Arsenal have achieved an interesting stat that could be a good omen in terms of being genuine contenders for the Premier League title this season.
The Gunners won 3-0 away to Bournemouth yesterday to continue their 100% start to the new season, having also beaten Crystal Palace and Leicester City in their earlier fixtures.
With three wins from their first three league games, it means Arsenal have a perfect record just one year after they lost their opening three league fixtures.
According to statisticians Opta in the tweet below, this is the first time a team has done this since Everton 84 years ago, and they went on to win the title in the latter of those two campaigns…
3 – Arsenal are the first top-flight side to win their opening three league matches the season after losing their first three since Everton in 1937-38 and 1938-39, with the Toffees going on to win the title in the latter of those seasons. Harbinger? pic.twitter.com/2V6tZLPFTb
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 20, 2022
Arsenal do really look like they’re turning a corner under Mikel Arteta, with new signings Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko making a terrific impact, while William Saliba’s return from loan also looks like a real positive after the strong start he’s made.
Is it a bit early to be talking about this as a title-challenging team? After all, only a few months ago, a squad not too different from this one bottled a top four finish from a favourable position, missing out to rivals Tottenham for a Champions League place.
? EXCLUSIVE ?
?? @FabrizioRomano: "I’ve been asked a lot about Harry Maguire … My understanding is that, at the moment, Chelsea’s priority is Wesley Fofana. This is the only answer I'm getting from Chelsea."
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— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) August 21, 2022
Can they have made that much progress since then? Given how good the competition is, you’d have to say that the most likely answer to that question is: no.
But, football is full of surprises and maybe we can at least take Arsenal a bit more seriously this season than we have in recent years.
Yes