Arsenal have been crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday night. The result ends Arsenal's long wait for a league title, dating back to their famous Invincibles season in 2003-04.
How Arsenal Secured the Title
The Gunners had put the pressure on Manchester City with a win over Burnley on Monday night, moving five points clear at the top of the table with one game remaining. City still had two matches to play but needed to win their penultimate fixture to keep the title race alive. Pep Guardiola's side could not manage that, as they were held at the Vitality Stadium. Junior Kroupi scored for Bournemouth in the first half, and Erling Haaland only equalised in stoppage time.
That result leaves City four points behind Arsenal ahead of Sunday's final day of the Premier League season. Arsenal will now travel to Crystal Palace in celebratory mood, with their Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30 also on the horizon. Manchester City host Aston Villa on Sunday in what is expected to be Guardiola's final game in charge of the club.
A Season of Mixed Fortunes
It has hardly been a disastrous campaign for City, who have won the FA Cup and League Cup, but they have fallen short in the two biggest competitions they contested. Arsenal, meanwhile, are champions of England again for the first time since their Invincibles season in 2003-04, when they became the only Premier League side to go an entire campaign unbeaten. It would have been hard to believe when Arsene Wenger lifted the trophy without losing a match that they would have to wait this long to be champions again.
Arteta's Achievement
Mikel Arteta adds a second major title to his CV as Arsenal boss, his first since the FA Cup win in 2020. Wenger won all three of Arsenal's previous Premier League titles, so Arteta becomes just the second manager to conquer the Premier League with the Gunners. Asked if he would be a fan of Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth on Tuesday night, Arteta said: 'The biggest ever! For Andoni, and all the players and all the supporters of Bournemouth, I think we are all [Bournemouth fans] because we know what it means if they get a result.'
More to follow...
