Arsenal set to confirm finish above Spurs earlier than ever before | OneFootball

Arsenal are in line to guarantee a finish above Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season than they’ve ever managed before, following Sunday’s derby victory.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Arsenal’s win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday put the Gunners 32 points and 15 places clear of their north London rivals in the Premier League table, a huge gap for this point in the campaign.

In fact, if Arsenal win next Sunday or if Spurs fail to win, the Gunners will be mathematically confirmed to finish above their local rivals.

Spurs face Fulham away from home in the early kick-off, and given their current form, it’s very possible they’ll confirm their finish below Arsenal before the Gunners even take to the pitch against Chelsea later that same day.

As shown above, BlackScarfMarc has done the analysis of every season that both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have competed in the top division, finding that the earliest previous ‘St. Totteringham’s Day’ was on March 9th, in the 2007/08 campaign.

If results go Arsenal’s way next weekend, March 1st would become the new record.

Even if both results go against Mikel Arteta’s side, the team would have another chance at setting a new record when they play Brighton & Hove Albion on March 4th. And Spurs would have another chance to drop points against Crystal Palace on March 5th.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

If we’re really going to get technical, Arsenal have confirmed a finish above Spurs on the first day of the season on multiple occasions – every time Arsenal were in Division 1 and Spurs were in Division 2.

The most recent example of that was 1977/78, but it was also the case in every season between 1935 and 1950, in every season between 1928 and 1933, in 1919/20, and in 1908/09.

But if we solely look at examples from years when both teams were competing in the top division, Arsenal now have a chance to set a new record for the earliest ever.