For the fifth time in the Premier League era, Arsenal will spend the Christmas period at the summit of English football. Yet, for Gunners fans, this familiar festive position brings as much anxiety as joy, given a painful history of failing to convert holiday leads into May glory.
A History of Festive Fades: When Arsenal's Lead Evaporated
The pattern is stark and repeated. Being top of the Premier League tree on Christmas Day has, for Arsenal, too often been a precursor to disappointment. The club's inability to hold their nerve in the New Year has become a modern narrative, with Manchester City the recent chief beneficiaries.
The Defining Collapses: From Bolton to the Present Day
The first major stumble came in the 2002/03 season. As defending champions, Arsène Wenger's side seemed dominant. However, a costly late-season wobble, featuring a 2-2 draw at Bolton Wanderers and a defeat to Leeds United, allowed Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United to seize the initiative and claim the title.
Perhaps the most psychologically damaging collapse occurred in 2007/08. A young Arsenal side was five points clear in early February before a horrific leg injury to striker Eduardo against Birmingham City. The traumatic event seemed to derail their campaign; they drew four consecutive games afterwards and ultimately finished third.
The Modern Era: City's Shadow and Near Misses
The most recent chapters of this story involve the relentless machine of Manchester City. In 2022/23, Mikel Arteta's young team set a bittersweet record, spending 248 days at the top—the longest any Premier League team has led without winning the title. A critical injury to defender William Saliba and a run of three draws in April saw Pep Guardiola's City hunt them down.
The agony was repeated in 2023/24. Again top at Christmas, a poor run of losses to West Ham and Fulham saw them briefly slump to fourth. A near-perfect 2024 wasn't quite enough, and they finished an agonising two points behind the champions from Manchester.
Now, in the 2025/26 campaign, Arsenal find themselves in this familiar spot once more. Favoured by many to finally end a title drought stretching over two decades, the question is no longer about their quality, but their mentality: can they finally shed the weight of history and clinch the trophy?
The evidence suggests that for Arsenal, being Christmas number one is merely the start of the hardest part of the race. The true test of their championship credentials will be played out in the gruelling months of spring, where their past ghosts await.
