Mikel Arteta stood on the touchline and exhaled on Monday night as Kai Havertz's first-half strike gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over Burnley at the Emirates Stadium.
The scoreline left Arsenal one step from the club's first Premier League title in 22 years, but that step now depends on Manchester City's result at Bournemouth on Tuesday: if City do not win, Arsenal will be champions; if City win, Arsenal must beat Crystal Palace on Sunday to clinch the crown.
The single-goal win — Arsenal's eighth 1-0 victory of the season — underlined a defence that has tightened into the league's stingiest. Arsenal have conceded just once in their past six league matches and have let in the fewest goals in the division, 26, with their last conceded goal in open play coming in the 19 April loss to Manchester City.
Inside the dressing room Declan Rice took little credit for luck. "I think we deserve to be champions, 100% speaking honestly," he said, capturing the mood among players who have finished second three seasons running under Arteta before mounting this title bid.
Arteta spoke to reporters after the win and made it plain how personal the next 48 hours will feel. He said he expected to be the "The biggest ever!" Bournemouth fan on Tuesday night and added: "For Andoni, and all the players and all the supporters of Bournemouth, I think we are all [Bournemouth fans] because we know what it means if they get a result." He told journalists he would watch the match at home with his family and admitted, "I don't know how long I am going to watch it," as the club waited on a result that will decide whether there is a coronation or another week of pressure.
Arteta also flagged a moment of concern during the Burnley game, saying: "Well I was certainly worried when they were checking it," without expanding further on the issue. The narrow nature of the victory — and the team's defensive record — has been a throughline all season, even as the forward end delivered the decisive moment via Havertz.
The victory and its lingering what-ifs have already prompted additional scrutiny of selection and tactics, and Arteta's post-match comments will do little to dampen the debate. Readers who followed the match saw Havertz's goal carry more than three points: it handed Arsenal control of a title they have not held since 2002, but only if Manchester City slip at Bournemouth, a side enjoying a 16-game unbeaten run in Europe's top five leagues.
The club's focus will be internal now — preparing for Crystal Palace if necessary and managing a squad that has learned to grind out 1-0 wins — even as the fate of the season rests partly with another team's result. For more on how Arteta reacted to Havertz's strike see and for discussion about positional choices after the match see Arteta's broader call for concentration after Burnley is explored at
What happens next is straightforward and stark: if Manchester City do not beat Bournemouth on Tuesday, Arsenal will end a 22-year wait for the Premier League title. If City win, Arsenal will have to do their part against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Either way, Arteta will be watching — possibly nervously at home with his family — and the club will be a phone call away from either celebration or one final week of pressure.
