Arsenal have ended a 22-year wait to win the Premier League title after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The result mathematically confirmed Arsenal as champions of the 2025-26 season, sealing a drought that stretched back to the club’s historic Invincibles campaign of 2003-04 under legendary manager Arsène Wenger. Arsenal finish the season four points clear of Manchester City with one match remaining, becoming the first club since 2017 to win the Premier League title outside of Manchester City or Liverpool.
The title was clinched when Bournemouth youngster Junior Kroupi fired a shot into the net in the 39th minute, putting the hosts ahead and leaving Manchester City needing to come from behind. Erling Haaland equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but City could not find a winner in the remaining minutes. Only a victory would have kept City’s title hopes alive. The draw proved insufficient, handing Arsenal the championship without kicking a ball. Arsenal had beaten Burnley 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night to set up the dramatic conclusion.
Wild celebrations erupted outside the Emirates Stadium in north London as the full-time whistle blew at the Vitality Stadium.
Mikel Arteta becomes the first former Premier League player to win the title as a manager, having endured three consecutive runner-up finishes before finally securing the league trophy. The Spaniard, who took charge of Arsenal in December 2019, watched as Manchester City twice snatched the title from Arsenal’s grasp in 2023 and 2024 before Liverpool pipped them to the post last season.
Speaking after Monday’s victory over Burnley, Arteta said: “I think we are all supporters of Bournemouth because we know what it means.” Declan Rice, one of Arsenal’s key performers throughout the campaign, posted on Instagram: “I told you all.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who has dominated English football for nearly a decade, congratulated Arsenal in his post-match press conference following the result. “Congratulations Arsenal,” he said. Tuesday’s draw at Bournemouth is likely to be Guardiola’s second-to-last match in charge of City, with reports suggesting the Spaniard will leave the club at the end of the season after ten years. City, who have won six of the previous eight Premier League titles under Guardiola, will finish second in the 2025-26 campaign.
Arsenal will conclude their Premier League campaign with a victory lap at Crystal Palace on Sunday, May 24, before turning their attention to the Champions League final on May 30 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, where they will face reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain. Victory in Budapest would complete the most remarkable season in the club’s history.
