Arsenal fans have endured years of hope followed by heartbreak in title races. This season, though, carries a different energy. Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Burnley marked their fifth straight Premier League win and extended their lead to seven points at the top, though they have played one game more than several rivals.
The result piled pressure on defending champions Liverpool, now seven points behind in third, and on Manchester City, nine points adrift before hosting second-placed Bournemouth on Sunday. Arsenal supporters have waited 22 years for a league title and watched their team finish runners-up three straight seasons. This campaign, however, feels like a genuine breakthrough.
Set-Piece Precision Becomes Arsenal’s Secret Weapon
Burnley earned promotion last season through an ironclad defense, conceding just 16 goals in 46 Championship matches. They showed similar discipline on Saturday, yet Arsenal found a way through. When Mikel Arteta’s team faced a tight and organized defense, they relied on dead-ball brilliance instead of open-play chances.
Their first goal at Turf Moor came from a corner — their eighth set-piece strike of the league season, a record for any team in its first 10 games. Across the campaign, Arsenal have scored 12 of their 18 goals from set-pieces, more than any other Premier League club and the highest ratio ever recorded in a single season.
Arteta’s Side Shows Balance and Belief
“I can’t see a weakness,” former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer told BBC Sport. “They’ve scored again from a set-piece, but their overall performance impresses me even more.”
Shearer praised Arteta’s tactical flexibility, noting how Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber push into advanced positions to overload defenses and create scoring chances. Arsenal now combine defensive discipline, tactical intelligence, and relentless set-piece power — traits that define champions.
For the first time in years, Arsenal’s title pursuit looks built to last, not destined to fade.
