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...
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 Fu.