Arsenal have completed first step for £44m cash injection as Premier League title omens explored

For the second season in a row, Arsenal will be top of the Premier League table at Christmas.

With Aston Villa being held at home by Sheffield United on Friday, it means the Gunners just had to avoid defeat against Liverpool less than 24 hours later to ensure they could not be leapfrogged until Tuesday at the very earliest and the required result was achieved as the two teams played out a 1-1 draw at Anfield.

As normal service has resumed this season, Arsenal have had to wait a little while longer to confirm their place at the top of the tree, but their stay may only be shortlived as Villa and the Reds both play before they welcome West Ham United to the Emirates Stadium on Thursday evening.

Nevertheless, the incentive to lead the way at Christmas was always simple. In 10 of the last 14 seasons, the team that is number one in the table in English football's top-flight on December 25 has gone on to be crowned Premier League champions. By earning a point on Merseyside, the north London outfit have completed the first step.

However, a potential issue for Arsenal is that this was the case a year ago and ultimately they couldn't press home their advantage during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign as they lost out to Manchester City in the end. Although, Mikel Arteta believes his side are more resilient this time around.

«We have the experience of being where we are today,» he said in the post-match press conference. «We should be really happy because that shows a lot of consistency among this new group to do it in the biggest league in the world. But that’s it, we are where we want to be right now — both in the Premier League and the Champions League. We all deserve a beautiful dinner with our families tomorrow, but then