Arsenal’s perfect start: dominating Premier League and Champions League | OneFootball

Arsenal are, so far, the standout side of the European season.

The Gunners remain the only team with a 100% record in the Champions League after five rounds and also sit comfortably top of the Premier League. 

Arsenal have been breaking long-standing attacking and defensive records. They’re on a 16-match unbeaten run and lead both major competitions on their calendar. Defensively, it’s their strongest start to a season in 80 years.

The ‘New’ Invincibles

After years of inconsistency, with only occasional trophies like the FA Cup and Community Shield, Arsenal’s last Premier League title is now more than two decades old. And the Champions League remains the club’s great missing prize.

To accelerate their return to the top, the board invested heavily. Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Pierro Hincapié joined a squad already built around Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and others.

The early signs are clear: 16 wins, two draws and a single defeat from 19 games. Arsenal lead the Premier League with 29 points, six ahead of Chelsea, and top their Champions League group with 15 points from five matches.

Their latest win over Bayern, combined with Inter’s slip in Madrid, left them as the only team with a perfect Champions League record.

It’s just the second time in their history they’ve won their first five matches in the competition - the other being 2005/06. One more victory, away to Club Brugge on 12 December, would set a new club record.

Defensive records not seen in 80 years

This season has brought strong attacking numbers - 42 goals in 19 games - but the defence is the real standout. Arsenal have conceded only seven goals so far, marking their best defensive start in eight decades.

Their current 16-game unbeaten streak under Mikel Arteta is their longest since the iconic 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ season.

In Europe, however, they remain some way off the all-time records: Manchester City hold the longest unbeaten run (26 matches, 2022-24), while Bayern own the longest winning streak (15, 2019-20).