Arsenal End 22-Year Premier League Drought After Manchester City Slip
- Arsenal’s agonising wait for a Premier League crown finally ended on May 19 after Bournemouth surprised Manchester City
- The Gunners had done their part with a victory over Burnley and relied on City dropping points against the Cherries to seal the championship
- Having conquered England, Mikel Arteta and his charges will now turn their attention to Europe as they chase UEFA Champions League glory
Arsenal have finally reclaimed the Premier League crown after Manchester City slipped up against AFC Bournemouth to hand Mikel Arteta’s men their first league title in 22 years on Tuesday, May 19.
A first-half strike from Eli Junior Kroupi proved enough to sink City at the Vitality Stadium, despite Erling Haaland scoring a late equaliser.
The result officially ended City’s hopes of completing the domestic treble.
Source: Getty Images
Arsenal win EPL after City slip up
The Gunners had already done the hard part 24 hours earlier with a tense 1-0 victory over Burnley.
That result opened a five-point gap at the summit and left Arsenal relying on Bournemouth to finish the job against a City side that had not lost in the Premier League since a 2-0 loss to Man United in January.
For a brief moment, it looked like City could spoil the party. Antoine Semenyo thought he had fired Guardiola’s side ahead early in the contest, only for the flag to cut short the celebrations after the Ghanaian was ruled offside.
That warning appeared to awaken Bournemouth.
Kroupi delivers decisive blow to City
Andoni Iraola’s men grew into the game with confidence and intensity. Evanilson somehow failed to convert from close range after City’s defence briefly switched off, but the Cherries refused to lose belief.
Their breakthrough finally arrived in the 38th minute.
Kroupi, who was recently overlooked for France’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad, curled a brilliant effort beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma to send the home crowd into chaos and Arsenal supporters into dreamland.
After the restart, Manchester City threw everything forward in search of a response.
Guardiola turned to his bench, introducing Rayan Cherki, Savinho and Phil Foden, while FA Cup final hero Semenyo was withdrawn as City desperately searched for inspiration.
Bournemouth eventually caved in with Erling Haaland scoring a last-gasp goal. It proved inconsequential in the grand scheme of events, as the game ended 1-1.
For City, the draw brought a painful end to a fierce title chase. At one stage earlier in the campaign, Arsenal had held a commanding nine-point advantage before Guardiola’s side clawed their way back into contention.
Still, lifting both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup means the season will not be remembered as a failure, especially with uncertainty continuing to surround Guardiola’s future at the club.
Arteta completes Arsenal’s long EPL journey
For Arsenal, this triumph feels years in the making.
After finishing runners-up in each of the previous three seasons, Arteta’s team finally found the consistency and resilience needed to get over the line.
Even during a difficult spell in April, they refused to collapse under pressure.
Now, the Gunners have their reward.
According to Opta, the Premier League title is back to North London for the first time since Arsène Wenger’s “Invincibles” era in 2004.
And Arsenal’s season could still become even more special.
Arsenal eye Champions League-EPL double
Attention now turns to the UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30, where Arteta’s men have the opportunity to complete a historic double while also avenging last season’s semi-final heartbreak against the French giants.
Before that, Arsenal will round off their league campaign against Crystal Palace on Sunday, May 24.
For now, though, North London belongs to Arteta and his players. After two decades of waiting, Arsenal are champions again.
Source: YEN.com.gh
