Premier League
BREAKING! Arsenal End 22-Year Wait to Win Premier League Title
Arsenal F.C. have been crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City F.C. were held to a 1-1 draw by AFC Bournemouth, ending the most dramatic title race of recent seasons and completing a remarkable transformation under manager Mikel Arteta.
The title triumph marks Arsenal’s first league championship since the legendary “Invincibles” side led by Arsène Wenger went unbeaten throughout the 2003-04 campaign.
For Arteta, it represents the crowning moment of a rebuilding project that began when he replaced Unai Emery in December 2019. The Spaniard inherited a struggling Arsenal side but gradually rebuilt the club into genuine title contenders, guiding them to second-place finishes in each of the previous three seasons before finally ending Manchester City’s dominance.
Arsenal appeared in danger of suffering another late collapse after surrendering a nine-point lead earlier in the campaign, particularly following City’s crucial victory over them at the Etihad Stadium in April.
However, the momentum shifted again when City stumbled with a draw against Everton, allowing Arsenal to seize control of the race.
The North London club responded impressively, winning four consecutive matches without conceding a goal, including Monday’s tense 1-0 victory over Burnley F.C. that piled pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side heading into their trip to Bournemouth.
City’s failure to secure victory finally confirmed Arsenal as champions, triggering emotional celebrations among supporters gathered around the Emirates Stadium.
Fans watching the decisive match in nearby pubs poured onto the streets at the final whistle, while thousands more marched toward the Emirates within minutes of the title being secured.
Arteta had admitted before the match that he expected it to be difficult watching City’s game because of the enormous stakes involved, but the Spaniard ultimately witnessed the completion of one of the most significant managerial achievements in modern Arsenal history.
The Gunners will officially receive the Premier League trophy after their final game of the season against Crystal Palace F.C. at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Arsenal’s triumph could yet become part of an even greater achievement.
The club now have the opportunity to complete a historic double when they face Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the UEFA Champions League final on May 30.
Only five English clubs have previously managed to win both the league title and the European Cup in the same season, with Manchester City the last side to achieve the feat in 2023.
The title success also signals a changing of the guard in English football.
With Guardiola expected to leave Manchester City after a decade in charge, Arteta — once his assistant at City — is poised to become the longest-serving manager across England’s top four divisions, underlining how dramatically his status has risen since arriving at Arsenal less than seven years ago.
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Arsenal have 82 from 37 games with Manchester City on 77 from 36, and Mikel Arteta’s side will be confirmed as champions if City fail to win at Bournemouth on Tuesday.
Should City take the race to the wire, Arsenal would be guaranteed the title by beating Crystal Palace away on Sunday.
“I’m going to be the biggest ever Bournemouth fan,” Arteta said of Man City’s trip to the south coast.
“I’ll be there in front of the TV, but I don’t know how much I’ll be able to watch.”
Since losing to City one month ago, Arsenal have dug deep and have now reeled off four successive league wins without conceding a goal to reclaim pole position.
They have also reached the Champions League final, and there was a mood of celebration long before kick-off in the streets of north London and outside the stadium, with the Arsenal team coach greeted by thousands of fans and a fog of red flares.
Expectation hung in the air as the game began, but the reality was Arsenal still had a job to do, and while manager-less Burnley are long since down, they were not about to roll over.
Burnley earned two corners inside the opening two minutes, and had Hannibal Mejbri shown a little more composure, Burnley could have taken a shock lead from one counter-attack.
The apprehension that has been present at many Arsenal home games in the run-in as they try to edge out City was there again, but they eventually began to exert some pressure.
Eberechi Eze volleyed one effort at Burnley keeper Max Weiss, and Arsenal were howling for a penalty when Saka went down under a clumsy challenge from Lucas Pires.
Captain Martin Odegaard had a shot deflected wide, and from the resulting corner, Arsenal made the breakthrough in tried and trusted fashion. Saka flighted the ball in, and Havertz, preferred to Viktor Gyokeres, glanced in a header. It was Arsenal’s 18th league goal from a corner routine.
The tension lifted, but it descended again after the interval as Arsenal missed several chances to secure the points safely, with Eze bouncing one effort onto the crossbar.
Havertz was fortunate when a poor tackle on Burnley midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, which earned him a yellow card, was viewed by VAR for a possible red, but the relieved German escaped more serious punishment.
Any notion of Arsenal piling up some goals to give themselves a goal difference advantage over City were forgotten as the minutes ticked by, with Arsenal fans fearing a dark late twist in their side’s season.
A huge roar heralded the final whistle before Arsenal’s players took a lap of honour, and they will now hope Bournemouth can spark an even bigger north London knees-up on Tuesday.
If not, the wait will go on to Sunday.
“There is a game tomorrow, anything can happen in that,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves. I’ve played in the Premier League for too long to know that things can happen. All we can control is ourselves, going out there on Sunday and winning.”
-Reuters
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Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City after a decade in charge, according to media reports, bringing to a close one of the most successful spells in Premier League history, with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expected to replace him.
The 55-year-old will reportedly announce his departure shortly after City’s final game of the season against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium, capping a campaign that included winning both the League Cup and the FA Cup trophies.
Saturday’s FA Cup victory over Chelsea secured Guardiola his 20th trophy with the club.
Maresca, who left Chelsea four months ago, has been rumoured for months to be the top contender for the Spaniard’s job. Guardiola’s contract at City is set to expire in June 2027.
Guardiola shrugged off questions about his future after the FA Cup final. When asked about the rumours by TNT Sports, Guardiola replied, “What rumours?” and then ended the interview, saying, “Have a lovely evening.”
-Reuters
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Manchester United secured a 3-2 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest in their final home game of a resurgent season on Sunday, with the club on the cusp of confirming Michael Carrick as their permanent manager.
Luke Shaw, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo scored. At the same time, captain Bruno Fernandes equalled the league record for assists in a season with his 20th, as United stayed third on 68 points with one game remaining after Carrick’s eighth win in nine games at Old Trafford.
Forest sit 16th on 43 points.
Defender Shaw opened the scoring in the fifth minute after a loose clearance fell kindly, drilling his finish into the bottom corner for his first league goal in more than three years.
Morato levelled with his first goal for Forest in the 53rd minute, heading home from close range.
Cunha restored United’s lead two minutes later with an effort that stood following a lengthy VAR check for a possible Mbeumo handball in the build-up.
Mbeumo, who had squandered several terrific chances earlier in the game, finally found the back of the net in the 76th minute with a composed finish from Fernandes’ cross. Still, Morgan Gibbs-White pulled one back soon after to ensure a nervy finale.
Fernandes equalled the assist record shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
The game marked a fond farewell for Casemiro after four seasons, and the fans gave the Brazil midfielder a standing ovation when he was subbed off in the 80th minute.
With little at stake — United are already assured of Champions League football, while Forest are safe in the Premier League next season — both teams played with freedom in an entertaining end-to-end game in which United had eight shots on target while the visitors had four.
United fans roared for another Fernandes assist, and Diogo Dalot and Joshua Zirkzee nearly delivered in stoppage time. Dalot rang his shot off the post, while Zirkzee’s shot from the edge of the penalty area was blocked by Elliot Anderson.
Zirkzee’s second effort was saved by Matz Sels.
Carrick addressed the fans after the match.
“I could listen to that all night,” he said, after the chanting finally died down. “What a way to finish a season here at home, what a game that was. I thought we played ever so well today, it’s unbelievable to see this place like this.
“This season, we’ve had some big, big games that we’ve really enjoyed.”
-Reuters
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