Arsenal: Premier League reality tough to swallow

Arsenal winning back-to-back Saturday 3PM kick offs in the Premier League against any opposition is the pick-me-up feeling the weekend craves. Stewing over defeats with no midweek fixtures to remedy the feeling is agonising.

A Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tap-in and a Martin Odegaard curler have brought smiles to faces. Performances still have acres of room for improvement and if a corner is being turned it’s occurring at a snails pace, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Aside from watching Arsenal score, win and keep clean sheets, the next most enjoyable occurrence on the weekend is seeing Premier League rivals lose. Football fans are a people who thrive on schadenfreude.

Over the years Arsenal have developed some long-standing feuds with their fellow English sides. Seeing the likes of Manchester United lose is always enjoyable, with the degree of pleasure derived partially related to the need for rivals to drop points. It’s fun, but it’s also helpful.

The reality of the Premier League for Arsenal is tough to swallow when Manchester United beating West Ham is a good result

And on Sunday when Jesse Lingard had fired the Red Devils in front at the London Stadium only for West Ham to grab a penalty deep into stoppage time, it was hilarious. Mark Noble had scored his last ten penalties and David de Gea hadn’t saved one for five years – a full 40 had gone unsaved.

The prospect of watching a wincing Cristiano Ronaldo and a downbeat away travelling gets the blood pumping.

It was only after the Spaniard saved the spot-kick that the reality set in. It was, sadly, good that he did. Very good, in fact. Arsenal aren’t in the Manchester United conversation anymore. There is a strong case to argue that they might not be in the West Ham conversation this season either. This isn’t reserved this season, it just hits home harder.

While it cuts deep, it was the best possible outcome that David Moyes’ side left empty handed. Nobody celebrates anything United did, and there is still great displeasure at seeing United get away with it last minute, but was the ideal result.

Leeds could only draw at Newcastle: good. Wolves lost at home to Brentford: good.

Results that might not have previously been of much notice to supporters are now of far greater importance. The pleasure of winning matches is elevated by the failure of others to do likewise. The only difference being that the teams Arsenal need to fall short aren’t the ones that have historically been considered rivals.

One day, we hope, seeing Chelsea concede a last minute own goal to Watford in the Premier League won’t just be congenial; if it’s relevant, too, that would mean that progress is afoot.

It’s a reality that’s tough to swallow. But one best prepared for with a nice cold glass of humblemonade to ease it down as, for now, it’s where Arsenal are.