Alexander Isak purpose exposes worrying development for Arsenal’s Premier League hopes

Alexander Isak’s goal against Arsenal at St James’ Park has extended Mikel Arteta’s side’s clean sheet drought to six consecutive Premier League matches.

Despite not letting in a single goal in three of their first four games this season, every rival since has managed to penetrate their defence. This barren run is already twice as long as the longest stretch without a clean sheet in the previous season.

To find a longer period without an Arsenal clean sheet, you’d have to go back to the tail end of the 2022/23 season, which coincided with William Saliba’s absence due to a back injury that cut his season short.

The key difference between these two dry spells is that all the league games in 22/23 were consecutive, whereas this time around, the Gunners have managed to keep clean sheets in cup competitions amidst their league fixtures.

Their last Premier League clean sheet was in the North London Derby, where they triumphed 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Thanks to a David Raya penalty save, they also kept a clean sheet in their subsequent Champions League match against Atalanta.

However, during September, they let in five goals across three games against Bolton Wanderers, Leicester City and Manchester City. Arsenal then tightened up their defence in their next game, securing a 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, reports Football London.

Bournemouth and Southampton managed to net three goals against the Gunners in two matches, straddling the international break. A slim 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates Stadium halted that streak before Liverpool slotted in two just five days later.

Another cup match resulted in another clean sheet, but an early goal conceded against Newcastle United means the league run continues.

This presents the oddity that Arsenal have only let in one goal in five Champions League and League Cup fixtures, while conceding a whopping 11 in ten Premier League games.