Arsenal handed Premier League crown in February as bookies concede title race is OVER

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Paddy Power have crowned Arsenal as this season's Premier League winners, paying out early on the title race betting market despite more than a third of the 2025/26 season remaining. Mikel Arteta's Gunners secured a convincing 3-0 win over Sunderland AFC at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon to widen their lead over Manchester City to nine points at the top of the table.

Despite City still set to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon - and with 13 game weeks still to go - Paddy Power have already paid out on Arsenal winning the title in controversial fashion. The north London outfit were priced at 5/2 to go all the way ahead of the season, with Liverpool being 15/8 favourites and City priced at 2/1 before a ball was kicked.

With a nine-point cushion at the time of writing, Paddy Power can't see City, or any other team, leapfrogging the Gunners this season, and have in-turn made the decision to award those who backed Arsenal early to win their first league title in more than two decades.

Speaking about the decision, Paddy Power said: "We can't promise this will stop Arsenal fans from fretting online about every single referee decision that doesn't go their way being part of some great big conspiracy, but hopefully it will put a few minds at rest in north London at least.

"It would take a c**k-up of Tottenham-esque levels for the Gunners not to win the Premier League title from here. Surely nothing can possibly go wrong now, right?"

It was a hard-earned six points at the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise - Sunderland piling on the pressure in the first-half before ultimately crumbing in the second as they chased chances to get back into the game.

Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring three minutes before the interval with a thunderous strike low and hard past Robin Roefs, before Viktor Gyokeres bagged a brace off the bench in the second 45.

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As a result, Arsenal end the day nine points clear at the top of the Premier League for the first time since the final day of their 2003/04 'Invincibles' title-winning season.

While Paddy Power may see Arsenal as Premier League champions once more in their eyes, the fact of the matter is that a big push remains should Arteta have any hopes of actually touching silverware.

That's because 13 games are still yet to be played between now and May's seasonal finale, as well as Champions League , Carabao Cup and FA Cup fixtures.

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Up next for Arsenal is a trip to the Gtech Community Stadium to take on an in-form Brentford come Thursday, February 12, before an FA Cup clash with Wigan Athletic three days later.

A clash with a rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers and a north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium make up the rest of Arsenal's matches for February, ahead of an action-packed March including a Carabao Cup final with Manchester City.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.