Arsenal secured Eze from Tottenham. In summer 2025, Arsenal was aggressive in the transfer market, quickly bringing in notable new signings such as Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, and Noni Madueke. However, their most significant coup arrived in the first week of the season.

Tottenham reportedly neared Eze's recruitment after nearly two weeks of intense negotiations with Crystal Palace. Yet, the English midfielder directly contacted coach Mikel Arteta to inquire about a transfer, prompting Arsenal's management to hold an emergency meeting. They committed 90 million USD to snatch the target from Tottenham.

Though not outstanding in his first season at Emirates Stadium, Eze consistently delivered crucial moments with game-changing goals, a quality few other players in Arsenal's current squad possess. These included stunning strikes against his former club Crystal Palace and Newcastle, directly earning Arsenal four points.

Gabriel Martinelli snatched a point from Man City. Eze's first moment of brilliance for Arsenal came from an assist, but it had a major impact on the title race.

At Emirates Stadium in september, Arsenal found themselves trailing after Erling Haaland opened the scoring for Man City in the 8th minute. The "Gunners" surged forward, but had to wait until the second minute of stoppage time to equalize at 1-1. Receiving the ball near the center circle, Eze launched a long pass behind Man City's defense for Gabriel Martinelli, who chipped the ball over goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into the net, securing one point for Arsenal.

The late equalizer not only prevented a home defeat for Arsenal but also directly took two points from their biggest rival.

Gabriel helped Arsenal break their jinx at Newcastle. October witnessed one of Arsenal's first major turning points in the title race. Mikel Arteta's team traveled to St James' Park facing the risk of being distanced by Liverpool, who had won every match since the start of the season.

In their three previous visits, Arsenal had lost all matches and failed to score against Newcastle. This time, they again faced a disadvantage, conceding from Nick Woltemade's goal late in the first half. However, in the second half, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Magalhaes' aerial prowess helped Arsenal come back to win 2-1.

Arteta acknowledged the importance of the Newcastle match. A loss would have put them 8 points behind Liverpool as early as october. But thanks to the victory, the "Gunners" narrowed the gap to two points. One week later, Liverpool stumbled again against Chelsea, while Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace with Eze's solitary goal, climbing to the top of the table for the first time – a position they hardly relinquished until the end of the season.

Eze haunted Tottenham in both North London derbies. Not only did Eze reject Tottenham at the last minute in the transfer market, but he also directly caused them heartache in both North London derbies.

Before the match at Emirates in november, then-Tottenham coach Thomas Frank joked in a press conference, "Who is Eze anyway?". The English international then provided the answer with his on-field performance, constantly troubling the visitors' defense and scoring a hat-trick, helping Arsenal win 4-1. Eze became the first Arsenal player since 1978 to score a hat-trick in a North London derby. In the return leg in february, Eze continued to shine with two goals, helping Arsenal secure another 4-1 victory in the debut match of then-interim Tottenham coach Igor Tudor.

Ugly victory against Brighton. After Arsenal's 0-1 defeat in march, Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler criticized the opponent for time-wasting and anti-football tactics. However, for Arsenal, it was the type of victory characteristic of a true title contender: pragmatic, resilient, and adept at preserving their advantage.

The joy of Arteta's team and staff intensified after the final whistle. In a simultaneous match, Man City was held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest at home at Etihad, extending the gap to 7 points behind Arsenal.

For the first time that season, Arsenal fans chanted in unison: "We are going to win the league." This was not merely momentary excitement but reflected a feeling that Man City no longer possessed the invincible aura seen in previous title races.

Max Dowman set a record, rescued Arsenal. Hosting Everton at Emirates Stadium, Arsenal unexpectedly struggled, being held to a 0-0 draw until the 89th minute. The turning point came when Arteta surprisingly introduced Dowman, who had only played three Premier League matches.

The English talent delivered an accurate cross that allowed Viktor Gyokeres to tap in the opening goal, then dribbled nearly two-thirds of the field and lightly shot into an empty net, sealing a 2-0 victory in stoppage time. At 16 years and 73 days old, Dowman became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history.

Former player Gary Neville called this Arsenal's "season-defining moment," while the decision to bring Dowman on was considered one of Arteta's most pivotal changes that season.

Declan Rice declared, "It's not done." After a series of unfavorable results, including two consecutive 1-2 defeats against Bournemouth and direct title rival Man City, Arsenal's championship ambitions faced significant doubt.

The loss at Etihad forced Arsenal to hand back control of the title race to Man City. After the match, many Arsenal players collapsed onto the pitch in disappointment. However, when captain Martin Odegaard approached to offer encouragement, Rice reacted strongly. "It's not done," the English midfielder repeated twice with a determined expression. He seemed to convey his belief that Arsenal still had a chance in the title race.

From that moment, Arsenal made a strong comeback with four consecutive Premier League victories without conceding a goal, while also overcoming Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final.

David Raya's crucial save. After regaining stability in the title race, Arsenal faced a challenging away match against West Ham – an opponent in the relegation zone desperate for points. This was considered the toughest remaining test for Arteta's team in the rest of the Premier League season.

The events at London Stadium confirmed this, as Arsenal struggled against West Ham's tight defense and aggressive play. The situation became more complex when coach Arteta decided to move Rice to right-back after Ben White's injury, somewhat disrupting the visitors' defensive system.

Arsenal seemingly conceded in the 78th minute when Mateus Fernandes played a one-two with Pablo and broke through to face Raya. However, in the decisive moment, the Portuguese player reacted slowly, allowing Arsenal's goalkeeper to rush out, narrow the angle, and block the shot towards the near post. This can be seen as a pivotal save, preserving hope for Arsenal before the match entered its dramatic climax at the end.

"The biggest moment in VAR history." Just 5 minutes after Raya's brilliant save, Arsenal took the lead thanks to Leandro Trossard's deflected shot, following Martin Odegaard's composed play.

However, the drama at London Stadium did not end there. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Raya failed to hold onto the ball from a West Ham corner, creating an opportunity for Callum Wilson to score. If the result had been 1-1, Arsenal would have again been at a disadvantage in the title race.

But VAR quickly intervened. After more than four minutes of interruption and 17 camera angles analyzed, referee Chris Kavanagh announced that West Ham's goal was disallowed due to a clear foul on Raya.

Former defender Neville considered this the biggest decision in Premier League VAR history. Other former players like Roy Keane, Jamie Redknapp, and Ian Wright agreed that the referee was correct to disallow West Ham's goal, but former Man Utd goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel argued that Arsenal received preferential treatment because they had committed similar fouls without punishment.

Despite the controversy, the 1-0 victory moved Arsenal a significant step closer to the championship.

Bournemouth helped Arsenal clinch the championship. After defeating Burnley 1-0, Arsenal anxiously awaited the result of the Bournemouth vs. Man City match, the late game of the 37th round on 19/5. Arteta joked that he would be "Bournemouth's most enthusiastic fan." Bournemouth's current coach, Andoni Iraola, is a childhood friend of Arteta. Ultimately, Bournemouth held Man City to a 1-1 draw, giving Arsenal enough points to become Premier League champions for the 2025-2026 season with one round to spare.

From the Champions League final in Budapest to the future ahead, Arsenal will enter a new chapter with the status of champions.

Hong Duy

Photos: AP, Reuters