Why Arsenal can take hope from history: A look at the Premier League’s biggest point chases | OneFootball

Liverpool’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby may not have been the ideal result for the Reds, but it has provided them with a seven-point cushion at the top of the Premier League with just 14 matches left to play.

And Arsenal remain their closest challengers, with Mikel Arteta’s side challenging for the title for the third season in a row.

Arne Slot’s side have become the dominant force in the division since the Dutchman’s arrival, with just one loss in the league so far this season, and some fans and pundits will regard their lead as unassailable given their current form.

But a lot can happen over the last months of the season, as previous campaigns have proven. While a seven-point gap in February is a tough ask for the Gunners, there have been seven seasons in which even a double-digit deficit has been clawed back.

And with Arsenal facing Liverpool at Anfield in May, history tells us that the race for the title is not over yet.

Can Arsenal close the gap on Liverpool?

open image in gallery

Arsenal's recent 5-1 win over Manchester City showed that they have the ability to hunt down Liverpool if the Reds slip up (Getty Images)

As it stands, Liverpool and Arsenal have played the same number of matches and there is a seven-point gap between the two sides.

Liverpool’s form up to now suggests that they are unlikely to lose many more games, and even if Arsenal win the meeting at Anfield in May, they would need to gain another four points on the Reds.

Perhaps most crucially, Arsenal ‘can’t afford to lose’ again at this stage – at least in theory – having lost two and drawn eight so far this season.

Plenty of other factors could have a say in the destination of the 2024/25 Premier League title, from difficult fixture lists to key injuries, though it looks like Arteta’s side have received the first blow there, with Gabriel Martinelli recently ruled out.

But Arsenal fans can hold out hope as we enter the business end of the season, with the Gunners themselves having overturned the biggest deficit in Premier League history.

The biggest points gaps overturned in the Premier League

13 points – Arsenal, 1997/98

Arsenal’s maiden Premier League title must have looked nearly impossible in December 1997, though the Gunners eventually clawed back a mammoth 13-point deficit.

Though they had a game in hand, Arsenal found themselves 13 points adrift of Manchester United in the last month of 1997, having lost four and drawn two in an eight-game run from mid-October. Most pertinently, Arsene Wenger’s side even trailed United by 12 points in February.

Nevertheless, after Christmas the Gunners did not lose a game until after they’d already wrapped up the title, with a 10-match winning streak – including a 1-0 win at Old Trafford courtesy of Marc Overmars – helping them on their way to the title in early May.

12 points – Man Utd, 1992/93

open image in gallery

The inaugural Premier League season ended up seeing one of the competition's most drastic reversals of a points deficit (Hulton Archive)

The inaugural Premier League season saw the beginning of Manchester United’s 90s dominance, but in December 1992 it looked far off with United sitting in seventh, 12 points behind leaders Norwich.

Remarkably, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were top of the league as quickly as mid-January, with Norwich not managing to win any of their six matches between 12 December and 16 January.

Though United did not stay top for the rest of the season, they did end up finishing 10 points clear of second-placed Aston Villa.

12 points – Man Utd, 1995/96

Perhaps the most famous Premier League title comeback came in the 1995/96 season, with Kevin Keegan’s “I would love it if we beat them” rant now immortalised in English football history.

Keegan’s Newcastle led United by 12 points as late as 12 January 1996, but an impressive run of form from Ferguson’s side – and an equally as surprising drop in form from the Magpies – meant that the Red Devils arrived at St James’ Park just three points behind on 4 March.

An early goal from Eric Cantona gave United the win, and they were suddenly second only on goals scored. From there, Newcastle’s run of just nine wins in their last 17 matches meant that the title once again ended up in Manchester, with the Magpies finishing second by four points.

10 points – Man Utd, 1996/97

United seem to have made a habit of overturning points deficits during the 90s, an they had to do it for the second season in a row in 1996/97.

However, it was more straightforward this time, as United were 10 points behind Liverpool in December but with two games in hand. A 3-1 win at Anfield in April 1997 helped to reduce the deficit, and United went on to win the league with a record low total of 75 points.

In a season when many of the teams struggled, this record low total was still seven points above second-placed Newcastle, and the champions didn’t require the near-perfect form of previous seasons.

In fact, of their last 18 matches from New Year’s Day until the end of the season, United drew five and lost two.

10 points – Man Utd, 2002/03

open image in gallery

In 02/03, United won all but two matches between 28 December and the end of the season to clinch the title with a game to spare (Getty Images)

A slow start to the season - with two wins from their opening six – created another 10-point deficit for Alex Ferguson’s side in November 2002.

Arsenal led by eight points as late as March 2003 too, but a drop in form meant that they won just 10 of their last matches. Contrastingly, United didn’t lose a single one of their last 18 after a defeat to Middlesbrough on Boxing Day, and the Red Devils claimed the title with a five-point margin after Arsenal failed to win at Leeds in early May.

10 points – Man Utd, 2008/09

This ‘comeback’ arguably shouldn’t be on the list, with United mainly facing a 10-point deficit because they did not play in the league for almost a fortnight. Due to participating in the Club World Cup, the gap between United and Liverpool opened up to 10 points in December, though Ferguson’s side ended up having three games in hand.

Nevertheless, the title race was one of the more dramatic in recent years, with Ferguson prompting another rant from a rival with Rafa Benitez’s now-famous press conference referencing “facts” related to Ferguson’s conduct and some refereeing decisions in United matches.

The Reds’ 4-1 win at Old Trafford in March kept the title race alive, but Liverpool’s drop in form between January and April – the Reds won just seven of 13 games – helped United gain the advantage, with Federico Macheda providing perhaps the moment of the season in United’s 3-2 home win over Villa in April.

The Red Devils only dropped two more points from then on, and went on to claim the title with a four-point gap.

10 points – Man City, 2018/19

open image in gallery

City's title in 18/19 was the second of Guardiola's tenure (Getty Images)

The most recent comeback on the list came amid a new title rivalry, as Pep Guardiola landed the first blow on Jurgen Klopp.

In December 2018, Manchester City were 10 points off the top – again with a game in hand – after a dominant Liverpool had won 18 and drawn two of their opening 20 matches.

However, a remarkable run of form from Guardiola’s side after Boxing Day saw them win 18 of their last 19 matches. A 2-1 win over Liverpool in early January proved to be Liverpool’s only loss of the season, and it came at a huge cost as City landed the title by a single point – 98 to Liverpool’s 97.