Unhappy Christmas

Arsenal played three games between 23 and 31 December and did not win any. At the time a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield seemed a decent result: Mo Salah cancelled out Gabriel Magalhães’s early goal, but the Gunners weathered the storm in an intense game and the result meant they were top for Christmas. Five days later Arsenal enjoyed 74% of possession against West Ham at the Emirates and had 30 shots to the visitors’ five, including Bukayo Saka’s strike against a post – but the Hammers won 2-0. Some suggested the ball went out of play before Tomas Soucek opened the scoring but there was no conclusive VAR evidence. Konstantinos Mavropanos’s goal meant Hammers had scored from two of only three shots on target. Three days later Arsenal were defeated 2-1 by a Fulham side who had lost their previous three league games by an aggregate score of 8-0. Saka gave Arsenal the lead but Raúl Jiménez and Bobby De Cordova-Reid got the goals that prompted Arteta to call it “the worst performance we’ve had this season, that’s for sure”. Eight points dropped in a week.

The Fulham mystery

What was it about Marco Silva’s side? As well as that Craven Cottage defeat Arsenal were also held 2-2 by Fulham in August when they had 69% of possession and Fulham had Calvin Bassey sent off. With 87 minutes on the clock Arsenal led 2-1 but João Palhinha scored from a corner. Two points dropped.

Few capital gains

If the Premier League trophy does not return to London, the capital’s other clubs will have played a significant part. As well as the West Ham defeat and two failures to beat Fulham, Tottenham and Chelsea also denied Arsenal crucial points. In September Son Heung-min bagged a brace as Spurs earned a 2-2 draw in an Emirates derby thriller. Jorginho gave the ball away to James Maddison in the buildup to one goal, and Gabriel Jesus sent a great chance over the bar. A month later at Chelsea David Raya allowed a swirling ball from Mykhailo Mudryk to sail over his head and drop into the far corner as Chelsea built a 2-0 lead, though goals from Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard in the last 13 minutes salvaged a point.

The Newcastle defeat

A 1-0 reverse at St James’ Park in November was decided by a controversial Newcastle goal created by Joe Willock and scored by Anthony Gordon that survived three VAR checks: had Willock allowed the ball to go out of play, did Joelinton foul Gabriel and was Gordon offside? It passed, though opinion among pundits was divided and Arteta called it “a disgrace”.

Bore draw at the Etihad

A goalless stalemate at Manchester City as the title-chasers snuffed each other out. But … had the sliding Gabriel Jesus managed to connect with Saka’s cross inches from goal after half-time it could have been a different story.

That man Emery

Only one team out of 19 did the double over Arsenal: Aston Villa, managed by Arteta’s predecessor, Unai Emery. John McGinn’s solitary goal settled the December meeting at Villa Park, though Arsenal’s Kai Havertz had a late effort ruled out for handball, upheld by a lengthy VAR review. But was Villa’s 2-0 win on 14 April the defining moment in the season? Leon Bailey (84th minute) and Ollie Watkins (87th) got the goals late in the day, after Villa’s keeper Emiliano Martínez – like Emery, let go by Arsenal – had made a stunning save from Trossard. The game kicked off half an hour after Liverpool had lost 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace – all in all the perfect day for Manchester City.