10 moments that won Arsenal the Premier League including VAR call and Declan Rice defiance

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Arsenal are Premier League champions . A phrase not said since 2004 - back when Arsene Wenger was manager, Tony Blair was still the Prime minister and Andriy Shevchenko was the Ballon d'Or winner.

The Gunners have been through it all since then. More title challenges, notable demises, managerial and stadium changes. But Mikel Arteta has finally proved his doubters wrong and justified the faith and investment given to him by the Emirates hierarchy.

Manchester City's draw at Bournemouth meant that Arsenal didn't need a result on the final day to celebrate. Their players lapped up their achievement together at their London Colney training ground after a season that has seen them sit top for the majority of time.

They established themselves as favourites by Autumn after Liverpool's fast start cooled and then overcame their wobble in March and April.

Arteta has often called on people to "trust the process" and received a glowing endorsement from Pep Guardiola in 2021, just after Arsenal had lost 5-0 at City. On that day the Catalan claimed he would come good if given time.

He was not wrong. That was a pivotal moment in Arsenal's modern history and has ultimately led us to where we are today. Arsenal back on top of English football. The season was not without its challenges and we take a look back at the moments that have defined their champion year.

It is not just season-defining, it is VAR and Premier League-defining. Gary Neville wasn't wrong when he said it was the biggest call of its kind we'd ever seen. David Raya claimed foul, the Arsenal players claimed foul and Arteta stood there pulling on his arm to make the alleged offence clear.

At the time their title hopes were hanging by a thread after Callum Wilson's stoppage timegoal had originally been given. The VAR check left the nation holding its breath, the debate still rumbles on, but the decision to disallow the goal ensured Arsenal negotiated their most challenging game of the run-in.

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It might have been way back in September but Gabriel Martinelli's goal in stoppage time to deny City a win at the Emirates now looks massive. Erling Haaland had Pep Guardiola's side ahead inside 10 minutes and the Catalan watched his team have just 33.2 per cent possession - the joint lowest of his career.

They looked on course to win though until Martinalli's deft chip in injury time rescued a point. Had those in blue held out that day they would've beaten Arsenal three times this season and gone into the final day just one point behind.

For a minute in December it looked as if Aston Villa were ready to make it a three-way title fight. Unai Emery's side secured win at Villa Park with a stoppage time strike, which led to incredible scenes and the question was whether they could sustain their incredible run.

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Ultimately their wobble wound come, and Arsenal helped contribute when they hammered them at the Emirates. Their 4-1 win was crucial with Ollie Watkins getting their consolation late on. It ended Villa's run of eight straight wins and began their spell of three wins in 11, which saw them tumble out of contention. The gulf that night was clear.

For any champion there will always be late wins that they look back on as key. Seeing off Everton in mid-March with two goals beyond the 88th minute was massive. Even more so as it came on a day when City themselves would drop points in the capital.

The win was not only morale boosting, but it came with one of the season's feel good stories. Max Dowman became the youngest scorer in Premier League history after several substitute cameos in the campaign. It looks an ominous sign of what is to come from the teenage sensation, who plays like an individual well beyond his years.

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Not to put a negative spin on things, but some will argue City have lost this title just as much as Arsenal have won it. The outgoing Bernardo Silva suggested as much recently when he left a parting dig recently, claiming the Gunners have only become champions because the Manchester outfit are in transition.

That was perhaps never more obvious than in March, when Guardiola's side would twice drop points to teams in the relegation mix. West Ham and Nottingham Forest looked favourable fixtures, but they twice surrendered the lead to Forest at home and then left London with just a draw.

It was a clip that was going to define the England midfielder and his team - for better or worse. After losing at the Etihad Rice was on his knees at full-time and as he saw Martin Odegaard walking over to him he looked over and issued a message of defiance in three words.

Had Arsenal let the title slip, it would've been used to mock him for years. Instead his belief was justified and the midfielder was among the best performers in the weeks after that defeat. Rice's mindset has long been cited as one of his greatest assets and he showed it in that moment.

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When Arsenal lost at the Etihad to really open the door for a mega title run-in it was their fourth defeat in six games. The pressure was on them like never before and they knew it.

The Magpies had been struggling themselves, but the Emirates had become a nervous place and Arsenal knew anything but three points could lead to a crisis. Eberechi Eze came up with a stunning opener, and that would prove to be the matchwinner. The performance wasn't anything to write home about, but by this point it was about results and nothing else. Arsenal got the result they needed.

The VAR saga may mean that the Spaniard's exploits in the West Ham win end up being forgotten, but those connected with Arsenal certainly won't forget. The travelling faithful held their breath and time seemed to stand still when Mateus Fernandes found himself himself one-on-one with Raya.

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Fernandes continued to travel and, with the goal at his mercy, was denied by Raya's right leg. At that point the game had 12 minutes to go and was still 0-0. A goal for West Ham could've been terminal. The value of an elite goalkeeper shone through.

Arsenal's clash with the Spanish side came at a time when they were being seriously questioned. Atletico Madrid had just beaten Barcelona in the last eight whilst the Gunners were largely unimpressed as they just edged out Sporting Lisbon.

But in the first-leg in Madrid they stood up, taking the lead before the hosts levelled the tie. Arsenal though were impressive and it marked the return to form of Rice. Back at their Emirates base they took a first-half lead that would prove the difference and take them to their second Champions League final ever. The league-Europe double is still firmly on the cards, but the confidence they took from that semi-final success helped propell them back into form domestically.

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Seeing off Burnley on Monday night was the final win Arsenal needed before becoming champions. It applied the pressure to City and they couldn't get the necessary result.

Beating the already relegated Clarets was, in some ways, a reflection of the Gunners' year. A 1-0 win over the team in 19th, with their winner coming from a corner. It wasn't overly pretty, but ultimately it was effective. Arsenal will not go down as the most aesthetically impressive champions ever, but they won't care.

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