Arsenal supporters flooded the streets of north London on Tuesday night after Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Bournemouth confirmed the Gunners as Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years — ending a run of three consecutive second-placed finishes that had earned the club an unwanted reputation for falling short.

Wild scenes erupted outside Emirates Stadium as fans celebrated long into the night, with club legend Ian Wright among those who joined the party. For many supporters, the title was not simply overdue — it was unprecedented in their lifetimes.

'Life has peaked as an Arsenal fan'

Dylan White, 22, captured the mood perfectly. When Arsenal last lifted the Premier League trophy, he was three weeks old. "It's surreal — I've never experienced this before and now we're finally here over the line after so many years of coming so close," he said.

"You hear stories of Arsenal back in 89, you hear stories of the Invincibles, but getting to experience it ourselves — it's been mental."

White admitted the group had debated whether it would feel better to witness the title clinched at a match, but celebrating in north London with friends — staying outside the ground until 4am — proved more than sufficient. "It feels like life has peaked as an Arsenal fan," he said.

And the season is not over. Arsenal face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday 30 May — the club's first European final in 20 years. "The best is still yet to come," White added. "People are really about to see how big Arsenal Football Club are."

Fans keep flocking to the Emirates

Supporters have continued streaming to the stadium in the days since, purchasing next season's kit with "champions" printed on the back. For fan Dominic, who was old enough to remember Arsenal's previous three Premier League titles, the feeling was a welcome return to familiarity.

"This is how we're used to feeling — used to being the winners, back on the podiums where we belong," he said. Dominic pointed to the squad's young core as a sign of things to come: "Big Gabi, [William] Saliba — there's a lot of years left in this team."

He also acknowledged the competitive landscape that made the wait so long, referencing reports that Pep Guardiola is set to leave the Premier League. "Little things don't go your way sometimes, especially with the big money coming in from the other side. But now Pep is off, Mikel [Arteta] is in — light work," he said.

'The season of media as well as the football'

The celebrations carry an extra dimension for a fanbase that endured sustained ridicule on social media. After Arsenal lost at Etihad Stadium in April, Manchester City supporters unveiled a banner reading "Panic on the streets of London." A City fan had also gone viral earlier in the season celebrating while holding an Arsenal water bottle — a pointed reference to the Gunners supposedly "bottling" the title.

Fan Scarlet Katz Roberts, 27, said the relief was enormous but also disorienting. "There is an overwhelming sense of relief, but also a slightly weird void of, 'wow, what do I do now? I don't have to worry about that anymore'," she said.

Katz Roberts, who was just 5 years old when she attended the parade for the Invincibles in 2004, said the title would not fully feel real until Martin Odegaard lifts the trophy. She reflected on how Arsenal's season unfolded as much in the court of public opinion as on the pitch.

"We have been mocked, we have been criticised throughout and it only relented at the point when we proverbially lifted the trophy."

Arsenal will hold a title parade on Sunday 31 May regardless of the outcome of the Champions League final against Paris St-Germain.