ARSENAL have won the Premier League after a 22 year wait. It has been a campaign that has more ups than downs but in the end ‘The Culture Club’ have landed the biggest prize in domestic football.
Below are eight fixtures that defined their season…
Manchester United 0 – 1 Arsenal, Old Trafford, 17th August 2025: What a fixture to kick off the new 2025/26 season between two of the Premier League’s biggest teams in front of a worldwide audience watching on after United’s £200m summer rebuild and aiming to improve on their 15th place finish the year before.
But despite a much-improved performance, manager Ruben Amorim’s decision to pick Altay Bayindir backfired as Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal – from a Declan Rice corner – past the Turkish keeper to give Arsenal a crucial away victory.
Christmas cheer for Gunners
David Raya’s excellent saves throughout ensured the Gunners took the all-important three points as they got off to the perfect winning start, and extended their run of five wins in six over their opponents.
Newcastle 1 – 2 Arsenal, St James’ Park, 28th September 2025
Arsenal were handed a tough set of fixtures to start the season, and after already facing United, Liverpool and Manchester City, travelled to St James’ Park on game week six. They found themselves in big trouble when towering £69m forward Nick Woltemade got ahead of defender Gabriel to score first.
With ten minutes to go the game seemed done and dusted but manager Mikel Arteta’s substitutions proved the key as Mikel Merino first headed in a Declan Rice corner to draw level, before Gabriel made up for his earlier defensive error to score the dramatic winner in the 96th minute from another corner.
It was a huge victory in a cauldron-like atmosphere, and at a ground which the Gunners had lost their three previous league games and instilled huge belief that they were serious title challengers already.
Arsenal 4 – 1 Tottenham, Emirates, 23rd November 2025
The “North-London-Derby” is the game which many Arsenal and Tottenham fans look for first when the fixtures are announced. But this was a truly memorable day for the home fans and saw the arrival of £67m summer transfer Eberechi Eze – who almost signed for Spurs on deadline day.
After Leandro Trossard opened the scoring, not even a spectacular 40-yard goal from Richarlison could prevent Eze taking the headlines after his wonderful hat-trick. His first saw him take on and beat two players before finishing low, followed by a lovely curling left-footed strike from the edge of the area. The 27-year-old proved his ability to play in big games and why you just cannot give him time and space – his third goal was another great curling strike but this time right-footed to the right corner.
Incredibly, Eze scored two more against Tottenham in the reverse fixture later in the season, but by this point Arsenal were riding high on a wave and deservedly top of the league.
Arsenal 2 – 1 Wolves, Emirates, 13th December 2025
Arsenal were involved in yet another dramatic ending when they took on Wolves at a freezing Emirates stadium in the middle of winter. Despite dominating with 70% possession, the Gunners just could not break down a stubborn five-man defence and it took until the 70th minute to break the deadlock – and even that was courtesy of an own-goal.
Arsenal attempted to close out the win but things became far too nervous for the home team, and Tolu Arokadare converted a Mateus Mane cross in the final minute to level the game. Had the Gunners given title rivals Manchester City an early Christmas present by dropping two points?
Spurred on by the raucous home fans, Arsenal threw everything forward and secured victory via another own-goal deep into injury time when Yerson Mosquera tried to head clear but glanced the ball past his own keeper to end another roller-coaster game.
Arsenal 4 – 1 Aston Villa, Emirates, 30th December 2025
Aston Villa arrived into this game on the back of an 11-match winning streak – including a last-minute 2-1 win over the Gunners just three weeks before – but were no match for the Gunners who ran riot in the second half scoring four goals in thirty minutes.In a campaign where Arsenal achieved thirteen victories overall by a 1-0 margin, this was a rare game showcasing the free-flowing football from seasons gone by including a sumptuous Martin Odegaard assist, a thumping Trossard strike, and a cameo finish by Gabriel Jesus who had hardly been on the pitch for two minutes.
The result ensured the Gunners ended the year in style and took a five-point lead at the top of the table heading into 2026, justifying their status as favourites for the title.
Arsenal 2 – 0 Everton, Emirates, 14th March 2026
Could there be a more thrilling highlight of the entire Premier League season – and across all teams – than Max Dowman at the Emirates in mid-March?
After Dwight McNeil hit the post for the visitors, Arsenal were stuttering towards a draw and potentially dropping more points. But Mikel Arteta rolled the dice with his substitutions and Dowman’s entrance in the 74th minute changed the game completely.
Playing with all the freedom of youth, he helped to release all the tension inside the stadium by delivering a superb cross to Viktor Gyokores who tapped home in the 89th minute.
But the English superstar was not done, and in the dying moments of the game the loose ball fell to him from a corner and he weaved past two players before running alone for half the pitch and rolled the ball into an empty net.
Dowman broke the record for the youngest Premier League goalscorer at 16 years and 73 days.
Manchester City 2 – 1 Arsenal, Etihad, 19th April 2026
With Arsenal dropping points in games leading up to this crunch fixture, the stage was set for what was billed as the ‘title showdown’ and so-called winner-takes-all.
Ryan Cherki opened the scoring with a truly brilliant piece of individual skill before keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s mistake allowed the Gunners back in. But Erling Haaland second-half strike proved decisive as the Citizens secured a crucial victory to follow up their Carabao Cup Final success over Arsenal.
While many pundits after the game insisted that the momentum had now switched with just five games to go, Declan Rice refused to give in and his now-famous “it’s not done” rallying cry transformed the Gunner’s belief afterwards as they won four league games on the spin without conceding.
This was arguably Arsenal’s most testing period of the run-in, but they learned through this painful defeat that they had to trust in the process they had embarked upon long ago; a journey which would ultimately lead them to the glory and riches they and their supporters desperately craved.
West Ham 0 – 1 Arsenal, London Stadium 10th May 2026
It is impossible to summarise Arsenal’s season without reflecting upon the magnitude of this fixture which affected four teams across the country – Manchester City and Arsenal jostling for position at the top of the table, while West Ham and Tottenham were fighting relegation.
No matter the result, the outcome of this match had huge ramifications, and this was even before the most important VAR call in the history of the Premier League.
Once again, Arsenal struggled to overcome a team with a resolute defence and meandered their way past 80 minutes without a goal despite hitting the woodwork twice in the opening half.
HAMMER TIME: Leandro Trossard of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team’s goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal at London Stadium
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
The best chance of the game fell to the Hammers when Mateus Fernandes was through on goal but David Raya – who has been truly magnificent throughout the season – made another outstanding save to keep the scores level.
But moments later, substitute Odegaard dribbled past two players before setting up Trossard who scored via a small deflection. And then came that VAR intervention.
West Ham thought they had equalised deep in stoppage time but Callum Wilson’s strike was ruled out when referee Chris Kavanagh uttered the phrase which will go down in Arsenal folklore forever: “After review, West Ham number 19 commits a foul on the goalkeeper.”
Arsenal survived, leaving the London Stadium with the three points and now just two games away from a first Premier League title in 22 years.
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