Arsenal have made a stunning start to 2024 in the Premier League as they aim to win the title for the first time in 20 years.
The Gunners are in blistering form, scoring 21 goals in their five league games during January and February. Mikel Arteta’s side have recorded 5-0 wins over Crystal Palace and Burnley as well as beating Nottingham Forest 2-1.
The two most impressive results in the run have been a 3-1 home win against title rivals Liverpool and a 6-0 away thrashing of West Ham.
But what do the statistics tell us about Arsenal’s record-breaking start to the calendar year?
No proven striker, no problem
On January 5, Arteta said there was “a possibility” the Gunners may not sign any new players in the mid-season transfer window and so it proved, as the Spaniard showed faith in his current squad. Later in the same month, Arteta said: “We have to share goals, and we are responsible for everything.”
The Gunners were linked with Brentford striker Ivan Toney and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen but when asked if he wanted a striker in January, Arteta added: “No, because I love the players that we have.”
Regular striker Gabriel Jesus has been injured for parts of the season, missing three games with a hamstring injury.
He did feature in the first two games of Arsenal’s current unbeaten run, scoring once and providing two assists, but has missed the last three with a knee injury.
Arsenal’s other attackers have stepped up in Jesus’ absence with Arteta’s side in red-hot form. One surprise regular scorer has been defender Gabriel, who is a constant threat from set pieces and has netted three goals in recent weeks.
The key stats for Arsenal
Arsenal’s current scoring run is their best in the Premier League era over a five-game period. The last time they managed more goals during five successive games in a league season was in 1935.
It still leaves them some way short of Chelsea’s impressive haul of 29 in five games spanning the end of the 2009-10 season and the opening games of 2010-11. They ended a double-winning campaign with 7-0, 2-0 and 8-0 wins, and launched the next season with two 6-0 victories.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s 25 set-piece goals this season (including penalties) is their most on record in a single league campaign since Opta began recording such data in 2004-05. Gunners have scored eight penalties in the EPL this term, only netting more in 2006-07 (10).
Of course, the most important statistic is that Arsenal remain two points behind leaders Liverpool with 13 rounds of games remaining. If they carry on their superb start to the year, Arteta’s men might have something of huge significance to celebrate come May.
