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Manchester City’s draw against Bournemouth on Tuesday night confirmed Arsenal as the Premier League champions for the first time since 2004.

The result brought an end to a thrilling title race, and although Arsenal’s journey wasn’t always smooth, Mikel Arteta’s side finally crossed the finish line as champions.

Here’s a month-by-month look at how they achieved it.

AUGUST

Arsenal opened their campaign with a narrow victory over Manchester United and followed it up with a 5-0 thrashing of Leeds United. However, they suffered their first defeat at the end of the month when Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stunning free-kick at Anfield. Meanwhile, Manchester City began the season with a 4-0 win at Wolves but were quickly derailed by a shock home loss to Tottenham and a defeat away to Brighton.

SEPTEMBER

Arsenal started September with a dominant performance against Nottingham Forest, beating them comprehensively with Martin Zubimendi netting twice. They then hosted Manchester City in a goalless draw before finishing the month with an away win at St James’ Park. City, on the other hand, remained unbeaten throughout September, recording a 3-0 win over Manchester United, drawing with Arsenal, and ending the month with a 5-0 demolition of Burnley.

OCTOBER

Arsenal enjoyed a flawless defensive month in October, not conceding a single goal. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka both scored in a 2-0 win over West Ham, followed by narrow victories at Craven Cottage and at home against Crystal Palace. Pep Guardiola’s men began their month with a 1-0 win over Brentford courtesy of an early Erling Haaland goal, then beat Everton 2-0 at home before losing 1-0 away at Villa Park.

NOVEMBER

Arsenal kicked off November with a comfortable 2-0 win at Burnley but were held to a 1-1 draw at Sunderland after a late Brian Brobbey equaliser. They bounced back by thrashing Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 at the Emirates before drawing 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Manchester City began the month with a 3-1 home win over Bournemouth, with Haaland scoring twice and Nico O’Reilly adding another. They then beat Liverpool 3-0, lost 2-1 to Newcastle with Harvey Barnes shining, and edged a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa at the Etihad to stay close to Arsenal.

DECEMBER

Arsenal started December with a 2-0 win over Brentford but were stunned by Aston Villa, who sealed a 2-1 win with Emiliano Buendia’s stoppage-time strike. Arteta’s men responded superbly by winning their next three games, maintaining their place at the top. City, meanwhile, had a perfect month with five straight wins. They edged Fulham 5-4 in a thrilling encounter, followed by three consecutive 3-0 wins, and ended December with a 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest.

JANUARY

Arsenal began the new year with a 3-2 win at the Vitality Stadium but were then held to two consecutive 0-0 draws by Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. A heavy home loss to Manchester United followed, but they regained momentum with a commanding 4-0 victory over Brighton. City, in contrast, endured a poor start to the year, drawing their first three matches — 0-0 against Sunderland and 1-1 against both Chelsea and Brighton — before losing 2-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. A 2-0 home win over Wolves finally lifted their spirits.

FEBRUARY

Arsenal began February with a 3-0 home win over Sunderland, featuring a brace from Viktor Gyokeres. They were then held to two away draws but responded emphatically by defeating Tottenham 4-1 in the north London derby, where Eberechi Eze, who had recently chosen Arsenal over Spurs, scored a stunning hat-trick. City could only manage a draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but went on to secure wins over Fulham, Newcastle, and Leeds, collecting nine valuable points.

MARCH

Arteta’s side continued their strong run with a 2-1 win over Chelsea at the Emirates, followed by another victory at Brighton where Saka found the net. A dramatic win over Everton saw 16-year-old Max Dowman score the decisive goal. City, however, endured a frustrating month without a single win, drawing 2-2 with Nottingham Forest and 1-1 with West Ham, earning just three points.

APRIL

Arsenal suffered a narrow 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth and a tough loss away to Manchester City but recovered with a 1-0 home win over Newcastle. City had a perfect April, collecting all nine available points. They thrashed Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, defeated Arsenal 2-1, and beat Burnley 1-0 to temporarily move top of the table.

MAY

With goal difference separating the two teams, Arsenal went all out in May, securing three crucial wins — 3-0 against Fulham, 1-0 against West Ham, and 1-0 against Burnley — to reclaim the top spot. City stumbled at the start of the month, drawing 1-1 at Everton. Although they responded with two 3-0 victories over Brentford and Crystal Palace, their draw with Bournemouth sealed Arsenal’s long-awaited Premier League triumph.