It's not every day that this version of Arsenal lose. In fact, Saturday's late 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa was just their second defeat of the 2025-26 season, following on from August's 1-0 loss at Liverpool, a result which hasn't aged well at all in glorious hindsight. There's still, however, a feeling that the Gunners are under increasing pressure to deliver this season more than any before under Mikel Arteta.

The Premier League title favourites heading into this campaign were the reigning-champion Reds, who spent over £400 million ($533m) on new signings such as Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz over the summer. Arsenal splashed the cash as well to the tune of a cool £250m, though this was largely on squad reinforcements rather than flash new starters.

But as we exited the autumn and entered winter, it was clear that Arteta's men are the best team in England. If not the most complete side, they are the most reliable. What helped was the lack of a serious challenger coming up the rear.

That picture has changed again, however. After this latest setback, Arsenal sit only two points clear of Manchester City in the table, and three ahead of Saturday's conquerors Villa. It gives the impression that there is a title race to be had, and though the Gunners are still in line for to finish first, they cannot afford to be dragged back into a battle when it's seemed for weeks as though there wasn't one on the horizon.

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  Downturn in form

  Arsenal's 4-1 demolition of north London rivals Tottenham on November 23 propelled their season to new heights. Summer signing Eberechi Eze, who was acquired from under Spurs' noses at the eleventh hour, bagged a hat-trick to send his new side six points clear of second-placed Chelsea, with their next Premier League fixture coming at Stamford Bridge. A 3-1 win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League effectively confirmed Arsenal's status as the best team in Europe at the moment, too.

  The energy exerted into those outings, however, almost certainly took a toll on their next three performances, starting against Enzo Maresca's Blues. Chelsea dominated the opening proceedings in west London, in similar fashion to how they eventually tore apart Barcelona earlier that week, before Moises Caicedo's red card threatened to turn the tide. However, Trevoh Chalobah headed the hosts into an arguably deserved lead after the break, with Mikel Merino coming to the Gunners' rescue to salvage a point. Arsenal registered eight shots to Chelsea's 11 despite that one-man advantage for a sizeable chunk of the contest.

  Arteta's men returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at home to Brentford the following Wednesday, but they were made to work every inch for those three points by Keith Andrews' dogged side. The week culminated with conceding in the fourth minute of added time at Villa Park, bringing an end to Arsenal's 18-match unbeaten run across all competitions, and was the second time in their last three away games they had been breached with so little left on the clock, following on from November's 2-2 draw at Sunderland.

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  'Emotional' warning

  Prior to the Villa defeat, Jamie Carragher wrote an article for the in which he claimed there is a "danger Arsenal want it too much". He praised Arteta for building a team "ready" to finally win the title, but stressed he needs to improve in the "emotional management" department if they were to end their 22-year wait to become kings of England again.

  "There was a feeling in the past couple of years that the Arsenal players, coaching staff and fanbase has a habit of using too much emotional energy too soon," Carragher wrote. "Too often it feels like the title run-in starts from August, every setback received in the context that anything less than 90 points could be fatal to title hopes.

  "When big wins have come, there have been ecstatic scenes involving senior players which have been more in common with sides sealing title-defining victories. All of them proved premature. It was never a case of being the 'celebration police' to wag a finger at people savouring the moment. Supporters should embrace every three points as the most important yet. However, players and staff need to remain composed and move on to the next game.

  "The alternative might drain energy too soon – something Arsenal have been accused of over the last three years. They just need to keep doing their stuff, not getting too high after a win or too down after a setback. This should be their time."

  Had Carragher penned this piece after Arsenal's trip to Villa Park, he would have almost certainly referenced their players' reaction to Emiliano Buendia's winner with the final kick of the game. A sea of bodies in their white-and-maroon third kit collapsed to the floor in disbelief and despair, while David Raya crawled across his six-yard box like a stropping toddler. It might mean nothing come May, but if Arsenal end another season without silverware, this is a moment that will be come under the microscope as a sign of when their mental state began to unravel.

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  Injury crisis

  For the second season running, Arsenal are having to deal with a barrage of injuries. It's always difficult to know where the finger of blame should be pointed with such situations, though doomsayers will always level it at management and coaching staff for any supposed lack of rotation. It could still just be bad luck.

  Regardless, the north Londoners have built a squad built to withstand such a crisis far better than they did in 2024-25, during which they tailed off considerably and ended up tallying only 74 points. The difference this time around is they have been hit hardest in their most important position.

  First-choice centre-backs Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have sat out recent games and are unlikely to play alongside one another again until January, while new deputy Cristhian Mosquera has now been ruled out for over a month with an ankle issue. This saw Arteta turn to right-back Jurrien Timber and left-back Piero Hincapie as his partnership in central defence at Villa. Unsurprisingly, it proved an erratic combination that provided nowhere near the same protection as his preferred duo.

  The rotating cast of minor injuries from week to week has upset the balance a little over the last few games. The compliment to Arsenal is they have had enough quality to stave off defeat for so long.

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  Reasons to remain calm

  Beyond the headline names on the treatment table, Kai Havertz has missed pretty much the entire season so far with a knee problem, while Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke have only recently returned to full fitness. They barely missed a beat when Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were ruled out for several weeks apiece, and Arteta hasn't yet had the chance to use this deep squad with everyone available. In that sense, the best may still be to come from a team who went three whole months unbeaten.

  If, as Carragher warned, Arsenal are able to regroup mentally and keep themselves fresh in that aspect, then they will be primed to stack together another lengthy run of wins when they welcome back their injured stars.

  Speaking after the Villa loss, an optimistic Arteta said: "Everything that they [the squad] have put in the last two weeks and the results that we got, the performances and to lose it that way emotionally is very touching. You just feel that everything that you put in, it hasn't been worth it. But it is worth it, because we will learn again from today and it will make us a better team again.

  "It's five months into the competition and so far we've coped. But we're going to have to prove that we can cope again and again and again for another six months, that's the level. If think we are going to be in this moment with 10 points clear, I think we're living in a different world."

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