The Gunners finished their season with a 2:0 win over Chaika and finished eighth in the Premier League.
It was not enough
Arsenal will not be playing in Europe next season, despite ending the campaign 2-0 over Brighton. Two second-half goals from Nicolas Pepe were enough to see outside Chaika and give Mikel Arteta’s a fifth consecutive victory in the Premier League. But that was only enough for an eighth-placed finish, with Tottenham securing a spot in next season’s Europa League with a 4-2 success at Leicester City.
How was it
Nicolas Pepe was once again the star of the show for Arsenal, scoring twice in his second consecutive Premier League game. Arsenal dominated the first half but failed to find their way through Brighton’s determined defense, with Gabriel Magalhaes coming closest with a header that bounced off the post.
But the hosts only had to wait four minutes after the restart to take the lead with Nicolas Pepe’s 15th goal of the season. Calum Chambers was the architect crossing on the right and the International Ivory Coast knocked over the finish line past Robert Sanchez to break the impasse. And the winger added his own and Arsenal’s second at the hour mark, turning a fine finish to the far corner after Martin Odegaard fired it from the right.
For the first time in 25 years
It looked for a long time that the win would see Arsenal finish seventh, with Everton losing to Man City and Tottenham losing at Leicester. But three goals in the last 15 minutes for the Spurs earned them a 4-2 win and secured them a qualifying spot in next season’s Europa League. Arsenal finished eighth, one point behind their North London rivals, and will now play for the first time in 25 years without European football.