Arsenal were crowned English Premier League champions on Tuesday night for the first time in more than 20 years, Soccernet.ng reports.
The North London club secured the title after Manchester City failed to defeat Bournemouth, settling for a 1-1 draw that left them four points behind heading into the final day of the season. As a result, the Gunners were confirmed champions regardless of the outcome of their last game of the campaign.
How Arsenal became champions
The last time Arsenal won the league was during the famous “Invincibles” campaign in the 2003-04 season, when they lifted the title under legendary manager Arsène Wenger without losing a single match.
Quite remarkably, Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who are now part of the squad, had not even been born at the time. However, history was made once again on Tuesday night as they clinched their first league title in 22 years and their first major trophy since winning the FA Cup in 2020.
The triumph had been coming, with the Gunners finishing second for three consecutive seasons while the players have shown resilience throughout the campaign.
Arsenal have comfortably been the best team in the league this season, even though their style of play came under criticism, with many labelling them a “set-piece team.” Despite that, Mikel Arteta’s side got the job done and etched their names into the history books.
The Gunners looked set to run away with the title earlier in the season, but poor form in early April allowed Manchester City to close the gap.
However, City slipped up against Everton and handed Arsenal momentum once again. Pep Guardiola’s side then needed a victory against Bournemouth on Tuesday to take the title race to the final day, but they could only manage a 1-1 draw, officially crowning Arsenal champions.
Eli Junior Kroupi opened the scoring with a sublime first-half finish, while Erling Haaland’s stoppage-time effort proved too little, too late as City had to settle for second place this season.
Victor Boniface celebrates Arsenal’s title triumph
Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has joined fans around the world in celebrating Arsenal’s title triumph on social media.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward, who has a well-known affection for the North London club, followed the clash between Manchester City and Bournemouth closely online and regularly shared his reactions during the encounter.
Immediately after the final whistle, Boniface took to his account on X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate Arsenal’s triumph before announcing a generous cash giveaway for fans.
Boniface quoted popular Nigerian rapper Odumodublvck, revealing that the artiste had promised to give away ₦1 million, while he would add another ₦1.5 million.
“Omo as Arsenal win league @Odumodublvck_ say he go drop 1m for boys ooo. Me go add 1.5”, he wrote.
The Nigerian striker then asked an Arsenal fan to drop an account number so the money could be shared among supporters, before later posting a screenshot showing proof of payment.
Arsenal will now walk out as Premier League champions for their trophy presentation for the first time in 22 years when they face Crystal Palace on the final day of the season on Sunday.
The Gunners could still make even more history later this month when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final on May 30, as they aim to win the competition for the very first time.
