Arsenal ended their 22-year wait for Premier League recognition with a late goal, a message of defiance, a huge save and a VAR decision that proved decisive.
Arsenal were confirmed as champions on Tuesday night (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal are the Premier League champions. Those words hadn’t been said since 2004 – when Arsene Wenger was manager, Tony Blair was still prime minister and Andriy Shevchenko was a Ballon d’Or winner.
The Gunners have survived everything since then. More title challenges, notable deaths, changes in manager and stadium. But Mikel Arteta ultimately proved his doubters wrong and vindicated the faith and investment that Emirates executives have given him.
Manchester City’s draw with Bournemouth meant Arsenal didn’t need a result on the final day to celebrate. After a season in which they were top of the table for most of the season, the players continued to build on their achievements together at the London Colney training ground.
After Liverpool’s strong start faded, they established themselves as favorites by the autumn, then overcame a shaky March and April.
Arteta has frequently urged people to “trust the process” and received glowing support from Josep Guardiola in 2021, shortly after Arsenal’s 5-0 defeat to City. On that day, the Catalan insisted that given time, everything would be fine.
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He wasn’t wrong. It was a pivotal moment in Arsenal’s modern history and ultimately led us to where we are today. Arsenal are back at the top of English football. The season wasn’t without its challenges, but we look back at the moments that defined their championship year.
1. That VAR call
It not only defines the season, it also defines VAR and the Premier League. Gary Neville was right when he said this was the biggest conference call we’ve ever seen. David Raya claimed a foul, Arsenal players claimed a foul, and Arteta stood there and pulled his arm to reveal the alleged attack.
At the time, their title hopes were in jeopardy after Callum Wilson’s stoppage-time goal was initially awarded. While the nation held their breath over the VAR check and the debate is still ongoing, the decision to disallow the goal ensured that Arsenal survived their most difficult run of games.
VAR made the most historic decision at the London Stadium (Image: Getty Images)
2. Deny City early on.
It may have been back in September, but Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time goal to deny City a win against the Emirates looks huge now. Erling Haaland put Josep Guardiola’s side ahead within 10 minutes and the Catalan only had 33.2% of possession, the lowest of his career.
But they were on their way to victory until Martinari’s deft tip in stoppage time snatched a point. If the players in blue had held on that day, they would have beaten Arsenal for the third time this season and would have gone into the final day with just a one-point difference.
3. Seeing off Villa’s challenge
For a moment in December, it looked like Aston Villa were poised for a three-way title race. Unai Emery’s side secured victory at Villa Park with a stoppage-time goal. This created an unbelievable scene, and the question was whether they could sustain their incredible progress.
Arsenal comfortably defeated Aston Villa in December (Image: Getty Images)
They ended up with a wobbly wound, but Arsenal made a contribution as they beat them at the Emirates. The 4-1 victory was crucial as Ollie Watkins scored the winner late on. This ended Villa’s eight-game winning streak and began a spell of three wins in 11 games, after which they fell out of the competition. The bay was clear that night.
4. Dauman’s Late Show
Every champion has a victory that they look back on as being key towards the end. In mid-March, scoring two goals after 88 minutes to defeat Everton was huge. All the more so on the day City themselves dropped points in the capital.
The win not only boosted morale but also provided one of the feel-good storylines of the season. Max Dauman became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history after making several substitute appearances during the season. It looks like an ominous sign of what’s to come from a teenage sensation who plays like an individual far beyond his years.
Max Dauman made Premier League history against Everton (Image: Getty)
5. Manchester City March draw
I don’t want to put things in a negative light, but some would argue that City lost this title just as much as Arsenal won it. Outgoing Bernardo Silva hinted as much in his recent farewell speech, claiming the Gunners were able to become champions because the Manchester side were in a period of transition.
That was perhaps never more evident than in March, when Guardiola’s side twice dropped points to teams in the relegation zone. West Ham and Nottingham Forest looked like a favorable fixture, but they twice surrendered the lead at home to Forest and left London with only a draw.
6. Rice – “It’s not over yet.”
It was a defining clip for the England midfielder and his team, for better or for worse. After the loss at the Etihad, Rice took a knee at full time and when he saw Martin Odegaard walking towards him, he turned and issued a three-word message of defiance.
If Arsenal had missed out on the title, it would have been used to mock him for years. On the contrary, his belief was justified and the midfielder produced his best performance in the weeks following the defeat. Rice’s mindset has long been cited as one of his greatest assets, and he showed it in that moment.
Declan Rice makes his views clear after Arsenal’s defeat to Man City (Image: Sky Sports)
7. Overtake Newcastle
When Arsenal lost at the Etihad to actually open the door to winning the mega title, it was their fourth defeat in six games. The pressure was on them like never before, and they knew it.
The Magpies themselves were struggling, the Emirates had become a nervous place and Arsenal knew anything but three points could spell disaster. Eberechi Eze scored a stunning opening goal that proved to be the winner of the match. The performance was nothing to write home about, but at this point all that mattered was the result. Arsenal got the result they needed.
8. Raya’s save
The Spaniard’s exploits in West Ham’s victory may end up being forgotten due to the VAR scandal, but those at Arsenal will never forget. The traveling faithful held their breath and time seemed to stop when Matheus Fernandez found himself one-on-one with Raya.
David Raya made one of his saves of the season denying Matheus Fernandes (Image: Getty Images)
Fernandes continued running and tried to score, but was blocked by Raya’s right foot. At this point, there were 12 minutes left in the game and the score was still 0-0. The goal could have been decisive for West Ham. The true value of an elite goalkeeper was revealed.
9. Atlético semi-final
The match between Arsenal and the Spanish team took place at a time when they were seriously doubted. Atlético Madrid had just defeated Barcelona in the last eight, but the Gunners had just narrowly defeated Sporting Lisbon and were less than impressed.
However, they stood up and took the lead in the first leg in Madrid, before the hosts equalized. However, Arsenal were impressive and showed Rice’s return to form. Back at the Emirates, they took a first-half lead and that proved to be the difference as they reached the Champions League final for the second time in their history. A league and European double remains a possibility, but the confidence gained from their semi-final success has helped them return to form domestically.
Kai Havertz’s winner against Burnley will help seal the title (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
10. The final hurdle
Seeing off Burnley on Monday night was the last win Arsenal needed before becoming champions. That put pressure on City and they didn’t get the result they needed.
In a way, defeating the already relegated Clarets was a reflection of the Gunners’ year. They won 1-0 against the 19th-placed team, and the winning goal came from a corner kick. It wasn’t very pretty, but it worked in the end. Arsenal won’t go down as the most aesthetically impressive champions of all time, but they won’t care.
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