Arsenal suffered a 1-4 defeat at the feet of Manchester City, and their chances of competing for the title have become slim. Team leader Adidas admitted after the game that this game was a good win and a bad loss, and that it is difficult for them to compete with the peak of Manchester City with their current strength. However, Arsenal has also accomplished a mission in this game, they have locked the qualification for next season's UEFA Europa League, returning to the UEFA Europa League after an absence of 6 seasons.
After the technical defeat by Man City, Adidas said: "We lost to a better team, Man City is playing very well, it's very difficult to get to this level, Arsenal is still far away. We know what Man City can do, but they can't stop them, or we need to look at the bigger picture, it's amazing that Arsenal can hold on to Man City so long this season. Pre-season stats said Arsenal would be 6th or 7th, but we are not, City are a great team, we are a good team.
Although the title race is over, Arsenal's pre-season goal of finishing in the top 4 has been accomplished early. With Brighton losing 1-3 to Nottingham Forest in the early hours of Thursday morning (27th), Arsenal's figures have already secured the top 4 position, and they will return to the Europa League after the 16/17 season. The Arsenal have played in the Europa League in five of the last six seasons, and after missing out on Europe in the 21/22 season, they have already done more than enough to qualify for the competition this season.
