Highlights and the last time Arsenal won their first three league ...

In case you missed it all or you want to see it again, the highlights are here

https://youtu.be/i7Lf7yL61xc

And so we have a start to relish (but also – see below a note of caution if we win the third game). 

For now, it is two games two wins and no goals conceded.  In fact of the clubs that have played the two games Arsenal are the only one in the Premier League to have not conceded a goal.   OK maybe winning both 3-0 would have been better but two opening games, two wins and none conceded.  When did Arsenal last do that?

Yes, we won the first two league games last season, but conceded a goal to Forest.  As you’ll recall we came second.  Arsenal won the first two in 2022, but conceded two to Leicester City (we won 4-2), and yes came second.

In 2022 Arsenal lost the first three games and didn’t score a goal conceding nine and were bottom of the league..  There were vast numbers of calls for Arteta to be removed at once – but it’s funny, I can’t seem to find the apologies from those writers. Arsenal came 5th.

In 2020 Arsenal won the first two league games conceding one goal … and finished eighth in the league – a good reminder that we shouldn’t get carried away, except that I quite like getting carried away, so I’ll go back a bit further.

In 2019 Arsenal won the first two matches and conceded one goal and came eighth But in 2018 Arsenal lost the first two matches and came 5th.

From which I think we can take it that winning the first two games does not actually tell us very much.

But for what it is worth the best opening that springs to mind was 2009 when we won the first two league games scoring 10 and conceding two (1-6 against Everton, 4-1 against Portsmouth).

In fact, the only times Arsenal have won their first two games in the top division without conceding a goal was in 1924/25 and 1971/72.  And since I like little details here we are…

In 1924/25 – yes exactly 100 years ago, Arsenal actually won the first three league games without conceding (0-2 against Forest, 1-0 against Manchester City and 2-0 against Liverpool.)

In 1971/72 it was Arsenal  2 Chelsea 0, Huddersfield 0 Arsenal 1.  Arsenal finished fifth.

But we need a spot of caution here because despite that glorious start to 1924/25 Arsenal then nose dived  and the final table read

Pos Team P W D L F A GAv Pts 1 Huddersfield Town 42 21 16 5 69 28 2.464 58 2 West Bromwich Albion 42 23 10 9 58 34 1.706 56 19 Burnley 42 11 12 19 46 75 0.613 34 20 Arsenal 42 14 5 23 46 58 0.793 33 21 Preston North End 42 10 6 26 37 74 0.500 26 22 Nottingham Forest 42 6 12 24 29 65 0.446 24

.Fortunately, only two went down!

Anyway back to now and of course the media know nothing of Arsenal’s history so have missed the link with 100 years ago.  Instead they are critical of the travelling support (who went berserk according to the Guardian) and there is a lot of focus on Arteta admitting “his side was fortunate”.

There is also a sense that Arsenal were lucky as the Telegraph said, David Raya’s wonder save helps Arsenal to statement win over Aston Villa

Yahoo Sports was a bit more measured (Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya says his incredible save against Aston Villa on Saturday was not the best of his career) and there is a word or two for Fulham with Arsenal old boys hand hosts lift off as Smith Rowe and Iwobi strike

But whatever there is to come of all the teams that have played two games as of Sunday morning only one has a clean sheet throughout. 

Elsewhere the Mail leaves all this alone and  with  Mikel Merino ‘completes Arsenal medical’ as Real Sociedad midfielder edges closer to finalising £33m move – while Fabio Vieira is set to rejoin Porto on loan, Although they do find themselves a bit confused with DANNY MURPHY: No striker, no problem as Mikel Arteta

Yes we do have strikers.  One of them (Saka) even scored.  But perhaps they didn’t notice.

And most certainly as far as I can see, no one else noticed what happened 100 years ago.  Ah well.  That’s journalism for you.