Arsenal’s rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Sadly, whether you’re a fan of the Eagles, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham, Brentford, or Fulham, the facts are indisputable.
Mikel Arteta‘s Gunners are now unbeaten in Premier League London derbies this calendar year – that’s ten matches.
It’s the first time it’s been done sine Chelsea won nine and drew one in 2005.
Meanwhile, Arsenal last did it the year before in 2004 when they won seven and drew three.
Their record is a stunning eight wins and two draws after the victory at Selhurst Park.
It also meant Arsenal have scored 5+ goals in six different away games in all competitions in 2024, the most ever by an English top-flight club in a single calendar year.
It had threatened to be a difficult evening in South Norwood for the Gunners, but their resilience showed out.
And Gabriel Jesus continued where he left off against the Eagles by scoring a brace around an Ismaila Sarr striker.
An apparent hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka threatened to derail their night.
But Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli put the gloss on the scoreline before Declan Rice fired home a super shot to seal it.
That keeps Arteta’s men hot on the heels of Liverpool and Chelsea.
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The Reds are just three points ahead now, although they have two games in hand, including tomorrow’s clash with Tottenham.
The Blues are just one point ahead and have only Sunday’s game at Goodison Park.
Arsenal’s astonishing run started against Crystal Palace too, they won 5-0 at the Emirates on January 20 – and they barely deviated from that track as 2024 went on.
West Ham were walloped 6-0 and 5-2 – both at the London Stadium in both seasons, while Brentford were dispatched 2-1 last term.
Gleefully for Areta’s men, they beat Tottenham twice – both at their rivals’ stadium.
It was almost the same against Chelsea too, winning 5-0 at the Emirates in 2023/24, but only drawing 1-1 this campaign.
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And most recently in the Premier League prior to beating Palace they drew 1-1 with Fulham at Craven Cottage.
However, despite dominating London, when it comes to the Premier League the Gunners are yet to add meaningful silverware to the FA Cup they scooped in 2020.
Since then, despite some stunning and consistent displays, they have been beaten to the crown by Man City.
This season, though, as Pep Guardiola‘s team endured an alarming drop in form, they have a real chance to claim a first title since 2004.