Mikel Arteta’s side, runners-up to Manchester City in the previous two campaigns, trail leaders Liverpool by seven points after 10 games following their 1-0 loss at Newcastle United on Saturday.
Blackburn, in 1994, are the only team to come from further back after 10 games and win the title. They trailed Newcastle by eight points but had played a game fewer than the leaders.
The only other clubs to recover a similarly sizeable gap as the one Arsenal must now overcome were Manchester United in 2002-03 and Manchester City in both 2013-14 and 2020-21, with each of those sides trailing by six points after 10 games.
Now three games without a win in the league, and having dropped almost half the number of points as they did in the entire of last season, Arsenal have fallen to fourth – below Nottingham Forest.
“There is still a long way to go in the season but it is a long way back for Arsenal now,” former Gunners captain Martin Keown said on BBC’s Final Score.
“They only have themselves to blame for that. They have kept pace with City for the last two seasons but they just were not at the races. It is going to be a difficult dressing room.
“Arsenal didn’t turn up, didn’t play like champions and they are now nursing their wounds.”
Arsenal’s poor form in numbers
Arsenal have fallen 1-0 behind in four of their past six Premier League games, as many as in their previous 31 games beforehand.
The Gunners have conceded the opening goal in three successive away matches in the Premier League for the first time since December 2019, which was prior to Arteta’s arrival as manager.
Having only lost one of their first 25 Premier League games in 2024 (W21 D3), Arsenal have since lost two of their past three (D1).
The Gunners have lost successive away matches in the league for the first time since May 2022.
In their five Premier League away games this season, Arsenal have had just 37 shots (7.4 per game); only Brentford (30 shots, 7.5 per game) have managed fewer shots on the road in the competition this term.
