League leaders Arsenal’s solidity and reliability proving winning combinationpublished at 15:07 GMT
15:07 GMT
Paul Birch
BBC Sport Journalist
Arsenal have kept an incredible 10 clean sheets in 13
matches in all competitions, which is the joint-fastest an English top-flight
side has ever reached double figures at the start of a season.
The three goals Mikel Arteta’s team have let in
after nine top-flight games is less than half the total of every other Premier League club,
with Tottenham, Sunderland and Manchester City the next best with seven conceded
apiece.
Having not ceded as much a shot on target in their wins over
West Ham and Fulham, Crystal Palace did at least have one yesterday. Manchester
City are the only side in Premier League history to go three games without facing
a shot on target back in 2014.
The Gunners are just the second English league side to play 100 games without conceding three or more goals in a game, having last done so against Luton back in December 2023. They are now closing in on Manchester United’s all-time record of 107 games between October 2016 and August 2018.
This campaign they are on course to concede a total of 14.25 goals which would see them break Chelsea’s all-time Premier League record of 15. But to illustrate how hard a feat that would be, one bookmaker had the odds of it happening at 50/1 last week.
The consistency the Gunners have shown is remarkable having lost just 13 of their last 101 Premier League games.
However, a cautionary word of warning. This is the seventh time they have had 22 or more points after nine matches of a Premier League season – but only once in the previous six did they go on to win the league, back in their Invincibles campaign of 2003-04.