Familiar 1-0 formula puts Arsenal in title-race controlpublished at 12:01 BST
12:01 BST
West Ham 0-1 Arsenal
Prudent Nsengiyumva
BBC Sport journalist
Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 win over
West Ham on Sunday was notable not just for the crucial three points, but for what
it said about their season.
It was their seventh 1-0 victory of the campaign –
their highest in a Premier League season since 2004-05 – underlining a growing
reliance on control and defensive resilience in tight matches.
That tally also places them
alongside several recent title-winning sides who built success on similar
efficiency. Seven such wins matches the totals recorded by Arsenal’s
double-winning team of 1997-98 and Leicester City’s remarkable 2015-16 triumph.
Both campaigns were defined by organisation and the ability to edge closely-contested games.
Some champions have gone even
further.
Manchester United collected eight 1-0 wins en route to the 1995-96
title, while their 2008-09 side managed 10.
Chelsea’s 2004-05 champions, under
José Mourinho, set the benchmark with 11, a reflection of their defensive
dominance that season.
Arsenal are not champions yet,
but history suggests that teams capable of consistently winning by the
narrowest of margins often stay the course.
They still have two games
remaining, giving them further opportunities to add to that gritty 1-0 record, if needed.
Image source, BBC Sport