:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32498233/479120085.0.jpg)
It wasn't as much of a battle this year as the past couple, but with Everton coming on strong late and Arsenal suffering several major injuries - and the resulting loss of form - Champions League qualification was still not nailed on for Arsenal. But with Everton's 3-2 home loss to Manchester City today, they are adrift four points back of Arsenal, and with one game left for the Toffees the deficit is officially insurmountable.
Arsenal have, for the seventeenth consecutive season, qualified for the UEFA Champions League. That's every season since 1998-99, so long ago that Arsenal's top goalscorer was Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry started the season at Monaco.
We could (and have done so in the past) go on and on about how cool that is and what an achievement it is, but honestly I'm not that surprised because Zito pretty much told us all exactly what was going to happen a month ago. That's the kind of expertise y'all are paying for here at The Short Fuse Industries.