The championship aspirations of Arsenal in the Premier League took another hit on Wednesday, rekindling concerns among Gunners supporters: “Are we on track for another disappointment?”
In a 2-2 draw against the struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arsenal missed a crucial opportunity in the 2025-26 title race. Following a prior 1-1 stalemate with Brentford, Mikel Arteta’s team squandered a two-goal lead at Molineux, failing to increase their advantage over Manchester City to seven points, which would have solidified their favorable position.
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Despite leading the table since September, Arsenal appears to have lost steam at a pivotal moment in the season, winning only two of their last seven league matches.
Their lead has shrunk to a mere five points, with City, who have a game in hand, closely trailing behind. In simple terms, if City secures victories in all their remaining 12 matches, including a crucial encounter against Arsenal in April, they will clinch the title. Likewise, if Arsenal can win their last 11 games — that pivotal match at the Etihad included — they could still emerge victorious, albeit without any room for error.
While hope remains, Arteta’s struggling squad faces daunting odds, as history shows City tends to finish stronger than Arsenal in the final stages of recent seasons, regardless of their relative standings.
There are still numerous fixtures left, but the alarming trend is that Arsenal has consistently garnered fewer points than City after this stage of the season since the 2021-22 campaign. To avoid extending their Premier League title drought into a 23rd year, they’ll need to change this narrative.
2021-22
In the 2021-22 season, Arsenal fielded the youngest squad in the Premier League, averaging just 24 years and 308 days. Instead of vying for the title, they focused on securing European qualification. While contending with Liverpool, City dominated the standings in the latter half of the season to win the league by a slim margin of one point.
For comparison, Pep Guardiola’s team netted 30 points in their last 12 matches, whereas Arsenal managed only 18, finishing fifth and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.
2022-23
At the same point in the previous season, Arsenal topped the table with 27 matches played, leading defending champions City by five points (ring a bell?), with both teams having played the same number of games.
Arsenal maintained their lead until gameweek 33 when they suffered a hefty 4-1 defeat at the hands of City at the Etihad, dropping from the top position. City remained steadfast, ultimately winning the league by five points after claiming 31 points in their last 12 matches, compared to Arsenal’s total of just 21 points. This marked the first part of City’s Treble triumph, along with their FA Cup and UEFA Champions League victories that season.
2023-24
During the 2023-24 campaign, Arsenal found themselves engaged in a title tussle with Manchester City and Liverpool, often separated by just one or two points in a captivating title race.
As the season drew to a close in May, the Gunners remained competitive and even led the table at various points. However, it ultimately wasn’t enough to prevent City from overtaking them and securing their fourth consecutive title. Although City finished just one point ahead of Arsenal in their final 12 matches, it was enough for them to clinch the title with a win over West Ham United on the final day.
2024-25
In the 2024-25 season, with Manchester City experiencing a struggle for form, Liverpool and Arsenal climbed to the top of the Premier League. While Arteta’s team held second place since December, a series of disappointing results in the closing weeks, including a frustrating 2-1 home loss to AFC Bournemouth in early May, enabled Liverpool to surge ahead and end the season 10 points clear.
Despite having dropped to seventh just before Christmas, City improved their performance post-New Year, outscoring Arsenal with 27 points in their final 12 matches, ultimately finishing in third, a mere three points shy of the fatigued Gunners.