Arsenal Takes the Lead as Giants Falter: Is the Premier League Title Within Reach?

Big results shake the title race

The ninth round of the Premier League brought glad tidings for Arsenal and its fans, after the giants stumbled in their bid for the title.

Defending champions Liverpool fell away from home to Brentford 2-3, while Manchester City followed suit with a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.

Chelsea also suffered a surprising home defeat to newly promoted Sunderland, 1-2.

As a result, the big trio dropped out of the top four, while Arsenal kept its strong run with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace to sit alone at the summit.

The London club reached 22 points after seven wins, a single loss, and a draw, four points clear of nearest challenger Bournemouth.

Most importantly, they moved six points ahead of Manchester City (fifth), seven ahead of Liverpool (seventh), and eight in front of Chelsea (ninth).

Thus Arsenal continues its quest to reclaim the title the club has not won in 21 years, with comfortable breathing room and distance from its main rivals.

Big clashes

Arsenal's squad under Spanish manager Mikel Arteta has faced most of the big clubs early in the campaign, leaving only Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

In the opening round, Arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0, before its only loss in round three to Liverpool 0-1.

The Gunners avoided defeat against Manchester City in round five with a dramatic 1-1 draw, while edging Newcastle United 2-1 in the following round.

From those four clashes, Arsenal collected 7 points from 12.

Ahead of facing Tottenham and Chelsea in succession, Arsenal will travel to the promoted Burnley and Sunderland, then host their London rivals at the Emirates.

If the team can maximize points from those four fixtures, it would clearly place itself at the head of the Premier League title race, delivering early psychological blows to rivals before the end of the first half.

The conditions would be ideal for the Gunners at the start of the second half, especially with two home games at the Emirates against Liverpool and Manchester United, which also applies to Chelsea.

Arsenal won't have to endure tough away fixtures against the big teams, except for Tottenham and Manchester City, with City the 33rd round, five games from the end.

A troubling scenario

Since their legendary title in 2003-04 undefeated, Arsenal has endured a long journey to replicate that glory.

Despite repeated attempts and seasons close to the dream, the 'Gunners' remained unable to cross the line from title contenders to champions.

In recent seasons, Arteta revived the team, turning it from a side chasing the Champions League into a genuine title contender.

Over the past three seasons, Arsenal looked more ready than ever to reclaim the trophy, but repeatedly faltered against weaker mid-table teams in decisive moments.

The 2022-23 season was especially painful: they led the Premier League for more than 200 days with a comfortable gap to City, but collapsed in the final stretch, handing the title to Pep Guardiola's side.

That season saw a record 248 days at the top without clinching the trophy, unmatched in history.

The following season repeated a similar script with a slightly smaller drama; a strong attack and organized defense, but lacking late-season experience in managing pressure, losing the title by a razor-thin margin.

Today, Arsenal enters a new season with the same old ambition, backed by a young, cohesive squad led by Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and newcomers Víctor Gyökeres and Martin Zubimendi.

While memory remains heavy with past disappointments, there is still hope that 2025 could be the year Arteta breaks the twenty-year hoodoo and restores the sparkle to North London.

Punchline 1: Arsenal's trophy cabinet is basically a museum—open daily for fans on a nostalgia tour.

Punchline 2: If patience were a footballing virtue, Arsenal would have a PhD by now. Until then, we keep the countdown going—2025, anyone?