Arsenal seemed to be wavering.
They started December with a loss to Aston Villa, and then narrowly defeated Wolves, Everton and Brighton, and the performance was far from satisfactory.
But the Gunners got an important result and answered doubts about their title credentials with a 4-1 win at home to Villa on Tuesday.
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Not only does it deny Unai Emery’s in-form side a third-place finish, but it’s a powerful statement for any side looking to derail their trophy ambitions.
Arsenal enter 2026 having spent the second half of the season top of the league – five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, with Villa a point behind.
“What Arsenal did against Villa tells you where they are,” former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It’s going well for them because everyone is contributing – the manager, the players, the staff.”
Speaking to Match of the Day, former England midfielder Danny Murphy added: “Arsenal’s performance was a big statement. It was full of strength, full of quality and showed how good they are in depth.”
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But, with a history of missing out on the title after three consecutive runners-up finishes, can Arsenal finally succeed this season and become champions for the first time since 2004?
Arsenal will top the Premier League for the seventh time [Getty Images]
“Now is not the time to be nervous.”
Arsenal have been here before.
They go into 2023 top of the table, five points above Manchester City.
But the tables turned and Guardiola’s side lifted the trophy at the end of the season with a five-point advantage over the Gunners.
A similar situation occurred in the 2002-03 season, when they were five points behind leaders Manchester United at the end of December.
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In fact, Arsenal have ended the calendar year in first place on the past six occasions, having won the Premier League just once in 2001-02.
As such, their fans have good reason to be wary of getting ahead of themselves and celebrating prematurely.
“It’s understandable – they haven’t won the league in almost 22 years,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“But the real tension is in April and May, not now. There’s still a long way to go.”
The team that ended the year at the top of the table won 17 of the 33 Premier League appearances that season (52%).
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“We know what we want in 2026”
But is everything finally on track for the Gunners, who won the title at the end of the Invincibles season?
Head coach Mikel Arteta told BBC Sport: “We know how long this is going to last. It’s incredible 2025.
“We know what we want in 2026 and we have to go for it, but we still have a long way to go.”
Villa’s success saw Gabriel and William Saliba start together at centre-back for the first time since December 8.
Even without their star defensive duo, Arsenal’s defense remains the tightest in the league, conceding just 12 goals in 19 games, the fewest of any team.
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Against Villa, the pair again excelled in a goalless first half, with Brazilian Gabriel starting the scoring spree with a dynamic goal three minutes after the restart.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Sport: “Arsenal are not panicking – they trust their defenders to play one-on-one and cope.”
“The re-establishment of Saliba and Gabriel gave them the platform to perform in the second half. That’s what you get from those two guys: athleticism, composure and a fear factor.”
“Great results in many aspects”
But, as Arteta says, there’s still “a long way to go” – with Manchester City and Villa still hot on Arsenal’s heels.
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Guardiola’s side have beaten the Gunners twice to win the Premier League title since Mikel Arteta took over in 2019, and a victory over Sunderland on Thursday would see them fall two points behind.
Villa, meanwhile, have won an impressive 11 games in a row heading into the trip to the Emirates Stadium, with manager Unai Emery hoping the loss is temporary.
“It’s a huge result for them in many ways,” Carragher added in his praise for Arsenal.
“The quality of the opposition, the first time Arsenal have beaten a real opponent this season, the way they won and the performance in the second half. They absolutely destroyed Aston Villa.”
