Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
A look at what being top at Christmas day usually means for the Premier League title hopefuls, including Arsenal and Chelsea.
Being top of the Premier League at Christmas is a coveted achievement, and with good reason. Claiming top spot at Christmas is usually a strong indicator of the next Premier League champion, but as Arsenal know all too well, there are no guarantees.
The Gunners are currently pushing to get back into the thick of the race, currently on the outside looking in after a disappointing start to the season. Meanwhile, Chelsea are in the thick of it, defying expectations to push leaders Liverpool in the first half of the season.
But what does history tell us about those who claim top spot by the time December 25 rolls around? Arsenal fans will remember being top last season at Christmas only to fall just short of Manchester City by the time all 38 games were wrapped up.
History tells us the Gunners were on the wrong side of a pretty even split between those who are top at Christmas and go on to win the title and those who are not able to finish the job. That’s because, of the last 32 Premier League seasons, exactly half of them have gone on to win the league, which is to say 16.
Interestingly, the recent trend has been that the Christmas number one does not get the job done. Arsenal have been top for the last two Christmas days, but they have not won the title for more than two decades. Manchester City have won the last four titles but have only been top at Christmas day once in that span.
Meanwhile, between 2018 and 2021, Liverpool were top at Christmas for three seasons on the bounce but only won the title once during that time. The only other time Arsenal were top at Christmas was 2007/08, but they were not able to get the job done under Arsene Wenger on that occasion.
Chelsea were top at Christmas for their back-to-back titles in 2004/05 and 2005/06, while they were also top at Christmas day in 2009/10 when they won the title. 2014/15 when they won it and 2016/17 when they also finished the job. The trend is that when Chelsea are top at Christmas day, they usually go on to win it.
Conversely, the Blues have never won the Premier League title when not being top at Christmas, which could be a concern. Arsenal have, however, managing to come from behind in 1997/98, 2001/02 and most recently in 2003/04. Manchester City have managed it four times in the last 11 seasons, while Manchester United, who are not in with a chance this season, have come from behind eight times since the 1992/93 season.
Continue Reading