Manchester City sealed the Premier League title on Saturday, as Arsenal鈥檚 shock 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest ended any lingering mathematical probability of the north London team usurping Pep Guardiola鈥檚 side in the title race.
The Gunners are now four points behind City in the table and cannot catch Guardiola鈥檚 men with just one game and a maximum of three points left in its season.
It is a result that has appeared increasingly inevitable for weeks as City鈥檚 run of 23 unbeaten games coincided with and influenced Arsenal鈥檚 slow capitulation from its perch at the top of the table, which it had occupied for 248 days of the season, the most in English top-flight history for a team which failed to win the title, according to statistics website Opta.
Despite still holding an eight-point cushion just last month, Arsenal鈥檚 hopes of a first title since the 2003/04 season have been steadily extinguished following a run of three improbable draws and a 4-1 drubbing at Manchester City in April, compounded by a 3-0 defeat to Brighton last week and now this loss at Nottingham, a team fighting for its very survival in the Premier League.
And so the idea of City winning the Premier League, its fifth title in six years, has had time to percolate and establish itself, almost normalizing an achievement so monumental it is matched by just one other team in the league鈥檚 entire history 鈥� Alex Ferguson鈥檚 Manchester United between 1995/96 and 2000/01.
City still has the opportunity to become just the second side in English football to win the 鈥淭reble鈥� and secure two more trophies this season 鈥� it will play Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3 and Inter Milan in the Champions League final on June 10.
鈥淭o have won this trophy three times in a row and five times in six years is incredible,鈥� Manchester City captain 陌lkay Gündo臒an said, according to Sky Sports. 鈥淭hat quality and consistency helps sum up what Manchester City stand for and ensures the club will continue to strive for success going forward.鈥�
While City fans celebrated their title, Nottingham Forest fans were jubilant inside the stadium, dancing, singing, chanting and waving scarves, as victory secured their team鈥檚 survival in the league.
The enormous stakes for both teams were evident throughout and Forest took the lead on 19 minutes, countering after a loose pass from Martin Ødegaard, with Taiwo Awoniyi finding the back of the net.
But as the pressure continued to pile on Arsenal and it dominated possession, it could not unlock Forest鈥檚 defense.
Forest had just 18 per centpossession, the lowest on record since 2003/04 for a winning team in a Premier League match according to Arsenal鈥檚 official website, but the host still appeared the more threatening side, narrowly missing two opportunities to extend its lead in the second half - first when Morgan Gibbs-White pulled his effort just wide and again when Gibbs-White found Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal鈥檚 last game of the season is against Wolves on May 28, while Manchester City still has three games left to play as the Premier League champion.
