Arsenal’s period at the top of the Premier League table across the 2022/23 season is the longest a team has ever spent atop the standings without winning the title.
The Gunners were in inspired form across the first three quarters of the season and, with most of the teams around them faltering, it seemed as though Arsenal were destined to end their long wait for the title.
However, a slip-up in form heading into the final stretch of the season allowed Manchester City to climb back into top spot, and a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on May 20 ultimately ensured Arsenal could no longer catch back up.
In total, Arsenal spent a whopping 248 days at the top of the Premier League table this season. Not in the history of English top-flight football has any team been leading for so long without going on to win the whole thing.
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While the disappointment of not winning the title is obviously enormous for Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta has long stressed the importance of looking at the bigger picture and understanding just how emphatically Arsenal have exceeded expectations this year.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale echoed that sentiment after the defeat against Forest, admitting: “It’s hard. All that hard work over months has come to an end today. We just couldn’t find a way through today, credit to Forest they knew what they needed to do. We struggled to break them down.
“It’s a disappointing end. We have one more game and we need to put a smile back on the fans’ faces.
“We had a few games where we dropped points through individual mistakes, those three or four games is where it’s gone wrong.
“Deep down we know what we have achieved. When the dust settles we will be proud but this is a learning curve for us. It is a season to be proud of for Arsenal Football Club.”
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