Are Arsenal the Premier League’s Big Six bullies now?
It was the 28th of September 2020 when Arsenal lost 3-1 at Anfield, extending their record against the ‘big six’ at the time to just two wins from 40 such away Premier League matches. How times change.
There was a time when the Gunners were thought of as spineless, clinging on to relevance at the top of the English game and getting rolled over every time they came up against a major rival.
However, Mikel Arteta has been completely flipping the script in recent years, turning the Gunners into big-game specialists.
This season alone, Arsenal have played five fixtures against their big six rivals and are yet to lose, beating Tottenham and Manchester United while taking draws against Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool.
In fact, since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, Arsenal have played 25 matches against other big six teams, winning 14 of them and losing just three times, while scoring the most goals (49). They’ve taken 50 points in those matches, leaving them 10 points clear of Manchester City in the big six mini-league during that time.
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“I don’t know, we want to have the right to win the games and if we perform the way we perform right now, we are going to win a lot of games,” Arteta responded in midweek when asked if wins over teams like Man Utd send a message to the rest of the league.
For all their success against England’s best, Arsenal still haven’t ended their long title drought that dates back to the 2003/04 invincible season. If this team doesn’t lift the Premier League trophy, it will be seen as a massive failure, given their talent and pedigree.
However, games against your direct rivals often prove key to determining whether you take gold or settle for silver.
You have to go back to April 2023 for the last time Arsenal lost a Premier League game against a member of the big six, when they were thrashed 4-1 by Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s men pipped them to the title.
They went unbeaten the whole of last season in these fixtures and remain so this season. The omens are good.
Arsenal vs big six rivals this season (PL only):
- Pld: 5
- W: 2
- D: 3
- L: 0
- Results: Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal, Man City 2-2 Arsenal, Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool, Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal, Arsenal 2-0 Man Utd
Arsenal must prove a point against bogey team Fulham
Of course, Arsenal could maintain a 100% record against the big six but if they slip up in the rest of their fixtures, it wouldn’t count for anything.
Up next is a London derby away at Fulham, who proved to be Arsenal’s bogey team last season. The Cottagers were one of just two teams — alongside Aston Villa (2W) — to go unbeaten against the Gunners last season, taking a 2-2 draw from the Emirates early in the season before coming from behind to win 2-1 at home in December.
The five extra points in those matches would have seen Arsenal finish three points clear of Man City at the summit of the Premier League, so Arteta won’t need reminding just how important this Sunday’s fixture is.
“Yeah, a big challenge. Last year we lost five points against them,” Arteta told reporters of Fulham. “I’ve always been very complimentary about them, about their coach and what they do. It’s always a really tough place to go.”
Arsenal are big 6/10 favourites to beat Fulham this weekend according to BoyleSports. However, following their struggles in this fixture last season, perhaps it’s a win at Craven Cottage that could send the biggest message of all.
