Arsenal's 22-Year Wait For Premier League Title Ends After City Draw

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Arsenal ended their 22-year wait to be crowned Premier League champions on Tuesday after Manchester City were held 1-1 by Bournemouth.

City had to win to take the title fight to the final day, but the Cherries extended their unbeaten streak to 17 league games, a run which has secured European football for the first time in the club's history.

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After finishing second for the past three seasons, Mikel Arteta's Gunners have finally made it over the line to end a six-year trophy drought.

Arsenal edged to the brink of the title with an unconvincing 1-0 win over already relegated Burnley on Monday, which took them five points clear of City.

The Gunners, who have set the pace for most of the season, have bounced back impressively since losing to City last month, winning four straight league matches without conceding a goal.

On Monday, just 48 hours after completing a domestic cup double with victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final, City were rocked by widespread reports that manager Pep Guardiola will depart after a decade in charge at the end of the season.

Victory at Wembley on Saturday secured a 20th trophy of Guardiola's glorious reign.

But he cannot add to his six Premier League titles when Aston Villa visit the Etihad on Sunday for what is expected to be his final match in charge.

Arsenal's 14th English title is their first since Arsene Wenger's "Invincibles" went unbeaten through the 2003/04 league season at the club's old Highbury ground.

Wenger and his stars cast a long shadow over the Emirates Stadium in the fallow period that followed.

But winning a title fight against a club of City's calibre lifts Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and company into the rarified air occupied by Wenger-era greats such as Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry.

For Arteta, it was the moment the student surpassed his teacher after three years spent learning from Guardiola during his time as City's assistant manager.

The 44-year-old has used those lessons to revitalise a club that was stuck in a rut when he arrived to replace the sacked Unai Emery in December 2019.

Nuno Espirto Santo and Eddie Howe were reportedly among the candidates to replace Emery.

But the ultra-competitive Arteta, who played for the club for five years, convinced the Arsenal hierarchy to bring him back home.

Despite winning the 2020 FA Cup in his maiden campaign, he endured painful teething problems.

A glimpse into how far Arsenal have come under Arteta's leadership can be garnered from their ramshackle defence -- comprising Saka, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and David Luiz -- in his opening game as manager.

He had to rid the dressing room of divisive egos, stamping his authority by exiling unsettled captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and moving on from Mesut Ozil.

Arsenal finished a lowly eighth in 2020 and 2021, leading to calls for his dismissal.

Yet, gradually, a highly motivated, superbly drilled team fashioned in Arteta's intense image emerged from the turmoil.

Arsenal unexpectedly found themselves in the title race in 2023, but blew an eight-point lead to let Manchester City take the crown.

Twelve months later they suffered the agony of being pipped to the title on the final day of the season by Guardiola's men.

Arsenal came second for a third straight year in 2025, but this time they took a step back, ending 10 points behind champions Liverpool.

While others wrote off the Gunners as "chokers" and serial underachievers, Arteta's belief never wavered.

The Spaniard once compared his work with the daily commute from his home to the club's London Colney training base.

He likened his ability to navigate the busy north London traffic to the way he had to switch tactics and players during his Arsenal overhaul.

For Arteta, and for the club, the long and winding road to the title has come to an unforgettable end.

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