The 2025/26 Premier League title race pendulum has swung dramatically back in favor of Arsenal after a thrilling matchday 20. The Gunners managed to cling on to a 3-2 victory away at Bournemouth, with a brace from Declan Rice enough to secure all three points on the South Coast. And better yet was still to come.
Manchester City, a team that has denied Arsenal the title in two of the last three seasons, was beginning to look imperious once more. Pep Guardiola had managed to get his new-look Blues firing, winning six straight to close out 2025, closing the gap to the table-topping Gunners. However, a New Year’s Day draw at Sunderland allowed Mikel Arteta’s side some breathing space, while a second straight stalemate, this time a 1-1 draw at home to managerless Chelsea, has seen Arsenal open up a six-point lead at the top of the table.
Arsenal Firm Title Favorites
Courtesy of the gap now built at the summit, online betting sites have the Gunners listed as a clear favorite to end their 22-year wait for the Premier League title. They are now considered the 1.28 frontrunners, with second-placed City out at 4.00, and the popular betting odds calculator at Thunderpick shows just how far apart those two prices truly are. While a £100 bet on Arteta’s men would pay just £28 in winnings, the same bet on the Blues would trigger a £300 payout.
Over the course of the last three seasons, Arsenal have edged closer and closer to ending their two-plus-decade barren spell. But where were they after 20 games in each of those campaigns? And, perhaps more importantly, could there be cause for concern this season as well? Let’s take a look.
North London Derby Triumph Takes Arsenal Eight Points Clear
The biggest worry for Arsenal is that they have been in this position before. Back in the 2022/23 season, the Gunners found themselves as the shock table toppers at the campaign’s midway point, and healthy table-toppers at that. The additions of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from champions Manchester City immediately added championship-winning experience to the Emirates, and 14 wins from the opening 16 games of the season saw them inherit top spot.
But the midseason break due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar changed everything. The aforementioned Jesus suffered an injury in the Arabian Gulf with Brazil, causing him to miss months of action. But initially, Arsenal still managed to power on without the Selecao sensation. Back-to-back victories against West Ham and Brighton, followed by a goalless draw against Newcastle, meant that the Gunners headed into the North London Derby away at Tottenham on matchday 20 in first place in the Premier League table.
And on this trip to the home of their greatest rivals, they performed like champions. A calamitous own goal from Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, coupled with Martin Ødegaard’s first-half strike, sealed a 2-0 win for the Gunners, helping them open up an eight-point lead over Manchester City. A 3-2 victory against Manchester United a week later ensured that Arteta’s side remained in a healthy position, but as we all remember, things would come crashing down throughout the second half of the campaign.
A run of three games without a win in the weeks before that victory against the Red Devils saw their eight-point lead evaporate almost overnight. The Gunners would open up another gap at the summit, only for three straight draws and a 4-1 drubbing away at Guardiola’s Blues to end their hopes once and for all, taking the title to the Etihad at Arsenal’s expense.
Fulham Defeat Leaves Arsenal Playing Catch-Up
A year later, the Gunners were contenders once again, but a dismal run throughout the festive period caused problems. After sitting top of the table at Christmas, a 2-0 home defeat to West Ham blew the title race wide open. And on matchday 20, further misery was set to follow.
Arsenal headed across London to face Fulham, and it initially looked as though they would reclaim top spot when Bukayo Saka gave the visitors an early lead at Craven Cottage. But unfortunately, a fightback from the hosts saw the title hopefuls fall further behind. Strikes from Raul Jimenez and Bobby Decordova-Reid sealed all three points for the Cottagers, plummeting the Gunners down to fourth in the table, two points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal would rally throughout the second half of the campaign, winning all but two of their remaining 18 games. Unfortunately for them, Manchester City were relentless, and the Blues would deny the Gunners the title for the second straight year, finishing two points clear after a thrilling title race.
Ruthless Liverpool Streak Clear
Last season saw Arsenal fall further away from the title as opposed to moving closer to it. Liverpool began the campaign in blistering fashion, and they simply refused to let up.
The Gunners were already six points adrift by matchday 20, and a 1-1 draw away at Brighton did little to resurrect their hopes. The result left the Reds five points clear with two games in hand, and with Arsenal’s injury woes piling up, the Merseysiders waltzed pretty much unchallenged toward the title. Fast forward to now, and the door is wide open for Mikel Arteta’s men to do the same, as long as they can keep up the pace.