EPL Report
ClubsArsenalChelseaEvertonLiverpoolMan CityMan UtdNewcastleNottingham ForestTottenhamWest Ham
  • FTLLATL 1–2 FCB
  • FTLLCEL 0–0 LEV
  • FTLLVIL 2–0 GET
  • FTPLMUN 4–4 AVL
  • FTPLCRY 1–3 LIV
  • FTPLSUN 1–0 CHE
  • FTPLIPS 1–2 BOU
  • FTPLBHA 2–0 BRE
  • FTPLNOT 3–1 MCI
  • LLATH v ESP
  • PLMCI v FUL
  • LLALA v DEP
  • PLCHE v LEE
  • PLAVL v SUN
  • PLBOU v NOT
  • PLTOT v IPS
  • PLCOV v CRY
  • LLRAY v VAL
  • UCLGAL v AVL
  • UCLFK v LIN
  • UCLRMA v PSV
All scores
Premier League

Champions League Glory Denied After Arsenal End 22-Year Title Wait

By eplreport 4 min read

Arsenal chase Champions League glory after winning the Premier League

Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title in May 2026, but their bid to add Champions League glory fell short in a heartbreaking final in Budapest. Mikel Arteta’s side were crowned English champions for the first time since the Invincibles of 2003/04, then lost to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties eleven days later. It was the best and most painful season Arsenal supporters had lived through in a generation.

How Arsenal won the 2025/26 title

After three consecutive second-place finishes, Arsenal finally got over the line. The title was confirmed on 19 May 2026, when Manchester City could only draw 1-1 at Bournemouth, leaving Arteta’s side out of reach with a game to spare. Five days later they won 2-1 at Crystal Palace on the final day and lifted the trophy, finishing on 85 points.

Defence was the foundation. Arsenal conceded the fewest goals in the division and went through the entire league campaign without a single red card. They were also lethal from set pieces, scoring a Premier League record number of goals from corners. The Premier League has its own report on the title win.

Summer signings made the difference in key areas. Martin Zubimendi gave the midfield control alongside Declan Rice, and Viktor Gyökeres provided the out-and-out centre-forward the team had lacked in previous title races. David Raya remained one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the league.

Arsenal’s 2025/26 season in numbers

  • 85 points, enough to win the league with a game to spare
  • 22 years since their previous title in 2003/04
  • 0 red cards in the whole Premier League campaign
  • 3 consecutive runners-up finishes before the breakthrough
  • 1 Champions League final, lost 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw

Those numbers tell the story of a team that had learned to control games. Arsenal rarely needed to chase matches from behind, and their ability to score from set pieces meant they could win tight games even when open play was not flowing. It was a very different side from the young, emotional team that let leads slip in earlier title races.

The long road under Arteta

Arteta took charge in December 2019 with the club struggling in mid-table and short of direction. The rebuild took time: an FA Cup win in 2020, then years of developing young players such as Bukayo Saka and William Saliba while adding experienced signings.

Between 2022/23 and 2024/25 Arsenal finished second three seasons running, twice to Manchester City and once to Liverpool. Each near miss added to the pressure, and to the doubts about whether this group could finish the job. In 2025/26, they answered them.

Champions League glory slips away in Budapest

Arsenal’s run to the final at the Puskás Arena on 30 May made the double feel possible. Kai Havertz put them ahead after just six minutes, and for most of the game Arsenal frustrated the holders, who had plenty of the ball but created little.

PSG levelled in the 65th minute when Ousmane Dembélé scored from the penalty spot, and the final went to extra time and then penalties. Eberechi Eze missed for Arsenal, Raya saved from Nuno Mendes, and the shootout was decided when Gabriel Magalhães sent the final kick over the bar. PSG won 4-3 on penalties to become only the second club to retain the trophy in the Champions League era. theScore has a full report from the final.

For Arsenal, still waiting for a first European Cup, it was a brutal way to end a historic season. They had led for almost an hour before PSG’s equaliser, and Champions League glory had felt closer than ever.

“Coming back for more”

In the days after Budapest, Declan Rice spoke for the dressing room when he said the team would use the pain of the final as motivation and come back stronger. Having finally broken their league drought, the squad believes it has the experience to compete for Champions League glory again.

The start of 2026/27 suggested they meant it. Arsenal beat Manchester City in the Community Shield and made a strong start in the league, as we covered in five things we learned from the Community Shield and our talking points from the 2-1 win over Chelsea.

What comes next for the champions

The challenge now is to stay on top. Manchester City are rebuilding under a new manager after Pep Guardiola’s departure, and Liverpool are adjusting to life after Mohamed Salah, but the league will not stand still.

Squad management will be crucial. Several players have deals running to 2027, and decisions on their futures will shape the next phase of Arteta’s project. We look at that in detail in our guide to every Arsenal player with a contract expiring in 2027.

Above all, the 2025/26 season changed how Arsenal see themselves. They are no longer the nearly men. The next target is the one that slipped away in Budapest: Champions League glory. Follow every step in our Arsenal news section.