Arsenal advantage in Premier League title race will concern Liverpool and Man City

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Arsenal are neck in neck with Liverpool and Manchester City in the title race, and they can take plenty of encouragement from their current position.

Whilst Mikel Arteta’s side are third, one point behind Man City and two behind Liverpool, they do have the best goal difference in the league, and the best defensive record, as well as their best goal record at this stage of a campaign in 60 years.

Arsenal’s recent form has also been better than their rivals, with 25 goals scored and just three conceded as they strolled to six consecutive league wins.

The Gunners have beaten both Liverpool and Man City in the league this season, but are yet to face the Champions at the Etihad Stadium. Nevertheless, there is another stat which should provide a good omen for Arteta’s side.

Arsenal top Premier League standings when scoring first

A table created by Football365 has now revealed that Arsenal are the best team in the league when it comes to taking the lead and holding onto results.

Arsenal have scored the first goal in 20 games this season, three more times than Man City or Tottenham Hotspur.

In addition to this, they have won 17 of these games, with two draws and just one defeat when taking the initiative.

The draws came in a 2-2 disappointment against Spurs, in which Arsenal threw away their lead twice, and in an overall impressive draw at Anfield, where Mohamed Salah cancelled out Gabriel Magalhaes‘ early opener.

Their only loss after taking the lead came against Fulham, in what was Arsenal’s worst performance of the season as Bukayo Saka’s early goal was reversed at Craven Cottage.

Arsenal have earned 53 points from games in which they have taken the lead, significantly more than Man City’s 45 and Liverpool’s 40.

What does this mean for Arsenal in the title race?

This statistic shows that Arsenal are the best team in the league at taking the initiative in games. This may not be surprising given Arsenal’s dominance in possession, but this is a nice change from the start of the season, when Arteta’s side would sometimes struggle for early goals.

Furthermore, this also shows that, aside from the poor defeat at Fulham, Arsenal have developed mental resilience well this season.

Last season’s title collapse saw The Gunners throw away two-goal leads at Liverpool and West Ham, but a greater emphasis on defensive stability may ensure that similar mistakes are not made should Arsenal keep themselves in the race heading into the final few months of the campaign.