In a Premier League title-winning season for Arsenal that also saw them reach the final of the UEFA Champions League, there was a fair share of events that shaped how the Gunners’ 2025/26 season would go.
Some games will go down as unforgettable moments in the campaign, such as the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on the final day of the season, which saw Arsenal lift the Premier League trophy.
Arsenal’s European efforts saw them reach the final, too, in a run that saw them beat continental heavyweights such as Bayern Munich and Inter, but ultimately fall in the final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, certain performances from Arsenal stars and results in other matches that favoured the Gunners were crucial in allowing a pathway for Mikel Arteta to capture his first league title since joining the club in 2019.
With that said, here are the top five defining moments of Arsenal’s 2025/26 season, ranked.
READ MORE: Top five Arsenal matches of the 2025/26 season – ranked
5 – Eberechi Eze’s assist to Gabriel Martinelli in Arsenal’s draw against Manchester City
In Arsenal’s September matchup against Manchester City at home, it seemed like Pep Guardiola’s side would walk out of North London with a huge win.
A goal from talisman Erling Haaland looked like it would be the dagger that left Arsenal fans leaving their home ground with heads held low, but a last-minute equaliser for Arsenal was perhaps the best sequence of football that the Gunners produced all season.
Fresh on the counter in the 93rd minute, Eberechi Eze placed a lofted through ball to Gabriel Martinelli as the Brazilian beat the offside trap, with Martinelli then chipping the ball into the net past the frame of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
4 – Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Arsenal in April
This was the game where many football fans thought that the Premier League title race had swung in Manchester City’s favour.
An early goal from Rayan Cherki was nullified by Arsenal’s Kai Havertz capitalising on a goalkeeping mistake in the first half, before Erling Haaland’s last-minute winner saw City leave the Etihad with a win.
While Arsenal’s title rivals did move within three points and have a game in hand with only five games left to go in the season at that point, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta showed that even in the face of defeat, their determination remained intact.
3 – Arsenal beating Brighton, Manchester City drawing with Nottingham Forest
Perhaps the game that led to the wider footballing world looking at Arsenal winning the league as a foregone conclusion (although it was not as simple as that).
Bukayo Saka’s brilliant goal against Brighton saw Mikel Arteta’s team leave the Amex with three points, while City could only muster a 2-2 draw with relegation-battling Nottingham Forest, meaning Arsenal moved seven points clear with seven games to go.
2 – Arsenal beating Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final
While it was not the most interesting of games, Arsenal’s defensive resilience over two legs against Atletico Madrid enabled them to reach their first Champions League final in 20 years.
The first leg would end 1-1 with both sides converting penalties, while the second leg at the Emirates saw Arsenal heading to Budapest after a goal from Bukayo Saka.
1 – Everton’s 3-3 draw with Manchester City at the start of May
With only three games left of the season at this point (although City still held their game in hand over Arsenal), a win over Everton would see the Mancunians within touching distance of Mikel Arteta’s men and able to catch them on points.
What unfolded was a bonkers game, with City going 1-0 up initially, before Everton scored three goals to create a scoreline that looked like the home side would walk away with a convincing win. Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku were able to rescue the game for City in the dying embers, but they could only leave Goodison Park with one point instead of a much-needed three.
Arsenal would ultimately win the title only a couple of weeks later, and City not winning this specific game felt like it gave the Gunners enough breathing room to only focus on their own results.
