Arsenal are undoubtedly one of the most successful football clubs in England. They’ve won the top-flight title 13 times, with only Manchester United and Liverpool ahead of them (with 20 apiece). The Gunners have also finished as runners-up on 12 occasions, including in each of the last three seasons. So when Manchester United won 3-2 at the Emirates on Sunday, a sizeable proportion of Arsenal fans feared they were witnessing a repeat of the last three campaigns.
In each of those seasons, the Gunners had a great chance of landing their first Premier League title since Arsene Wenger led the “Invincibles” to glory in 2003/04. In each of the last three seasons, however, Mikel Arteta and his team have had to settle for second place. So will things be different this time, or will the north Londoners capitulate as Manchester City, Aston Villa, and perhaps even a refreshed Manchester United overtake them in the race for the title?
How Did Man United Beat Arsenal at the Emirates?
Had Arsenal welcomed Manchester United to their patch at almost any other point of the season, they would almost certainly have prevailed. Indeed, when the Gunners visited Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the season, they left with a deserved 1-0 victory. Unfortunately for Arteta and co, the return fixture came soon after the appointment of new caretaker boss Michael Carrick. On top of that, the side had just beaten neighbours and rivals Man City and were high on confidence (perhaps for the first time this season!).
Even so, given Arsenal’s excellence for most of the current campaign, most pundits expected a home win, or at worst, a draw. As it turned out, the Red Devils took all three points after an exciting game (for neutrals and Man United fans, at least!). And we saw something that has been largely absent from Arsenal this season: a defensive howler. After the home side had taken the lead in the 29th minute, it looked like it could be the Gunners’ day. But then the usually rock-solid Martin Zubimendi misplaced a pass that fell to the feet of Bryan Mbeumo, who finished calmly for the equaliser.
The visitors then took the lead through a blistering strike from Patrick Dorgu, who also scored against Man City in the previous match. Arteta’s men fought back well and had a few chances to get back on level terms, and finally got the breakthrough in the 84th minute. An Arsenal corner resulted in a scramble in the United box, and Mikel Merino was on hand to poke it home. Celebrations didn’t last long, however, as Matheus Cunha smashed in the winner for the Red Devils with the last kick of the game.
Are Arsenal About to Collapse Under the Pressure?
Arsenal’s defeat to Man United came off the back of two 0-0 draws in the Premier League. It’s the first time they’ve gone three league games without a win this season, and those two goalless draws are the only games in which they’ve failed to score. This has clearly rattled some Arsenal supporters, whose scars from the three-in-a-row runners-up finishes are fresh and sore. But, to give the doubters a little hope, we think things are very different this time around.
Arsenal’s Last Five Premier League Games
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30/12/25 | Arsenal | 4-1 | Aston Villa |
| 3/1/26 | Bournemouth | 2-3 | Arsenal |
| 8/1/26 | Arsenal | 0-0 | Liverpool |
| 17/1/26 | Nottingham Forest | 0-0 | Arsenal |
| 25/1/26 | Arsenal | 2-3 | Manchester United |
Last season, for instance, Arsenal were way off the pace and finished 10 points behind champions Liverpool. The Gunners only scored 69 goals in the league in 2024/25, and they drew 14 of their 38 matches. The board addressed last season’s disappointment maturely: instead of simply sacking the manager (as many clubs tend to), they kept the faith and invested heavily in new playing talent. Although the new boys haven’t hit the ground running (Viktor Gyökeres has fallen below expectations, for instance), the addition of the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke has added a new depth of quality that wasn’t present in the last three seasons.
The other big plus for Arsenal is that every other team that might challenge for the title has dropped points unexpectedly. Pep Guardiola’s Man City, for instance, have already lost five matches (two more than the Gunners), with those coming against Spurs, Brighton, Aston Villa, Newcastle, and – most recently – Manchester United. Villa, for their part, are surpassing expectations by even contending for the title. But they dropped points too when expected to win, such as their recent home defeat to Everton. They also didn’t win a game until Gameweek 6, so they were always playing catch-up.
What Next for Arsenal?
If Arsenal are going to win the title this season, they will need to remain calm and ensure they don’t believe the hype about them being bottlers who can’t get over the line. They have the quality to beat anyone on their day, and as long as they don’t panic, they should get the job done.
They also have some relatively favourable league matches on the horizon. Before the end of February, the Gunners’ league matches are against Leeds, Sunderland, Brentford, and Spurs, and Arteta’s men will certainly hope to win most if not all of those. As such, things could look decidedly more positive going into March. Having said that, being four points clear at the top of the table isn’t a bad place to be. So really, Arsenal fans should stay calm and enjoy the ride.