Mikel Arteta Admits Losing Premier League Title to Liverpool Hurt

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 12: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and PSV at Emirates Stadium on March 12, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)

Arteta title heartbreak: Arsenal manager opens up about the pain of losing the Premier League title to Liverpool

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has opened up about the emotional toll of missing out on the Premier League title to Liverpool, Arteta heartbreaks admitting that the loss hurt him “big time” and that he felt the pain “in my tummy.”

Liverpool secured the league championship with a dominant 5-1 victory over Tottenham, clinching the title with four games to spare. For Arsenal, who had finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the previous two seasons, this campaign was seen as their best opportunity to finally reclaim the trophy. However, despite their efforts, they fell short once again.

Speaking about the disappointment, Arteta acknowledged Liverpool’s consistency and the key ingredients that made them champions. “I understand that it’s a team that is being more consistent and it has a lot of ingredients that you need to win it, but it’s very painful,” he said.

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Mikel Arteta manager / head coach of Arsenal reacts alongside Nicolas Jover during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg match between Arsenal FC and Paris Saint-Germain at Emirates Stadium on April 29, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Despite the heartbreak, Arteta took the opportunity to congratulate Liverpool on their achievement, praising their management and squad depth. “They were the better team, they had so many attributes, they had a consistent squad available. And we’re going to try again,” he added.

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The Arsenal boss admitted that he only watched a small part of Liverpool’s title celebrations, explaining that while such moments can serve as motivation, his focus remains on other aspects of improvement for his team.

Arteta underlined the significance of wrapping up the current campaign well and leveraging the experience to drive future success as Arsenal looks to the upcoming campaign. With the club still searching for their first Premier League title since 2004, the challenge remains to bridge the gap and finally end their long wait for glory.

Arteta title heartbreak admitting the pain of losing the Premier League title to Liverpool.