2025 draws to a close on December 30. Gunners reflect on a year of highs, heartaches, and hard lessons under Mikel Arteta with Arsenal season ranking. The Gunners capped the calendar with a gritty 2-0 win over Brighton on Boxing Day. This extended their unbeaten run to eight games. Moreover, they are also holding top spot in the Premier League with 42 points from 19 matches.
Rice’s Double Delight Sinks Real Madrid
There is nothing else that captures Arsenal’s 2025 rebirth like Declan Rice’s audacious double free-kick heroics against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Bernabeu in April. Trailing 2-1 on aggregate, Arsenal needed a miracle. The £105m midfield colossus curled two sublime set-pieces past Thibaut Courtois in the 72nd and 78th minutes. This sealed a 3-2 win (5-3 aggregate) and propelling the Gunners to semis for the first time since 2009. The Emirates erupted in disbelief. Even Courtois applauded the Englishman post-match. “Declan’s not just a destroyer—he’s a creator,” Mikel Arteta beamed. This moment silenced doubters. It also boosted morale en route to a third-place Premier League finish and Europa League final heartbreak against Atalanta in May. Rice’s strikes amassed 12 million YouTube views overnight, symbolizing Arsenal’s shift from nearly-men to contenders.
Viktor Gyokeres’ £85m Misadventure
In the summer transfer circus, Arsenal splashed £85m on Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres. He was seen as the Haaland heir with 43 Liga Portugal goals. But 2025 exposed brutal flaws. The Swede’s pedestrian pace (top speed: 30km/h vs. league average 33km/h) left him chasing shadows in transitions. He could manage just seven Premier League goals in 25 appearances. Pundits labeled it “Arteta’s gamble gone wrong,” with Gyokeres benched for Havertz’s return in December amid fan chants of “Viktor’s too slow!”. His hold-up play shone in isolated moments like a Champions League brace vs. PSV. But against high-pressing sides like Liverpool, he was anonymous, winning only 42% of duels. Compared to summer peers like Martin Zubimendi (£50m from Real Sociedad, seamless midfield anchor) and Noni Madueke (£48m from Chelsea, electric wing impact), Gyokeres ranks bottom of the class. A January loan looms; this flop underscores Arsenal’s scouting blind spots on athleticism.
Arsenal at the Emirates across all competitions this season:
⚽️ 34 goals
❌ 6 conceded
🧤 8 clean sheets
The Gunners retake top spot in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Brighton 🔴 pic.twitter.com/xm1ZSqfi4W
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 27, 2025
Martinelli’s Audacious Chip vs. Bayern Munich
Martinelli‘s cheeky chip over Neuer in the October UCL group-stage thriller against Bayern stole the show as 2025’s premier strike. Latching onto Bukayo Saka’s lofted pass, the Brazilian winger feinted left, then lofted a 40-yard parabola that kissed the crossbar before nestling in, Neuer, 39, rooted like a statue. Voted Goal of the Month by 68% of fans, it drew comparisons to Bergkamp’s silk. Martinelli, revitalized post-2024 dip, tallied 14 goals overall, his pace (35km/h bursts) terrorizing defenses. “Pure joy,” Arteta called it, as the Emirates’ roar echoed Arsenal’s attacking verve: 65 goals scored in all comps, third-highest in Europe. Runners-up? Rice’s free-kicks and Mikel Merino’s 20th-goal volley vs. Spurs in the North London Derby.
🚨🔴‼️ A supercomputer projects Arsenal to win the Premier League with 83.16 points 😳🏆
This total would secure the title by a margin of nearly five points over Manchester City who the model expects to finish as runners-up 👀
(@footyinsider247) pic.twitter.com/x4TwWHhhVJ
— Arsenal Zone (@ArsenalZNE) December 30, 2025
2026’s Title Stall
Will 2026 eclipse 2025? Opta’s supercomputer gives Arsenal season ranking 42% odds to clinch the 2025/26 Premier League—best in the division—fueled by squad depth and January tweaks. Havertz’s hamstring recovery (target: February) reunites the front three, while Zubimendi-Merino-Rice forms Europe’s stingiest midfield (conceding 0.8 xGA/game). Challenges persist: City’s relentlessness, Liverpool’s youth surge, and Viktor Gyokeres‘ resale saga. Yet, with Jurrien Timber fit and Kepa as David Raya‘s deputy, Arteta eyes a 95-point haul. Champions League last-16 vs. Porto offers early silverware shot. “We’re hungrier,” Saka vows. After 2025’s near-misses, 2026 could crown Arsenal kings—provided they evolve. As fireworks light the Thames tonight, Gooners dream big: history awaits.
As featured on GoonerNews.com
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