The wait is over. Arsenal have become the Premier League champions for the first time since 2004. A whole generation can finally say with confidence that the Gunners are (officially) the best team in the land, and the era at the Emirates Stadium shall no longer be seen as a time of near misses.
History has taught us that it is never sensible to count your chickens before the eggs have hatched with this football club, but in retrospect, there are some standout moments on this journey to glory.
More than any other, this season has been the one where the strength of the squad has stood up to the test. Eight summer signings were recruited to add numbers to the group, and at several key points in the calendar, the ability to mix and match options has allowed the team to tip fine margins their way.
·Martinelli magic against Manchester City (21.09.2025)
Arsenal had taken confidence in previous campaigns from their record against ‘Big Six’ clubs, but their unbeaten streak stretching back to April 2023 was broken by a 1-0 defeat against Liverpool.
That result at Anfield in August had hallmarks of the conservatism that many reckoned would hold back the group, and a midfield unit with Mikel Merino in the ten raised concerns in the match against Manchester City three weeks later. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in a ruthless transition, and Mikel Arteta was forced to call upon the cavalry at half time to reinvigorate the fans at the Emirates.
Bukayo Saka swapped in for Noni Madueke, who was injured, and Eberechi Eze operated as a right sided attacking midfielder. The balance was not ideal, but quality was present on the pitch to pin the Cityzens into a deep block. The pressure would pay off with a big goal from a player with a new role.
A starter in previous years, Gabriel Martinelli made a difference against Athletic Club off the bench as a wide forward with the speed and timing to attack space intelligently. He gave Eze the option to hit in second half injury time, and a lob over Gianluigi Donnarumma earned a precious point.
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·Merino’s massive moment on Tyneside (28.09.2025)
There would soon be ‘redemption’ for the misfit midfielder who was hauled off against City.
He would have to wait for the tension to build against his former club, Newcastle United, who have traditionally been a thorn in the side of Arteta’s group. The Toon took the lead at St. James’ Park as Gabriel Magalhaes lost track of Nick Woltemade, and the record summer signing scored a header.
But the Gunners showed they had a different gear to go into. Arteta was willing to take off Martin Zubimendi, trusting Declan Rice to remain as the lighthouse at the base of the midfield, and the guests took more risks to probe through the centre of the pitch. It was the kind of context that allows Merino to thrive as a box crasher, and he duly obliged off the bench with a glancing header.
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Gabriel got his strike during injury time to hand all three points to Arsenal, and a 2-1 defeat at the death for Liverpool earlier on the weekend meant that ambitions in the title race were reignited.
Of course, the season was still so young that no one foresaw what would happen to the Reds. But who knows what damage taking no points from the games against City and Newcastle could have done?
·An early Christmas present from Jesus (13.12.2025)
As the weeks passed, Arsenal found themselves in the familiar position of being top of the table in the winter festive season. Not all were impressed with the performances, especially in the offensive department, but the group kept getting over the line to take the points they needed to hit their target.
The battle with Wolves was another example. Many expected a simple enough victory for the league leaders against an outfit that were rock bottom with little hope of survival under Rob Edwards. However, he had been making an impact with the side, who put up solid resistance at the Emirates.
Ben White would come off in the first half with a hamstring injury, and Myles Lewis-Skelly was forced to fill in at left back as the rest of the backline shifted. But arguably Arteta would have been even more annoyed with the lethargy in an attack that registered no shots on target before the break.
Sam Johnstone would give the hosts the opening goal of the game in the 70th minute after the chaos caused from a corner, but the Old Gold dug deep and nerves crept into the air in North London. The Gunners could not stave off the pressure, and Tolu Arokodare equalised on the verge of injury time.
Aptly for the time of year, the saviour would be Gabriel Jesus, who had taken the place of the (at-the-time) underwhelming Viktor Gyokeres. The Brazilian forced the issue when Saka sent the ball into the danger zone, and defender Yerson Mosquera managed to put the ball in the back of his net.
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Arsenal moved five points clear of the Cityzens, and they remained in pole position into the new year.
· Derby day delight for big summer signings (22.02.2026)
The worries about the balance of the attack and ideas in open play were stoked up again at the start of 2026. Arteta had to use Piero Hincapie as a replacement for the injured Riccardo Calafiori,and he was asking even more out of Zubimendi and Rice in midfield. A run of two victories, four draws and a defeat was revealing in chinks in the armour just in time for derby day to appear a stumbling block.
Tottenham Hotspur were having a horrible time of things, parting ways with Thomas Frank in February. His successor, Igor Tudor, was tasked with taking the team away from the relegation zone, and the job began with a fixture against the table toppers on home soil in the North London derby.
But hopes of an upset fell flat on their face. Gyokeres got joy down the channels in the opening stages of the showdown, setting the tone for a dominant display from the Gunners. His accomplice on the afternoon was Eze, who broke the deadlock from close range and achieved a brace in the second half.
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Meanwhile, Gyokeres grabbed the second and fourth goals for the visitors in the derby, and the team were back on track after their 2-2 draw against Wolves. Arsenal needed their big money men to make good on their qualities in the final third, and this triumph would be a symbolic moment in the season.
· Mad Max makes the headlines (14.03.2026)
This title charge would not feel complete without the contributions of the club’s academy.
Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have helped bail the team out of trouble at various points in the Arteta project, but the most talented teenager could be about to break out.
Max Dowman made his Premier League debut against Leeds United in August, but an ankle injury in November meant he had to stay on the sidelines until the spring to get more playing time.
The clamour continued for the 16-year-old throughout that period, and Arteta decided to roll the dice when the Gunners were struggling to penetrate through the disciplined defensive block of Everton.
Again, Rice was rotated into the role of the six, and Eze played centrally with Saka while Dowman drove attacks on the right wing. An interior left sided role for the team’s new ten suited his skillset best, but eyes could not be drawn away from the teenager, who would make a massive difference.
First of all came a devilish delivery that caught out Jordan Pickford, and the ball dropped for Gyokeres, another substitute, to slot away into an empty net on the verge of injury time. Then came the clearance from a last gasp corner, and Dowman danced around blue shirts before walking the ball towards an empty net. The Gunners were nine points clear, and the fever dream was becoming reality.
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· The right formula found against Fulham (02.05.2026)
But Arsenal are not a team that like to do things the easy way. Defeat in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City (2-0) was followed by losses in the FA Cup against Southampton and in the Premier League against Bournemouth and the Cityzens (2-1 scoreline on all three occasions.)
The Gunners needed a second wind, and the team had the tools to satisfy that need this year.
A fixture against Fulham was sandwiched between the two legs of the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, and rotation was always likely to take place. However, the manager surprised supporters with the inclusion of Lewis-Skelly in the midfield unit with Rice and Eze.
A more risk-taking arrangement, complemented with the return of the Trossard and Calafiori tandem on the left and Saka on the right, produced a performance that energised the Emirates. Arteta sensed the moment, and the same starting eleven helped earn a 1-0 win over the Rojiblancos the next week.
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Trossard then netted against West Ham, and he was an instrumental part in a productive first half against Burnley. All the while, only one goal has been conceded since that second defeat against City in six games across all competitions, and Arsenal proved they had the mettle to make history.