Arsenal have been crowned Premier League champions for the 2025/26 season after Manchester City were held to a 1–1 draw away at Bournemouth.
The draw mathematically ended the title race and confirmed the Gunners’ first league triumph since 2004, with 82 points and a game to spare.
Arsenal’s narrow 1–0 victory over Burnley earlier in the week proved decisive, as City failed to secure the win required to keep the race alive. The draw leaves them second with 78 points and one game remaining.
Kai Havertz’s goal against Burnley had temporarily placed Arsenal on the brink of glory, with the club now confirmed champions following City’s dropped points at the Vitality Stadium.
Arsenal crowned champions after City drop decisive points
The Gunners’ title-winning campaign has been built on defensive resilience and consistency across a tight title race.
According to Premier League statistical records, goalkeeper David Raya has been among the league’s standout performers, recording one of the highest clean sheet totals in the division with 19.
The Gunners have also produced a series of narrow victories throughout the season, frequently winning matches by a single goal margin. This pattern proved decisive in the final run-in.
Manchester City remained Arsenal’s closest challengers throughout the second half of the season, with Erling Haaland again leading the league’s scoring charts with 26 goals during the season.
City entered the Bournemouth fixture needing a win to maintain pressure at the top, but instead dropped two critical points in a match that ended 1–1, confirming Arsenal’s title.
City’s season featured dominant spells, strong attacking performances, and major trophy success in domestic competitions, but inconsistency in the final stretch ultimately cost them the league crown.
Title race decided in final weeks
Arsenal had maintained a narrow lead in the closing stages of the season, ahead of City by only a small margin heading into the final fixtures.
The confirmation of the title marks Arsenal’s first Premier League championship since the 2003/04 “Invincibles” season, ending a 22-year wait for top-flight glory.
The victory comes under manager Mikel Arteta, who has overseen the club’s sustained return to title contention after years of rebuilding.
The Spaniard, aged 44 years, is the youngest Gunners boss to win the league championship, narrowly pipping George Graham, who was 124 days older when he guided Arsenal to the silverware in the fabled 1988/89 campaign.
Only Jose Mourinho has claimed the Premier League at a younger age than Arteta.
Arteta is also only the second person to feature in the Premier League as a player and go on to win it as a manager, following on from Roberto Mancini, who played for Leicester City in 2001 and guided Manchester City to their first title 11 years later.
The Arsenal manager’s mentor, Pep Guardiola, is the only other Spanish boss to lift the title.
Players and staff are expected to formally lift the trophy after the final home match of the season, with celebrations already beginning across North London.
With the title decided, Arsenal will close their campaign as champions regardless of their remaining fixture against Crystal Palace.
Manchester City will finish as runners-up after a season defined by fine margins at the top of the table.
The 2025/26 season ends with Arsenal facing Paris St Germain in the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest, having reclaimed its place at the summit of English football after more than two decades.
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