Leicester City announce that striker Jamie Vardy will leave the club at the end of the season
Vardy: 'Gutted that this day has come...but I think the timing is right'
Chairman Srivaddhanaprabha: Vardy 'holds a place in the hearts of everyone connected to Leicester City'
The 38-year-old has been at Leicester for 13 seasons after making the move from Fleetwood in 2012
He won the Premier League title with Leicester in 2016 as well as the league's Player of the Season
Vardy also claimed the golden boot in the 2019-20 campaign, scoring 23 goals
Stats: Vardy's outscored Ronaldo, Suarez and more | Vardy's club honours
Phil McNulty analysis: The Premier League's greatest story?
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So LFC will win the title, what does everyone think Slot will do to celebrate with the fans? So far, it's been a simple 👍 up and 👏 Surely it's going to be more?
SE16 in Cambridge
Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport
Liverpool fans, where will you be watching on Sunday?
Are any of you lucky enough to have a ticket to the match?
There we have it then, the Premier League trophy will officially be Liverpool's if they avoid defeat on Sunday against Tottenham.
Arsenal's draw with Crystal Palace means that the Gunners can no longer overtake the Reds on points and would need a 10-goal swing on goal difference.
Anfield will be rocking!
Image source, Getty ImagesCharlotte Coates
BBC Sport
And on that bombshell from Scott, we'll move on from talking about Arsenal to... Liverpool!
Everything on the Reds moving one point away from being crowned champions of England for the 20th time will be coming your way next.
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Arsenal will never win big trophies until they detach their emotions from the game. I understand it’s an emotional game and some wins mean a lot but Odegaard with photographer after winning just a league game says it all. Elite top players with strong mentality will never do this. It does filter from Arteta though. I’m an LFC fan and I like Arsenal but they have gone backwards this year and dare I say they think they are better than what they actually are.
Scott, Preston
FT: Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace
Nat Hayward
BBC Sport
So where did Arsenal really lose this title race? We look back at five pivotal games that cost them the opportunity.
Arsenal 1-1 Brighton (31 August 2024)
Image source, Getty ImagesThis was the match that foreshadowed much of what would hinder Arsenal for the rest of the season. The Gunners took the lead through Kai Havertz and looked on course to continue their perfect start to the season before Declan Rice picked up a needless second yellow card for kicking the ball away before Joao Pedro levelled in the second half.
Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal (19 October 2024)
Image source, Getty ImagesAnother red card cost Arsenal, without Bukayo Saka, as their October trip to the south coast ended in their first defeat of the season. William Saliba was dismissed in the first half before two late goals gave impressive Bournemouth victory.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal (2 November 2024)
Image source, Getty ImagesNewcastle came into this game in 10th and without a win in five league games but dominated Arsenal at St James' Park. The result allowed Liverpool to open up an eight-point gap at the top after the Reds had rescued a point at Emirates Stadium the previous weekend.
Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa (18 January 2025)
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter defeat to Newcastle in November, Arsenal would not lose again until late February. In this time, however, they drew five times, the last of which against Aston Villa feeling the most damaging. The Gunners led 2-0 at the hour mark but conceded twice in eight minutes, before seeing a late Kai Havertz strike ruled out for handball, missing the chance to move within four points of the top.
Arsenal 0-1 West Ham (22 February 2025)
Image source, Getty ImagesArsenal's most recent defeat felt terminal. Arteta's team could have closed the gap to Liverpool to five points with 12 games to go and put pressure on the Reds' visit to Manchester City. Instead, they struggled at home against lowly West Ham and had their misery compounded by Myles Lewis-Skelly's second-half red card. In the league, the Gunners have not fully recovered, drawing five of their eight league matches since.
FT: Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Gunners still have to face champions elect Liverpool and Champions League-chasing Newcastle in their four remaining games of the Premier League campaign.
There is also a tricky tie against Bournemouth between their Champions League semi-final games with PSG. The Cherries are eighth and have European ambitions of their own.
Mikel Arteta's side will wrap up their league season at Southampton on 25 May, hoping that none of their opponents will be breathing down their neck at that point.
Arsenal's remaining Premier League fixtures:
Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport
Every day really is a school day, guys!
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Re Tom/Charlotte 10.56. If it's maths it's less. You can't have 6 FEWER 5 is 1. So I'm with Charlotte on this one.
Ed in London (paid £20 by Charlotte)!
Thanks for having my back, Ed.
Feel like I'm back at school here!
FT: Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace
Image source, Getty ImagesArsenal's struggles this season have also got to do with a lack of firepower up front.
Kai Havertz, who is their top scorer with nine goals this season, fell to a hamstring injury in February and is set to miss the rest of the season.
Not a natural striker, Havertz's best return in England has been the 13 league goals he scored during the 2023-24 season.
Leandro Trossard (8), Gabriel Martinelli (7), Mikel Merino (6) and Bukayo Saka (6) are the other leading scorers for Arteta this season.
Arteta admitted he was “disappointed” by their failure to sign a striker in January amidst an injury crisis.
"Go and get someone whose job it is to score goals," former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves said recently.
"You've got everything else - a great goalkeeper, best defence in the league, the midfield is absolutely fantastic, you just need another one in there with Declan [Rice] and [Martin] Odegaard.
"Go and get a striker and a centre midfielder. Then you can win everything."
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Football fans are strange people. Champions league semi finals. One defeat in the league since October. Brilliant new players coming through. Yet, a wave of negativity. Perhaps they would prefer to be Tottenham Hotspur or Man Utd?
John, Bristol
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Arteta has Arsenal in only their third ever champions league semi-final (with key players missing all season) and here we are starting a discussion about who should replace him!? Football fans are nuts. He's leading Arsenal in to an era of dominance.
Stuart
FT: Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace
Image source, Getty ImagesIn a season that saw Liverpool running away with the Premier League title, Arsenal were their closest challengers but the Reds are now one point away from becoming champions.
Mikel Arteta would be quick to point at the number of injuries his side suffered this season, especially in attack.
The Gunners lost Bukayo Saka from December to March because of a hamstring injury while injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz have left the Gunners striker-less for the majority of the campaign.
Captain Martin Odegaard has also missed considerable amount of time with injury, robbing them of the creativity from the middle, while defender Ben White missed 15 games after undergoing a knee surgery.
Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport
Can anyone be considered an elite manager if they've not won a league title or a Champions League?
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The points since 22/23 is an interesting stat, especially considering if you push it back one more season, it becomes: 1. City - 334 points - 5 trophies (Prem x3, FA, CL) 2. Liverpool - 320 points - 3 trophies (FA, EFL Cup x2) 3. Arsenal - 309 points - ?? trophies I really struggle to see how he's regarded as an elite manager.
Anon
FT: Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace
Image source, Getty ImagesA more closer look at the stats reveal how Arsenal have fallen short in their bid to win a first Premier League title since 2004.
They have collected 72 wins since the start of the 2022-23 season - only two less than Manchester City who won the title both in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and five more than Liverpool.
They also lost fewer games (14) than Pep Guardiola's side (17) and Liverpool (15) during that period, though City's dismal 2024-25 season skews their numbers.
However, Arteta's side have conceded 24 draws in three seasons - five more than City - despite being in the title race during all three seasons.
Arsenal finished five points behind City in 2022-23 and two behind them the following season.
Wins since start of 2022-23 season:
Draws during that period:
Defeats during that period:
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Charlotte, I think you'll find Arsenal have one point FEWER than City, not LESS. (Just trying to support Joe and the flak he gets on the live feed!)
Tom, a grammar pedant
Sorry, Tom.
Joe says he'll transfer you that £10 soon!
Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport
Bold, Leo, bold.
The table doesn't lie and all that...
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Have Arsenal actually ever been in the title race this season? I feel like the club tried to talk its way into the title race, but the table has always told a different story.
Leo
Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport
It is incredible seeing the amount of points Arsenal have won since 2022-23. Just one less than Man City!
But, still, no title to show for it.
It's hard work being a football fan, isn't it?!
