Arsenal have won the Premier League title for the first time in over 20 years.
The Gunners had come up short in each of the past three seasons, with some rival fans hoping it would continue. But they have finally got over the line.
The title was wrapped up with the Gunners not in action, thanks to Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth. Arsenal had beat Burnley the previous night to put them on the brink.
Arsenal’s detractors will try to play down this title win. The Gunners haven’t been the most aesthetically pleasing to watch this season, compared to their previous three runners-up finishes. But this may just be the reason why they made it over the line.
How Arsenal went from bridesmaids to bride:
Defensive improvements
It’s hard to know for certain, but the addition of former defender Gabriel Heinze to Mikel Arteta’s staff appears to have had a huge impact.
The Gunners seem to execute their defensive strategies to near perfection this year. They rarely shoot themselves in the foot and never seem to give opponents easy routes to their goal. Even when they purposefully drop deep and invite them to their half.
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William Saliba and especially Gabriel Magalhaes have been immense at the back. The Brazilian has won 70.59% of his ground duels, the best return of any Premier League player with at least 100 contested.
David Raya’s season is also going under the radar and he has been coming up clutch as of late.
Arsenal are on pace to establishing the best defence of any team since both Liverpool and Manchester City in 2021-22. The Gunners have conceded the same 26 goals as their rivals that year and could maintain this number until the end of the campaign, with only Crystal Palace left to face.
This current tally (0.7 goals conceded per game) is an uptick compared to an already great return from 2023-24 (0.8).
Overall, both seasons stand out over the past four defensively. But 2025-26 has seen it all materialise and turn into true results. Of course, not having Manchester City at the same level they were back then also helps.
| Arsenal stats per game | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals conceded | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Shots faced | 8.2 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| Expected goals against | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Big chances faced | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.8 |
It’s also worth mentioning their new full-back philosophy. The Gunners have been betting on mobile centre-backs rather than technical but fragile natural options has payed off massively.
Jurrien Timber was enjoying a great season before his injury. Ben White struggled after becoming a starter again but was just finding his best form when he hurt his MCL. Meanwhile, Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori have taken care of the left-hand side.
Cautious approach
A lot has been said about the risk-averse nature of this Arsenal squad. And at a certain point, it did cause them more harm than good.
In January, the Gunners went through their longest win drought of the league this season (three games). It was clear how prioritising not conceding rather than actively going for it and trying to score led to results dropping.
Their form also took another hit between March and April. It seems like they were too hung up on those habits to a point where it harmed them. But the wake-up call after the loss to Man City in the league seems to have made a difference and they have gone back to their usual self since then.
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But they’ve won the league thanks to all their efforts through the campaign. Including a time in which this approach actually worked. Who knows what would have happened had they taken more risks from the start.
And, to be fair, Arteta did make adjustments. Going from the 4-3-3 to the 4-2-3-1 may be the most noticeable of them all, adding more bodies to the attacking half and having more to threaten opponents with.
But overall, they have shown a more conservative approach this season compared to the previous three. The Gunners are averaging less possession, relying more on long balls and retracting more to protect the lead than they usually did before.
| Arsenal stats per game | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Possession | 56% | 57% | 58% | 60% |
| Passes per possession | 5.4 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.3 |
| Long ball % | 9.6% | 7.3% | 7.4% | 8.4% |
| Shots | 14.5 | 14.4 | 17.3 | 15.6 |
| Expected goals | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
It’s also symbolic how the two seasons in which they ultimately failed to get the job done after leading the league late on are the ones in which they played their “best football”.
And also how things have gone better for them since giving up on a few of those traits to focus on being tougher to beat instead. Arsenal are now specialists at that – thanks to Mikel Arteta and his staff.
Strengthened squad
Maintaining their core and making slight adjustments and additions to the team have also gone a long way helping them get here. They are now capable of withstanding injuries to key players in a way that seemed impossible until a year ago.
Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke – all have missed significant time. But none of it seems to have mattered too much.
We would also be remiss not to mention the level that Declan Rice has reached this year. He is the glue holding the team together with his ability to contribute up front, maintaining his set-piece-taking prowess and also destroying everything at the back. Nothing would be possible without him.
In the end, playing an ‘uglier’ brand of football and sweeping the margins is what made it possible for Arsenal to not only end their Premier League drought, but also reach a Champions League final for the first time in 20 years.
Of course, there is still work to do for the Champions League. But Arsenal fans will no doubt be happy however the season ends, now that they have finally become the brides.