Arsenal miss out on Champions League spot for first time in 21 years

Joe Wright

Arsenal miss out on Champions League spot for first time in 21 years image

Arsenal have failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since Arsene Wenger took over as manager in 1996.

The Gunners beat Everton 3-1 on the final day of the Premier League season at Emirates Stadium, despite having captain Laurent Koscielny sent off, but it was not enough to lift them into the top four.

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Manchester City's 5-0 win at Watford and Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough ensured they claimed the final two Champions League spots, behind champions Chelsea and second-place Tottenham.

Next season will be Arsenal's first outside Europe's top competition since 1996-97, which was Wenger's first in English football, and they must instead take part in the Europa League.

Protests against Wenger are likely to increase following the disappointment, with a number of fans having called on the 67-year-old not to be given a contract extension following frustrating results this term.

Wenger said he will make an announcement on his future following the FA Cup final on May 27.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.