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The Gunners, Arsenal will compete in the Champions League the following season.
Arsenal players can take solace from this evening’s result as they are going to Champions League. They book their place to UCL despite their Premier League title hopes taking significant hit at the hands of Manchester City.
It was a difficult night for the Gunners. They got their defeat (4-1) by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. The result left them in desperate. Gunners may need help from other teams if they are to win their first Premier League title in 19 years.
Erling Haaland’s 33rd goal broke the Premier League goalscoring record for 38 games. On the other hand Kevin De Bruyne scored twice and John Stones also scored for the hosts. Arsenal now sits two points ahead of City, who have two games in hand.
However, in the East Midlands, Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 won over Brighton and Hove Albion. The result, not only increased the host club’s chances of Premier League survival, but it also had implications for Arsenal.
The result ensured Arsenal’s qualification for the Champions League next season.
It is the first time the Gunners have qualified for Europe’s top competition since the 2015-16 season. They finished second in the Premier League to Leicester back in 2015/16.
The Gunners book their place for Champions League despite Manchester City defeat
The Gunners have not competed in the Champions League since losing 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 during the 2016-17 season.
Though Brighton were only eighth going into tonight’s game against Nottingham Forest, the fact that they have three games in hand on Arsenal gave them extra points to close the gap if Arsenal had a catastrophic collapse in the final weeks of the season.
After narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification last season, Arsenal would have aimed for it at the start of this season.
But, given that they had an eight-point lead over Man City just a few weeks ago, there will be more disappointment after tonight’s result, with Guardiola’s side now in control of the title race, and the Gunners having known for some time that they would almost certainly be in the Champions League next season.
The Gunners’ form has dipped in recent weeks, with their defeat to City coming after draws with Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton.
They will now need to win all of their remaining games and hope that City drops five points in their final seven games to dethrone the reigning champions.
