William Saliba says Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton in mid-March was the moment the title stopped feeling like a live race. He said the result made it clear they would win the league, but the championship itself was confirmed later when Manchester City drew with Bournemouth. The sequence matters, because Saliba is describing the point where belief hardened, not the day the trophy was officially secured.

Why the Everton result stood out

"I started to feel we could do it in March. After the game against Everton, it was clear to me that we would win the league," Saliba told metro.co.uk. That lines up with what happened around the same time: Arsenal opened up a nine-point lead after City dropped points against West Ham later that evening.

There was still work left to do, and Saliba did not pretend otherwise. The official confirmation came only after City’s draw with Bournemouth, which ended Arsenal's wait after three straight runner-up finishes. That is why the Everton game reads as a turning point rather than a title-clinching moment.

Saliba's view of Arsenal's defensive base

Saliba also pushed the case that Arsenal had the best defence this season. The numbers back the broad point. Arsenal finished first on 82 points, with 25 wins, 7 draws and 5 losses, and they conceded just 26 Premier League goals.

His own season was central to that. William Saliba made 31 Premier League appearances and was rated 7.02, while Gabriel Magalhaes was rated 7.37 and also made 31 appearances. That partnership gave Arsenal the platform for the run-in, and it is hard to argue against Saliba's claim that the back line carried real weight in the title push.

Saliba also said the title lift has fed into the mood before the Champions League final against Paris Saint Germain on 2026-05-30. He accepted PSG are the favourites, but said Arsenal have to fight if they want to change that. The league is done, the defence has the numbers behind it, and the final is next.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →