Mikel Arteta pinpoints the games that lost Arsenal the title

It’s too bad Arsenal didn’t come out on top in the league, but their performance throughout the season was absolutely outstanding. They wrapped up the 2023–24 season with a solid but narrow victory against Everton, ending with a total of 89 points, just 2 points shy of the league champions, Manchester City.

That said, Mikel Arteta has identified the moment he believes they lost the league. He cites Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa in April and Spurs’ 2-0 loss to Manchester City as the games in which his side lost the title race.

“For sure [the 2-0 defeat to] Aston Villa at home [in April],” Arteta said on Sky. “In the first half, it should have been 4-0. Maybe the story would have been different.

“What happened last Tuesday [Man City’s 2-0 win over Tottenham, maybe we could have been champions,” Arteta added.

“These are the margins that are so, so, so small.”

There is no doubt about it; Mikel Arteta definitely has a valid argument. If they had managed to defeat Villa in April, there’s a strong chance they would have clinched the league title, beating City by a point.

It would have been really awesome if the Gunners had won the league this season. They’ve been absolutely brilliant, breaking records left and right in their pursuit of glory. If they had won, this season would have been truly memorable. Well, they’ve definitely learned some lessons from this season.

Looking ahead to next season, let’s hope they can apply those lessons and have a successful season that ends with league glory. Third time lucky!