Manchester City briefly climbed to the top of the Premier League with a win over West Ham on Saturday, only for Arsenal to reclaim first place after beating Everton later the same day. The result sent the Gunners into the Christmas break with a two-point cushion—but also revived an uncomfortable pattern from the past.
Arsenal have now finished top at Christmas for the fifth time in Premier League history, yet they have never gone on to lift the title in those seasons. Despite strong starts, the North London side has repeatedly stumbled after the festive period, allowing rivals to surge ahead.
“𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒂𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒃,” 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔.
Christmas Table-Toppers: What History Really Says
Across 126 Christmases in English top-flight football up to the 2025–26 season, teams leading at Christmas have won the league 56 times (44.4%). That success rate improves in the Premier League era, where 17 of 33 Christmas leaders (51.5%) went on to win the title.
Liverpool and Manchester United hold the joint record for most Christmas table-tops (seven each). Liverpool finally converted their fifth attempt into glory in 2019–20, offering Arsenal a sliver of hope as they face their own fifth try.
“𝑾𝒆’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆,” 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝑨𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒕, “𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕.”
The Gunners last led at Christmas in 2023, only to finish second behind Manchester City. Overall, Arsenal have failed to capitalize seven times when positioned perfectly mid-season. Their lone success from a Christmas lead dates back to 1947–48, long before the Premier League era.
Pressure, Patterns, and the 2025 Question
With rivals close behind and history weighing heavily, Arsenal now face a defining second half of the season. The statistics warn of danger, but precedent also shows that Christmas leadership can turn into title glory—if momentum is sustained.
As the table stands in 2025, the question remains unanswered:
Will Arsenal finally shatter their Christmas curse, or is another painful slip-up on the way?
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