Arsenal are Premier League champions. After 22 years of waiting, the title is back at the Emirates, confirmed following Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth. And on Match of the Day, the conversation quickly turned to the question that has defined this project from the start: what happens when a club backs its manager and means it?

Murphy and Hart on what patience actually looks like

Danny Murphy and Joe Hart were full of praise for Arsenal's board in the Match of the Day discussion, pointing to the club's decision to keep faith with Mikel Arteta as central to this triumph. The noises out of north London in the leaner periods were not always comfortable. Arteta arrived in December 2019 with no top-level managerial experience, and there were moments along the way — an FA Cup win aside — when the patience being demanded felt like a lot to ask.

But Arsenal held firm. They backed him in the transfer market, restructured the squad around his ideas, and crucially did not flinch when the title races of the previous two seasons ended in heartbreak. Twice runners-up. Twice outpaced at the final stretch. For a club with Arsenal's history and expectation, that kind of disappointment can turn toxic fast. It didn't.

The runners-up years reframed

It is worth remembering just how close those near-misses felt at the time. The pressure on Arteta was real, the scrutiny relentless. Pundits debated whether the side had the mentality to go all the way. Fans were torn between pride at the progress and agony at the outcome. Some called for changes. Some questioned the manager's in-game decisions at critical moments.

What those seasons were, in hindsight, was a building process. The squad was getting younger, hungrier and more tactically refined with each passing window. The defensive structure tightened. The midfield evolved. And the belief — that quality that is so hard to manufacture and so easy to lose — grew rather than crumbled.

A title built over years, not months

This is not a title that arrived by accident or through a rivals' collapse alone. City's draw with Bournemouth may have confirmed the mathematics, but Arsenal earned this across a multi-season project. Arteta has built something at the Emirates that goes beyond a single trophy: a culture, an identity, a squad capable of competing at the very highest level.

The market had long since recognised Arsenal as genuine contenders. The rest of English football has now been given formal confirmation.

For a club that has spent the better part of two decades watching the title ceremony from a distance, this moment matters enormously. For Arteta, it is vindication. For the supporters, it is everything. And for the Premier League itself, a new champion is a reminder that the grip of the established order is never quite as firm as it looks.

The runners-up years are over. Arsenal are champions of England.

Frequently asked

How did Arsenal win the Premier League title?
Arsenal were confirmed as Premier League champions after Manchester City could only draw 1-1 with Bournemouth, giving Arsenal an insurmountable lead at the top of the table.
When did Arsenal last win the Premier League?
Arsenal's most recent Premier League title before this one came 22 years ago, making the current triumph a historic moment for the club and its supporters.
How long has Mikel Arteta been Arsenal manager?
Arteta was appointed Arsenal head coach in December 2019, meaning he has spent over five years building the project that has now delivered the club's first league title in more than two decades.