Arsenal win the Premier League: The 10 moments that won the Gunners the title for the first time in 22 years
Arsenal have won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years; the Gunners have had a topsy-turvy season and title race with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City; from Max Dowman's cameo to Eberechi Eze's heroics - here are the 10 moments that won the Gunners the title...
Tuesday 19 May 2026 22:15, UK
Arsenal have won their first Premier League title in 22 years after a topsy-turvy season and riveting title race with Manchester City.
The Gunners were crowned champions after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth, as Mikel Arteta's side won the league with a game to spare.
After three years of finishing in second place, Arsenal pulled out all the stops to get over the line this time. But it came with a lot of drama.
Here are 10 moments that won Arsenal the Premier League...
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Arsenal pinch Eze off Spurs
Arsenal had a busy summer transfer window - with big signings such as Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke coming in through the door to raise the floor of the team.
But perhaps the most ruthless bit of business came when Arsenal pinched Eberechi Eze off rivals Spurs during the first week of the new season.
Eze was all but set to join Arsenal's fierce north London rivals when the then-Crystal Palace midfielder gave Mikel Arteta a call. Arteta was about to enter a board meeting and persuaded the Arsenal hierarchy to make a move.
Eze hasn't had it all his own way this season but he did have crucial moments that got Arsenal vital points. He scored some stunning winners against former club Palace and Newcastle that showcased why the Gunners signed him - those special one-off moments that very few in the Arsenal squad can bring. Those two goals were worth four points alone.
There were also more high-profile moments, but more on that below...
Martinelli takes two big points off Man City
Eze's first real magic moment in Arsenal colours came via an assist. And one that helped dictate the title race.
In September, Arsenal were struggling against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Erling Haaland had put City ahead inside the first 10 minutes and the Gunners were struggling to break their opponents down - despite restricting them to just 33.2 per cent possession, the joint lowest of Guardiola's career.
But in stoppage-time Eze's pinpoint long-range clip over the top of the City defence found Gabriel Martinelli - who chipped Gianluigi Donnarumma to claim a vital point for Arsenal - and take two points off City.
Gabriel ends Newcastle hoodoo in statement win
In October, Arsenal faced a crunch weekend in their season. They were set to travel to Newcastle on a weekend when they were already behind in the title race.
Up until that point, Liverpool - backed by the biggest transfer window in Premier League history - had a 100 per cent record and were threatening to pull away.
Arsenal, meanwhile, deemed St James' Park as a 'bogey ground' - having lost four out of their previous five trips to that stadium.
The door was opened for Arsenal when Liverpool lost at Crystal Palace on the Saturday through a last-gasp winner from former Gunner Eddie Nketiah.
But Arsenal's hoodoo at Newcastle was continuing - as Nick Woltemade put the Magpies in front right up until the 83rd minute - when the Gunners' strength in depth came to the fore.
Former Newcastle midfielder Mikel Merino levelled it up from a short corner routine. Then Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard put in an emphatic cameo off the bench as he returned from injury. The Norwegian's corner was met by Gabriel who headed home - to spark jubilant scenes in the away end.
Later in the season, even Arteta referenced the importance of that match. "If we'd lost at Newcastle, we'd have been eight points behind Liverpool in October."
Yet the following weekend, Liverpool lost again at Chelsea and an Arsenal win over Palace - courtesy of an Eze strike - took the Gunners top for the first time in the season. They barely let top spot slip for the rest of season.
Eze delivers in BOTH north London derbies
Spurs will have been absolutely sick of the sight of Eze this season.
If it wasn't enough that Arsenal pinched Eze off them right at the last moment, the England international saved his best performances off the season for the north London derbies.
Former Spurs boss Thomas Frank had tried to make light of facing him at the Emirates back in November. "Who's Eze?" he joked in his pre-match press conference.
But it backfired as Spurs couldn't get near him. His performance "was a brutal exhibition of what Spurs missed out on, performed by a man seemingly on a mission to hammer home the message," wrote Sky Sports features writer Nick Wright after the game.
He certainly made his mark and did so in historic style, becoming the first Arsenal player since 1978 to score a hat-trick in a north London derby and inspiring the Gunners to a thumping 4-1 win.
Eze was the hero again for Arsenal in February as they ran out 4-1 winners again in former Spurs interim boss Igor Tudor's first game.
The former Crystal Palace star took his tally of derby goals to five for the season, leaving Spurs wondering what might have been had they got his signature over the line.
"We're going to win the league!" - Ugly Brighton win gets fans believing
Arsenal's 1-0 win over Brighton in March was not a good game of football. The post-match reaction was dominated by Fabian Hurzeler's comments that the Gunners were time-wasting and how he would "never tell his team to play like that".
But the full-time scenes after Arsenal held on to a 1-0 win were particularly poignant. As just after the whistle went, news came through that Man City had dropped points at home to Nottingham Forest. Arsenal were seven points clear at the top of the table.
For the first time that season, Arsenal fans were singing "We're going to win the league". There was a recognition that City were not the same team of previous title races.
Record-breaking Dowman saves the day
But a few weeks later, Arsenal were back in a tough spot at home to Everton. David Moyes' side were proving a tough nut to crack and the Gunners were being held to a 0-0 draw with 15 minutes left to play.
Enter the wildcard in the form of 16-year-old Max Dowman.
It was just the teenager's third Premier League appearance and putting faith into someone so young was a bold move by Arteta - but also showed how desperate Arsenal were at that point.
And the impact Dowman made was masterful. His deep cross found Piero Hincapie at the back post, and the ball broke to Gyokeres who tapped home from close range.
Then came a historic moment. With Jordan Pickford up for a corner, Dowman ran the entire length of the pitch to tap into an empty net - becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer in the process.
Gary Neville described it as Arsenal's "defining Premier League moment". Bringing on the teenager was probably Arteta's best-ever substitution. Arsenal found a huge moment in the most unlikely of sources.
Declan Rice: "It's not done" after Man City turn tables
Things were looking bleak for Arsenal's title charge after defeat to Bournemouth and then the 2-1 loss at title rivals Man City.
At the time, it seemed a statement win in the Premier League title tussle but amid the City joy at the full-time whistle at the Etihad Stadium, Declan Rice was showing his growing influence and leadership with Arsenal.
The England midfielder was captured by video cameras telling his Arsenal team-mates that the race is "not done" despite the apparent shift in momentum that occurred - and it was a moment which earned praise from Pep Guardiola.
"I love that. I love that," said Guardiola in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News' Vinny O'Connor. "That's why Arsenal is there. I saw it and it shows what Declan Rice means. That's the Arsenal mentality, we've faced it in the Premier League these [past] seasons and in the Carabao Cup, how competitive they are."
Rice and Guardiola were onto something.
From that moment, Arsenal won four straight league games without conceding a goal and reached the Champions League final with a semi-final win over Atletico Madrid.
Rice may not be Arsenal's full-time captain but he grown to be club's talisman. He was named skipper for the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Sporting CP last month, with Arteta saying the move was endorsed by the squad. He is now Arsenal's leader, with or without the armband.
Raya saves from Fernandes...
After Arsenal regained composure in the title race, they faced a crucial game away at relegation-threatened West Ham.
It was the Gunners' hardest remaining Premier League game of the season - and many claimed that a win would effectively seal the title for Arteta's squad.
But again, Arsenal were finding it difficult to break down a Hammers side looking for a win to lift them out of the relegation zone. Arteta's questionable decision to put Rice at right-back following the season-ending injury to Ben White destabilised the Gunners.
Then came a crucial moment on 78 minutes.
West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes broke through on goal. Time stood still. He had just David Raya to beat. But the Arsenal goalkeeper pulled off an outstanding stop to keep the scores level. It summed up the defensive resilience Arsenal showed to haul themselves back in control of the title race.
...then VAR saves Arsenal at West Ham!
Five minutes after the Raya save, Arsenal went 1-0 in front at West Ham due through Leandro Trossard's opener - after more magic from Odegaard.
But the story of the game was not done there.
On 95 minutes, Raya spilled at a West Ham corner and Callum Wilson scored a gut-punching equaliser for Arsenal. But then VAR Darren England stepped in.
The video referee spotted a foul by West Ham striker Pablo on the Arsenal goalkeeper and recommended Chris Kavanagh for an on-field review. On co-commentary duty, Neville called it "the biggest moment in VAR's Premier League history" - and it went Arsenal's way.
A foul was given. Arsenal took a big three points. The title was nearly theirs.
Bournemouth seal the deal for the Gunners
And after Arsenal beat Burnley 1-0, they did not need to kick any more balls to win the title.
Arteta's clinching moment came through his childhood friend Andoni Iraola - whose Bournemouth side held Man City to a 1-1 draw. City could no longer catch the Gunners.
It sparked jubilation in the red half of north London, as 22 long years came to an end.
From the Champions League final to Budapest to next season, where will Arsenal's journey take them next?
