You might have noticed that Arsenal are top of the league. And they are even more top of the league now thanks to Liverpool beating Manchester City while the Gunners survived power cuts, VAR interventions and breakdowns and all manner of other excitement at Leeds.
Could Mikel Arteta’s side really actually do this? It’s been 18 years since Arsenal won the title and they’ve had a good few cracks at it since. Ignoring a few seasons where they were top after just a game or two and then never again (because anyone can do that; even Spurs can do that) there have been seven seasons in the barren years where Arsenal have at some vaguely meaningful point of the season been top for a bit. Sometimes quite a long bit. So what happened in those seasons? This is what happened in those seasons – consider it a giddiness-check for Arsenal fans and a big old dose of copium for Spurs fans…
2004/05 – The Invincibles’ Last Stand
Eight wins and a draw in the first nine games took the Invincibles’ unbeaten run to 49 games, with just a nice easy trip to Old Trafford to negotiate to bring up 50 games unbeaten. We all know what happened there, but it was the two draws that followed against Southampton and Palace that would cost Arsenal their place at the summit, a place they would never regain from eventual runaway winners Chelsea.
How it started…
1. Arsenal P11 W8 D2 L1 GF31 GA12 Pts 26
2. Chelsea P11 W8 D2 L1 GF16 GA3 Pts 26
3. Everton P11 W7 D2 L2 GF14 GA10 Pts 23
4. Bolton P11 W6 D4 L2 GF18 GA13 Pts 21
How it ended…
1. Chelsea P38 W29 D8 L1 GF72 GA15 Pts 95
2. Arsenal P38 W25 D8 L5 GF87 GA36 Pts 83
3. Man United P38 W22 D11 L5 GF58 GA26 Pts 77
4. Everton P38 W18 D7 L13 GF45 GA46 Pts 61
2007/08 – Third in a Three-Horse Race
Went top in September and stayed there until March, when a damaging run of four straight draws against Birmingham, Villa, Wigan and Middlesbrough slammed the brakes on their title charge, and defeats to both rivals for the crown – Chelsea and Manchester United – during the run-in left them third.
How it started…
1. Arsenal P29 W19 D9 L1 GF57 GA21 Pts 66
2. Man United P28 W20 D4 L4 GF58 GA15 Pts 64
3. Chelsea P27 W17 D7 L3 GF42 GA17 Pts 58
4. Liverpool P29 W15 D11 L3 GF53 GA20 Pts 56
How it ended…
1. Man United P38 W27 D6 L5 GF80 GA22 Pts 87
2. Chelsea P38 W25 D10 L3 GF65 GA26 Pts 85
3. Arsenal P38 W24 D11 L3 GF74 GA31 Pts 83
4. Liverpool P38 W21 D13 L4 GF67 GA28 Pts 76
2008/09 – The Fourth-Place Trophy
Took top spot with four…
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