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Arsenal and Chelsea are surprisingly neck-and-neck in the Premier League this season, with the Gunners slightly edging it as they find themselves in second place on a technicality. The Blues are third in the league after an excellent start to the campaign that has seen them rack up 25 points from 13 games.
Enzo Maresca arrived at Stamford Bridge over the summer after a year at Leicester City and has immediately got the Chelsea team competing in the league. Even the most optimistic fans of the club would not have put them down to be level on points with Arsenal after a third of the campaign has gone by.
Chelsea have matched Mikel Arteta's Arsenal in every way this season, including in their meeting at Stamford Bridge on November 10, which ended 1-1. The Blues have picked up the same number of points, scored the same number of goals, and conceded the same number of goals as the Gunners, but find themselves below them on the table.
A little-known rule of the Premier League has been revealed to be the reason for the Gunners being second while the Blues remain third. The rule provides a guide on what if two teams are inseparable after comparing their points, goal difference, and head-to-head away goals against.
"If any clubs finish with the same number of points, their position in the Premier League table is determined by goal difference, then the number of goals scored, then the team who collected the most points in the head-to-head matches, then who scored most away goals in the head-to-head."
As a result of the tie remaining, the first letter of each club's name is used to judge which should be ahead. Arsenal begins with an 'A', which is the first letter of the alphabet, hence their second position on the log.
Chelsea are not unfamiliar with this situation, having faced similar circumstances exactly 10 years ago in Jose Mourinho's second stint. The Blues led the league from Matchday One to Matchday 38 as they won a third Premier League crown under the Portuguese in the 2014-15 season. Midway through the season, however, they had the exact same record as Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City and were kept in top spot by virtue of alphabetical order.
Chelsea, Arsenal set for key fixtures in title hunt
Chelsea and Arsenal are set to continue their pursuit of runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool with their midweek league fixtures. Both sides are level on points and goal difference in second and third after recording big wins in their respective games over the weekend.
The Gunners were 5-2 victors away to West Ham United on Saturday, while the Blues came away from a home game against Aston Villa with a 3-0 win. With Liverpool also winning, they remain nine points behind the Merseyside outfit.
Arsenal and Chelsea have fixtures with varying levels of difficulty as midweek league action is set to take place. The Gunners will face Ruben Amorim's Manchester United, who have won their last two games, while the Blues are up against 20th placed Southampton. The pair of London sides will likely be separated after the game as a thrilling race for league glory continues to unfold.
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Edited by Nihal