Arsenals Struggles to Defend Leads Highlighted Further by Alarming Statistic

​All is not well at Arsenal right now. They have fallen behind in the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League, and their sloppy form spilled over to the Europa League as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Vitória Guimarães on Wednesday.


Despite taking a late lead through Shkodran Mustafi, the Gunners gave up an even-later equaliser to Bruno Duarte which saw another two points slip through their fingers.

Giving up leads has been the story of ​Arsenal's season. As noted by ​Opta, the Gunners have now lost five matches this season from winning positions, which is worse than every other ​Premier League team apart from London rivals ​Tottenham Hotspur, who have given up a whopping seven leads.


To make matters worse, that has happened to Arsenal in each of their last four matches. Alongside Vitória, ​Wolverhampton Wanderers​Liverpool and ​Crystal Palace have all fought back to get something from the Gunners, while ​Watford overcame a two-goal deficit to earn a draw in mid-September.


The Carabao Cup meeting with Liverpool was the only game which they ended up losing, but it is certainly an alarming trend for Unai Emery's side.

Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal currently find themselves fifth in the Premier League but, with so many sides around them just one or two points behind, one poor result could see them plummet down the standings.


With a trip to high-flying ​Leicester City on Saturday, things may be about to get worse for Emery's side.


Not only could a loss see them drop down the table, but it could also increase the gap between the Gunners and the top four. Chelsea currently boast a six-point lead over their rivals, and they could stretch that to nine with a win over Crystal Palace.

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With this kind of form, it should come as no surprise to see Emery's future at the club come into question. The Spaniard needs to find the answers soon, before he finds himself looking for a new job.


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Source : 90min