Premier League 2025–26 season told in 100 photos: key moments from a dramatic campaign

Who, what, when and why it matters: The Guardian has assembled 100 photographs that chronicle the Premier League 2025–26 season — from Liverpool’s emotional opening home game to decisive moments that shaped the title race and relegation battles. This visual round-up captures the season’s defining images, showing why the campaign will be remembered for both on-pitch drama and powerful scenes among fans.

Why the season’s pictures matter

Photography can distil a season into single frames that reveal emotion, controversy and context. The gallery highlights how moments such as Liverpool’s first Anfield league match following the death of Diogo Jota carried extra emotional weight, while other images document spectacular goals, celebrations and fan protest — all of which together tell the story of the league beyond tables and statistics.

Standout matches and images featured

The gallery includes Liverpool’s 4-2 opening-day win over Bournemouth at Anfield, described as coming ‘late’ and framed by the club’s emotional return following Jota’s death. Other notable scenes in the collection include Manchester City’s surprising early-season defeats — 2-0 at home to Tottenham and 2-1 away at Brighton — and Arsenal’s match won by a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick that was later recognised as goal of the month. The selection also notes Bournemouth’s competitive role on the opening day and Sunderland’s strong start after promotion, with two wins from three matches.

Fans, protests and club moments

Beyond action shots, the 100-photo collection captures supporters’ reactions and protests across the season, providing context on supporter sentiment and off-field storylines that ran alongside results. The gallery references wild celebrations, protesting fans and goalmouth scrambles as recurring visual themes.

• Liverpool’s Anfield return and 4-2 opening-day win over Bournemouth after the death of Diogo Jota
• Arsenal’s match decided by Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick, later winning goal of the month
• Manchester City’s early defeats: 2-0 vs Tottenham (home) and 2-1 vs Brighton (away)
• Everton inaugurated their new Hill Dickinson Stadium with a win
• Sunderland recorded two wins in their first three matches after promotion
• Gallery themes include celebrations, protests and goalmouth scrambles

Competition context supported by the gallery

The images chosen by The Guardian emphasise the mixture of emotional narrative and competitive unpredictability across the season: reigning champions Liverpool had high-profile moments early on, traditional powerhouses like Manchester City experienced unexpected setbacks, and promoted clubs made immediate impacts. The gallery therefore functions as both a human record and a competitive snapshot of the 2025–26 campaign.

How to read the gallery and what it reveals

Viewed together, the 100 photographs map the season’s arc — opening-day drama, surprise results, standout individual moments such as match-winning free-kicks, and the emotional currents running through clubs and supporters. For readers, the gallery is a compact visual summary that complements match reports and league tables by highlighting moments that resonated beyond the scoreboard.

What happens next: For a fuller picture, consult the original Guardian gallery to see all 100 images and their captions; match reports and club statements will add precise dates, photographers’ credits and detailed context for each photograph. Any editorial use beyond this summary should verify individual photo captions and credits with the source.