Manchester City needed to beat Bournemouth to take the Premier League title race to the final day, but Pep Guardiola’s side handed Arsenal the trophy with one game to spare.
Arsenal players celebrated winning the title at the training ground
The wait is finally over. Manchester City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth, giving Arsenal their first Premier League title in 22 years.
City’s failure to win at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday means Josep Guardiola’s side will now be unable to catch up with Arsenal in this weekend’s final match. The Gunners, who have been top of the table for most of this season, beat Burnley 1-0 on Monday to open a five-point gap over City.
Kai Havertz’s first-half goal was the difference between victory and defeat against Burnley, who were already relegated. This puts the pressure on City again to pick up all three points against Bournemouth.
The match took place 24 hours after the shocking news broke that Guardiola would be leaving City at the end of this season despite having one year left on his contract. City needed to score twice as Eli Junior Crupi gave Bournemouth the lead in the 39th minute.
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Since Guardiola made three changes just before the hour, the visitors have improved significantly, with the likes of Rayan Cherki adding new momentum to the attack. But Bournemouth continued to defend resolutely until the embers, as they have done all season under outgoing manager Andoni Iraola.
The Cherries dreamed of Champions League football and knew that a win would take them to the final day within points of fifth-placed Liverpool. However, they will have to compromise for the Europa League, as Erling Haaland scored the equalizer in the dying seconds of second-half stoppage time, but it is still a major milestone.
But for City, it was too little too late. Arsenal fans, 93 miles north, packed into the Torrington Arms pub near the Emirates to watch the match, and were later joined at the stadium by club legend Ian Wright.
After enduring more than 20 years of pain, their celebration continued into the night. Arsenal players and staff gathered at the club’s training ground to watch City’s blunder and lift the trophy following Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace.
Arsenal fans gathered at the Emirates to celebrate the title win
Gunners legend Ian Wright joins the team
The squad was seen walking in front of Emirates Airlines at 5am on Wednesday. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Julian Timber were among those celebrating the win.
After the final whistle sounded on the south coast, Mikel Arteta sent a message to jubilant supporters: “We’ve made history together again. I couldn’t be happier and prouder for everyone associated with this football club. Let’s enjoy this moment.”
Arsenal previously won the title in 2004 under legendary manager Arsene Wenger. However, Arteta has finally ended the club’s long wait after three consecutive second-place finishes.
The Gunners started this season deliberately, dropping points in just two of their first 10 games. Their solid form continued through the winter, and hopes of a historic quadruple in the spring quickly faded.
Declan Rice and some of his teammates were still out at 5am.
Bukayo Saka was also in that group.
On either side of the international break, Arsenal continued their strong run of form with two wins from seven games in all competitions, including a heavy 2-1 away defeat to City that cost them a crushing defeat in the title race. However, the Gunners took advantage of City’s 3-3 draw with Everton and hit back with four consecutive wins.
Arsenal defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate to reach the Champions League final for the second time in their history. Arteta’s side face holders Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest next Saturday.
The Spaniard was appointed as Unai Emery’s successor in December 2019, his first managerial job after working under Guardiola at City. The league title, won in Arteta’s first season in charge during the pandemic, also marks the end of Arsenal’s six-year wait for a trophy.
Meanwhile, City will end Guardiola’s 10th and likely final season as manager with two trophies. His team defeated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final in March and won the FA Cup on Saturday.
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