Arsenal’s stellar start to the season has been built on an astonishingly defiant defence.
The Gunners currently top the Premier League table, have also eased into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, and have a perfect Champions League record. Mikel Arteta’s side is arguably the best in Europe right now.
Their set-piece prowess has stolen headlines, as has their impenetrability at the back, with Arsenalconceding just three goals in all competitions this season. One was a Dominik Szoboszlai stunner, one was a trademark Erling Haaland goal and the other was a header from Newcastle United’s towering striker Nick Woltemade—hardly embarrassing goals to allow.
Arsenal kept yet another clean sheet in the Champions League in midweek as they overcame Slavia Prague, the 3–0 victory in Czechia extending their winning run to 10 matches in all competitions.
Their latest shutout saw them match an English football record, as well.
Arsenal Match English Football Record With Latest Clean Sheet
Following Arsenal’s latest win to nil, their run now stands at eight matches in succession. They have shut out and beat Olympiacos, West Ham United, Fulham, Atlético Madrid, Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley and now Slavia Prague during an exceptional defensive streak.
Their victory and eighth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions means they have matched the record for the longest run of winning matches without conceding among all English top flight clubs ever, as per Opta. Preston North End in 1889 and Liverpool in 1920 both managed to win eight games on the bounce while not conceding, but no English team had been able to match the feat within the last 100 years, until 2025’s Arsenal.
If Arsenal are able to win and keep a clean sheet away at Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday, they will make history. That will not be straightforward given the form of the Black Cats, who have scored in all their home games this season and currently sit fourth in the table. But Arsenal’s rearguard will fancy their chances of keeping their hosts at bay at the Stadium of Light, with a clean sheet always putting victory closer within reach.
Which Defensive Records Can Arsenal Still Break This Season?
Winning games aside, Mikel Arteta’s men still have some way to go before beating the consecutive clean sheet record in the Premier League specifically. That’s held by Manchester United after they managed 14 straight shutouts in the league during the 2008–09 campaign en route to the title. Arsenal are currently on a run of four on the spin.
Liverpool hold the record for most successive clean sheets by an English side across all competitions, with Arsenal not far off matching their 11-game streak under Rafa Benítez in 2005.
The Gunners have conceded three goals in their 10 Premier League matches to date, meaning they’re on course to set the record for fewest allowed in a campaign. Chelsea let in just 15 goals across the 2004–05 season, beating a record of 17 goals previously held by Arsenal during 1998–99.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Čech currently boasts the record for most clean sheets in a single Premier League season, managing 24 as part of Chelsea’s defensive brilliance in 2004–05. David Raya, who currently has seven in 2025–26, can usurp the legendary stopper, and could claim his third Golden Glove this term—which would move him one behind record winners Čech and Joe Hart.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Arsenal Compare to the Best Defensive Runs in English Football History.
