● 2025/26 Premier League final figures. Source: Premier League official / Opta.
Arsenal won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, ending a wait that stretched back to the Invincibles of 2003/04. The title was confirmed when Manchester City drew 1–1 at Bournemouth, leaving them four points adrift with one game remaining. The numbers tell the story of how they did it.
Final Premier League Table 2025/26 — Top Six
| Club | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 85 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 71 | 27 | +44 |
| Manchester City | 78 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 77 | 35 | +42 |
| Manchester United | 71 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 69 | 50 | +19 |
| Aston Villa | 65 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 56 | 49 | +7 |
| Liverpool | 60 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 63 | 53 | +10 |
| Bournemouth | 57 | 13 | 18 | 7 | 58 | 54 | +4 |
Source: Premier League official · Final 2025/26 standings
The Best Defence in the League
Arsenal conceded 27 goals in 38 games — eight fewer than second-placed City (35) and by far the best defensive record in the division. They kept 19 clean sheets, also more than any other side.
David Raya won the Golden Glove for the third successive season, joining Pepe Reina, Joe Hart and Ederson as the only goalkeepers to achieve that. City's Gianluigi Donnarumma was runner-up with 15 clean sheets in his debut Premier League campaign.
Manchester City scored more goals than Arsenal — 77 to Arsenal's 71 — but conceded 35. That eight-goal defensive gap is where the seven-point title margin was built.
A Premier League Record from Set Pieces
Arsenal scored 18 Premier League goals from corners in 2025/26 — a new all-time single-season record. The previous record was 16, and it had stood for 32 years. Across all dead ball situations, set pieces accounted for over 40% of their total Premier League goals.
The architect is set piece coach Nicolas Jover, who has built Arsenal's dead ball routines into a consistent, league-wide problem that no defence has solved. The goals did not come from one player — they were spread across the squad, mostly from centre-backs and midfielders arriving late into the box. It is a loose comparison, but the tactic has echoes of Greece at Euro 2004 — a side that won a major tournament by making set pieces and defensive organisation do the work that individual brilliance could not.
Goals Spread Across the Squad
Viktor Gyökeres led Arsenal's scoring with 14 Premier League goals in his debut season — 21 across all competitions, making him the first player to score 20+ in all competitions in a debut Arsenal season since Alexis Sánchez (25 in 2014/15). But the title was not built on one striker. Goals came from across the squad — midfield, set pieces, wide players — with no single player above 14 in the league.
By comparison, Erling Haaland scored 27 Premier League goals for Manchester City. City finished seven points behind Arsenal.
Arsenal 2025/26 — Season at a Glance
| Stat | Arsenal | Next best |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 85 | Man City 78 |
| Wins | 26 | Man City 23 |
| Clean sheets | 19 | Man City 16 |
| Goals conceded | 27 | Man City 35 |
| Goal difference | +44 | Man City +42 |
| Corner goals | 18 (PL record) | — |
| Top scorer (PL) | Gyökeres 14 | Haaland 27 (City) |
Source: Premier League official / Opta · 2025/26 final figures
The Engine Room
Declan Rice finished the season as Arsenal's highest-rated player with a 7.32 average match rating — the best of any outfield player at the club across the full 38 games. The arrival of Martín Zubimendi alongside him gave Rice the licence to drive forward and influence games at both ends, which the numbers reflect across tackles, interceptions and goal involvement.
If he carries that form into the summer, England will have one of the best midfielders at the tournament. Follow the World Cup 2026 →