
Manchester City needed to win its last two games and hope Crystal Palace beat or tie Arsenal to deny the Gunners the Premier League title. Their late rally only got them a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth AFC and handed Arsenal their first league championship in 22 years.
A goal by Erling Haaland in the 94th minute equalized for Manchester City, who will see longtime manager Pep Guardiola exit after the season. But Man City ran out of time and Arsenal clinched with a four-point lead with one game left.
Mikel Arteta had finished second in the Premier League for three straight seasons, raising questions about whether the club needed a new manager. This season, Arsenal turned up their defense, allowing just 26 goals in 37 games. In recent games, they've struggled to score, but after losing to Man City, 2-1, April 19, Arsenal responded with four straight clean sheets.
That included Monday's 1-0 win over Burnley, where the home fans had to sweat out a tight win against a side that had already been relegated. Still, one year after the team was derailed by injuries, Arsenal did what it had to, continuing to take three points per match, even if the wins were ugly.
It's the culmination of a long process for Arteta and Arsenal, who will face PSG in the Champions League final later in May. They'd been an excellent team but hadn't won any competitions since the 2020 FA Cup in Arteta's first season. Now their final match at Crystal Palace won't be a competition as much as a coronation, thanks to a sweet goal from Eli Junior Kroupi.
GOALLLLLL
— USA Sports (@usasports) May 19, 2026
Eli Junior Kroupi with a beautiful strike and a massive blow to Manchester City
Bournemouth: 1
⚪️ Manchester City: 0
⏱️ 39’ pic.twitter.com/TMqXY56yaP
The outcome of the match was huge for Arsenal, but very significant for Bournemouth as well. They clinched a top-six finish in only their ninth season of top-flight English football, which guarantees they'll by playing in at least the Europa League next season, and could end up in the Champions League.
It's a huge leap for the club that went from 15th place, to 12th, to 9th, to at least sixth in the span of three seasons. Sadly, all that success means they'll be parting ways with the manager who led the turnaround, Andoni Iraola.
Reportedly, Man City is also getting a new manager, with Guardiola leaving after 10 years and 20 trophies with Man City. He still had a chance to win a seventh league title before Tuesday, but Haaland's equalizer came too late to get the dream alive.
Haaland late equalizer. Not enough
— USA Sports (@usasports) May 19, 2026
Bournemouth: 1
⚪️ Manchester City: 1
⏱️ 90+4’ pic.twitter.com/lylDiBqu1G
Guardiola and Iraola are out. Arteta is very much in, with a chance to add a Champions League trophy to an already-triumphant season.
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