Sunday’s clash between Chelsea and Arsenal could well be the last time the Gunners really feel immediate pressure on this season’s title charge… at least, if it goes their way.
Don’t get us wrong: there is still plenty of time for everything to go south for Arsenal, and nobody knows that better than Chelsea.
Arsenal’s exact record of the league leaders holding nine wins, two draws and one defeat from 12 games has only occurred three times before in a 38-game Premier League season – and all three times, it was Chelsea.
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The first time, in Jose Mourinho’s debut season in 2004/05, ended up as a Chelsea whitewash. But on the next two occasions, under Phil Scolari in 2008/09 and Thomas Tuchel in 2021/22, Chelsea ended up finishing third.
On both occasions, the points started dropping in November, which precipitated a poor run of form that lasted throughout December and into January. Scolari lost his job in February. Tuchel was perhaps saved by his side reaching both domestic cup finals (both of which ended in penalty shootout defeats to Liverpool after goalless draws), only to be sacked the following September.
Chelsea would love to be on the other end of the equation this time and puncture the hopes of one of their London rivals. But if they can’t get a victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, all the signs are that Arsenal will already have one hand on the title.
No Premier League side has ever held a six-point lead at the top of the table after 12 games and failed to win the league. That’s happened on six prior occasions: Man United 1993/94, Chelsea 2005/06, Chelsea 2014/15, Man City 2017/18, Liverpool 2019/20, and Liverpool 2024/25.
Of those seven clubs, Arsenal’s 29 points is the lowest – all of the other six sides had at least 31 points in the bag after 12 games. But that just speaks to a fundamental fact about the nature of Arsenal’s season so far: although they are not flawless, they are clear at the top because they have so far shown by far the fewest faults of any of the would-be title contenders.
The worst you can say about Arsenal this season is that at the beginning of the campaign, Mikel Arteta seemed unduly conservative – a criticism that particularly hit home after his side’s defeat at Liverpool and their late salvage job against an unexpectedly defensive Manchester City.
Chelsea would love to be on the other end of the equation this time and puncture the hopes of one of their London rivals. But if they can’t get a victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, all the signs are that Arsenal will already have one hand on the title.
No Premier League side has ever held a six-point lead at the top of the table after 12 games and failed to win the league. That’s happened on six prior occasions: Man United 1993/94, Chelsea 2005/06, Chelsea 2014/15, Man City 2017/18, Liverpool 2019/20, and Liverpool 2024/25.
Of those seven clubs, Arsenal’s 29 points is the lowest – all of the other six sides had at least 31 points in the bag after 12 games. But that just speaks to a fundamental fact about the nature of Arsenal’s season so far: although they are not flawless, they are clear at the top because they have so far shown by far the fewest faults of any of the would-be title contenders.
The worst you can say about Arsenal this season is that at the beginning of the campaign, Mikel Arteta seemed unduly conservative – a criticism that particularly hit home after his side’s defeat at Liverpool and their late salvage job against an unexpectedly defensive Manchester City.
That sounds like a facile point to make: so what we’re saying is the defence are good at defending and the attack are good at scoring goals? Revolutionary stuff!
But after a decade of domination from Liverpool and Manchester City led by the genuinely innovative Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, Arsenal’s approach feels like a bit of a throwback to a time of simple jobs done supremely well.
In that respect, this Arsenal side now has more in common with the early Arsene Wenger sides that won titles in the late 90s than anything else.
That should not be taken as damning Arsenal with faint praise whatsoever: those sides are rightly celebrated and revered to this day in the red half of North London. Wenger's later drift into prioritising aesthetics and philosophy taught Arsenal fans that attractive football is nice, but there's nothing more entertaining and fun than winning league titles.
Get the job done on Sunday, and they may not have to wait too much longer for that next one to finally arrive.
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