Arsenal’s Premier League campaign has hit the halfway point, with them amassing 50 points in 19 games.
Currently sitting top of the league, the Gunners look on course to secure their first title since the 2003/04 season.
And judging some of the best half-seasons in Premier League history, the Emirates faithful have a right to be getting excited.
The Gunners faced a disappointing end to last season, losing out on the top four to north London rivals Tottenham, despite looking nailed on to finish in the Champions League spots.
That cruel end seems to have seriously motivated Mikel Arteta’s side this campaign, though, with them now flying at the top of the table after smart new signings.
They’ve also got an impressive five point gap on second place Manchester City – who have won the league four times in the last five seasons.
But whilst the Gunners threw away a top four finish last season, their fans will be pleased to know that recent history in the Premier League suggests they won’t do the same with the title race.
Only four teams since 1992 have earnt more than Arsenal’s 50 points – five points more than they had at this point in their 2004 title winning season. But more importantly, three of those teams went on to win the Premier League.
Best Premier League Starts After 19 Games
Chelsea 2005/06 season – 52 points
Under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea won the Premier League for the second season in a row in 2006.
The Blues claimed 17 wins, one draw and one loss from their first 19 league games to amass 52 points, the strongest start recorded in the Premier League era at that time.
As a result of that bright start and a similarly impressive second half of the season, Chelsea’s third campaign under big spender Roman Abramovich saw them finish top of the league.
Not to mention they won the league eight points clear of runners-up Manchester United.
Manchester City 2017/18 season – 55 points
Man City ended up winning their third Premier League title when they set the current record for the highest first points tally in the first half of the season.
Pep Guardiola’s side won 55 points from the first 19 fixtures, which saw them win all their games bar a 1-1 draw with Everton in their second game.
It also marked the first time the Spaniard won the Premier League with the club.
Man City went on to finish the season with a record 100 points, 19 off of rivals and runners-up Manchester United on 81.
Liverpool 2018/19 season – 51 points
Liverpool‘s 2018/19 first half of the season’s tally took them one point below Chelsea’s previous feat, but wasn’t enough to see them win the title.
Just like last season, the Reds finished just one point behind winners Man City, with their 97 points not enough to pip the reigning champions’ 98.
Jurgen Klopp’s side went unbeaten in the first half of the season, drawing just three times. However Man City had a better return than Liverpool after that point, losing just once and beating the Reds to it.
Arsenal will be hoping Man City don’t do the same to them in the second part of this campaign…
Liverpool 2019/20 season – 55 points
Luckily for Liverpool, they managed to win the title the season after.
And unsurprisingly that was spurred on by a strong first half of the campaign, which saw them level Man City’s record from the 2017/18 season of 55 points.
Like Guardiola’s side, Liverpool drew just one game in the 19 matches at the start of the season.
But this time, they managed to maintain that strong beginning, only drawing three games and losing three in the second half, gaining a whopping 99 points in total to win their first league title in 30 years.
Read the full article here
