Arsenal’s decades-long wait is over.
Mikel Arteta’s team was crowned Premier League champion for the first time since 2004 on Tuesday after Manchester City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth.
“I told you all.. it’s done,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice posted on social media with a photo of he and his teammates celebrating.
The result put an end to what might be Pep Guardiola’s final title challenge with City after the decorated manager didn’t dismiss reports he was set to leave the club at the end of the season.
City needed to win at Bournemouth to take it down to the final game of the campaign on Sunday. But the draw left Arsenal with an unassailable four-point lead at the top, ending its 22-year wait for the title.
Arsenal fans celebrated wildly outside its Emirates Stadium, setting off flares and partying in the street. There were celebrations at the club’s training ground, too, where the players had gathered to watch the match.
City threatened another twist in an engrossing title race when Erling Haaland scored in stoppage time to equalize after Junior Kroupi’s first-half strike, but it was too late to find a winner.
Arteta’s players can now stand alongside club icons Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright, who previously reached the summit of English soccer. And Arsenal’s current class could yet break new ground by winning the Champions League for the first time in its history later this month.
Thoughts of the May 30 final against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain can be put on the backburner for now.
Now is a time for celebration and relief for Arteta after finishing runner-up in the league three years in a row.
In back-to-back seasons in 2023 and ’24, he watched as Guardiola’s City chased down Arsenal’s lead to be crowned champion. And another chance was missed last year by finishing second to Liverpool.
Once again Arsenal has led the way for most of this campaign and despite seeing its points advantage ebb away during a gripping run-in, it has finally managed to get over the line.
Arsenal’s last champion was the so-called “Invincibles” team of 2004, which went an entire campaign without losing in the league.
Since then it has seen Chelsea, Manchester United, City, Leicester and Liverpool all take the title. This is the first time since 2017 that a team other than City or Liverpool has not been crowned champion. It is Arsenal’s 14th title and Arteta will hope it is the beginning of a new era of dominance.
He has finally got the better of Guardiola, who he was formerly assistant to at City.
The Spaniard took over at Arsenal in December 2019 — his first role as a manager. After winning the FA Cup in that first season, it has been a frustrating wait for more honors. Even still, he is the second-youngest coach after José Mourinho to win the Premier League at the age of 44.
While his team has not maintained the attractive playing style of former manager Arsene Wenger, it has powered its way to the title with the best defense in the league and earned a reputation as a specialist for set-piece goals.
Time will tell if Arteta adopts a more expansive style in the future, more in-keeping with Guardiola’s City.
How City will look going forward is a bigger question, with Enzo Maresco widely considered the front-runner to replace Guardiola.
The future of City’s greatest manager overshadowed the buildup to the game after 10 years at the club.
“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 was aiming to win the title for the seventh time in England and a second domestic treble after winning the League Cup and FA Cup this term. But Kroupi’s curling shot in the 39th minute left City with a mountain to climb.
Bournemouth wasted further chances to extend its lead, and Haaland ensured a tense finish for Arsenal fans when he leveled in the fifth minute of added time.
Ultimately it wasn’t enough and Guardiola has gone two years without winning a league title for the first time in his coaching career.
Relegation battle
The fight for survival will go down to the final day of the season after Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-1.
Spurs are two points ahead of West Ham, which is in the final relegation spot.
West Ham needs to beat Leeds on Sunday to have any chance of leapfrogging Tottenham and climbing out of the drop zone.
Tottenham hosts Everton and a draw would likely be enough because of superior goal difference. A win would guarantee safety.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
