Arsenal are now the clear favourites for the Premier League title, and their agricultural style has sent rival fans into an existential tailspin.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners won yet another game thanks to a set piece on Sunday, with Eberechi Eze converting Declan Rice’s pinpoint delivery, ultimately the difference in their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
On a weekend in which the other three pre-season favourites for the title all lost, Arsenal are now in the driving seat, backed heavily by both bookmakers and analysts to win their first league title in over 20 years.
They’re now four points clear at the top of the table, six points clear of Manchester City, seven ahead of Liverpool and eight in front of Chelsea.
But their defensively sturdy approach, mixed with scoring the vast majority of their goals from set-pieces, doesn’t appear to be winning over any neutrals.
A Sky Sports graphic showing that Arsenal rank just 17th (only Leeds, Wolves and Nottingham Forest have scored fewer) went viral on social media and prompted plenty of derision from salty rivals.
And right now, there’s no one saltier than former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara.
“I can’t stand it, I hate it. It’s killing the game, especially the Premier League,” O’Hara said on Sky Sports.
“It’s like watching non-league at the moment, some of the football I’m watching. Spurs at the weekend: territory football, head it out, [Kevin] Danso comes up, gets the towel out and starts throwing… It’s so one-dimensional.
“I get it, some of the lesser teams like Brentford, if you’ve got a long throw then it can cause problems and maybe create a chance. But the top teams doing throw-ins? I can’t believe what I’m watching.
“It’s all down to Arsenal, Arsenal started this. Arsenal started the long throw, the set pieces. They’ve killed the Premier League in terms of fluid football and enjoyable football.”
He’s not the only one to express that opinion. We’ve compiled some of the saltiest responses to Arsenal’s set-piece dominance:
They had ballers like Henry and Bergkamp back in the day, and now they’ve got some donkey called Gabriel with a spray-on hairline scoring from corners every week. Embarrassing. https://t.co/ujYs8i8aNF
— LB (@LBLFC_) October 26, 2025
Just glad that’s over man, I will not be watching them until we play them again. Actually the worst football to watch in the entire league and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration.
You couldn’t pay me to watch that week in week out. Yawn.
— Henry Swain (@henryswainjourn) October 26, 2025
At the end of the day football is meant to be fun and no one is ever going to say they fell in love with the sport watching 25/26 Arsenal.
— B (@Mishimaesque) October 26, 2025
17th from open play. Fold the sport https://t.co/W4wCCpjEY4
— Sean (@SeanDOlfc) October 26, 2025
4 centre backs & two holding mids at all times.
Sideways, backwards slow passes to bait winning set pieces or throw ins. No creativity.
Constant fouls, holding players, going down under any contact.
Arsenal might win the league, but they’ll be the most boring champions ever.
— Liam© (@liamb0117) October 26, 2025
19% of goals this season in the PL have come from corners
That is actual trenches https://t.co/WaupDmkAmp
— Kish (@Kish_P14) October 26, 2025
Well it’s taken 150 years but we’ve finally found the glitch in the game…
— Jon Mackenzie (@Jon_Mackenzie) October 26, 2025
Forget Liverpool’s poor form, that’s its own thing, but football is a grim watch at the moment.
Just SO much time taken out of games with set-pieces and throw-ins. Not good.
— Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) October 26, 2025
The quality of the PL is in the absolute bin. Every game is unbelievably dull and decided by set pieces and long throws.
— Will (@willreyner) October 26, 2025
Let them have the title cause they were the first and best to utilise it. But I’m begging something can be done about set pieces next season. It’s actually boring and making the sport worse. Let defenders wrestle again, can’t just keep letting attackers have the advantages
— the infamous©️ (@leedsnoinfidel) October 26, 2025
Leagues so cooked man.
Defund this league, all teams do is long balls and set pieces. How about you play some football. This ain’t rugby or NFL.
— Ali 🇵🇸 (@CFC_Ali10) October 26, 2025
Arsenal will go down as the most boring team to ever win the Premier League.
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) October 26, 2025
If Haaland stays fit, there’s a title challenge.
If he doesn’t, Arsenal are going to win this league by an absolute landslide.
The standards at the top have dropped like a stone.
Just being organised, structured and balanced with a bit of star quality sets you apart.
— Harry Brooks (@hbrooks_coach) October 25, 2025
Just clocked it’s a World Cup year so no one’s gonna care about Arsenal PL title pic.twitter.com/EqVwszm62v
— Yakob (@yakobper90) October 26, 2025
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