Kolkata : Arsenal have secured a first Premier League title in 22 years; Mikel Arteta’s side’s long wait for the title ended after Man City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth; it ends a run of three straight second-place finishes, with the trophy lift set to take place at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Arsenal have topped the table for much of the season, but their title bid looked to have hit shaky ground in April. A 2-1 defeat at Man City seemed to hand the title advantage to Pep Guardiola’s side but the Gunners rallied and have held off City to win the league for the first time since the Invincibles in the 2003/04 season.
The title ends a six-year period without a trophy and is Arteta’s second major honour as manager at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners last lifted the Premier League trophy during the 2003/04 season under legendary manager Arsène Wenger, with Patrick Vieira captaining the side through their historic unbeaten campaign. Led by skipper Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal finally ended years of near misses after finishing runners-up in each of the previous three seasons. Their closest heartbreak came in 2023/24, when Manchester City clinched the title by just two points.
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With this success, Arsenal have now won four Premier League titles, moving ahead of Liverpool F.C. and sitting just one behind Chelsea F.C. in the Premier League-era honours list. Manchester United F.C. remain the competition’s most successful club with 13 Premier League crowns, while Manchester City have won eight. Blackburn Rovers F.C. and Leicester City F.C. are the only other clubs to have lifted the trophy once each.
Arsenal’s title-winning run was powered by contributions across the squad. Summer signing Viktor Gyökeres led the scoring charts with 14 goals, while Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard, Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino all chipped in with key performances throughout the campaign.
Creativity was equally shared around the team, with Trossard, Ødegaard, Rice, Saka, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhães all registering at least four assists during the season. Manchester City’s draw against Bournemouth left them four points adrift of Arsenal with only one game remaining, confirming that Pep Guardiola’s side can no longer catch the league leaders.
