Mikel Arteta’s team lifts the title for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City draw with Bournemouth
London: Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth, sealing Mikel Arteta’s side an unassailable four-point lead with one match remaining.
It marked Arsenal’s first league crown since the famed “Invincibles” of 2003-04 went unbeaten through an entire campaign. Since then, the title has been shared by Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Leicester City and Liverpool, with City and Liverpool dominating recent years.
City needed victory to extend the race to the final day, but Junior Kroupi’s first-half strike gave Bournemouth the lead before Erling Haaland’s stoppage-time equaliser ensured a tense finish. However, it proved too late to deny Arsenal their moment of triumph.
Celebrations erupted outside the Emirates Stadium and at the club’s training ground, where players watched the decisive result unfold. The triumph ended three successive runner-up finishes for Arteta, who had previously seen City overturn Arsenal’s lead in 2023 and 2024 before Liverpool edged them last season.
The victory also carried symbolic weight as Arteta finally got the better of Pep Guardiola, under whom he previously served as assistant at City. The student ultimately overcoming the master added a defining layer to Arsenal’s long-awaited breakthrough.
At 44, Arteta became the second-youngest manager after Jose Mourinho to win the Premier League, underlining the scale of his achievement in ending Arsenal’s long wait for glory.
Arsenal now briefly turn focus to their Champions League final against PSG later this month, with a chance to crown a historic season with European silverware.
