Arsenal officially won the Premier League title on Tuesday for the first time since the 2003-04 season, ending the team’s decades-long wait to win England’s top flight after a dominant campaign. The Gunners had been the league leaders for much of the season, but their fate was sealed with Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday, which will likely be Pep Guardiola’s penultimate match in charge of City. Arsenal will enter the final day of the Premier League season with an insurmountable advantage over City.
Tuesday’s result brings an end to the Gunners’ years-long quest to win a major title, ramping up efforts in recent years to do so. After a tepid start to life at Arsenal with three consecutive finishes outside the top four, coach Mikel Arteta began perfecting his approach and built Europe’s most dominant defense. The team then notched three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League, at times spending months atop the table before City – twice – and Liverpool went on to win the title.
They entered this season as the favorites to finally get over the hurdle, bolstered by career-best seasons from goalkeeper David Raya and deep-lying midfielder Declan Rice, the latter of whom has arguably been the headlining act since his arrival from West Ham United in the summer of 2023. Their prowess on set pieces was a defining feature of their run to the title, as was their depth – last season’s second-place finish was attributed to the Gunners’ need for an out-and-out goalscorer but ultimately, Arteta’s players went on to share the goalscoring load. Newcomer Viktor Gyokeres has 14 goals in his first Premier League season after a slow start, while star Bukayo Saka has so far notched seven in an injury-plagued campaign.
Arsenal will take a victory lap on Sunday at Crystal Palace, where they will play their final match of the Premier League season. The Gunners then shift their focus to the Champions League final on May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, where they will face reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain live on Paramount+.
