Arsenal are 'Christmas champions,' but that'll count for nothing if Gunners can't hold

LIVERPOOL — Arsenal may be top of the Premier League at Christmas again, but Mikel Arteta’s team are beginning to resemble one of those toys whose batteries have a frustratingly short lifespan.

But they are durable at least. A week after toiling to a 2-1 home win against bottom team Wolverhampton Wanderers — Arsenal’s winner in that game was a stoppage-time own goal — the Gunners gave evidence of their toughness, mentally and physically, by sealing a 1-0 win at Everton on Saturday just a few hours after Manchester City had knocked them off top spot with an easy win over West Ham United.

A first-half Viktor Gyökeres penalty, given for a Jake O’Brien handball, was enough to earn the three points — Leandro Trossard and Martín Zubimendi both later shot against the post — but it was a slog rather than a win built on stylish attacking football. The game hinted that Arsenal’s lack of flair and killer instinct is threatening to become a trend.

Less than a month ago, Arsenal moved six points clear at the top — and seven ahead of City — when an Eberechi Eze hat trick laid the foundations for a 4-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates.

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At that point, Arteta’s side seemed head-and-shoulders above the chasing pack and a procession to a first league title since 2004 was beginning to look inevitable, especially as City and defending champions Liverpool were making uncharacteristic stumbles.

But those dreams of coasting to the title are now a distant memory. Man City are back on Arsenal’s tail and if the Gunners are going to end the season as champions, they are going to have to really earn it.

The positive spin from Saturday’s win at Everton, and last week’s victory against Wolves, is that Arsenal are winning when their performances are below their usual standard. That kind of resilience is often the mark of champions.

But the more negative interpretation is that Arsenal are beginning to feel the heat and that their limitations are now coming to the fore, just when City are starting to look like their old self again under Pep Guardiola. On the evidence of the 90 minutes at Everton, it would appear to be the latter and that Arsenal have lost their early season momentum.

When they beat Spurs, Arsenal had just come off a 10-game winning streak in all competitions that had ended with a 2-2 draw at Sunderland. The Spurs win had put Arteta’s team back on track, but they have since drawn at Chelsea and lost at Aston Villa, with the wins against Wolves and Everton being achieved by two own goals and a penalty.

Convincing? Definitely not. But every team must endure a difficult patch in a season and if this is Arsenal’s, they are at least picking up enough points to stay clear of City and the rest of the chasing pack.

But history also weighs heavily on Arsenal shoulders, and it is that factor which will make or break their latest title challenge.

So Arteta’s side will not place too much significance on claiming the Christmas number one spot for the third time in four years. On the two most recent occasions when they were top on Dec. 25 — in 2023-24 and 2022-23 — Arsenal ended the season as runners-up to City and Guardiola’s side have positioned themselves as their closest challengers this year with five wins from their last five league games.

City have scored 11 and conceded none in their last four games, so their form is looking ominous from an Arsenal perspective and if anyone has the Big Mo, it is Guardiola’s serial winners.

That City went top for the first time in 14 months prior to Arsenal’s fixture was just another psychological hurdle for the Gunners to clear, but they held their nerve and did just that against David Moyes’ committed, but limited, Everton.

“We are not looking at that,” Arteta said when asked about City’s win adding pressure on his side. “I know you guys do.

“The only thing we can control is our own performance and results and we know how long it’s going to be and how tough is this league.

“The [winning] margin should have been bigger, but that is what we have to do — learn, but keep winning.

“That’s it. Enjoy every day. Do your best and see what we’re going to get.”

Few teams are lucky enough to enjoy a title race, however. They are tense, nine-month battles and even when City were in the pomp during their four successive title wins, they had to fight off formidable challengers before getting over the line.

That is the task facing Arsenal now and they are up against a proven team in City — a side that has broken their hearts twice before in recent seasons. But Arsenal can at least enjoy being top at Christmas. They just have to ensure they at top at the end of May too to make it count for something.