On Sunday, 18th May 2025, Arsenal beat Newcastle United 1-0 at the Emirates and thus guaranteed they would finish the season as runners-up in the Premier League title race… again. This is the third time in a row the Gunners have had to settle for second best, and it’s the 12th time overall they’ve finished second in the English top flight (but at least they won it 13 times… and it worth bearing in mind that this season’s champions Liverpool have come second on 15 occasions!).
⏱️ 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘:
⭕ Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle 🏁
🚨 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Arsenal finish 2nd in the Premier League table for the third consecutive season and officially confirm their place in next season’s Champions League. 📈 pic.twitter.com/tGpXrGBS1d
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) May 18, 2025
Other Seasons Where Arsenal Finished Second
On one side of the coin, missing out on the Premier League title again is bitterly disappointing for Arsenal fans. But on the flip side, at least the Gunners have been consistent. So in honour of what, in reality, is a fairly creditable second-place finish in one of the toughest leagues in the world, let’s take a look back at the eight previous seasons in which Arsenal finished second in the Premier League era.
1998/99 – Gunners Can’t Repeat Double Success
Fresh from their league and cup double of 1997/98, Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal had to settle for second spot the following season. The Gunner came agonisingly close too, missing out on the title by a single point to Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. Both sides managed 22 wins from their 38 matches, but the Red Devils drew 13 to Arsenal’s 12. A 1-0 defeat at Leeds United in the penultimate game of the campaign was the nail in the coffin for Wenger’s men, but earlier unexpected defeats to Sheffield Wednesday and Wimbledon proved decisive, despite them taking four points from United.
1999/2000 – History Repeating for Arsenal
There was a frustrating recurring theme for Arsenal fans around the turn of the century as Wenger’s men regularly finished as runners-up to Fergie’s United. At this time the writing was on the wall a while before the season ended as the Red Devils finished a whopping 18 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
With nine defeats across the league season, in some ways the Gunners did well to finish second. That’s especially true given they dropped eight points before the end of August 1999 with defeats to Man United and Liverpool and a draw against Sunderland. Other low points included a loss to rivals Spurs, a Boxing Day defeat at Coventry and a surprise loss to Bradford City.
2000/01 – Hat-Trick of Seconds
For the first time in the club’s history, Arsenal came second in the top-flight for the third season in a row (a feat they’ve just repeated). There are no prizes for guessing which side beat them to the title… yes, it’s those pesky Red Devils again. This time the margin was a substantial 10 points, and that’s despite United losing their final three games of the campaign (to Southampton, Derby County and Tottenham).
Arsenal, for their part, had some awful results along the way, including a dispiriting 6-1 defeat to Man United at Old Trafford. A Dwight Yorke hat-trick did most of the damage, with Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham adding goals too. Thierry Henry was the Arsenal man with the scant consolation.
2002/03 – A Mini Slump After Double Success
Wenger had the measure of Fergie in 2001/02 as the Red Devils faltered and could only manage third, behind Liverpool and victors Arsenal, who also added the FA Cup for their second league and cup double under the former Monaco boss. But once again, Arsenal were unable to maintain that level the season after such success and in 2002/03 they were usurped by United once again.
This was a particularly frustrating league campaign for Arsenal fans as their side was sitting pretty at the top of the table for much of the season. But to be fair to United, they went on a fantastic run and their last league defeat occurred on Boxing Day. At least the Gunners retained the FA Cup.
2004/05 – Not So Invincible
Following on from their “Invincibles” campaign, when the Gunners went unbeaten in the league for the whole of 2003/04, hopes were high they could do something special again this time around. Things started brightly enough and by mid-October, Wenger’s men were still unbeaten. But then they visit Old Trafford and promptly lost 2-0. It was one of five defeats (including to United in the return fixture) that cost the Gunners the title. But this time it wasn’t United who took glory, but Chelsea, with a certain Special One by the name of Jose Mourinho pulling the strings from the dugout. The consolation prize for Arsenal was the FA Cup once again.
2015/16 – Back in the Running
Following a period of relative failure from Arsenal fans’ point of view, i.e. finishing third or fourth, Wenger managed to put a reasonable title challenge together in 2015/16. Chelsea, Man United and Man City had all won the league in the preceding seasons, but all three underperformed during this campaign, leaving the door wide open for the Gunners to take full advantage. Unfortunately for Arsenal, while that door was ajar, another side unexpectedly dashed through… Leicester City.
In the end, Arsenal finished 10 points behind the Foxes, who truly deserved their incredibly shocking success in what was one of the strangest seasons in Premier League history, if very exciting for Leicester fans and neutrals!
2022/23 – Close But No Cigar
Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal were really starting to click at the beginning of 2022/23 and won their opening five games and nine of their first 10. With just a single defeat by the end of January, and looking like they might run away with the title, Arsenal fans were buzzing.
But, like so often before, the Gunners had something of a wobble and promptly lost to Everton at Goodison before suffering a crucial defeat against title rivals Manchester City. Arteta’s men bounced back and retained their place at the top of the table as April rolled around. But then a run of three defeats and three draws from their final nine league matches allowed Pep Guardiola’s City to take the title by a five-point margin.
2023/24 – Even Closer… But Still No Cigar
If 2022/23 was disappointing, 2023/24 was positively gutting for Arsenal fans as they saw their side record their highest points total since their Invincibles campaign (with 89 compared to 2003/04’s 90 points), but they still missed out on the title. Once again it was Guardiola’s men who were just too darn good for the Gunners and they mustered a total of 91 points, having suffered just three defeats (one of which was to Arsenal).
What Next for Arteta and Arsenal?
Ultimately, if Arsenal want to stop being the bridesmaid and they want their own big, brash wedding of a Premier League title, they really need to buy some extra firepower over the summer transfer window. Clearly, a lot of things must fall into place for any side to win the title, but without the addition of a couple of proven goalscorers, we fear the Gunners will do well to even manage second place in 2025/26.