London, May 20 (IANS) Arsenal are guaranteed to finish in first place after Man City draw at AFC Bournemouth, winning Premier League the title for the first time in 22 years.

Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth on left them four points adrift of first place in the Premier League table, so they are unable to catch the Gunners on the final day of the season.

Arsenal’s success follows three consecutive seasons in which they finished as runners-up, including in 2023/24 when Man City pipped them to the title by an agonising margin of two points.

Patrick Vieira was the last Arsenal captain to lift the Premier League trophy, in 2003/04, leading a side that featured stars such as Thierry Henry – the Golden Boot winner with 30 goals – Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell and Dennis Bergkamp, Premier League reports.

Mikel Arteta became the first former Premier League player to win the trophy as a manager. He took charge of the Gunners in December 2019, having played for the club between 2011 and 2016.

Arsenal have now won four Premier League titles, putting them two clear of Liverpool and only one behind Chelsea.

Manchester United have won 13 Premier League titles and Man City have won eight. The only other clubs to have been crowned Premier League champions are Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City, with one triumph each.

Across the full history of the English top flight, Arsenal have now been crowned champions 14 times – behind only Liverpool and Man Utd, who have both won the title 20 times.

Arsenal’s success means the title has been won by three different clubs in the last three seasons, following Liverpool in 2024/25 and Man City in 2023/24. This is only the fifth time the Premier League has produced three or more different winners in successive seasons.

The last time such a sequence occurred, Leicester City’s fairytale triumph in 2015/16 was followed by Chelsea in 2016/17 and then Man City in 2017/18, Pep Guardiola’s first title-winning campaign.

The only longer run was a four-year stretch from 2012/13 to 2015/16, when the trophy changed hands between Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Leicester.

–IANS

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