Finally, the jinx is broken for Arsenal. After 22 years, Arsenal are Premier League champions again.

Twenty-two years! Liverpool had waited 30 years (1990 to 2020), Napoli had lifted the Serie A title after 33 years (1990 to 2023). The last time Arsenal held the Premier League title was in 2004. And this memorable title came on a day when they were not even playing.

Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Bournemouth was enough for Mikel Arteta's men to seal the deal. The result meant City, on 78 points, cannot reach Arsenal's 82 even if they log three points on the last matchday on Sunday.

A team that had earned the dubious sobriquet of 'Gonners' for its consistent failures is Gunners again, firing on all cylinders. Critics have been silenced, and, on May 30, if they go past Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, it will be a double slap on all those who had doubted Arteta and had ridiculed Arsenal.

This title also shows that if you have faith in a coach and back him to the hilt, it pays off. The Arsenal management never flinched, even when results were not coming. The only silverware under Arteta before this league success was the FA Cup triumph in 2020.

In 2019-20, Arteta's Arsenal finished eighth, and the improvement can be gauged from the fact that from 2022-23 to 2024-25, the Gunners were runners-up for three consecutive seasons. In the 2021-22 season, Arsenal had lost their opening three games without scoring a goal, including a 0-5 hammering at Manchester City.

Thierry Henry had blasted Arteta, who had taken over from Unai Emery in 2019, after yet another trophy-less season last year. But there was no denying the fact that Arsenal improved in leaps and bounds under the Spaniard despite a series of near misses. It was a matter of time, and it came on Tuesday.

“From Highbury seats to the Emirates — Arsenal Nation, finally, we can celebrate. Special thanks to this generation — finally now my kids saw us winning a title,” Henry wrote on Instagram.

One of the things Arteta did last summer was bring in Argentine Gabriel Heinze as his No. 2. The former Argentina and Manchester United side-back has a pit bull-like mentality, and that rubbed off on the team, especially the defenders. That Arsenal did not concede a single penalty drives home the point.

They say it's the defence that wins you a league and not the offence. Arsenal proved that to be true. The central defending duo of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have started in 26 league games and Arsenal won 17 of those. Their solidity also helped goalkeeper David Raya to record 19 clean sheets so far. Arsenal have conceded just 26 goals so far in the league. That is at least six fewer than any other side.

Arsenal have scored 28 of their 68 goals from dead-ball situations and 18 of them from corners — a Premier League record. For some critics, it was not pleasing to the eye, but in the end, what counts is the marginal gains. It's better to do away with style and embrace steel for the result.

"You have got to find ways of winning, that's part of the job. You can play as good as you like, but winning is the thing that really matters," Everton manager David Moyes had said in defence of his former ward, Arteta.

This season, Arsenal have done another thing that was missing in the past. They did not lose many points against bottom-half teams. Yes, there was a 2-2 draw against now-relegated Wolves in February when they blew a two-goal lead. But overall, they logged 53 points from teams in the bottom half. That's a huge achievement. Take, for example, the 1-0 win against Burnley on Monday. This Arsenal now knows how to eke out three points even when not at its best.

The Premier League triumph also heralded Declan Rice as one of the best midfielders in the world. He has played 4,336 minutes in all competitions this season, more than any other Arsenal outfield player. "It's not over yet," Rice had said after the loss to Manchester City. "I told you all. It's all done," he said on Tuesday.

Striker Viktor Gyokeres's arrival last summer also helped. At times, the new No. 14 struggled, and as usual, he was being branded as a bully against weaker rivals. Still, he managed 21 goals in all competitions till now and 14 in the league. A very good first season in every way. Arsenal's long-standing problem with a lack of a quality striker may have ended with Gyokeres.

For the second successive season, the Premier League was decided in the region of 82-84 points. Those days of finishing second even with 97 points (Liverpool in 2018-19) are gone. With Manchester City in transition, the Premier League is now more open. Could next season be Manchester United's? Wait till this time of 2027.