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Arsenal are currently competing for the Premier League title this season. Having led for the majority of the season, Arsenal have recently stumbled, dropping points away at Liverpool and West Ham United. Reigning champions Manchester City have now closed the gap to four points with one game in hand and they will still have to face each other at the Etihad later this month.
Whatever happens to the Gunners, they have had an excellent season, growing leaps and bounds under Mikel Arteta. Since winning the league in 2004, Arsenal have seen failed title attempts, most famously in 2007. This article will look back on the 2015-16 season, where Arsenal made their last title attempt under Arsene Wenger.
Following consecutive FA Cup triumphs in 2014 and 2015, the Gunners felt ready to make an attempt to challenge for the league. With Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez at their peak and having the third-best defense from the previous season (36 goals conceded), it looked like everything was in place.
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They made just two signings. Bringing in Petr Cech from Chelsea for £10 million and Mohamed Elneny in January for over £7 million. French midfielder Abou Diaby, Japanese winger Ryo Miyaichi and German forward Lukas Podolski were the only departures, all on free transfers.
The first half of the season
Arsenal had the worst start possible, suffering a shock home defeat to West Ham. They beat Crystal Palace soon after but mustered a goalless draw at home to Liverpool. After beating Newcastle away, they got their first home win of the season, beating Stoke City 2-0.
After losing away at Chelsea, the Gunners went on a five-game winning streak. The highlight of that run was beating Leicester City 5-2, with Sanchez scoring a hat-trick. After 10 games, Arsenal were level on points against Manchester City and were behind on goal difference. West Ham and Manchester United made up the top four while Leicester were just three points off the top.
The Gunners experienced a wobble, earning just two wins in their next five games. Leicester, however, climbed to the league summit on matchday 15, earning 13 points within that same period. Leicester City were the surprise table toppers this time around.
Now behind by two points, Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-0 after that, with a huge clash against Manchester City at the Emirates coming up. They prevailed 2-1 with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud scoring. On Boxing Day, Leicester lost at Liverpool 1-0, giving Arsenal the opportunity to go top.
They failed to capitalize, suffering a damning 4-0 defeat away to Southampton. The Gunners ended the first half of the season with a 2-0 win against Bournemouth, taking them to the league summit on goal difference. Leicester and City played a goalless draw between each other while Tottenham occupied the final Champions League spot.
Second half of the season
Arsenal started the year 2016 with a 1-0 home win against Newcastle. However, they went winless in four games, which included a pulsating 3-3 draw against Liverpool at Anfield. Leicester have capitalized on Arsenal's form, taking the top spot on matchday 23. The highlight game for the Foxes was their 1-0 win away at Tottenham, with Robert Huth scoring the winner.
Leicester's momentum continued with a 2-0 win against Liverpool and a season-defining 3-1 against Manchester City at the Etihad. Riyad Mahrez scored twice for the Foxes against City while N'Golo Kante was being praised for his tenacity in midfield.
Arsenal hosted Leicester on Valentine's Day and won the game 2-1 with Danny Welbeck scoring the winner in injury time. The win pushed the Gunners to just two points behind Leicester with 12 games remaining. Manchester City, after losing 3-0 to Liverpool, fell out of the title race while Tottenham entered the title race after beating City 2-1. Level on points with the Gunners.
However, they came crashing down after a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, where Marcus Rashford scored a brace. This followed another 2-1 away defeat against Swansea, losing momentum in the title run-in. Leicester and Tottenham capitalized on Arsenal's two defeats. Opening the gap between them and Arsenal.
Leicester earned consecutive wins over Watford and Newcastle while Spurs played a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at home with Harry Kane scoring. The Lilywhites beat Aston Villa 2-0 to become Leicester's rivals for the title on matchday 30. Arsenal, on the other hand, were eight points behind the leaders.
Leicester's fine form continued but when they faced West Ham, losing 2-1 in the last five minutes, Leonardo Ulloa scored a late penalty to finish the game 2-2. Spurs lost momentum after a 1-1 draw away at Liverpool and are now seven points behind Leicester.
On matchday 36, Leicester earned a 1-1 draw away at Manchester United, forcing Spurs to get a result against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to keep their title hopes alive. The game ended 2-2 with Eden Hazard scoring a late equalizer to kill Spurs' title dream. The result crowned Leicester as champions for the first time in their history.
Arsenal ended their league campaign unbeaten with five wins from their final nine games. Their campaign ended with a 4-0 win against Villa and took second place after Spurs lost 5-1 away at Newcastle. Leicester ended up lifting the trophy after beating Everton 3-1.
Arsenal finished with 71 points, 10 points behind Leicester. Spurs dropped to third with 70 points and Manchester City finished in the final Champions League spot with 66 points.
Aftermath
Though it was Arsenal's best finish since 2005, it was a missed opportunity for them. Many of their usual rivals, barring Tottenham, have had inconsistent seasons, providing a window of opportunity. Giroud was their top scorer with 16 goals but suffered a 15-game goal drought, while Ozil provided the most assists with 19.
Arsenal missed out on the Champions League the following season and have not played in the Champions League ever since. Within the next four years, various stars like Ozil, Sanchez, Walcott, Laurent Koscielny, Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey left the Emirates. Leaving Arsenal to do a difficult rebuild, which failed to materialize.
They also played without European football in the 2021-22 season, their first since 1995. Now, it looks like Arsenal are stable both on and off the field. With a new crop of players in Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba, Arsenal might challenge again for years to come.
