Arsenal's Premier League title has come to an end. While the Gunners aren't mathematically out of the title race, their 3-0 loss at home to Brighton on Sunday has all but ended any slim hope they had of beating Manchester City to the crown.
The North London giants hosted the Seagulls following their brilliant 2-0 victory away to Newcastle but were humbled by De Zerbi's side, with goals from Enciso, Undav, and Estupinan inflicting a gut-wrenching defeat upon Arteta's side.
This means that despite having played a game extra, the Gunners trail Guardiola's men by four points, with the Cityzens needing only one more win to successfully defend their crown. This is a crushing realization for everyone at Arsenal, including the fans, with the manager issuing a heartfelt apology to the supporters after this bitter ending to the season.
"I hate the feeling of letting people down when they are expecting something. That's the biggest regret and I have to apologize for that," the Spaniard said, as per the Sun.
"Second position is secure and that is not going to change but this result is going to take me a few days to digest.
"My job is to get the best out of every single player and obviously today I didn't do that, so it's my responsibility.
"What the team has done over the last ten months is very different to what anybody expected and we have to manage how we deal with those expectations.
"We fought really hard to be in this position but when you are in a critical moment like this, you cannot do what we did in the second-half.
"Now we have to look at if this team is capable of doing it when it comes to the biggest stage.
"With the level that is required to fight for the Premier League title and to compete in the Champions League, there's a lot of things to think about and analyze because a performance like this cannot happen.
"Last Sunday we were so proud of the way we won at Newcastle and today is the complete opposite.
"There were a lot of interruptions today. There were 30 fouls and the game had no flow. But we didn't capitalize on our big moments, we lost a lot of duels and conceded some really poor goals.
"And after Brighton's second goal, we had no answers. That's the reality."
That result was only Arsenal's fifth defeat of the season, and their second at home this campaign. The 3-0 loss leaves the North London giants with 81 points, 15 clear of third-placed Newcastle but four behind leaders Man City, with the Cityzens boasting a game in hand.
This is a huge disappointment given that the Gunners were eight points clear at the top just over a month ago. However, they have failed to win five of their last seven league games, losing two and drawing three.
A return to the UEFA Champions League has been secured and with that needs further improvement. The club have been linked with the likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, meaning Arsenal could be in for an exciting summer transfer window. However, after missing out on the title, Arteta's men must focus on finishing the season strong in their upcoming clashes with Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
