Arsenal rightly earn "Set Piece FC" tag now that Premier League record is on sight

Will Arsenal's set-piece mastery take them all the way to the Premier League title? On Sunday, the Gunners beat Chelsea 2-1 at home, with William Saliba and then Jurriën Timber the scorers, both coming about via corners. This takes the Gunners' tally to 16 corner goals in the Premier League this season, equalling the competition's single-season record.

Most goals via corners in a Premier League season

Mikel Arteta's team have now matched the record jointly held by Joe Royle's Oldham, Tony Pulis' West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal themselves from two seasons ago. With nine fixtures remaining, most expect the Gunners to shatter this number of 16, possibly surpassing it as soon as Wednesday night at Brighton.

Set-piece goals have become such a key part of Arteta's team, especially when it comes to opening up a game when faced with a low blocks. Sunday was the ninth time the Gunners have broken the deadlock via a corner, equalling the Premier League record held by Southampton in 1994/95.

Times Arsenal have gone 1-0 up via a corner in the PL 2025/26

• 17 August. Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal. Riccardo Calafiori 13'.

• 23 August. Arsenal 5-0 Leeds United. Jurriën Timber 34'.

• 13 September. Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest. Martín Zubimendi 32'.

• 18 October. Fulham 0-1 Arsenal. Leandro Trossard 58'.

• 1 November. Burnley 0-2 Arsenal. Viktor Gyökeres 14'.

• 13 December. Arsenal 2-1 Wolves. Sam Johnstone OG 70'.

• 30 December. Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa. Gabriel 48'.

• 31 January. Leeds United 0-4 Arsenal. Martín Zubimendi 27'.

• 1 March. Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea. William Saliba 21',

In all nine matches when Arsenal have gone 1-0 in front via a corner, they have gone on to win, with their proficiency from set-pieces very much keeping their title push going. This is often used as a criticism against Arteta and his team, but credit should be given to Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka for their masterful delivers, while Gabriel, Saliba, Timber and others deserve to be praised for their ability to attack the ball in the penalty area.

Arteta famously said he wants Arsenal to be the best at everything, with set-pieces a prominent part of this mantra, as they make such a difference to any team. Also, with the Gunners fighting on numerous fronts, their next six fixtures coming in four different competitions, it is impossible to playing free-flowing, laissez-faire football all the time, much to neutrals' chagrin.

As long as Arsenal keep scoring goals from corners, supporters will continue to sing "set piece again, olé olé" load and proud, hoping this takes them all the way to glory.