Paul Merson left ‘flabbergasted’ by Arsenal amid Jose Mourinho comparison
Arsenal enjoyed a perfect weekend as their dominance at the top of the Premier League continued.
Title rivals Liverpool were beaten 3-2 by Brentford on Saturday night, while Manchester City lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on Sunday, October 26.
Mikel Arteta’s men capitalised on their rivals dropping points as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 1-0 to move four points clear of surprise package Bournemouth at the top of the table.
Eberechi Eze’s wonderful first-half strike was the difference between them and the Eagles on Sunday, while the goal came from a familiar source.
A teasing Declan Rice from a free kick fell invitingly to Eze in the box, and he found the net with a superb volley.
Paul Merson compares Arsenal to 2004/05 Chelsea
Arsenal have now won five games on the bounce in all competitions in October without conceding, highlighting how strong they are defensively.
The Gunners have always been a clean sheet-keeping machine under Arteta, inspired by the incredible duo of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
But thanks to their summer additions, most notably Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, the North London side are now even more of a threat in attack.
Paul Merson has acknowledged this in his column for Sky Sports, while comparing their watertight defence to Jose Mourinho’s 2005 and 2006 title-winning sides.
“I don’t see anyone stopping Arsenal,” Merson wrote. “They are an efficient machine but with super footballers in that machine.
“They remind me of the Chelsea team of old under Jose Mourinho. As soon as that Chelsea team got in front it was game over. It was the same playing in my Arsenal team. Get a goal and it was back to the halfway line, and you could see in the opposition faces, they knew it was over.
“I saw that last Wednesday watching Atletico Madrid at the Emirates. Once Arsenal got that lead it was the end of the game and Atletico knew it. That’s the feeling you have with Arsenal now.
“Teams are not even getting a shot. The numbers they are producing defensively are unheard of.
“They are well-drilled, efficient and they do have flair players that can create and score goals, just like Mourinho’s Chelsea did. I’d be flabbergasted if Arsenal didn’t win the league.”
Arsenal on track to smash Chelsea’s record
Chelsea’s defence under Mourinho in 2004/05 was the best the Premier League has ever seen, conceding just 15 goals in 38 matches.
| Stats | Chelsea (2004-05) | Arsenal (2025-26) |
| Games | 38 | 9 |
| Goals Conceded | 15 | 3 |
| Goals Conceded per Game | 0.395 | 0.333 |
But as it stands, Arsenal are on track to smash Chelsea’s record, having only shipped three goals in nine games.
The Gunners have created an almost immovable wall in front of David Raya, and as a result, have a shot at making Premier League history.