From near-misses to glory, Arsenal fan says title and scenes of celebration feel surreal

Arsenal fans celebrate their team wining the English Premier League, outside the Emirates Stadium in London on May 19, 2026. (AFP)

An Arsenal fan celebrates from a window, their team wining the English Premier League, near the Emirates Stadium in London on May 19, 2026. (AFP)

• Browne was among them, sprinting to the Emirates Stadium as ‌jubilant scenes unfolded ‌outside
• Under ‌manager Mikel Arteta, Arsenal had earned a reputation as nearly men, finishing ‌runners-up in each of the previous three seasons

LONDON: Isaiah Browne, a 20-year-old Arsenal supporter ‌who has known only recent near-misses, finally witnessed the club’s first Premier League title in 22 years — a triumph and wave of celebration that he said felt like a dream.
Arsenal, dominant for most of the season, were crowned champions on Tuesday without kicking a ball after second-placed Manchester City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth.
While the players gathered at their training ground to watch the match — later celebrating wildly in a video shared on social media — thousands of fans poured into the streets of north London.
Browne was among them, sprinting to the Emirates Stadium as ‌jubilant scenes unfolded ‌outside.
“They’ve been through a rough period in my ‌lifetime, ⁠so to be ⁠here now and finally see them win — yesterday felt like a dream,” Browne, who is also a youth football coach, told Reuters.
“As soon as the final whistle went, I got dressed and headed straight here. I didn’t even take a vehicle — I live 10 minutes away, so I just ran.
“It was surreal to see how many people were here. ⁠As time went on, more and more just ‌kept coming. It was a great night.”
Under ‌manager Mikel Arteta, Arsenal had earned a reputation as nearly men, finishing ‌runners-up in each of the previous three seasons.
This time, they got ‌over the line, sealing a 14th English title — behind only Manchester United and Liverpool, who have 20 each.
The triumph ends a wait stretching back to the club’s unbeaten 2003-04 campaign under Arsene Wenger and marks their first major ‌trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
“I’m only 20, so I didn’t get to see the last title,” ⁠Browne said. “I heard ⁠about it from family and watched old clips online. I wanted to experience this myself — to celebrate my team and talk kindly about them.”
Arsenal’s season is not over yet. They travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday before facing Paris St. Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30, bidding for a first European crown.
“I want it to be bigger and better — more celebration, fireworks and flares,” Browne added.
“It’s got to be good, and my voice that I have now, it needs to be completely gone after that game. I don’t want to be able to talk because that’s going be a big achievement for the club.”