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Mikel Arteta was apologetic as he reflected on a “really sad day” after Arsenal’s faint Premier League title hopes were ended by a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. Manchester City were confirmed as champions after Taiwo Awoniyi’s first-half goal saw Forest earn the three points that secured their top-flight status. The Gunners, who were insatiable for most of the campaign, had spent 248 days on top of the table and held an eight-point lead over City in March, but an alarming slide saw them overtaken by Pep Guardiola’s relentless juggernaut who claim a fifth title in six seasons. No team has spent more time on top of the table and not won the league, which left Arteta crestfallen. “Really sad day, a lot of difficult emotions, we lost the game, we lost the championship after 10 and a half months fighting for it and nine and a half months almost on top of it,” he said. “We built a lot of illusion and belief that we could go all the way and win it and in the end we fell short. Congratulations to Man City, they are the champions, they deserve to be the champions, they have done it for 38 games, we haven’t been able to do that. “That is it and from my side I apologise because we have built that belief that we could do it and in the end the team wasn’t able to do it and that is my responsibility. “Today is just a lot of sadness. You see a lot of people, they put everything, they put so much work, so much belief and so much hours and I am sad, I am sad for them because we wanted to find a way and squeeze everything we had in that group. “We fell short and this is my job and my responsibility, I have to analyse that and think. “Today we should have played much better, we gave them a goal and gave them another chance to score another goal if they wanted and we fell short to break them down. “You need, when you come to April and May, 24 players there and available, fit and playing at their best, full of confidence and ready to go and for many reasons we haven’t had that. “There are key moments in the league that define, the momentum goes there, the result goes there and we didn’t have those margins going on our side.” For Forest it was a real red letter day as they secured their survival against the odds. For large parts of the season, which began with more than 20 new signings, they looked destined to return straight back to the Championship, not least when they were on an 11-game winless run going into the end of April. But Awoniyi’s hot streak, with five goals in three games, helped Steve Cooper’s side lift themselves out of the bottom three and they can no longer be caught by Southampton, Leicester or Everton. It completes an impressive job by Cooper, who repaid Forest for the faith they showed when backing him amid their poor run, and his stock continues to rise. Asked how he felt, the Welshman said: “Just pride, a great sense of belonging at being part of something really special and important for me. “A brilliant day for the players and an equally great day for the supporters and one we deserved. It is difficult to use the word achievement at this football club because you have to be careful but it is just amazing to be able to allow the club to move forward, that’s what we all want to do. “Now is the time to talk about the players, the supporters and the game. It is a real sense of belonging and being part of something greater than any one person. “This was always going to be my toughest coaching challenge, but an enjoyable one, not a negative one. We have had everything this year, both positive and negative. “It feels great, but I am more thinking about it just allows us to progress.”

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts to the end of the Premier League title race.

Manchester City sowed the seeds for their latest title success before they had even completed their 2022 triumph. In May last year, as the team fought hard on the field to hold off the challenge of Liverpool, off it the top brass agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Erling Haaland. It was a bold statement by a club used to making bold statements. The prolific Norwegian striker joined them in the summer and, almost instantly, an already formidable team became a seemingly unstoppable force. Obviously it was not quite so straightforward, but after City’s powerful spring charge – when they reeled in and then flew past Arsenal without even a hint of feeling pressure – few could argue they are now one of the greatest teams to have graced the Premier League. Haaland has been at the heart of it, scoring a barely believable and record-breaking 36 league goals so far in the process. He not only surpassed the greats of the past, but left them trailing in his wake. He overtook the previous record mark of 34 – set by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer in 42-game seasons in the mid-1990s – with five matches to spare. He helped himself to four hat-tricks and formed a potent combination with the team’s chief playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne. Rarely has a player made as big an impact as Haaland has and, given how City have adapted and improved around him as the season has gone on, there would seem to be plenty more to come. Yet while Haaland may have been a hugely significant factor in City’s fifth title in six seasons, it would be unfair to give him all the credit. De Bruyne has enjoyed another highly influential campaign, laying on 16 assists and scoring seven goals himself. Jack Grealish, now looking far more comfortable with his £100million tag, has also been a driving force while Rodri has developed into one of the strongest midfielders in the game and John Stones has excelled in a hybrid defence-midfield role. Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Nathan Ake have also made big contributions at different times. The key once again, however, has been the man in charge, Pep Guardiola. The inspirational Catalan has produced another masterclass of management, underlining his pre-eminence in the game and strengthening his position among the greats. After two successive title wins with false nines or makeshift centre-forwards, Haaland’s arrival signalled a change of approach from the former Barcelona boss. Initially there were doubts, with fears Haaland’s presence might disrupt City’s natural flow. Indeed, early on, it did seem his goals were masking some disjointed and indifferent performances. Form either side of the World Cup break was patchy and underwhelming and allowed Arsenal to take early control of the race. Yet Guardiola worked through the inconsistencies and ironed out the problems, with excellent man-management, tactical nous and his ferocious winning mentality. There were some well-timed criticisms, surprise selection calls and eyebrow-raising departures – Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Joao Cancelo – all of which have been vindicated as City came good when it really mattered. Arsenal obviously let a strong position slip but, in a disrupted season, when City had more players at the World Cup than any other club, Guardiola paced the challenge perfectly. To have maintained intensity while also competing in two other competitions makes it all the more remarkable. City still have to win two more finals to complete a glorious treble, but their Premier League success alone is a phenomenal achievement. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live County Championship leaders Surrey race to emphatic win over Kent Leinster devastated by Champions Cup final loss – Leo Cullen A look at Pep Guardiola’s 10 major trophies as Manchester City manager

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Nobody thought Arsenal would be here at this stage of the season, but that doesn’t make missing out on a first Premier League crown in 19 years, having exceeded all manner of expectations, any easier to take. Brighton had played their part in finishing Arsenal’s title aspirations off last weekend, but it is Manchester City who ultimately ensured the Gunners finally raised the white flag at the City Ground on Saturday, by doing what they do best – crushing the dreams of teams who dare to even attempt to go toe-to-toe with a force never seen before on our shores. Knowing even victory at Nottingham Forest would surely only delay the inevitable, Arsenal slumped to another defeat with a whimper, gifting City a third title in a row, a fifth in six years, without needing to kick a ball. The fact Arsenal got so close should be a real badge of honour. It just won’t feel like that right now. There were contrasting emotions among home supporters, however, as the win secured Forest’s Premier League survival with one game to spare, proving that holding your nerve and sticking with a manager you believe in, even when results are not going your way, can pay dividends in the end. The walk to the City Ground pre-match was more akin to a red-themed royal regatta than a football match, with supporters lining the River Trent as if waiting for their favourite crew to come rowing past. But a city expected. One more win would do. Home form has been crucial to giving Forest any hope of survival this season and supporters were going to make sure they did all they could to inspire an eighth home league victory – two more than Chelsea – on the waterfront. There were tifos that would have made the Yellow Wall blush and a rendition of Mull of Kintyre from deep within their souls to rouse the troops – the fans were ready. And, crucially, so were the players. It helped that Arsenal were a shadow of the high-octane force that threatened to end City’s stranglehold of the English top flight. Other than a Keylor Navas save at the feet of Gabriel Jesus and efforts from distance, the visitors did not really threaten to drag the title race out for another day in the first half, with motivation ostensibly in short supply. Win, the Labrador, had not worked his magic yet it seemed. The goal that eventually settled the contest, one that nearly lifted the roof of the rickety old stadium, was created by a familiar source, as the ever-excellent Morgan Gibbs-White slid the ball into the path of Taiwo Awoniyi, who benefitted from a poor slide-tackle attempt from Gabriel to divert the ball past Aaron Ramsdale and into the net. The Forest hitman has now scored five goals in his last three Premier League appearances, one more than he had in his first 23 games in the competition combined. There was still hope for the travelling Gunners faithful going into the second half, given their side had previously won three league matches this season when trailing at the break – a division high – but they remained shorn of ideas and belief. A smart save from Navas to deny Bukayo Saka after the interval threatened to raise hopes of another rousing recovery, but although the home nerves were jangling, Forest could see out the win that secured another top-flight campaign in relative comfort. Any other era and Liverpool would have three titles in the last five seasons, and Arsenal’s 19-year wait for another Premier League crown could well have been sealed at the City Ground in the Saturday sun. Instead, despite holding an eight-point lead over City as recently as the morning of April 8, with the Gunners having been top of the Premier League table for 248 days this season – the most days at the summit of the English top flight without having won it – Arsenal have nothing to show for a season of incredible progress. The fact of the matter is, City in beast mode with their inhumane hunger for glory simply cannot be tamed. The foundations have been well set by Mikel Arteta. But even given all they have done this term, Arsenal now have a summer to somehow take their game to another level, and some. The master, Pep Guardiola, will be waiting for his apprentice. Read More Nottingham Forest upset Arsenal to clinch safety and hand Manchester City title Manchester City win fifth Premier League in six seasons after Arsenal falter No celebrations planned if Man City win title without playing, Guardiola says Nottingham Forest upset Arsenal to clinch safety and hand Manchester City title Manchester City win Premier League after Arsenal lose at Nottingham Forest Roy Hodgson humbled by response of Fulham and Crystal Palace supporters

Manchester City are celebrating their third successive Premier League title and a fifth in six seasons. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key games in their successful campaign. October 2, Man City 6 Man Utd 3 City did not really hit their stride or find consistency until the spring but there were still some awesome demonstrations of their firepower – and particularly that of Erling Haaland – in the opening months. Their thrashing of arch-rivals United was especially sweet. Haaland helped himself to a hat-trick, his third treble in successive home games and one of six he notched in a record-breaking campaign, while Phil Foden also hit three in an emphatic display. January 19, Man City 4 Tottenham 2 Pep Guardiola let his anger at his side be known after they rallied from 2-0 down at half-time to beat Spurs with goals from Julian Alvarez, Haaland and Riyad Mahrez (two). After defeats in the previous two games, the City boss felt the first-half showing was another indicator his players – who he labelled ‘happy flowers’ – were not fully focused. It did not mark a turning point in terms of results, as City were beaten at Spurs a few weeks later, but perhaps in attitude. February 15, Arsenal 1 Man City 3 Fixture disruption in the autumn meant the two leading title contenders were kept apart until February and it was City who landed the first blow when they eventually met. Kevin De Bruyne’s opener was cancelled out by a Bukayo Saka penalty but City upped the tempo in the second half to win comfortably with goals from Jack Grealish and Haaland. The win took City above the Gunners to the top, albeit only on goal difference and having played a game more at that stage, but it was psychologically important and key in the final reckoning. April 1, Man City 4 Liverpool 1 Despite the win over Arsenal, City had still not hit their fluid best and there remained doubts about their consistency. They started to show they really meant business when they put Liverpool, their chief title rivals in recent years, to the sword at the Etihad Stadium. Mohamed Salah put the Reds ahead with a thumping finish but City’s response, without injured top-scorer Haaland, was determined and impressive. Alvarez, De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Grealish all scored in a convincing win. April 26, Man City 4 Arsenal 1 City outclassed the Gunners to take firm command of the title race. Just weeks earlier, Arsenal had been in control of their destiny but their advantage was eroded by three successive draws prior to their trip to the Etihad. It was clear the momentum was with City and they emphasised that with a dominant display in which Haaland and De Bruyne ran riot. De Bruyne scored two, both from Haaland passes, and the Norwegian inevitably got on the scoresheet himself. John Stones scored their other goal in an unexpectedly one-sided clash. Arsenal remained two points clear but, with two games in hand, City held the upper hand and did not relinquish it. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live A look at Pep Guardiola’s 10 major trophies as Manchester City manager Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne lead key men in Manchester City title triumph Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool have not been good enough for top-four finish

WASHINGTON Lawyers for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican mulling a 2024 presidential run, are asking that a