FA Premier League
ARSENAL 2 (Tomiyasu 43, Havertz 89)
EVERTON 1 (Gueye 50)

THE closest title race you will find in Europe’s main leagues resulted in perhaps the most predictable outcome of all, as Manchester City claimed a fourth title in four years this afternoon (Sunday) – puncturing the hopeful party atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have come a long way in these last two years, but you need near perfection to halt Pep Guardiola’s controversial creation.  Anybody bar Spurs fans – possibly those of Chelsea too, whose success had a similar construction – will have in their mind the 115 charges which our national champions still have to answer.

But to say more would sound like sour grapes on a day when the roar at the Emirates was subdued by news that City had gone a goal up against West Ham within a matter of seconds and a magical combination of scorelines was not going to materialise.

Did Arsenal fans really believe that City’s steamroller would somehow inexplicably break down against the tired Hammers, and open the door for a first league championship for 20 years with a home victory against Everton? Not really, but to be in the conversation on the last day of the season – the only team that City had left to bat away – was a sign of such progress that the cheerful march into the stadium was a delight regardless.

This has been a season of beautiful afternoons and evenings, including exciting victories against all of the ‘big six’. City, as it happens, couldn’t beat Arteta’s team home or away.

This final task wasn’t completed with the pretty aplomb as others this term. The Toffees did not roll over and took a shock lead when Idrissa Gueye’s free kick cannoned off Declan Rice and beyond David Raya. It was a product of a dazed, almost stilted atmosphere inside the ground as the home team’s supporters realised City had gone two goals into the lead.

There was a burst of excitement when Takehiro Tomiyasu swept in an equaliser here and West Ham pulled one back at the Etihad and for a short ‘anything can happen’ window things livened things up.

But not for long, as all of this had been extinguished by a third City goal shortly into the second half and the players must have known they were playing for fun when Kai Havertz and Emile Smith Rowe both hit the woodwork.

There was an expectation, maybe a complacency, that Arsenal would find a winner. That comes from a season in which Arsenal have a times been the best side in the league, and Havertz got it after Arsenal had broken through sub Gabriel Jesus and club captain Martin Odegaard.

The latter’s miskick deceived Jordan Pickford in goal and it fell to Havertz to prod home the winner. Everton didn’t really seemed like they had the energy to fight about whether there had been a handball on the way in these dying moments of the season.

These points, while not enough to surpass City, meant a higher total than that collected by the Invincibles team which won the league for Arsenal two decades ago.

But the old football saying ‘lose four and lose no more’ if you want to win the league rang true: Arsenal lost five, City lost three. The margins have been slim, slimmer than last year’s second place pursuit. They were tiny differences which Areta seemed resolved to reverse as he pledged to one day bring the main trophy back to Arsenal.

“First of all congratulations to Manchster City for winning the Premier League, its unbelievable what they’ve done since December – everything has been of the highest level,” he said.

“Theres only one way for us to do it, we have to be more determined, more ambition – a lot of courage. Nobody has to explain the level we have to be at. I was there at Man City for four years, so I know what we need to do.”

He said he looked back at the home defeat to Aston Villa at the start of April as a key moment and that Arsenal should’ve been ahead at half-time but ended up losing 0-2. The Gunners won every match after that and 16 out of 18 in the calendar year.

What else could they have done?

“We are on the right trajectory.” said Arteta, but added he would never be satisified with being runners-up. “We want more.”

ARSENAL:  Raya, White (Timber 69), Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel (Zinchenko 59), Partey (Smith Rowe 69), Rice, Odegaard, Martinelli, Trossard (Gabriel Jesus 78), Havertz
SUBS NOT USED: Jorginho, Kiwior, Nketiah, Ramsdale, Vieira

EVERTON: Pickford, Colemam, Young, Branthwaite, Tarkovski, Onana, Gueye,  McNeil, Garner, Doucoure (Beto 90+2), Calvert-Lewin (Chermiti 75)
SUBS NOT USED: Dobbin, Francis Crellin, Godfrey, Hunt, Keane, Virginia, Warrington