This year’s English Premier League season came down to the wire. Manchester City and Arsenal were the only two powerhouse teams that had a shot at winning the title towards the end of the season. Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have led their respective squads all throughout the season to try to take home the title. When there were only around 4 games left to play, both teams were tied at 81 points, but one team prevailed and took home the title.

There was no surprise that Manchester City would be in the race for another championship as they have won 6 titles in 10 years. Even after losing their star striker, Sergio Aguero, in 2021 Manchester City has still found a way to compete for titles. This past off-season Manchester City signed Norwegian wonderkid Erling Haaland for $62.3 million, which would turn out to be quite the bargain as Haaland’s value now is worth around $210 million. The big man from Norway came into Manchester and fit into the striker position perfectly. Haaland bagged 2 goals in his debut against West Ham where Manchester City secured their first 3 points of the season with a 2-0 victory. Ever since then, Haaland has set the new Premier League goal record with 36 goals and counting. 

Kevin De Bruyne–Manchester City’s longtime star midfielder–had kept providing clinical passes to set up his team for success, resulting in 16 assists. He has been the leader of the team for a few years now and has continued to prove his value as a member of the squad. There have also been two defenders that have stuck out amongst the rest of the back line: John Stones and Nathan Ake. The English and Dutch men have held down the fort at the back while only allowing 31 goals. 

The whole team has been led by their manager, Pep Guardiola. Guardiola has had an outstanding managerial career, winning 11 league titles in 14 years across multiple leagues. Along with the manager’s stellar record securing the team’s success, the home fans that come to watch the boys in blue play at the Etihad Stadium have really boosted the team. Manchester City have scored a whopping 60 goals at their home ground.

On the other hand, Arsenal have taken the Premier League by surprise. Last season, Arsenal didn’t have the greatest season, but they still placed 5th in the table. However, Mikel Arteta’s gunners ran through the league at the start of the season. Arsenal had kept a steady lead of around 6 points ahead of Manchester City at all times. English starboy, Bukayo Saka, took a commanding lead of the team to help them try to win a Premier League title. Near the end of the season, Arsenal’s path to glory started to get a little rocky with two consecutive draws against West Ham and last-place Southampton. 

Manchester City gained a 4 point lead with 3 games to go. Then the unthinkable happened. Arsenal marched into Nottingham with hopes to gain a much needed 3 points. If Arsenal lost this game and Manchester City won theirs, the league was over. And that’s exactly what happened. On May 14th, Manchester City battered Everton 3-0. On May 20th, disaster struck for Arsenal. In the 19th minute, Nottingham Forest forward, Taiwo Awoniyi, scored a goal to give Nottingham Forest a 1-0 lead. Arsenal would never recover from this, and as a result, they lost the league to Manchester City. 

The 2022-2023 Premier League season will be etched in football history as a captivating spectacle of skill, drama, and resilience. From the fierce competition between established giants to the rise of unexpected contenders, this title race had it all. Hopefully, Arsenal will try to make another title charge in the next season