There is a particular cruelty to the Christmas number one. Arsenal have occupied that lonely perch four times before—2002, 2007, 2022, and 2023—and each time the spring sunshine revealed heartbreak rather than glory. Now, for a fifth time, the Gunners wake on Boxing Day as leaders of English football.
Brighton arrive at the Emirates not as sacrificial lambs but as wounded predators, their four-match winless run disguising a squad that still believes in its own destiny.
This is football at its most compressed. Three days since the Palace penalty drama. Three points separating safety from spiral. And somewhere in between, the beautiful game continues its eternal dance.
Viktor Gyökeres settled the Everton affair from the spot, his composure from twelve yards marking him as precisely the striker Mikel Arteta spent years seeking. The Swede has adapted to Premier League life with the ease of a man born to lead attacking lines, though questions linger about what happens when defenders learn his rhythms.
The Emirates has become a fortress of particular dimension this season. Ten consecutive home victories stretch back to last spring, a run of defensive solidity that makes the Bridge look porous by comparison. Arsenal's backline has conceded just ten goals in seventeen matches—numbers that would make George Graham's famous rearguard nod in grudging approval.
Gabriel Martinelli limped off against Palace with a knee complaint that has the treatment room staff working overtime. Gabriel Magalhães remains an individual rehabilitation case, his hamstring requiring patience that the festive schedule simply cannot accommodate. Arteta faces familiar questions with unfamiliar answers.
Fabian Hürzeler brought youth to the south coast and belief to a fanbase grown accustomed to Potter-era miracles. His Brighton fielded the youngest starting eleven in Premier League history just six days ago—average age 23 years and 240 days—against Sunderland. James Milner, at 39 years and 350 days, came off that same bench, creating a generational chasm within a single squad.
Danny Welbeck carries the weight of history into this return to north London. The former Arsenal academy product has scored in his last three appearances at the Emirates, a record that speaks to unresolved feelings and unfinished business. His fitness has been confirmed, his appetite undiminished.
The Seagulls haven't won since late November. Four matches without victory feels like a lifetime for a club that began the season dreaming of Europe. Yet they've extracted something from each of their last three Emirates visits—three wins and two draws from eight attempts telling a story of resilience against the elite.
Arteta knows. He knows that top of the table at Christmas has been poison rather than tonic. He knows that City lurk two points behind, ready to leapfrog should they emerge from Nottingham with three points. He knows that history is written by winners, not Christmas table-toppers.
The Emirates will roar. It always does under December lights. But whether that sound carries echoes of May celebrations or February regret remains the season's unanswered question.
