Arsenal close to smashing Chelsea record
Arsenal have had a superb start to the season and are currently on track to break a Premier League record that Chelsea have held for over 20 years.
Mikel Arteta’s side spent big during the summer window and are already reaping the rewards of their transfer business.
On Saturday (18 October) evening, Arsenal beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage to return to the top of the Premier League.
Leandro Trossard’s second-half strike was the only goal of the game, with the Gunners keeping their fifth clean sheet of the campaign to secure all three points.
Arsenal on record-breaking pace in the Premier League
After eight games of the Premier League season, Arsenal have conceded just three goals in total.
Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United have been the only teams to breach the North London side’s defence.
It means that the Gunners are conceding 0.375 goals per game, and across a 38-game season, that is 14.25 goals in total.
The current record for goals conceded in the Premier League is held by Chelsea, who let in just 15 across the course of their 2004-05 title-winning campaign under Jose Mourinho.
| Stats | Chelsea (2004-05) | Arsenal (2025-26) |
| Games | 38 | 8 |
| Goals Conceded | 15 | 3 |
| Goals Conceded per Game | 0.395 | 0.375 |
It means that, as it stands, Arsenal are on track to break the long-standing record held by their London rivals.
Can Arsenal realistically break Chelsea’s record?
Of course, it is one thing to be on track to break a record less than a quarter of the way into a season, and it is quite another to continue at that same rate across the course of a full campaign.
To put it into context, after eight games in the 2004-05 Premier League season, Chelsea had conceded just one goal.
The Blues managed 25 clean sheets that term, and went on a run of 10 shutouts in a row midway through the campaign.
Arteta’s side would have to be near perfect from this point onwards to stand any chance of breaking the record, and as a result, it is extremely unlikely.
For now, Chelsea’s longstanding record is safe, but if the Arsenal defence continues to operate at the same level over the next few months, then the impossible could become a realistic aim.