ARSENAL’s thumping 4-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday will not be enough to stop fans from looking over their shoulders.
The win pushed them six points clear of second-place Chelsea in the Premier League table, after title rivals Manchester City suffered a shocking loss to Newcastle on Saturday.
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Mikel Arteta’s men have themselves in a very positive position after 12 gamesCredit: PA
But Gunners fans have been here before, having squandered spells at the top of the table in both their previous seasons.
However, one statistic has emerged that has handed North Londoners some extra hope at the Emirates.
The last time a team came from behind after being six points or more adrift 12 games into the season was over a decade ago, and only five teams have ever managed it.
Here is how they break down:
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Manchester United 1992/93
The Premier League’s debut season opened to a corker at the top of the table, the gap between Norwich at the summit and Arsenal in seventh was just six points.
Among the other hunters was United, six points and five places adrift of the Canaries by mid-October, with that deficit extending to nine points by early November.
But United would rally to top the league by a comfortable 10 points come the end of the 42-match season.
Despite leading the league for a huge chunk of the season, Norwich slipped to third in the table, still their highest finish to date.
Eric Cantona was the main man at United following his transfer from LeedsCredit: Getty
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Manchester United 1996/97
United did not open their title defence in the 1996/97 season as well as they would have hoped under Sir Alex Ferguson.
They sat eight points off Newcastle at the top of the league, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Wimbledon the next best after 12 games.
By the halfway point in the season their quality had begun to show again, having clawed their way to fourth place, just two points off of league-leaders Arsenal after Newcastle’s mid-season blip.
Just three weeks later, the Red Devils would be on top, and they would never look back, stretching their lead to seven points by season’s end.
Manchester United’s golden generation of stars carried them to a Premier League titleCredit: Getty – Contributor
Arsenal 2001/02
Arsenal were in sixth following the 12th week of the 2001/02 season, with Leeds topping the table at the time.
The quality in the Gunners squad was obvious, with Thierry Henry scoring goals for fun off the back of play from Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires.
So it was no surprise when they began creeping up the table during the festive period under the eye of Arsene Wenger.
By the halfway point in the season on Boxing Day they were in second, just three points from leaders Newcastle. Four days later they were top.
Despite robust competition from United in the middle of the season, Arsenal would see out the campaign as champions, seven points clear at the top of the table.
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Dennis Bergkamp and co upset the odds, just two years ahead of their invincible seasonCredit: Getty
Manchester United 2002/03
By match week 12 of the 2002/03 season, Liverpool sat a comfortable eight points above rivals United, and were likely paying more attention to Arsenal, who were just four points behind at the time.
But then began a spectacular collapse.
Arsenal had leapfrogged them two games later, while United and Chelsea had overtaken by early December, leaving Liverpool to tumble out of the top six.
By the halfway point of the season, Liverpool sat seven points off the top of the table, and by the end of the campaign they found themselves 19 points adrift of league winners Manchester United.
Arsenal fans will have to live in hope that something like this does not upstage their previous two title fumbles this season.
David Beckham’s goals helped the Red Devils to yet more silverwareCredit: AFP
Manchester City 2013/14
The most recent entry on this list, this season would set the benchmark for City’s reputation as comeback kings in the title race.
And in a near-mirror image of the current situation in the Prem, it was Arsenal topping the table after 12 weeks, with Manchester City trailing by six points.
The Manchester outfit had closed the gap by the end of January, and ended up victors of a title dogfight that included themselves, Arsenal and Chelsea.
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This season City are even further adrift at seven points behind Arsenal, while Chelsea find themselves getting involved once again, sitting six points off the league leaders.
Are the uncanny similarities cause for concern amongst Arsenal fans? Or are the twelve years since such a comeback a sign that they already have it in the bag?
Manchester City were in the junior years of their Premier League dominance when they came back to win it allCredit: Getty Images – Getty
