Arsenal are Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years. Mikel Arteta’s squad secured the title without kicking a ball on Tuesday night after title rivals Manchester City failed to win on the south coast.
The decisive 1-1 draw between Manchester City and Bournemouth gave Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead at the top of the table heading into Sunday’s final matchday. Bournemouth’s 19-year-old Eli Junior Kroupi opened the scoring in the 39th minute against the defending champions. Erling Haaland managed a 95th-minute stoppage-time equalizer for City. It was not enough to salvage their title defense.
Arsenal’s executives held their nerve after a difficult run of four domestic defeats in April. They trusted a £250m summer investment to deliver the trophy. That spend included £67.5m signing Eberechi Eze and £64m striker Viktor Gyökeres. The club built an elite defensive unit that matched a club-record eight successive clean sheets across all competitions this season.
Offensive efficiency was anchored by a historic dominance on set pieces. Coach Nicolas Jover orchestrated a dead-ball strategy that accounted for more than a third of Arsenal’s 69 league goals.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola immediately conceded the race on Tuesday. The loss of the title compounds widespread reports that Guardiola intends to step down at the end of the season.
“Congratulations to Arsenal, Mikel, the staff, all the players, and fans for this Premier League. You deserve it!” Guardiola said.
This is Arsenal’s 14th top-flight title overall. It marks the end of a drought stretching back to Arsène Wenger’s “Invincibles” squad of the 2003-04 season. Arsenal is also the first club other than Manchester City or Liverpool to win the Premier League since 2017.