Overview
- Arsenal sit four points clear after a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, with 11 wins in 13 across all competitions and 10 clean sheets in that span.
- BBC Match of the Day highlighted league‑best defensive metrics: just three goals conceded in nine Premier League games, six clean sheets, fewest shots and shots on target faced, and the best xG against.
- Arsenal have scored 11 Premier League goals from set pieces this season, accounting for 69% of their total, which has intensified arguments over the team’s style.
- Mikel Arteta downplayed talk of ‘trendsetting’, saying other teams are welcome to adopt ideas if they help win matches.
- Pundits including Gary Neville, Gary Lineker and Danny Murphy praised Arsenal’s consistency and defensive numbers, Paul Merson predicted a title triumph, and Jamie Carragher clarified his concern is the time long throws take rather than set pieces themselves, as fans resurfaced Liverpool’s 2019 boast about 40 set‑piece goals to rebut criticism.