When Arsenal won their 13th Premier League title in Invincible fashion, many expected that they were just getting started. But triskaidekaphobia would have it otherwise; they went on an unusual drought, taking 22 years before finally winning once again.

At the time, the North Londoners were just two and five league titles behind Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, but the number 13 curse made them spend more than a decade in limbo before the light finally shone on them for the first time in the Emirates.

22 years, the longest Arsenal has had to wait between league titles since winning their first in 1931, and now they can celebrate again. Generations of players have come and gone, with many even finding success elsewhere, but Arsenal remained in the dark until AFC Bournemouth earned a decisive draw at home to Manchester City.

Breaking the Triskaidekaphobia Curse

Mikel Arteta has finally delivered the Premier League trophy for Arsenal after finishing second in three consecutive seasons—becoming the only club to do so after Arsenal under Arsène Wenger, when they also won the title on their fourth attempt in 2001–02.

Manchester City's 1–1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday evening means the Gunners will finish at least two points ahead of their nemesis, making their upcoming trip to Selhurst Park on Sunday purely academic ahead of the coronation at full-time.

It has been a rollercoaster of a season for Mikel Arteta and his players, yet amidst the ups and downs, it was always clear that they were ready to give everything it takes to go one better after finishing second for three straight seasons.

What have the Gunners not gone through in their fight against triskaidekaphobia? Arsène Wenger tried, but after finishing second, he could barely secure a top-four finish before eventually retiring in 2018, a time when it looked like all hope of restoring the glory days was over.

Unai Emery managed to lead the team to a Europa League final, but they never looked like genuine contenders for the Premier League title. When the dream finally became realistic under Mikel Arteta, they were made to suffer like no other.

The Draining Weight of Silver Medals

The five-year project has produced results right at maturity. While glory could perhaps have come sooner for Arsenal, their story made this victory worth the while, because the resilience to keep going after so many heartbreaks is the ultimate secret to their success.

Arsenal, despite being the third most successful English club, has found glory hard to come by in the social media era, making them an easy victim for banter content, and adding their string of second-place finishes only made them fit the narrative better.

Although coming second consistently in arguably the toughest club competition in the world is a big deal, it isn't worth a consolation prize for Arsenal, who have repeatedly had the advantage taken away at the most heartbreaking moments possible.

However, at the start of the ongoing season, they were ready to put that to bed. The Gunners made a host of top signings to improve depth and go again, but the heavy spending of rival teams made it look like number 14 would never come.

Preseason Doubts and Departures

Many fans and pundits believed that Arsenal's run of coming second would end, not with a title, but with a drop down the table, as Liverpool were tipped to retain the trophy due to an investment of almost €500 million on the signing of superstars like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

Manchester City had also just finished outside the top two for the first time since the end of Pep Guardiola's first season, and a fierce comeback was expected. Meanwhile, Chelsea were just crowned world champions at the Club World Cup, and Manchester United spent big to rebuild their attack.

These clubs were tipped to have a better season than Arsenal, especially due to the psychological effect on the Gunners of coming second three times in a row while different teams won the title, including Arne Slot in his debut season with Liverpool.

The departure of Thomas Partey was also predicted to haunt Arsenal, as the Ghanaian had been an important player during his tenure, and the club historically possessed a poor record without him in the team.

The start of the season justified those fears. The team, although second, fell five points behind Liverpool as early as gameweek five, setting a record for the biggest lead held by any Premier League leader at that stage of a season.

Adversity in December & April

Arsenal eventually seized the advantage following an impressive run between October and November, but they encountered severe setbacks after injuries to some of their best players around December, when both William Saliba and Gabriel were unavailable at various points.

It also appeared that the number 13 curse would deny the Gunners yet again when Manchester City signed two of the best players from outside the big six, Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guéhi, midway through the campaign.

The Premier League Manager of the Month curse then took effect in April after Mikel Arteta claimed the award for March. That superstition materialized as they surrendered a nine-point lead over Manchester City, who moved to the summit on goals scored at the end of gameweek 33.

The Cityzens had never failed to go on and win the title after leading the table at 33 games or more, but Arsenal kept on believing. Declan Rice famously declared 'it's not over' after the loss at the Etihad, a moment that has now become iconic.

Arsenal: Champions of Resilience

The Gunners responded like champions, winning all of their next four Premier League games without conceding a single goal, while Manchester City uncharacteristically dropped points away at Everton and Bournemouth, confirming Arsenal's first league title in 22 years.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded, because they still had to balance high-stakes domestic matches against Newcastle United, Fulham, and West Ham United with continental commitments, where they also overcame Sporting CP and Atlético Madrid to secure their second-ever Champions League final spot.

Given the immense pressure and a demandingly congested schedule that required them to play three times a week since the turn of the year due to their involvement in all four major competitions, this was the most difficult road to any Premier League title in their history.

After finishing as runners-up in three consecutive seasons, Arsenal's mentality to keep pushing forward despite mini-setbacks and background noise is exactly what makes them stand out, deserving champions.

14 forward for Arsenal

This may be the biggest achievement for Arsenal so far under Mikel Arteta, but it could be the start of a dynasty, especially if things go their way in the Champions League final against PSG later in the month.

The Spaniard has made Arsenal one of the better teams in the world and with Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City at the end of the season, he'll become the longest serving Premier League Manager and also have the chance to dominate the other clubs, who are in rebuild processes.

It's been a long journey to get Arsenal here, and the timing of their arrival couldn't be better, so the critics and haters can wake up to the reality, that for this Arsenal team, it's 14 forward.