After falling short in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Premier League seasons, Arsenal finally found a way to stay on top this season. After Manchester City failed to defeat Bournemouth on Tuesday, Arsenal were crowned champions for the first time since 2003.
Since 2022, Arsenal has been second place to either Manchester City or Liverpool. What did Arsenal (or their opponents) do differently this season that led to a different result?
Early league position matters
With the exception of 2023, where Man City climbed the table from fifth in Week 18 to first in the penultimate matchweek, the champions were in either first or second by matchweek 10, and remained at the top. In 2022, Arsenal was at the top for most of the season, but slipped up with a loss to Man City in Week 33, where they ultimately lost the title race. In 2024 on the other hand, Liverpool was in first Week 10 and on, while Arsenal looked to come back from 5th, unsuccessfully. In 2025, Man City was ultimately never able to overcome a poor start to the season and couldn't catch up to Arsenal. Comparing the 2022 and 2025 seasons, while Arsenal lost to Man City in a late-season matchup both times, Arsenal's early-season success gave them enough buffer to afford that loss.
Explore the chart below to see the league positions over the course of each season, for the Premier League champion and runner-up.
Arsenal · Runner Up
Man City · ChampionsHome advantage
At home, Arsenal managed to win almost 4 of every 5 games at home, compared to 3 of 4 in 2022 and 3 of 5 in 2024. In 2023, Arsenal had the same home win percentage as in their victorious 2025 campaign (as of matchday 37), but the team suffered a higher rate of losses away later in the season, making the difference that year.
Surprisingly, Arsenal performed the best away in 2022, and almost as well at home as in 2025, particularly earlier in the season (they were undefeated at home until Week 19). 2024 was the worst season out of the four, mainly because of a high number of games tied, both at home and away. Despite a low rate of losses, the rates of tying games held Arsenal back from overcoming Liverpool that year.
Compare Arsenal's home and away performances using the tabs below, and hover over the chart to view percentages by week across seasons.
Top Premier League teams typically win about 14 or 15 home games (over 70%), and win around 60% of their away matches. In 2022, Manchester City was exceptionally dominant at home, winning all but two home games. Despite Arsenal performing average at home that season and quite well away, Manchester City's home dominance made the difference between winner and runner-up. In the 2023 season, Manchester City and Arsenal performed similarly at home and away, meaning that in the end, only 2 points separated them, whereas the year before, there was a larger margin. In 2024, Liverpool performed much better at home than Arsenal, giving them a 10-point cushion at the end of the season.
This 2025-26 season, Arsenal performed slightly better than Man City at home and away, pushing them to their first title over two decades with a comfortable 7-point lead.
Hover over the points to explore team records at home and away by season.