Arsenal concluded a 22-year wait to be named Premier League champions yesterday, Tuesday, May 19, 2026 after Manchester City were held 1-1 at Bournemouth.
AFP: Mikel Arteta’s men fended off the onslaught of Pep Guardiola’s City to clinch a long-awaited triumph with one game in hand.
Our man breaks down the major elements as the Gunners finally got across the line after three seasons as runners-up
Dependable Raya
David Raya has won the Golden Glove for most clean sheets in the Premier League for a third straight year but this has been the Spaniard’s best season yet since signing from Brentford in 2023.
A consistent presence in the league, Raya opened and closed the campaign with match-winning displays in crucial 1-0 triumphs against Manchester United and West Ham.
United were denied a streak of saves on the first day of the season.
And Raya was at the heart of one of the season’s biggest moments when a VAR review ruled he had been fouled, disallowing West Ham’s stoppage-time equaliser earlier this month.
The West Ham midfielder might have placed the fate of the title back in City’s hands but minutes before he made himself big to deny Mateus Fernandes.
“David Raya for me has to be the player of the season,” former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira told Sky Sports. “I think he was outstanding from the first game right the way through to the end of the season, I think he was really impressive.
‘FC Set Piece’
Over 40 per cent of Arsenal’s goals in the Premier League this season have come in dead-ball situations.
They have scored 18 of their 28 goals from set pieces from corners to set a new single season Premier League record.
Often mocked as ‘Set Piece FC’ by rival fans for their lack of imagination, specialty coach Nicolas Jover has cooked up a number of innovative ideas to offer Arsenal an edge.
And with Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice delivering with pinpoint accuracy, Arsenal’s team is full of aerial threats that opponents have found tough to keep out.
Declan Dynamo
Rice might have lost out to Bruno Fernandes for the football writers’ player of the year, but the England midfielder has been the embodiment of a collective success for Arteta’s men.
The 27-year-old has featured almost 4,000 minutes in all competitions in a dogged effort to deliver the trophy Arsenal craved when they paid more than £100 million ($134 million) to snatch him from City three years ago.
Rice has chipped in with four league goals and five assists, but his work effort off the ball has been a major aspect for Arsenal, who have the league’s tightest defence.
Depth in strength
Injury played a disastrous factor in Arsenal’s aborted pursuit of Liverpool last season.
Injuries to Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber aside, the decision to bulk up Arteta’s squad paid off well.
New arrivals Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera have all played their part in helping Arsenal over the line in the Premier League and one game away from winning the Champions League for the first time.
Rivalries fall flat
City denied Arsenal the title two years ago after the Gunners won 16 of their last 18 games but they managed to earn even more points.
City and Liverpool have routinely set the bar high during the last decade, winning the league with more than 90 points.
This time 82 was enough to see through Arsenal.
City dragged the title fight to the last week of the season but they lacked the same consistency and relentlessness of Guardiola’s finest sides.
Liverpool’s title defence collapsed and Manchester United ended up third despite sacking Ruben Amorim in mid-season.
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