Photo by Who’s Denilo? on Unsplash
It’s done. Arsenal are Premier League champions , and they lifted the trophy at Selhurst Park.
The title was confirmed on May 19 when Manchester City drew 1–1 at Bournemouth. But the final day, May 24, was the celebration. Arsenal won 2–1 at Crystal Palace. City lost 1–2 to Aston Villa — Ollie Watkins with both goals. The trophy came out on the pitch at Selhurst Park, and 22 years of waiting ended in south London sunshine.
The journey started with Trossard’s 83rd-minute winner at West Ham on May 10. It wound through a tense week where City won the FA Cup and beat Crystal Palace to cut the gap back to two points. Then Bournemouth held them, Arsenal beat Burnley, and north London exhaled for the first time in two decades.
85 points. 26 wins. The best defense in the division. GD of +44. Champions.
How the Game Went
West Ham made it hard on May 10, as London derbies always do — nothing to play for in the table, but plenty of pride on the line.
Arsenal dominated possession at 64% and had the better of the xG too — 1.36 to West Ham’s 1.32, which tells you the chances were there. 15 shots in total, four on target. They also hit the woodwork twice, which sums up the afternoon: plenty of threat, not enough to show for it until Trossard made it count. West Ham had three shots on target themselves, which kept David Raya alert throughout.
Then Trossard. A substitute making the difference when it mattered most, which is exactly what title-winning squads do. The Belgian has been that kind of player all season — doesn’t always start, always delivers when called upon.
There were four yellow cards for Arsenal in the second half — Arteta managed any suspension risks for the games that followed, and the squad came through the run-in intact.
How the Title Was Won: The Final Standings
Arsenal finish on 85 points — 26 wins, 7 draws, 5 losses, GD +44. Manchester City end on 78, seven points back. It doesn’t flatter Arsenal. They earned every single one.
The title was mathematically confirmed on May 19 when City drew 1–1 at Bournemouth — Arsenal had beaten Burnley 2–0 the day before to pile on the pressure. Then on the final day, May 24, Arsenal won 2–1 at Crystal Palace while City lost 1–2 to Aston Villa. Ollie Watkins scored twice for Villa. The trophy came out at Selhurst Park. A perfect ending.
Goal difference: Arsenal +44, City +42. It never came down to that. But it tells the full story of the gap between these two sides across 38 games.
Arsenal’s final six Premier League results:
Five wins from the last six. The Bournemouth loss feels like a lifetime ago.
Final Premier League Table — Top Two
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal 🏆 | 38 | 26 | 7 | 5 | +44 | 85 |
| 2 | Man City | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | +42 | 78 |
Title confirmed May 19 after City drew at Bournemouth. Trophy lifted at Selhurst Park on May 24 — Arsenal 2–1 Crystal Palace, City 1–2 Aston Villa. Arsenal’s first Premier League title since 2003/04.
What Made This Arsenal Team Champions
The numbers tell the story. Best attack in the division. Best defense. Goal difference of +44 across 38 games. Viktor Gyökeres led the scoring, Declan Rice led assists, and this squad had genuine depth across every position — which is why they could grind out 1–0 wins at West Ham and still win 2–1 at Selhurst Park on the final day with the trophy waiting.
More than anything, they learned how to hold their nerve. The 1–0 wins. The ugly results on the road. For years, Arsenal teams under Arteta would do everything right for 70 minutes and then find a way to make it complicated. This group stopped doing that. Not every game — the Bournemouth and City losses in April showed the vulnerability was still there. But when it mattered most, they held.
Losing the FA Cup to Southampton stung. But they shook it off and beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. Then they beat West Ham when it mattered, beat Burnley to put their foot on City’s throat, and watched calmly as Bournemouth did the rest. That’s what champions look like.
Budapest Is Next
Arsenal are Premier League champions. And in six days, they face PSG in the Champions League final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
It’s only the second time in the club’s history they’ve reached the final. The first was 2006, when they lost to Barcelona. Henry, Lehmann’s red card, Pires coming off, Larsson changing the game off the bench. A night that still hurts. They haven’t won it. Not once.
PSG are the defending champions, trying to become the first side to retain the trophy since Real Madrid’s three-in-a-row between 2016 and 2018. They’re a different challenge to anything Arsenal have faced in the league. But Arteta’s squad goes to Budapest as Premier League champions, with confidence earned the hard way over 38 games. That means something.
Win on May 30, and it becomes the greatest season in Arsenal’s history. No argument possible.
What Happened to City
Manchester City gave everything. They won the FA Cup, beat Crystal Palace 3–0, kept winning when they had to. But Bournemouth held them on May 19 and that was the crack Arsenal needed. On the final day, Aston Villa completed the story — Ollie Watkins scored twice as City lost 1–2 at home. Fitting, in a way. City’s season ended with a defeat while Arsenal were lifting the trophy 100 miles south.
They finish on 78 points — 23 wins, 9 draws, 6 losses. A total that would have won the league in plenty of recent seasons. This wasn’t a bad City side. Arsenal were just better, for longer, when it counted. Seven points in the end. Deserved.
City have the FA Cup. Arsenal have the league. And in six days, one club could make this the greatest season in their history.
They Did It
22 years. That’s how long Arsenal fans waited. Since the Invincibles, since Thierry Henry, since Wenger’s last great team — through the near-misses, the fourth-place finishes, the rebuilds, the patience. All of it ended at Selhurst Park on a Sunday afternoon in May.
Arsenal won 2–1 against Crystal Palace. The final whistle blew. The trophy came out. The players lifted it on the pitch in south London, in front of the away end, the way champions sometimes do it — not at home, not in front of their own crowd, but it didn’t matter. The wait was over.
Mikel Arteta took a club that was drifting and turned it into champions. 85 points. 26 wins. A goal difference of +44. Budapest on May 30. The greatest season in Arsenal’s modern history is not over yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Arsenal were confirmed Premier League champions on May 19, 2026, when Manchester City drew 1–1 at Bournemouth. They lifted the trophy on May 24 at Selhurst Park after a 2–1 win over Crystal Palace. Arsenal finished on 85 points, seven clear of City on 78. It is their first top-flight title since the Invincibles season of 2003/04.
Arsenal finished the 2025/26 Premier League season with 85 points from 38 games — 26 wins, 7 draws, 5 losses, and a goal difference of +44. Manchester City finished second on 78 points.
Arsenal clinched the title on May 19 when City drew 1–1 at Bournemouth — Arsenal had beaten Burnley 2–0 the previous day. On the final day, May 24, Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 2–1 while City lost 1–2 to Aston Villa. The trophy was presented at Selhurst Park.
Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the match in the 83rd minute, giving Arsenal a crucial 1–0 win at the London Stadium on May 10, 2026 — a result that kicked off the title-winning run-in.
Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in the 2026 UEFA Champions League Final on May 30 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary. It is only the second Champions League final in Arsenal’s history — they lost the first to Barcelona in 2006.
Yes. Manchester City beat Chelsea 1–0 in the FA Cup Final at Wembley on May 16, 2026. City ended the season with the FA Cup but finished runners-up in the Premier League, seven points behind Arsenal.
Arsenal’s previous Premier League title was the famous 2003/04 Invincibles season under Arsène Wenger, when they went the entire league campaign unbeaten. The 2025/26 title ends a 22-year wait.
