This season's Premier League title race will be decided in the final rounds. Only two teams remain in contention: Arsenal and Manchester City.

The fact that the race has become such a close battle between these two clubs has been something of a surprise. Liverpool began the season as defending champions after winning the league by a comfortable 10-point margin last year, but this campaign never truly got going for them and the results failed to match expectations.

Manchester United, meanwhile, bounced back after last season's disappointing 15th-place finish and are once again competing near the top. With two matches remaining, they sit six points clear of Liverpool in third place.

The title, however, has become a two-horse race. Arsenal, last season's runners-up, are clinging to first place, while Manchester City—far more accustomed to lifting league trophies in recent years—continue to apply relentless pressure.

Arsenal have not won the Premier League for 22 years, but this season feels more promising than any in recent memory. They have occupied top spot for almost the entire campaign.

Can They Finally Shake Off Their Reputation?

For years Arsenal have been known less as an unstoppable force and more as a team that lets golden opportunities slip away. Losing the title from a winning position would hardly have been a new story—it would simply have reinforced that reputation.

Manager Mikel Arteta, appointed in late 2019, has already experienced two painful title collapses. The first came in 2022–23, when Arsenal led the table for 250 days before being overtaken.

They reached the summit in August and stayed there through the World Cup break. Even a brief dip in February seemed manageable, but everything unraveled in April. Three consecutive draws against Liverpool, West Ham and bottom-placed Southampton allowed City to close the gap.

A crushing 4–1 defeat away to Manchester City reduced Arsenal's lead to just two points. At the same time City hit top gear, winning 14 of their final 15 league matches.

By season's end Arsenal finished five points behind City. After leading for almost the entire campaign, the title had slipped through their fingers.

Arteta Is Breaking the Pattern

The following season brought another agonising near miss. Arsenal strengthened heavily by signing Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, collected an impressive 89 points and scored 91 league goals, yet still finished two points behind City.

This time they avoided the spring collapse, but a slow start to the campaign proved costly. From January until the end of the season they lost only once, but City once again proved flawless when it mattered most.

Closer Than Ever

Now, with only two matches remaining, everything is in Arsenal's hands. They no longer need to rely on rivals slipping up—they simply need to beat Burnley and Crystal Palace to secure their first Premier League title in 22 years.

Burnley have not won for more than three months, although they recently pushed Manchester City all the way before narrowly losing 1–0.

City remain in outstanding form themselves, but they no longer control their own destiny. Arsenal have the opportunity to end more than two decades of waiting. Arteta remains fully confident.

"When you look at our progress and everything we've built over the past few years—especially our consistency—we feel we should already have won major trophies," the Spanish coach said.

"Now we simply have to take the final step and finish the job."

The Premier League season concludes on 24 May. Manchester City certainly won't give up, but Arsenal are closer than ever to ending their 22-year title drought. The answer will come in the coming days.

Arsenal face a series of matches that will decide whether their 22-year title drought can finally be ended. Football fans can check out VivatBet's game selection and view Premier League match odds and betting options on the sports betting page ahead of the season's most important games.