Manchester City sealed the Premier League title on Saturday, as Arsenal's shock 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest ended any lingering mathematical probability of the north London team usurping Pep Guardiola's side in the title race.
It is a result that has appeared increasingly inevitable for weeks as City's run of 23 unbeaten games coincided with and influenced Arsenal's slow capitulation from its perch at the top of the table, which it had occupied for much of the season.
Despite still holding an eight-point cushion just last month, Arsenal's hopes of a first title since the 2003/04 season have been steadily extinguished following a run of three improbable draws and a 4-1 drubbing at Manchester City in April, compounded by a 3-0 defeat to Brighton last week and now this loss at Nottingham, a team fighting for its very survival in the Premier League.
And so the idea of City winning the Premier League, its fifth title in six years, has had time to percolate and establish itself, almost normalizing an achievement so monumental it is matched by just one other team in the league's entire history -- Alex Ferguson's Manchester United between 1995/96 and 2000/01.
More to follow...
