Arsenal’s curve is pointing downwards. On Sunday, the London team played its worst game of the season.
Until a short time ago, the curve of Arsenal, which led the Premier League of English football, has turned downward. On Sunday, the team lost a 1-0 lead in the local London game and suffered a 1-2 away defeat to Fulham. Arsenal have lost 11 points in the last five games.
Even at Christmas, Arsenal led the Premier League. Sunday’s performance was Mikel Arteta the worst of the season for the group he led. Arsenal have no chance of winning the title with performances like this.
Fulham dominated, and Arteta admitted the fact.
– This was a painful and sad day. What happened today must not happen again. If this happens again, we will never achieve what we want, Arteta stated of The Guardian by.
With a win, Arsenal would have risen back to the top of the Premier League, but now the team has to settle for fourth place.
– We could have ended the year in a nice way. We have to look in the mirror, because this was our worst performance of the season, the Spanish pilot was in pain.
On Tuesday of last week, Arsenal lost at home to West Ham 0–2.
– Against West Ham we would have deserved a victory, but now against Fulham the story was different. The defense didn’t work and we simply didn’t deserve the win.
History does not favor Arsenal’s celebrations
If recent history repeats itself, Arsenal will not celebrate the championship this season either. The last five times when the London team has led England’s highest league level at Christmas, they have missed out on a championship.
Arsenal were in the lead now for the second Christmas in a row. This has happened once before (1932 and 1933). Last season, Arsenal fell to second place in the spring.
When you look at the list of those who led at Christmas and those who were left without a championship, Arsenal is not the worst in history after all. Arsenal have led the league six times at Christmas without winning the title. This has happened nine times to Liverpool and seven times to ManU.
The last time Arsenal led at Christmas and won the championship was in 1947-48.
In the past 14 seasons, the championship has been won 10 times by the team that led at Christmas. In the era of the Premier League played since 1992, the Christmas number one has won the championship 16/32 times.
The last six times a team has led at Christmas but missed out on the title, it has been Arsenal or Liverpool.
Manchester City, on the other hand, have won only two of their last six championships, also leading at Christmas.
See the series table via this link.