The inability to see off a Nottingham Forest side fighting for their Premier League lives meant that Arsenal handed the 2022/23 title to Man City without Pep Guardiola’s side having to kick a ball.
In truth, the Gunners were poor throughout the match at the City Ground, and the lack of form over the past few weeks has been, ultimately, what has stopped them from getting their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2004.
Mikel Arteta’s side were magnificent for long periods of the current campaign, though once the confidence dipped, clearly it was very difficult for Arsenal’s group of young players to get it back.
It’s a title loss that will hurt the north Londoners, and there’s one particular stat that they won’t want to be reminded of.
Top of the table for an astonishing 248 days, the Gunners have now topped the list of teams that have had most days at the Premier League summit without actually going on to win the title – and by a distance too.
Prior to today, Kevin Keegan’s swashbuckling Newcastle side of 1995/96 held the record with 212 days in the lead and no trophy to show at the end of the season.
Arsenal also make an appearance at third (189 days) and fifth (156 days) in the list, sandwiching Man United (187 days).
If nothing else, it could be used as a motivating factor for Arteta to put to his players as they go again next season.
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