Arsenal wins first Premier League title in 22 years after City-Bournemouth draw
“I told you all.. it’s done,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice wrote on social media alongside a photo of him and his teammates celebrating.
By JAMES ROBSONWednesday May 20, 2026
Arsenal’s long wait for the Premier League crown is finally over.
- Advertisement -
Mikel Arteta’s side secured the title for the first time since 2004 on Tuesday, after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth.
“I told you all.. it’s done,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice wrote on social media alongside a photo of him and his teammates celebrating.
The outcome effectively ended what could prove to be Pep Guardiola’s last charge for the championship with City, after the decorated manager refused to rule out reports that he may leave the club when the season ends.
City had needed victory at Bournemouth to keep the race alive until Sunday’s final round. Instead, the point left Arsenal with an unassailable four-point cushion at the summit, closing the book on a 22-year pursuit of the title.
Supporters poured into the streets outside the Emirates Stadium, lighting flares and celebrating late into the night. There was a similar mood at the club’s training ground, where the players had gathered to watch the match unfold.
For a brief moment, City appeared ready to deliver another dramatic turn in a gripping title battle. Erling Haaland struck in stoppage time to cancel out Junior Kroupi’s first-half goal, but there was no time left for a winner.
Arteta’s players now join a distinguished line of Arsenal greats, including Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright, who previously reached the top of English football. There could still be more history to come, with the current squad also in position to win the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history later this month.
For now, though, attention can shift away from the May 30 final against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Instead, the focus is on celebration and relief for Arteta, who had finished second in the league in three straight seasons.
In 2023 and 2024, he watched Guardiola’s City reel in Arsenal to claim the championship. Last season brought another disappointment, with Arsenal again finishing runner-up, this time to Liverpool.
Once more, Arsenal spent much of this campaign setting the pace. And although its lead was gradually trimmed during a tense run-in, the club has finally crossed the line.
Arsenal’s previous title came with the famous “Invincibles” of 2004, who went unbeaten through the league season.
Since then, Chelsea, Manchester United, City, Leicester and Liverpool have all taken turns at the summit. This is the first time since 2017 that neither City nor Liverpool have been champions. It is Arsenal’s 14th league title, and Arteta will hope it marks the start of a new period of success.
He has now got the better of Guardiola, under whom he once worked as assistant at City.
The Spaniard took charge at Arsenal in December 2019, his first managerial role. An FA Cup triumph in that opening season suggested bigger things might follow, but the wait for another major honor has been long. Even so, at 44, he is now the second-youngest manager after José Mourinho to win the Premier League.
Arsenal have not matched the flowing, attack-minded style associated with former manager Arsene Wenger, but they have built their title charge on the league’s best defense and a growing reputation for set-piece efficiency.
Whether Arteta will eventually steer the team toward a more expansive identity, closer to Guardiola’s City, remains to be seen.
The bigger question in the immediate future concerns City, where Enzo Maresco is widely viewed as the leading candidate to succeed Guardiola.
Guardiola’s future, after 10 years at the club, cast a shadow over the buildup to the match.
“I should talk with my chairman first,” Guardiola said. “After that, when I talk with my chairman…. we will decide. We will talk in the next days.”
He had been chasing a seventh league title in England and a second domestic treble after already winning the League Cup and FA Cup this season. But Kroupi’s curling effort in the 39th minute left City with too much to do.
Bournemouth also passed up chances to stretch the lead, and Haaland’s late equalizer in the fifth minute of added time made the closing stages nervy for Arsenal supporters.
It still was not enough. Guardiola has now gone two years without a league title for the first time in his managerial career.
Relegation battle
The battle to avoid the drop will go to the final day after Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-1.
Spurs sit two points clear of West Ham, which occupies the last relegation place.
West Ham must beat Leeds on Sunday to have any hope of overtaking Tottenham and climbing out of danger.
Tottenham host Everton and a draw would probably be enough because of a superior goal difference. A victory would secure safety outright.
