Whenever Arsenal were their best at Christmas - and what happened next

Arsenal have been one of the biggest and most successful clubs of the Premier League era - but surprisingly they haven't been the best at Christmas very often. Only twice, in fact.

After the World Cup break, Mikel Arteta's Gunners have been guaranteed to be at the top of the Christmas tree for months to come, with the 2022-23 campaign something of a different shape to usual , when the holiday season represents the midpoint.< /p>

This time, Arsenal have played 14 games, so there is still a long way to go. But they built an impressive five-point lead over champions Manchester City after their simply stunning form at the start of the season.

Eight of the last 11 teams in the lead at Christmas have lifted the Premier League trophy. But that doesn't necessarily mean much – Liverpool have been top at Christmas six times and won it only once, while none of Arsenal's three Premier League triumphs have come in head on December 25.

Here are the two times Arsenal were the best at Christmas - and what happened next.

2002-03

Arsène Wenger's men faltered just a little as they entered their final game before Christmas, having won just one of their last four league outings.

Additional-time goals in both halves secured a relatively common 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough and saw the Gunners spend Christmas Day top of the table for the first time in the era of the Premier League.

Claudio Ranieri's Chelsea were actually the closest challengers, two points behind, while Manchester United were two points clear of the Blues.

Arsenal actually maintained their form well into the spring, with a 2-1 win at West Brom on Boxing Day kicking off an 11-game unbeaten streak that lasted until March, scoring 27 points out of 33 available.

But a 2-0 defeat at Blackburn proved a major setback, while draws against Aston Villa, Manchester United and Bolton came at a heavy cost. Their fate as runners-up was sealed when a Mark Viduka-inspired Leeds emerged from Highbury with a 3-2 win in early May.

Wenger's Gunners rallied to beat Southampton 6-1 and Sunderland 4-0 in their last two matches, but it was too little too late. Sir Alex Ferguson's United had been utterly relentless - unbeaten and losing just six points since Boxing Day - and ended up finishing five points clear.

READ: Celebrating Wenger's 'prettiest woman' joke – and how she blew up Fergie

2007-08

The post-Invincibles era and the move to the Emirates was a frustrating and disappointing time for Arsenal fans, but a brilliant young side in 2007-08 gave them real hope of winning titles again.

Jose Mourinho had made a shock exit at Chelsea while the Rooney-Tevez-Ronaldo vintage had yet to kick into high gear.

Arsenal had only lost once before Christmas and were playing some brilliant stuff, inspired by a young Cesc Fabregas at his best. On Christmas Day 2007, the Gunners had taken 43 points from 18 games, one more than United, and they had just recorded back-to-back wins over Chelsea and Tottenham.

They fell behind United on Boxing Day, dropping two points in a 0-0 draw at Portsmouth. From there, they reclaimed their place at the top, taking 25 points from the next 27.

A dismal run of just one win in eight games from late February to early April saw Arsenal fall completely out of contention. They have drawn four games in a row against Birmingham, Aston Villa, Wigan and Middlesbrough and lost 2-1 at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford.

They have won their last four matches, closing the gap to just four points behind champions United, but they finished third and the top two went to the Champions League final.

Eduardo da Silva's horrific injury and William Gallas' almighty run at Birmingham are rightly remembered as the moment the wheels came off. Any memory of that match is likely to bring out any Arsenal fan in hives.

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