Arsenal have won their first Premier League title in 22 years. They led the way at the top of the table for much of the season but did lose that lead to rivals Manchester City in mid April.
The game at the Etihad Stadium was labelled as a title decider by many and it was **Pep Guardiola's**City side that came out on top winning 2-1.
The defeat in the north west came as a blow because it opened up the title race and allowed City to make their mark in the race.
City then went away to Burnley in the mid week after the game against Mikel Arteta's side and they went top of the league with a win at Turf Moor.
The pressure was suddenly on the Gunners. They had played well at the Etihad and came close to coming away from the game with a point. There were positives to take from the performance but it had ended in a defeat and many may not have been in the mood to reflect on the good things.
It felt like a potentially damaging defeat.
Arsenal's response after the City defeat
However, there was always the chance that there would be more twists and turns in the title race for both sides.
City were praised for their experience and knowhow when it comes to winning league titles and the mentality of Arsenal was being questioned.
As it was, Arsenal played twice before City next took to the field in a Premier League game.
This worked in their favour.
When they welcomed Newcastle United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday 25th April, they had an opportunity to go back to the top and take advantage of City being engaged in FA Cup action.
Eberechi Eze settled any nerves when he scored an excellent goal inside the first ten minutes against Newcastle.
They held on for a 1-0 win and, in typical fashion of Arsenal this season, it was a solid defensive performance.
It started their run to the title and was the first hurdle passed.
A week later they were back at the Emirates Stadium for another 5:30pm kick off on a Saturday and, once again, they took an early lead. This time it was Viktor Gyokeres who scored inside the first ten minutes. Gyokeres scored again and Bukayo Saka also got on the scoresheet.
The 3-0 win against **Fulham**came after a midweek 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid to secure their place in the UEFA Champions League.
At a time when the pressure could have easily been on Arteta's side, they were getting the results and were doing so without conceding goals.
They have conceded the fewest goals of all the Premier League teams. Since that defeat to City, in the following six games in all competitions they kept five clean sheets. It was five clean sheets in five **Premier League**games.
Arsenal were doing their job.
The turning point at Goodison Park
Then, arguably the defining moment in the race came when City dropped points away at Everton.
They were 3-1 down to the side from Merseyside and two late goals did salvage a point for Pep Guardiola's men but a 3-3 draw was a missed opportunity for the men from Manchester.
In their next game, **Arsenal**still had a job to do. City were by no means out of the race.
Away at West Ham proved to be a tough game and the Hammers had a late equaliser ruled out by VAR. However, it was another 1-0 win for Arteta's team.
They had managed to get the two important wins at home but West Ham was billed by many as one of their toughest tests before the end of the season.
Nuno Espirito Santo's team had improved and were fighting for their lives. They pushed Arsenal all the way but the Gunners survived the late scare and got the three points.
It proved a vital three points as City had responded from the **Everton**draw with a home win against Brentford.
Then, on Monday night, Burnley were the visitors to London and it was a game where Arsenal were expected to win but they still had to deliver.
It was not necessarily the best performance from them but it was enough.
The goal from Kai Havertz came from a corner and that did not come as a surprise as dead ball situations have been a real strength of Arteta's side.
Once they went in front they were not able to add to their lead and Burnley did create a few key openings. However, they were able to deal with the threat effectively.
With City dropping points at Bournemouth, the title was confirmed a day later.
City were the ones chasing and in the end it was Guardiola's side who could not handle the pressure to keep the fight going to the last day.
After that defeat at the Etihad, the Gunners knew they had to have a near-perfect record if they were to win the title and that was what they did.
They won every other league game after that defeat. They did not let it define them.
How Arsenal sealed the title
Their strengths are all over the pitch but particularly at the back. They did not concede a league goal after that day and that took them to the title.
They secured several 1-0 wins and put in solid performances to grind out the results. That is often the sign of champions by going out and coming away with the win at whatever cost, even if it was not the best performance.
It may not always be the most entertaining but often title winners need a solid backline and Arsenal certainly had that.
They also used their ability from set pieces to inspire them to victory.
They remained calm and went about their business in a way that they did throughout much of the season. It could be argued that not a lot changed during their run-in, they were simply doing what they had done for most of the year to get into the lead in the first place.
The pressure was on and it was a close race but their could only be one winner.
It should not be forgotten that before that City defeat they had also been knocked out of the FA Cup at **Southampton,**lost to Bournemouth in the league and lost to City in the **EFL Cup**final.
Those results only added to the pressure and it would have been easy for the side to crumble and struggle with the mental challenge.
Winning a title is never easy and there are many obstacles to overcome.
After the City game, it almost became a season within a season.
As it was, they regrouped and recovered in the best possible way.
There was a lot of pressure on the response in the Newcastle fixture but throughout the run they have proved those who may have doubted them wrong.
It cannot be argued that they are worthy winners overall.
Ultimately, their strengths guided them to the crown and they have won the Premier League title in their way.