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, the 10,000 fans returning to Emirates Stadium thought 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 Leicester.
That result ends Arsenal's record of playing in Europe every season since 1995-96.
