Highlights
- Arsenal performed exceptionally well against the ‘big six’ in the 2023/2024 season, yet their Premier League title hopes were hampered by unexpected setbacks against teams like West Ham, Fulham, and Aston Villa.
- They achieved a remarkable double over Manchester United for the fourth time in Premier League history.
- Under Mikel Arteta’s leadership, Arsenal secured an impressive 22 points from their ten matches against their primary top-flight rivals.
Arsenal had an impressive run in the 2023/24 season, boasting the best record among the ‘Big Six’ teams. They achieved notable victories, including a double over Manchester United and crucial home wins against Manchester City and Liverpool. Mikel Arteta’s squad remained unbeaten in these high-stakes matches. However, unexpected losses to Fulham, West Ham, and Aston Villa could jeopardize their chances of clinching the Premier League title.
The debate over which teams belong to the ‘Big Six’ is intensifying, with Newcastle United and Aston Villa making strong cases due to their growing success and financial power. Despite this, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, and the two Manchester clubs still maintain six of the seven largest wage bills in the league. Aston Villa, under Unai Emery, has also joined this elite group, now sporting a wage bill slightly higher than Tottenham’s.
The competition among the traditional top-six teams has been fierce, but Arsenal has performed exceptionally well against them. Here are their results against their major rivals in the 2023–24 season.
| Big Six Mini-League Table – 2023/24 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1 | Arsenal | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 22 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 15 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 13 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 10 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 12 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 23 | -7 | 9 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 21 | -10 | 6 |
