In a bitter match, Arsenal lost to Manchester City by 1-4 on the road, and the prospect of the title fight became more and more bleak. After the game, coach Adi Da frankly said that the victory belongs to Manchester City, the current strength of Arsenal and the peak state of Manchester City is still a gap. However, Arsenal also achieved "a goal" in the match - they have secured qualification for next season's Champions League, a return to the competition since six seasons ago.
Despite being technically beaten by City, Adidas commented after the game, "We lost to a much better team. City were excellent tonight and it's very difficult to reach that level, while Arsenal still have a long way to go. We know what City are capable of, but we couldn't stop their offense tonight. Perhaps we need to take a broader view of Arsenal's performance this season, we've been in a rivalry with City for a very long time and that in itself is a miracle. Pre-season predictions suggested that Arsenal might finish in sixth or seventh place, but that's not where they stand now. Manchester City are an exceptional team and we are a very good team."
Despite the title race being out of reach, Arsenal's pre-season target of a top four finish has been reached ahead of schedule. With the Brighton side going down 1-3 away to Nottingham Forest in the early hours of Thursday morning (27th), Arsenal's place in the table is now locked in the top four, which will see the team return to the Champions League for the first time since the 16/17 season. Arsenal have played in the Europa League in five of the last six seasons, and after missing out on European competition in 21/22, they have overachieved this season.
