Nicolas Pepe scored twice in the second half as Arsenal beat Brighton, only to be denied a place in Europe by Tottenham's fightback against Leicester.
A strong finish to the season moved the Gunners within a point of their north London rivals heading into the final day, and with Arsenal cruising after Pepe's double, they were set to snatch seventh place from Spurs.
Despite finishing the season with a fifth straight win, Arsenal were condemned to an eighth-placed finish as Tottenham clinched a 4-2 victory at the King Power Stadium.
That result ends the Gunners' record of playing in Europe every season since 1995-96 and means they have not finished above Tottenham since 2016.
Arsenal director Josh Kroenke, son of owner Stan, was in attendance and some of the 10,000 fans returning to Emirates Stadium held banners that read 'Kroenke out', with the club's involvement in the abandoned European Super League having intensified ill-feeling towards the board.
Fans also voiced their disapproval during the game and as news of Tottenham's win filtered through after the final whistle, a cruel blow after Arsenal thought they had salvaged something from what has been a lacklustre season
Latest Stories
-
Chale Wote Street Art Festival: A call for artists ahead of 2024 edition
1 hour -
Floods: We’re exposed but my team and I are ‘running’ to catch up – Oppong Nkrumah
1 hour -
5 traits of sweet, committed men that may seem like red flags at first
3 hours -
We met on Twitter and our first date was a week-long road trip
3 hours -
The biggest mistake people make when meeting someone in person after talking online
3 hours -
I traveled 500 miles for a first date
3 hours -
My cousin saved my life and she never knew
3 hours -
Top UN court orders Israel to allow food and medical aid into Gaza
3 hours -
Fallen ‘Crypto King’ Sam Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
3 hours -
The architecture we have used to tackle housing deficit has not been robust enough – Oppong Nkrumah
3 hours -
Government suspends implementation of price Stabilisation and Recovery levy on petroleum products
4 hours -
Takoradi traders lament over low sales ahead of Easter
6 hours -
I’ve served Effia constituency well – Joseph Cudjoe
6 hours -
Michael Ampadu: One Student, One Tablet initiative will shape the future of education and innovation
6 hours -
I will partner you for development – Alan tells TUC
6 hours