ARSENAL NOTEBOOK: Carnival fever hits the Emirates before kick-off, fans are treated to final day drama and Jurrien Timber is rewarded for his hard work as Gunners are pipped to the title

In the end, it wasn’t meant to be for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side. 

Having kept up with Manchester City and Liverpool all throughout the 2023-24 campaign, the Gunners fell just short of clinching the league title after a hectic final day.

There should be no shame in losing out to Pep Guardiola’s City, who won the top-flight title after a dominant 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday. 

Arsenal did all they could as they triumphed over Everton 2-1 after Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kai Havertz helped the Gunners come from behind but it still wasn’t enough.

Here, Mail Sport’s ISAAN KHAN runs through all the bits that you may have missed from the match.  

Despite beating Everton in the last fixture, Arsenal fell short of the title by just two points

HARD WORK PAYS OFF 

It has taken a full season of rehabilitation and gym work, but Jurrien Timber returned in the nick of time.

The Dutchman made the Arsenal squad for the first time since picking up an ACL injury on the opening day of the season in August — and then came on in the 69th minute.

His inclusion on the final day was a reward for the nine months of sacrifice. Well deserved.

FINAL DAY DRAMA 

For a few minutes before the half-time whistle, that famous final day drama reverberated around the Emirates.

Takehiro Tomiyasu had struck just after Mohammed Kudus’ wondergoal went in for West Ham against Manchester City.

The noise, as a result, went as loud as it has got here this season. That repeated in the final minutes when West Ham had a goal disallowed and Kai Havertz scored the Gunners’ winner.

It’s a rare feeling indeed.

Jurrien Timber was included in the Arsenal squad for the first time since the opening day

PRE-MATCH CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE 

A carnival atmosphere was felt outside the Emirates ahead of kick-off. Pillows of smoke, a band and flags galore all featured.

Times such as these have not been felt in years and as such, fans made the most of it. For those without tickets, all the pubs on the way to the stadium were rammed and full of red, and the streets were bustling too.

Despite the end result, you sense this is just the start of something special.

MASTERS’ APPEARANCE 

The appearance of Premier League chief executive Richard Masters caused intrigue.

Some suggested that Manchester City’s 115 charges were a contributing factor as to why Masters was not at the Etihad instead.

He said: ‘After Tuesday night’s match between Spurs and Man City, I had a chat with our chair Alison Britain, and this is the plan we came up with. It’s no more than that.’

Who knows.

Despite the end result, you sense this is just the start of something special for Arsenal

TAKING THE KNEE 

Both teams took the knee ahead of kick-off. Though Abdoulaye Doucoure chose not to.

A few seasons ago that would have been a talking point. Now it’s just an anomaly.