Arsenal won their first Premier League title in 22 years on Tuesday night, confirmed without kicking a ball as Manchester City dropped points in a draw against Bournemouth.
The wait is over. Yet the manner in which the title was sealed felt almost fitting for a club that spent the majority of the season being framed as contenders rather than champions.
While Arsenal were accumulating points, controlling games, and building one of the most consistent title-winning campaigns in recent memory, the story being told about them in the media was entirely different.
In television and digital coverage, particularly in highlight titles and promotional language, a broader pattern emerged throughout the season. Arsenal wins were frequently framed as narrow escapes or moments of survival, while Manchester City victories, even similarly tight ones were portrayed as statements of authority.
Individually, these choices may seem insignificant. Collectively, they shaped a narrative that subtly undermined one contender while reinforcing the inevitability of the other.
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How Broadcasters Framed Arsenal and Manchester City Differently
One clear example came after Arsenal's 2-1 home win over Brighton. On paper, it was a controlled performance. Arsenal dominated possession, completed significantly more passes, and recorded almost twice as many shots.
The margin of victory arguably flattered Brighton. Yet Sky Sports' YouTube highlight was titled "Gunners survive Seagulls fightback to return top." The framing suggests risk and fortune rather than control, despite the underlying numbers pointing firmly in Arsenal's favour.
Contrast that with City's narrow 2-1 away win at Nottingham Forest, settled by an 83rd-minute Rayan Cherki goal following a resilient Forest performance.
Rather than emphasising the late breakthrough or the threat of dropped points, the highlight was titled "Rayan Cherki stars as City win EIGHT in a row." The focus shifts away from the match context and towards momentum, streaks, and dominance – the language that reinforces City's image as relentless and inevitable.
The difference becomes even clearer when comparing like-for-like scenarios. Manchester City's chaotic 3-2 home win over newly promoted Leeds United, in which they surrendered a two-goal lead before Phil Foden's 91st-minute winner, could easily have been framed as defensive vulnerability.
Instead, Sky Sports opted for "Foden brace inspires CHAOTIC City win!", complete with an exclamation mark. The chaos is reframed as entertainment, even brilliance.
Arsenal's equivalent moment, a 2-1 late win over Wolves, another side battling relegation received notably flatter treatment. "Arsenal snatch late win over Wolves to move five points clear." No capitals, no exclamation marks, no celebration of execution under pressure.
The verb "snatch" implies something taken rather than earned, reinforcing the idea that Arsenal were merely holding onto a position rather than asserting control over it.
Perhaps the most striking contrast came when Manchester City nearly squandered a 5-1 lead away at Fulham, eventually winning 5-4. Defensive collapse might have been the headline. Instead, the focus fell on individual brilliance. "Haaland SMASHES record in NINE-GOAL THRILLER!" The emphasis is not on fragility, but on display, achievement, and excitement.
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Why Manchester City Were Treated as ‘Inevitable’
City benefited from a decade of dominance under Pep Guardiola, and that trust was earned over time. Their wins were treated as confirmation of what was expected. Arsenal, by contrast, carried the weight of recent near misses.
Having finished second to City in two of the past three seasons, the club was framed as fragile, regardless of performance. Media coverage did not create that history, but it chose how heavily to lean into it.
This matters because language shapes perception. When supporters repeatedly consume content that frames Arsenal wins as escapes and City wins as statements, it influences emotional responses. Anxiety grows within fanbases while confidence erodes. The idea takes hold that a team are only temporarily at the top, rather than fully in control.
That Arsenal ultimately clinched their first Premier League title in 22 years on Tuesday only sharpens the point - the narrative of fragility was never supported by the football.
