Arsenal’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Manchester United on Sunday felt like a seismic moment in the Premier League title race, as the North London club not only reached 50 points at the half-way stage of the season but also passed yet another test of their credentials as genuine title challengers. Erik ten Hag’s side undoubtedly came close to bringing an abrupt halt to Mikel Arteta ambitions of being the first Arsenal manager to lift the league title in 19 years, but were ultimately undone when Arsenal stepped up a gear and proved to be more than enough for their historic foes. And as we’ve seen multiple times this season, this big-game mentality seems to be the real momentum behind such an unexpected title challenge.
More goals and more points – Arsenal’s impressive top six record
Indeed, after facing foes from the so-called “big six” in the English top flight on six occasions this season, Arsenal can now lay claim to a remarkable record of five wins and just one defeat. Which is a considerable improvement on the club’s previous record under Arteta in such fixtures. For example, in the three seasons prior to this current campaign under the Spaniard, Arsenal’s record against Man Utd, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool (we’re excluding Manchester City from this because they’ve yet to face Pep Guardiola’s side in the league this season) stood at just 1.37 points per game. However, in this current campaign that number has jumped up by an incredible 92% to 2.63 points per game.
Arsenal record” src=”https://tmssl.akamaized.net/images/foto/newsansicht/miikel-arteta-Arsenal-record-1674471645-100530.png?lm=1674471665″ alt=”Mikel Arteta Arsenal record” width=”503″ height=”629″/>
Interestingly enough, despite boasting an impressive defensive record in the league in general, Arsenal’s goals conceded average in these big games has only improved slightly from 1.68 per game to 1.25 per game. What has truly been the greater driver in more points has been the club’s goalscoring, which has leaped from 1.31goals scored per match against a top-six opponent to 2.13 goals per game.
Can Arsenal go all the way like Leicester did in 2016?
Although the comparisons to Leicester City’s unexpected league title in 2015/16 may seem wide of the mark, there is certainly one notable comparison between that unorthodox league season and this one: the league leaders benefitting from most of the big six somewhat imploding on and off the pitch. Which Arsenal have certainly benefited from throughout the season.
For example, prior to this season Arteta’s Arsenal had averaged just 0.60 points per game against Liverpool and 1.20 points per game against local rivals Tottenham. But this time around, Arteta’s side have beaten both clubs handily due to their overall poor form in the league this season. Similarly, Arsenal’s record against Chelsea stood at a relatively even 1.67 points per game up until this season, but Arteta’s side have so far claimed all three points against the Stamford Bridge side. Whether Man City can put a stop to this in their two fixtures against Arsenal between now and the end of the season remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that Arteta’s team have a new-found belief in themselves and certainly don’t shy away from the big games like they once did. And that could prove to be enough to help them to their first league title in almost 20 years.
Pépé, Aubameyang & Co. – Arsenal‘s record signings
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