Close but no cigar. For the second season running Arsenal have been caught in Manchester City’s slipstream, with Pep Guardiola’s relentless winning machine having zoomed over the finish line, culminating in Sunday’s 3-1 win over West Ham.
The Gunners have undoubtedly made significant progress again under Mikel Arteta but will once more be left with nagging thoughts of what might have been, especially given that having finished on 91 points, City are actually slightly down on their usual winning average.
Arsenal have been near perfect over the second half of the campaign but were ultimately left to pay for the few mistakes they made. Here, Metro.co.uk takes a look at the games that cost them the title…
Arsenal 2-2 Fulham, August 26
How different it could all have been had Mikel Arteta not started the season by exiling Gabriel Magalhaes, amid rumours the Brazil international was angling for a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
A makeshift defence, which had already lost the services of injured summer signing Jurrien Timber, featured Thomas Partey at right-back during the early weeks of the campaign, a selection decision that cost Arsenal dear against the Cottagers.
Partey, Bukayo Saka and then No.1 goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale were all at fault for the goal Arsenal conceded inside the opening 20 seconds and although a second half comeback looked likely to ensure three points, Arteta’s men ended up being forced to settle for a draw after another mistake, this time from Oleksandr Zinchenko, presented Fulham with a corner from which Joao Palhinha scored an unlikely equaliser.
Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal, October 21
Arsenal went into October’s international break in buoyant mood having, albeit somewhat fortuitously given the nature of Gabriel Martinelli’s deflected winning goal, beaten Manchester City in the league for the first time under Arteta.
Upon the resumption a fortnight later, Arsenal were heavy favourites to dispatch a Chelsea team who had lost two of their previous three matches at Stamford Bridge and were struggling for consistency under Mauricio Pochettino.
Instead, Arsenal delivered arguably their worst hour of football in the entire season and were fortunate to be only trailing 2-0 approaching the final 10 minutes.
A late comeback, instigated by Robert Sanchez’s dreadful error, secured a point but in reality it was a fixture in which only three was ever likely to suffice.
Arsenal 0-2 West Ham, December 28
Arsenal’s Achilles heel down the years has always been their propensity to shoot themselves in the foot and they did so again here in spectacular fashion.
After a bright start, a dreadful mix-up between Gabriel and Zinchenko allowed Jarrod Bowen the opportunity to pounce, just about keep the ball in play and tee-up Tomas Soucek for a goal against the run of play.
Arsenal subsequently squandered multiple opportunities to equalise before uncharacteristically conceding from a corner. The Hammers closed out the victory with relative ease thereafter and a further blow was to come just three days later when Arsenal spurned an early lead at Craven Cottage on New Year’s Eve in a defeat that appeared to represent a terminal blow to their title hopes.
Man City 0-0 Arsenal, March 31
Following the defeat at Fulham, Arsenal embarked on a winter break to Dubai that rejuvenated their season. By the time they arrived at the Etihad they had enjoyed a sensational eight-game winning streak during which they had scored 30 goals and also made it through to the Champions League quarter finals.
The absences of Ederson, Kyle Walker and John Stones appeared to have weakened the champions who were only just able to welcome back Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne following injuries.
Instead of going for the jugular, Arteta opted for a safety first approach which ultimately produced a total borefest which did at least yield a goalless draw and kept the Gunners in pole position.
Ultimately, however, it left them requiring total perfection in their remaining games and represented a missed chance to rock the confidence of a City side who have been in all conquering form over the last six weeks.
Arsenal 0-2 Aston Villa, April 14
Having seen Liverpool lose at home against Crystal Palace prior to kick-off, Arsenal had been served a timely warning that they failed to heed.
How different things might have been had Arteta not shifted Kai Havertz back into midfield to accommodate Gabriel Jesus, we will never know. It is a decision that will no doubt pray on the Arsenal manager’s mind throughout the summer given how well the summer signing from Chelsea had performed at centre forward in the weeks prior to, and after, this costly defeat.
As against West Ham in December, Arsenal did little wrong in the opening period, other than fail to make their dominance count as they missed a host of opportunities and openings.
Their former manager, Unai Emery, reacted at the interval with a tactical change that Arsenal struggled to cope with. The bravery Villa’s goalkeeper and defender’s demonstrated on the ball was key to beating the Gunners’ press and helped the visiting team exert near total control of the second half.
Indeed, it was no surprise when goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins arrived in the closing stages and the speed at which the Emirates Stadium emptied told a significant story as to the hope that instantaneously evaporated.
