The absurd statistic that explains Arsenal's failure in the Premier League this season

Arsenal needed a win this Sunday against Fulham at Craven Cottage to become, at least for 24 hours, the sole leaders of the Premier League table. With 40 points, they could overtake Aston Villa and Liverpool, who have 42, and shift the pressure to The Reds, who face Newcastle at Anfield Road on Monday.

But that didn't happen, as The Gunners failed in their mission. Things had started very well for them, as 5 minutes into the first half Bukayo Saka netted the 1-0 after capturing a rebound from goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who saved a shot from Gabriel Martinelli, but could not keep the ball in his hands.

The lead was short-lived, as a few minutes later Willian fed Tom Cairney and he sent a precise drilled cross from the left across the box to Raul Jimenez. The Mexican striker threw himself to the ground to reach the ball and connected with his right foot, beating the resistance of goalkeeper David Raya and scoring the equaliser.

Fulham's goal seemed to be a hard blow for Arsenal, who after the break no longer showed the same performance they had had during the first half. That was taken advantage of by the hosts, who completed the comeback 14 minutes into the second half through a corner kick. Bobby Decordova-Reid captured a rebound inside the box and netted the second goal. The Gunners tried their best in the next few minutes to at least get an equalizer, but missed on the few chances they had.

Now they could be far behind

With the defeat, Arsenal have 40 points and are 2 points behind Liverpool. But if the Reds beat Newcastle on Monday, that gap could be 5 points. No doubt boss Mikel Arteta must be dissatisfied with his team's performance, as results have been disappointing in recent weeks. The Gunners had lost only one of their first 14 games in the tournament, but in the last 5 rounds they suffered 3 defeats.