Unbelievable Arsenal statistic is certain to surprise fans and could worry Mikel Arteta for the title run-in

Arsenal fans will be worried by a surprising statistic as Mikel Arteta’s side enter the title run-in.

The Gunners passed yet another test of their title credentials on Sunday by dispatching Fulham 3-0, courtesy of goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and club captain, Martin Odegaard.

Arsenal sit at the Premier League summit, some five points clear of last season’s champions Manchester City.

The north London side are just 11 games away from claiming their first Premier League title in 19 years, a feat nobody would have anticipated at the beginning of the campaign.

However, one statistic will be a cause for concern to Arsenal fans in the lead up to the run-in.

Arsenal’s defence

According to Football365 via FBref, Arsenal have the Premier League’s most error-prone defence.

Despite having won 21 of their 27 Premier League games this season, the Gunners have committed 16 errors leading directly to an opponent having a shot on target - the most in the division.

Indeed, no other team has made more than 13 such errors.

Moreover, the three worst individual offenders all play their football in north London.

Tottenham and Arsenal goalkeepers Hugo Lloris and Aaron Ramsdale have each made four mistakes apiece that have directly led to an opponent shooting at goal, a number matched by only one outfield player across the entire division - Arsenal’s William Saliba.

On Sunday the Gunners claimed a much-needed clean sheet, having conceded twice in their previous two outings in all competitions and four times in their last six.

On Thursday, after the club’s 2-2 Europa League draw with Sporting, Arteta bemoaned his side for doing the simple things wrong.

The Spaniard said: “We are conceding too many simple goals and we’ve talked about the importance of boxes, and especially in a competition where you are in or out.

“[Against Sporting] we didn’t defend that well enough, and we have to do better up against our opponents. We’ve had a lot of really emotional games recently, and we made a lot of changes, meaning that cohesion needs some time.

“You could feel that in the first 10-15 minutes that we needed some time to adapt and to click, but if we don’t expose them, that’s never going to happen.”

Topics: Football, Arsenal, Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba, Premier League, Manchester City

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.