The 10 moments that won us the 2025/26 title | Feature | News

Every title-winning season has a series of key moments that turn the tide in a side’s favour. From incredible saves to dramatic late winners, 2025/26 had it all.

As we celebrate our 14th league title, and our first for 22 years, here are 10 moments when we came in clutch to put us on course to the championship.

Press play on the video above to see them all again:

MARTINELLI’S PRICELESS CHIP

In September, a test of our title credentials saw us host Manchester City, and as the game ticked into stoppage time, the visitors led courtesy of an early Erling Haaland strike. In the 84th minute, Mikel Arteta introduced Gabriel Martinelli, and he stepped up big time.

Deep into stoppage time, the Brazilian was picked out by another substitute, Eberechi Eze, with an inch-perfect ball over the City backline. Gabi was able to take it under his spell before lobbing the giant frame of Gianluigi Donnarumma to snatch a point against the team that would ultimately be our closest challengers.

COMEBACK ON THE TYNE

A week later, we again left it late to produce a second remarkable turnaround, this time at Newcastle United. We’d lost on our previous three visits to St James’ Park across all competitions, and it looked like it could be four in a row when Nick Woltemade headed home in the first half.

But, once again, we showed our spirit and hauled ourselves back into the game. Another replacement made the difference when Mikel Merino’s glancing header levelled with seven to play, and after the clock had ticked past the 90, Gabriel nodded home from a corner to spark pandemonium in the away end.

EZE ANNOUNCES HIMSELF

Having netted his first Gunners goal in the Carabao Cup at Port Vale, Eberechi Eze was still waiting for his maiden Premier League strike when his former employers Crystal Palace rocked up to N5 in October.

Scoring set-piece goals had started to become a habit, and this one was the pick of the bunch. A free-kick was cleared by the Eagles backline, but only into the path of our No. 10, who produced a sensational scissor kick to find the bottom corner. It proved to be the only goal of a tight affair, and saw us begin to dominate at the league’s summit.

STOPPAGE TIME DRAMA

Having suffered only our second defeat of the season at Aston Villa the week before, we looked to get back to winning ways against bottom-of-the-league Wolves. Things were going to plan when a 70th-minute Sam Johnstone own goal put us in front, but when Tolu Arokodare headed home in the last minute, two points looked to have slipped through our grasp.

But undeterred, we pressed on and found a way to win the game all over again in the 94th minute. Bukayo Saka’s tantalising cross was deflected into his own net by Yerson Mosquera under pressure from Gabriel Jesus, securing a dramatic victory that would spark a five-match winning streak over the Christmas period.

RAYA STOPS SEAGULLS

David Raya has been in sparkling form in 2025/26, producing big saves in big moments, and none more so than when Brighton & Hove Albion pitched up in N5 just after Christmas. We were 2-0 up courtesy of Martin Odegaard’s strike and another own goal, but we were pegged back by Diego Gomez to set up a nervous finish.

The Seagulls’ Yankuba Minteh thought he’d equalised as his excellent curling effort flew towards the top corner, and incredibly Raya managed to get his hand to the goalbound effort and acrobatically tip it over the bar, winning the match and Premier League Save of the Month in the process.

MOSQUERA’S TIMELY INTERCEPTION

After back-to-back wins, in February, we headed to west London’s Gtech Community Stadium where we took on an in-form Brentford. Noni Madueke’s header was cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter, and the game was finely poised heading into the final three minutes.

That was when Bees’ hitman Igor Thiago got past Cristhian Mosquera to leave himself one-on-one with Raya, but our defender showed remarkable speed to recover and produce a heroic last-ditch tackle to save a certain goal and ensure we returned home with a useful point.

DAVID AT THE DEATH

On the first day of March, goals from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba put us on the brink of a big 2-1 win over Chelsea heading into injury time. The Blues, who had been reduced to 10 men, sensed an equaliser and pushed forward, with Alejandro Garnacho putting in a dangerous in-swinging cross.

Having missed its intended target, it instead crept towards the bottom corner of our net, but Raya once again showed off his superb reactions to shovel it away for a corner at the last moment. He then stopped Joao Pedro’s overhead kick as we picked up another valuable three-point haul.

VIK FOR VICTORY

In December 2025, Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty beat Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Fast-forward three months, and the Toffees were in town and looked to have snatched a point with a stubborn defensive display, but our Swedish substitute had other ideas.

Max Dowman sparkled during his cameo from the bench, and in the final moments swung in a dangerous cross. Jordan Pickford misjudged it, and after the ball struck Piero Hincapie, Gyokeres was perfectly placed to prod home to give us a priceless lead in N5, paving the way for Dowman to add the clincher with his history-making goal.

EZE SINKS NEWCASTLE

A difficult end to March made way for a tricky beginning to April as we exited the FA Cup, lost the Carabao Cup final and fell to a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, who overhauled us at the top of the table. As we entered the final five games, a visit from Newcastle would prove to be a must-win game.

A tight, nervy affair in N5 was ultimately decided by an early moment of magic. A short corner routine allowed Eze to curl a stunning effort into the top corner to give us a 1-0 lead after eight minutes, which we protected for the rest of the afternoon to add our own pressure on the new league leaders.

FIVE FRANTIC MINUTES

After we had turned to the summit, a slender two-point lead meant only a win at West Ham United would do, and that was achieved thanks to two massive moments at either end of the pitch. In the 77th minute, Matheus Fernandes was left with just Raya to beat, but our keeper expertly spread himself to keep the game scoreless.

That changed five minutes later when Odegaard found Leandro Trossard with a neat pass on the edge of the box, and the Belgian planted his strike into the bottom corner to give us yet another 1-0 victory this campaign, edging us closer to the Premier League title.