Arsenal
Arsenal are experts at scoring from corners Image Credit: AFP
Cheers erupted across the Emirates Stadium as fans leapt to their feet not once, not twice, but 13 times on Wednesday evening, as if celebrating a game-changing penalty.
Was it a yellow card for a Manchester United player? No. A tantalising free kick at the edge of the box? Not that either.
Instead, the raucous applause and jubilation were reserved for something far more routine: every time Arsenal earned a corner.
It might seem unusual to get so excited over something as simple as a corner. But if you’ve been following the Gunners closely, you’ll know their fans have every reason to celebrate when the ball is swung into the penalty area.
Their 2-0 victory over United was a masterclass in capitalising on set pieces, with both goals coming from corners. Declan Rice’s in-swinger to the near post led to Jurriën Timber’s opener, while Bukayo Saka’s back-post delivery found Thomas Partey, whose header deflected off William Saliba and into the net.
Over the course of the 90 minutes, Arsenal had more shots from corners (7) than they did from open play (6) against Manchester United.
Mikel Arteta’s men have now scored 22 goals from corners since the start of last season - more than any other team in Europe.
Little wonder the Emirates echoed with chants of, “Set-piece again, ole, ole, ole!”
How do Arsenal lineup at corners?
Arsenal’s corner routine typically involves overloading the back post, positioning players behind the opposition’s zonal markers. As the corner taker - usually Rice or Saka, depending on the side - prepares to deliver, several players dart to the near post while others crowd around the opposition keeper. This creates chaos, making it nearly impossible for the keeper to claim the cross cleanly.
Arsenal’s primary threat from corners, Gabriel, has been the Premier League’s top-scoring defender since the 2021/22 season, with 15 goals.
Interestingly, he doesn’t engage in the initial commotion. Instead, he lingers around the penalty area before making a late run toward goal. This movement capitalises on the space vacated as opposition players follow Arsenal’s runners to the near post and keeper.
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Gabriel has 15 goals since the 2021/22 season Image Credit: AFP
While this is Arsenal’s signature routine, they adapted it slightly against United with Gabriel sidelined due to injury. For the first goal, the corner was whipped to the near post, an area Arsenal had overloaded. Timber got the faintest of touches, sending the ball into the back of the net.
The second corner targeted the back post, where Partey found himself in acres of space after United’s defenders had tracked Arsenal’s near-post runners. Partey’s header deflected off Saliba’s backside, sealing the 2-0 win for Arsenal.
Despite these slight variations, the core principles of Arsenal’s corner routine remained unchanged: overload the back post and then create chaos.
This strategy puts defenders in a tough spot. With Arsenal players positioned behind them and the corner taker delivering from the front, defenders can’t fully turn their focus to the back post without losing sight of the ball’s trajectory. This uncertainty, combined with the pinpoint in-swinging deliveries from Saka and Rice - who often whip the ball dangerously close to the keeper - has made Arsenal’s corner routine a potent weapon in their attacking arsenal.
Who is behind the routines?
Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has been the driving force behind Arsenal's success from corners.
The German-born, French coach joined Arteta at Arsenal in July 2021, having previously worked alongside him at Manchester City. Last season, Arsenal scored an impressive 26 set-piece goals (excluding penalties) in the Premier League, with 16 of those coming from corners - a tally that matched the record for a single Premier League campaign.
Arteta expressed his admiration for Jover during his post-match press conference after the United game, saying: "He's a very special person. Obviously someone very, very close to me. I got to work with him at [Manchester] City when I thought there was a big room for improvement in that department and I contacted him and I suggested to Pep [Guardiola] that he come and help us.
"Since then we've been extremely close. We share a very clear vision about how we want to put everything together. It's not about open play or set pieces, it's how everything is connected, aligned and can work efficiently in our team.
"There are a lot of other people that put a big effort and thoughts and hours into that but, for sure, he's someone that is very very important for the team."
How do you prevent Arsenal from scoring?
There are arguably two main ways to defend against Arsenal’s corner routines - neither particularly comforting for the opposition.
You can attempt to man-mark their players, tracking their every move into the box. Or, you can mark zonally and try to ignore the runners. Whichever approach you choose, it doesn’t change the fact that Arsenal’s players deliberately flood the six-yard box, creating havoc for defenders and goalkeepers alike.
Arsenal average 3.8 players in the six-yard box during corners - more than any other team in the Premier League.
This forces the opposition to respond in kind, packing the same space with an average of 6.7 defenders, the highest of any team. The result? A congested melee that restricts the goalkeeper’s ability to punch the ball, obstructs defenders from making clear-headed clearances and generates pure chaos.
This chaos is by design. Arsenal’s corner routine thrives on this suffocating pressure, leaving little room for defenders to breathe, let alone organise effectively. While it’s true Arsenal haven’t scored from a corner in every game this season, no team has yet devised a foolproof way to stop their relentless set-piece assault.
Since the start of last season, the Gunners have scored nine game-winning goals from set pieces – two more than any other side.
As they chase Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, this additional weapon in their arsenal could prove decisive in the title race.