Arsenal had to come from behind to beat Leeds United in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s men had to prove a point after their 3-0 humiliation against Brighton before the international break, but they weren’t great at all until the Whites opened the scoring.
Then, Arsenal switched on. Riccardo Calafiori levelled the game with a close-range strike before Bruno Guimaraes smashed home the winner eight minutes later with a brilliant strike.
That puts Arsenal on 15 points after six games, but those figures bring back some unwanted memories.
Arsenal vs Leeds TalkingPoints
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal’s points tally after six games could be a curse
Arsenal’s defeat to Brighton made many people forget how good the start to the season was.
Up until that game at the Amex, the Gunners had won every single game in all competitions and completely deserved those victories. They really looked like the champions.
However, at Brighton, it was a complete and utter disaster, and Arteta admitted straight after the game that his side deserved nothing.
That made the game against Leeds today so important, and Arsenal showed incredible mentality to come from behind and get the three points in the bag.
That now puts Arsenal on 15 points from six games, which sounds fantastic, but we have been in similar situations four times in the Premier League era before, and they all ended in heartbreak.
The first came in the 2004/05 season, right after winning the Premier League. After picking up 16 points from the first six games, the Gunners finished second, 12 points behind eventual champions Chelsea.
Then, in 2007/08, Arsenal again had 16 points on the board after six games and ended the season third, four points behind Manchester United and two behind the Blues.
The third time was in the 2013/14 campaign. Arsenal lost the opening game but then won five on the bounce to make it 15 points from six fixtures. But they finished that campaign fourth.
Finally, in the 2022/23 season, Arsenal picked up 15 points from their first six games and failed to win the title again. They finished five points behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in second.
If you believe in bad omens, you would surely think this is a curse for Arsenal and be worried about what would happen in the remainder of this Premier League season.
Hopefully, Arteta can end this curse.