Hosts Italy are assigned to position A1 in the draw, while the other teams are seeded according to their coefficient ranking following the end of the qualifying stage, calculated based on the following:[3]
Arsenal and Manchester United were forced to settle for fifth and sixth respectively, the Gunners missing out on Champions League qualification once again on two different fronts, falling to Chelsea in the Europa League final to mark a disappointing end to Unai Emery's first season in charge, whilst the Red Devils endured a problematic season across all tournaments with even the sacking of manager José Mourinho and then the temporary appointment of United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær (an act later made permanent) failing to provide much spark to the Manchester side.
Leicester City endured a troubling season both on and off the pitch, first suffering tragedy with the death of club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a helicopter crash shortly after a 1–1 home draw with West Ham United – with the Foxes then enduring a run of poor results against lesser sides in 2019, including a third-round FA Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Newport County, resulting in the dismissal of manager Claude Puel; however, the appointment of former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers helped push the club back up the table and to a top-ten finish.
Having successfully qualified for the qualifying rounds of the Europa League the previous season, Burnley endured a troublesome first half of the campaign that saw them first narrowly miss out on a Europa League group stage spot and then find themselves firmly in the relegation zone at Christmas; however, the return of influential goalkeeper Tom Heaton after Boxing Day saw the Clarets fight their way out of the bottom three with games to spare.
A very poor start to the season saw Southampton stuck in a relegation battle for the second season running, resulting in the dismissal of Mark Hughes in early December – despite the threat of the drop hanging over them until the closing months, a resurgence under former RB Leipzig manager and Austrian Ralph Hasenhüttl saw the Saints climb away from the bottom three and towards safety with games to spare.
The battle for second place went down to the wire between Yorkshire sides Leeds United and Sheffield United – but it was ultimately the Blades who won the fight, securing their second promotion in three seasons and returning to the top-flight for the first time since 2007, earning manager Chris Wilder his first taste of the top-flight; as with the previous few seasons, a horrendous late-season run ultimately proved costly to Leeds, to the point where they only even managed to finish as high as third due to West Bromwich Albion failing to win their own final game of the season; both teams were subsequently knocked out in the play-off semi-finals.
Swansea City's first season in the Championship since 2011 saw them stuck mostly in mid-table – with growing fan protests off-field towards the running of the club that had seen them relegated resulting in the resignation of the Swans' long-time chairman Huw Jenkins in early 2019.
The fight for the second spot went all the way to the penultimate game with Barnsley, Football League Trophy winners Portsmouth and Sunderland fighting it out; the spot ultimately went to Barnsley, who secured an immediate return to the second-tier in German head coach Daniel Stendel's first season in charge, also impressing with an unbeaten league home record as well.
Despite being widely tipped for a top-six finish, Burton Albion endured a largely mixed season that saw them in the bottom half of the table more often than the top, failing to really challenge for an immediate return to the second tier.
Blackpool's league season proved to be mediocre, with the Lancashire club failing to mount a real promotion challenge but also not being remotely threatened with relegation – however, it was off the pitch that proved to be more important for the Seasiders, with the removal of Owen Oyston after over 30 years as owner and after years of fan protests and legal battles with former chairman Valērijs Belokoņs, an act widely celebrated by Blackpool fans.
The second half of the season saw one of the tightest relegation battles in the history of the third tier, with 12 teams remaining in the mix from January onwards – but ultimately, it was Bradford City, Scunthorpe United, Walsall and Plymouth Argyle who fell into League Two; whilst Bradford's relegation came just two years after narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship and in a season where they had three different managers and Scunthorpe United fell back into the fourth tier after five years in League One, Walsall had actually spent the first couple of weeks challenging for promotion before results rapidly declined and Plymouth Argyle again looked like masterminding an unlikely escape from the drop like they had done the previous campaign, only for results to go against them in the final games of the season.
Despite narrowly missing out on ending a 32-year exile from the third tier, Newport County enjoyed what proved to be a great season; having looking like missing out on the play-offs altogether, the Welsh side made a late rally and edged their way into the top seven in their final game, a big achievement in a season where they also enjoyed an impressive FA Cup run that saw them make it to the fifth round – beating top-flight Leicester City and second-tier promotion-chasers Middlesbrough – before ultimately falling to Manchester City at Rodney Parade.
In spite of having made a very poor start on their return to the Football League and then only narrowly avoiding breaking the record for the longest winless run, Macclesfield Town defied their critics and scraped their way to safety, in parts thanks to the surprise appointment of former England defender Sol Campbell as manager.
Despite languishing near the bottom of the table for most of the season, a late surge in results saved Dover Athletic, while Chesterfield almost suffered a third consecutive relegation after a long winless run in the league stretching from August to December, before the appointment of veteran manager John Sheridan in the new year helped the club find form and move away from the bottom.
However, Aldershot were granted a reprieve from relegation when Gateshead were demoted two divisions (later reduced to one on appeal) for breaching the league's financial regulations.
31 August 2018: The first month of the new season sees Liverpool leading the Premier League on goal difference; three games in, the Merseysiders, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Watford all hold 100% records.
Reading (23rd) and Ipswich Town share joint bottom, while Birmingham City stand above Queens Park Rangers out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Championship top scorers West Brom have seized the lead in the second division, and stand a point in front of Leeds, Middlesbrough, and Sheffield United.
Cardiff have climbed out of the relegation zone, ahead of Fulham on goal difference, Newcastle have dropped to 19th, and Huddersfield remain bottom.
A competitive promotion race continues to gather pace in the Championship, with 3 points separating Norwich (1st), Leeds, Middlesbrough, West Brom, and Sheffield United (5th).
18 December 2018: José Mourinho is sacked as manager of Manchester United after a poor start to the season left them in seventh place, nineteen points behind rivals Liverpool.
Former Manchester United player Ole Gunnar Solskjær takes over as caretaker manager until the end of the season, on loan from Norwegian club Molde.
3 January 2019: The last undefeated team in England's top five divisions, Liverpool, lose 2–1 to Manchester City, preserving Arsenal's Invincibles record from the 2003–04 season.
21 January 2019: Cardiff City's record signing, Emiliano Sala was on board a Piper Malibu that disappeared near Alderney in the Channel Islands.
Consecutive losses for Tottenham have thwarted their title ambitions and it now appears that they are in a race for Champions League qualification, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all within 7 points of them.
3 March 2019: Liverpool’s 0–0 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby, coupled with Manchester City’s win at Bournemouth a day earlier, means that The Reds are not top of the League for the first time since December.
30 March 2019: Huddersfield Town become the first side in the top four divisions of English football to be relegated this season, after losing 2–0 to Crystal Palace.
31 March: Liverpool’s late victory over Tottenham puts them top of the league again by 2 points, but Manchester City still have a game in hand.
3 April 2019: The new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finally hosts a football match as Crystal Palace became the first visitors to Spurs’ new ground.
That matches the record set by Bury against Derby County (also 6–0) as the biggest win margin in the final of the competition's history, back in 1903.