anthony Elanga | 10 | 3 | 7 |
Best assist - Reece James (Chelsea)
In Chelsea’s penultimate Premier League game this season, they finally scored a goal that typified what Enzo Maresca likes to see from his team.
It started with an excellent first assist of the season from right-back Reece James, whose spin wrong-footed Alejandro Garnacho before he chipped a teasing cross into the box.
That delivery was met by a thumping header from Marc Cucurella to secure a vital 1-0 win for UEFA Champions League-chasing Chelsea against UEFA Europa League finalists Manchester United.
"The assist from the right full-back and the goal from the left full-back is the way I like to play," head coach Maresca said, following Chelsea’s first league goal this season which was created by one full-back and finished by the other.
Cucurella scores from James' assist v Man Utd
The full-backs play a key role in Maresca’s fluid setup, but Cucurella has taken things further - not just inverting into midfield but regularly popping up in areas more commonly frequented by forwards than left-backs.
No defender has scored more than Cucurella’s five league goals, with four of them coming from prime poaching positions.
Cucurella has also had the fourth-most touches in the opposition box among defenders this season with 76.
His header reminded Jamie Redknapp of former Chelsea favourites Didier Drogba or Diego Costa. Meanwhile, Redknapp's fellow pundit Roy Keane said Cucurella "finished it like a striker."
At times this season, that is exactly what the Spaniard has looked like.
Best celebration - Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
Forest’s 2-1 victory at West Ham was an essential one to maintain their hopes of a top-five finish and an emotional one too.
In their first game since striker Taiwo Awoniyi suffered a serious abdominal injury against Leicester that left him in an induced coma at one stage last week, Forest’s players paid tribute to their recovering team-mate.
After warming up in t-shirts bearing a message of support, captain Morgan Gibbs-White also marked his goal by raising an Awoniyi shirt to the crowd.
To their credit, some West Ham fans applauded the heartfelt gesture.
Gibbs-White's goal and tribute to Awoniyi
There were memorable celebrations for Fulham too, after their 3-2 win at Brentford kept them in the hunt for eighth place and potentially European football.
In the process, Marco Silva’s side set a new record for the number of goals scored by substitutes in a single Premier League season, with 17.
One of Fulham's scoring subs, Tom Cairney, was at the heart of the celebratory scenes after kick-starting Fulham’s fightback from 2-1 down with the equaliser to make it 2-2.
Having been linked with a move to Wrexham last week after 10 years at Craven Cottage, Cairney’s connection with Fulham was clear to see as he soaked up the post-match acclaim from the travelling fans and was treated like a hero by team-mates, being lifted shoulder high by Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi.
