“Bottlers!”
It is the merciless taunt thrown about by rival followers. However you have gotta be within the Premier League title race to win it, proper?
It is simply while you lead for therefore lengthy and do not win it, there is a lonely void, an ‘it ought to have been us’ vacuum of sorrow.
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Staring on the prospect of letting one other seemingly insurmountable lead slip, Arsenal are determined to banish these demons, having grappled with the tag over the previous twenty years.
However they’re removed from alone – actually, the Gunners’ slip-ups have been far much less dramatic than these of a few of their rivals.
To assist examine the highest flight’s largest wobblers, those that have let the league slide from seemingly watertight positions, we enlisted the assistance of BBC Sport statistician Chris Collinson, somebody all the time on prime of his tables.
Whereas Chris’ analysis reveals us Arsenal should characteristic a number of instances, there’s room for Stevie G’s slip, a point out for that ‘Aguerooo!’ second, and, in fact, Kevin Keegan’s iconic monologue – which befell 30 years in the past this month.
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And I am going to inform you, truthfully, I’ll adore it when you learn this, adore it!
The unlikely lads
10. Tottenham Hotspur 2015-16
Does it rely as bottling when you have been by no means in entrance? It’s maybe harsh to incorporate Tottenham, contemplating north London rivals Arsenal have been at one level in a extra commanding place – however there’s loads of room for the Gunners on this record…
As the same old suspects all faltered, Mauricio Pochettino’s vibrant younger aspect appeared effectively positioned to carry a primary title to White Hart Lane since 1961.
However cometh the hour, cometh the dilly-dong. Claudio Ranieri’s pizza-loving Leicester nomads stormed to the Premier League summit and, after briefly giving up prime spot to Arsenal, surged clear to change into 5,000-1-shot winners.
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A six-game profitable run by way of January and February put Spurs in prime place to capitalise on a Foxes stumble, however that by no means got here. A bruising draw within the ended Tottenham’s hopes earlier than they misplaced their ultimate two video games to slide to 3rd.
By no means thoughts, Tottenham and Pochettino’s time would come, absolutely…
9. Norwich Metropolis: 1992-93
Norwich Metropolis, in the meantime, discovered themselves as unlikely leaders for 129 days of the inaugural Premier League season, regardless of having completed fifth-bottom the yr earlier than and offered striker Robert Fleck to Chelsea for a membership file £2m.
Reinvesting that in Mark Robins and Efan Ekoku, with a younger Chris Sutton rising at Carrow Highway, the Canaries led till matchday 26, earlier than an Eric Cantona-inspired Manchester United ploughed a path to the highest. Norwich completed third.
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8. Liverpool: 2018-19
Liverpool, of their pursuit of a primary Premier League title, put up nearly the proper season in 2018-19, reaching 97 factors, then the third-highest complete in Premier League historical past. Their downside was that Manchester Metropolis went one higher.
Jurgen Klopp’s rock’n’roll Reds racked up 30 wins and topped the league for 141 days – solely 5 groups have spent longer there with out profitable it – whereas Metropolis have been 10 factors adrift in December.
However Liverpool’s one defeat of the league season got here at Metropolis – John Stones making a famously essential goal-line clearance – and that successfully determined the title. 4 attracts in six quickly after that proved damaging, and never even 9 wins in a row to shut the league marketing campaign was sufficient.
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The Arsenal information
7. Arsenal: 2002-03
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal managed to go up nearly similar leads 5 years aside within the 2000s, although Gunners followers may bathe within the glory of their Invincibles season in-between.
Wenger predicted an unbeaten marketing campaign quickly after he received the double in 2002, branding Arsenal’s triumph “a shift in energy” after clinching the title at Previous Trafford.
‘Le Professeur’ and his workforce spent nearly 5 months on prime the next time period. United, although, put 4 previous Liverpool and 6 previous Newcastle to edge in entrance – whereas Arsenal have been held at Villa – earlier than a Highbury assembly in mid-April.
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Theirry Henry scored twice after Ruud van Nistelrooy’s opener, however Ryan Giggs, prime to tail in blue, stooped to make it 2-2 in a basic underneath the lights. United by no means seemed again, whereas Arsenal fumbled factors in opposition to Bolton and Leeds.
Arsenal and United performed out a basic at Higbury in 2003, however a draw was not sufficient for the Gunners [Getty Images]
6. Arsenal: 2007-08
In 2008, now on the Emirates and with their Invincibles core gone, a fresh-looking Arsenal had misplaced simply as soon as by March and spent 156 days on prime of the desk. However come Might they have been third, behind United and Chelsea.
Wenger, face so long as his trusty trenchcoat, bemoaned aggressive Premier League opposition after Eduardo’s horrific damaged leg damage in a draw at Birmingham that started a five-game winless run.
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The malaise set in throughout all competitions, with Arsenal thrashed by Spurs within the League Cup semi-finals, thumped by Manchester United at Previous Trafford within the FA Cup and dumped out of the Champions League by Liverpool.
Wenger wouldn’t win one other Premier League title, with this disappointment a part of a nine-year barren run that led to Mourinho branding the Gunners boss a “specialist in failure” earlier than a string of FA Cups arrived within the twilight of his tenure.
5. Arsenal: 2022-23
Quick ahead to 2022-23 and Arsenal have been setting data. Sadly for the Gunners, they turned the workforce to spend essentially the most days prime of the Premier League with out profitable it, some 248.
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Arsenal solely dropped out of the lead for 3 days in a 30-week table-topping spell, when Manchester Metropolis received a rearranged conflict in February.
They returned to the summit once more till visiting Metropolis on 26 April, with Pep Guardiola’s juggernauts convincing 4-1 victors throughout a run of 14 wins from 15 video games.
It is maybe fairer to say Metropolis received it, slightly than Arsenal blew it. However in three successive attracts earlier than that pivotal Etihad Stadium defeat they appeared to freeze – giving up two-goal leads at each Liverpool and West Ham and sharing six objectives at dwelling with Southampton.
Arsenal’s title hopes fell away with a 3-3 dwelling draw in opposition to Southampton in 2023 [Getty Images]
4. Manchester United: 1997-98
Issues have been far rosier within the crimson half of north London in 1998. With Wenger’s revolution in full circulation, Arsenal overcame a file factors deficit to win the Frenchman’s first Premier League and adopted up with the FA Cup.
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Manchester United have been the autumn guys this time, regardless of seeming to be so accountable for the title that one bookmaker paid out early. Blackburn have been United’s closest challengers at midway, with Arsenal down in sixth. Arsenal trailed United by 13 factors at one stage.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s aspect proceeded to take only one level from conferences with Southampton, Bolton and Leicester, then misplaced to Sheffield Wednesday and drew with West Ham earlier than what proved a title-defining conflict with Arsenal in March.
Marc Overmars netted late on, as Arsenal strung collectively a 10-game profitable streak, and United slipped to second after dwelling attracts with Liverpool and Newcastle in April, ending runners-up by one level.
An iconic prime three
3. Liverpool: 2013-14
Transferring from maths to post-match monologues and melodrama. Enter stage left, Steven Gerrard. “This doesn’t slip,” bellowed an emotional Liverpool skipper after a 3-2 win at Manchester Metropolis made it 10 on the spin and put the Reds on the point of a primary title since 1990.
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But, Gerrard quickly did simply that – slip – because the Liverpool midfielder misplaced his footing on the very turf the place he had change into an Anfield icon. Demba Ba raced away to attain as a Chelsea workforce containing Mohamed Salah received 2-0 at Liverpool.
Liverpool’s benefit was gone. They stormed right into a three-goal lead at Crystal Palace within the penultimate sport of the season however knew they wanted extra to outscore Manchester Metropolis, and as a substitute they conceded thrice within the closing minutes to solely draw.
Gerrard left Anfield on the finish of the next season with out a Premier League winner’s medal, although Liverpool would lastly get their title in 2020.
2. Manchester United: 2011-12
It is one of the iconic photos in Premier League historical past: a bare-chested Sergio Aguero windmilling his Manchester Metropolis jersey round his head after scoring a 94th-minute winner that ripped the title from rivals United’s grasp.
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United had completed their bit on that sunny Might afternoon in 2012, profitable at Sunderland. However actually the injury was completed within the previous weeks as Ferguson’s outfit gave up an eight-point lead with six video games to play.
“Not in my lifetime,” mentioned a laughing Ferguson when requested if Metropolis, following their 2008 takeover, would ever be prime canines in Manchester. However that late Aguero drama confirmed the blue aspect of the town may have a good time a primary Premier League crown.
Newcastle have been 12 factors clear in January 1996, however Manchester United pipped them to the Premier League title [Getty Images]
1. Newcastle United: 1995-96
Sorry Newcastle followers, you knew this was coming.
Kevin Keegan’s boys have been the Premier League’s nice entertainers, but the true drama got here not with the flicks and tips of Faustino Asprilla or David Ginola however with an epic collapse after they led Manchester United by 12 factors in January 1996.
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When Manchester United received at St James’ Park in March, Ferguson’s aspect had reeled the Magpies’ lead in to 1 level. Then, with three video games to go, they have been stage – each nonetheless having to face Leeds and Nottingham Forest.
It was Ferguson’s quip after narrowly beating Leeds, suggesting groups “increase their sport” in opposition to Manchester United, that proved the spark for Keegan’s well-known rant.
Newcastle received their Monday evening assembly at Elland Highway 12 days later, after which Keegan bemoaned Ferguson’s feedback about Leeds’ gamers and a “man like Stuart Pearce”.
He added: “You’ll be able to inform him now, we’re nonetheless combating for this title and he is bought to go to Middlesbrough and get one thing. And I am going to inform you, truthfully, I’ll adore it if we beat them. Find it irresistible!”
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Newcastle drew at Forest and have been then held at dwelling by Tottenham. Manchester United went to Middlesbrough and bought one thing – a 3-0 win that sealed the title of their favour.