In similar circumstances to the previous season, the battle for the remaining top-four spots went down to the final day – and saw Chelsea and Manchester United scrape through at the expense of Leicester City; Chelsea's first season under new head coach and former player Frank Lampard proved largely indifferent, conceding far more goals than all of the top ten, but they managed enough consistency to ensure Champions League football, whilst a largely underwhelming 2020 went against Leicester, who lost a winner-takes-all final day game against United, the Red Devils securing Champions League football despite an inconsistent 2019 – the arrival of midfielder Bruno Fernandes in the winter transfer window helping to reinvigorate the team.
Having been tipped to struggle in their first top-flight season since 2007, Sheffield United defied all their critics by recording both a top-ten finish and conceding fewer goals than much of the top half, even staying in the fight for a European spot up until the final game, an effort that gave the Blades and manager Chris Wilder deserved praise.
The battle for second place proved to be just as hotly contested with three teams in the mix in the last round of games, but West Bromwich Albion successfully held off strong runs of form from both Brentford and Fulham to end a two-year absence from the top-flight, giving Slaven Bilić promotion in his first season as head coach.
Both London clubs therefore qualified for the play-offs, alongside Welsh clubs Cardiff City and Swansea City, the latter managed to leapfrog Nottingham Forest in the closing minutes of the season on goals scored - Forest being left to rue a six-game winless run, having been all but guaranteed a top-six finish at the start of July; the playoffs were then won by Fulham, making an immediate return to the Premier League while giving Scott Parker a successful first full season in management.
The battle at the bottom of the table ended up being one of the tightest in the history of the second tier, with all three relegation spots left wide open going into the last game – and in the end, it was ultimately Hull City, Wigan Athletic and Charlton Athletic who dropped into League One; Hull's relegation came after a complete collapse in form in the second half of the season, the accumulation of just six points after New Year's Day and the sale of key players Kamil Grosicki and Jarred Bowen helping to condemn the Tigers to the third tier for the first time since 2005.
Wigan controversially took the second spot, suffering a 12-point deduction for entering administration and falling into the bottom three after the final whistle as a result, despite an outstanding run of form after the season resumed that included an 8–0 win at home over Hull.
Charlton Athletic suffered immediate relegation back to the third tier, the London club being left to rue a run of just one win between the middle of October and the end of January despite securing some positive results in their closing games.
Having been nearly adrift at the turn of the year, Luton Town saw a resurgence of their own that saw them fight their way to safety, the Hatters being helped by the return of influential manager Nathan Jones during the suspension, whilst Barnsley defied the odds and poor form in the first half of the season to secure their place in the second tier.
Bury's season practically ended before it started, financial troubles ultimately seeing the club expelled from the Football League altogether, the first team to suffer this fate since Maidstone United in 1992.
Ultimately, Stevenage finished bottom and appeared set to return to the National League after a decade, following a dismal season in which they had four different managers, and fell to the foot of the table in late September and never left it.
AFC Fylde's fortunes declined sharply after two consecutive play-off finishes, and they were left to rue a poor run of results which dumped them into the relegation spots and ultimately sealed their fate when the season was suspended.