Title race over as Arsenal crowned champions after City fail at Bournemouth
The wait is finally over. Arsenal have been crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.
City’s failure to win at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday means that Pep Guardiola’s men can no longer catch Arsenal when the final round of fixtures takes place this weekend. The Gunners, who’ve been top of the table for the vast majority of this season, beat Burnley 1-0 on Monday to build a five-point gap between themselves and City.
Kai Havertz’s first-half goal made the difference against a Burnley side who’ve already been relegated. That put the pressure back on City to take all three points from their game in hand at Bournemouth.
The fixture took place 24 hours after the bombshell news broke that Guardiola will be leaving City at the end of the season, despite having one year left on his contract. Eli Junior Kroupi gave Bournemouth the lead in the 39th minute, which meant that City needed to score twice.
The visitors were markedly improved after Guardiola made a triple substitution before the hour mark, giving them fresh attacking impetus through the likes of Rayan Cherki. But Bournemouth defended resolutely until the dying embers, as they have done all season under departing boss Andoni Iraola.
The Cherries knew that a victory would put them within a point of fifth-placed Liverpool going into the final day, dreaming of Champions League football. But after Erling Haaland smashed home an equalizer deep into stoppage time, they’ll likely have to settle for the Europa League - still a huge milestone.
For City, however, it was too little too late, and the title race is now over. Ninety-three miles north, Arsenal fans packed out the Tollington Arms pub near the Emirates to watch on.
Their celebrations will go long into the night after enduring more than two decades of pain. Arsenal’s players also watched the match together, knowing that they’ll lift the trophy following Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace.
After the final whistle on the south coast, Mikel Arteta sent a message to those jubilant supporters: "We made history again together, I cannot be happier and prouder for everybody that is involved in this football club. Let’s enjoy the moment."
Arsenal previously won the title in 2004 under legendary manager Arsene Wenger. But Arteta has finally ended the club’s long wait after three successive second-placed finishes.
The Gunners began this season with intent, dropping points in just two of their first 10 fixtures. Their solid form continued over the winter before hopes of a historic quadruple quickly evaporated in the spring.
Either side of the international break, Arsenal went on a run of two wins from seven games in all competitions, including a damaging 2-1 defeat away to City which blew the title race wide open. But the Gunners responded with four wins in a row while capitalizing on City’s 3-3 draw at Everton.
Arsenal also reached the Champions League final for only the second time in their history after beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate. Arteta’s side will face holders Paris Saint-Germain next Saturday in Budapest.
The Spaniard was appointed to replace Unai Emery in December 2019, taking on his first managerial role after working under Guardiola at City. Having lifted the FA Cup in Arteta’s first season during the pandemic, the league title also ends Arsenal’s six-year wait for a trophy.
City, on the other hand, will finish what’s expected to be Guardiola’s 10th and final season at the helm with two trophies. His team won the FA Cup on Saturday, having previously beaten Arsenal in March’s Carabao Cup final.
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