Arsenal sit top of the Premier League and are leading their Champions League campaign, while also progressing in both domestic cup competitions, setting up what could be one of the defining seasons in the club’s history.
A 3-2 defeat to Manchester United has reignited the debate over whether Mikel Arteta’s side can shed their tag as nearly men and deliver a first league title in 22 years.
They still hold a four-point lead over Manchester City and Aston Villa with 15 games remaining.
Having already progressed to the Champions League last 16, Arteta’s team are also on track to reach the League Cup final, and they have a favourable FA Cup fourth-round draw against third-tier Wigan.
Former captain Patrick Vieira questioned the team’s mental strength after a tentative display against United, with United’s win at the Emirates marking their first there since 2019.
Arsenal have finished second in the league for the past three seasons and have not won a major trophy since Arteta’s debut season six years ago.
“There are still questions about the mental strength of the team,” Vieira said, adding that the players must understand they need to play with more energy and more risks, while recognizing their quality.
With City and Villa stumbling in recent weeks, Arsenal have missed chances to turn the title race into a procession.
After back-to-back goalless draws with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, Arsenal conceded three goals for the first time in nearly three years as a rejuvenated United won at the Emirates for the first time since 2019.
Arteta said he was confident the players would respond: “We lost a game… It’s how we react to that and I am very convinced because I know those players in that dressing room and how much we want it that we’re going to react immediately.”
Despite their lofty position, a lack of goals in the final third has been a persistent issue, with no Arsenal player scoring more than five league goals this season, roughly a quarter of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland tally.
A Lisandro MartÃnez own goal and Mikel Merino’s finish from a corner have meant that more than half of Arsenal’s Premier League goals have come either from opposition players or set pieces.
The club’s pursuit of a prolific number nine has not been aided by Viktor Gyökeres, and star winger Bukayo Saka has gone without a goal in his last 13 games.
Nevertheless, Arsenal remain very much in the title race, in the box seat for a first league title since 2003/04, helped by the inconsistent form of their rivals.
City won for the first time in five league games in 2026 against bottom-of-the-table Wolves, but their remaining fixtures include trips to Tottenham and Liverpool — venues where they have often struggled in recent seasons.
Villa would claim their first title if they were to win, a remarkable achievement given Unai Emery’s side continue to punch above their weight.
“The journey’s not always going to be smooth, there’ll be ups and downs,” Saka said. “It’s up to us to show our character next week.”
If Arsenal can restore order, the title remains within reach.
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