As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings.
Every single red shirt was behind the ball when Enzo Fernandez scanned for a teammate, and the Argentine was allowed to pick out the run of Neto under no pressure whatsoever, thanks to some questionable positioning from Arsenal's rearguard members.
Midfield screens Declan Rice and Thomas Partey surely should have been occupying that area to prevent Neto getting a shot away; instead, the pair were sat on the edge of the penalty box, allowing the Chelsea winger far too much time and space to pick his spot.
Jurrien Timber came across from left-back to try to throw a leg in the way of Neto's strike, but it was no use; the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man nabbed a point for Enzo Maresca's side and prolonged an alarming downward trend for Arsenal's defence.
With Golden Glove winner David Raya producing some marvellous reflex saves this season, Gabriel Magalhaes dominating aerial battles left, right and centre and William Saliba being - well, William Saliba - Arsenal's backline has been hailed as one of the most menacing in Europe.
However, the Gunners have now failed to keep a clean sheet in seven Premier League matches, last shutting out North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on September 15 for one of just three clean sheets that they have recorded in 11 top-flight outings in 2024-25.
The numbers behind Arsenal's defensive decline
© Imago
Since coming away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a 1-0 win, Arsenal have failed to keep Chelsea, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Southampton, Leicester City and Manchester City at bay, and such defensive vulnerabilities have played a huge part in their faltering title charge.
Now nine points behind Liverpool and five below Man City in fourth place in the Premier League table, Arsenal have conceded three more goals than they had at this stage last season - not a massive increase but an increase nonetheless - and not since the opening weekend have they kept a home top-flight clean sheet.
The 12 goals that Arteta's side have conceded puts them level with lowly Manchester United in that particular column, while Newcastle (11), Nottingham Forest (10) and Liverpool (six) all boast better defensive records than the Gunners.
It is not all doom and gloom for Arteta's men on the rearguard front - they have conceded one fewer than Manchester City and Chelsea and have only conceded one goal in four Champions League matches so far - but Gooners no longer have total faith in their backline to batten down the hatches.
Injuries and suspensions have not helped Arteta's cause on that front; the Spaniard has just lost Ben White for eight weeks due to a knee problem, which he had been playing through for several weeks, while Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Saliba and Gabriel have all spent time on the sidelines for one reason or another.
Arsenal have had seven different back fours in 2024-25 Premier League
As a result, Arteta has been often been forced to alter his defence in the Premier League, and the Gunners' 11 top-flight matches so far have seen them put out seven different backlines in total.
The most common combination this season has been the White-Saliba-Gabriel-Timber defence, the one that started against Chelsea and was also responsible for clean sheets against Aston Villa and Tottenham.
However, Arsenal have only had the same backline start in a maximum of three straight Premier League games this season, with the White-Saliba-Gabriel-Timber setup being used against Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Spurs in quick succession.
Arteta then introduced Calafiori into the left-back role and had to deal with White's injury and Saliba's suspension, which saw Arsenal put out four different defensive combinations in four straight games against Southampton, Bournemouth, Liverpool and Newcastle.
Unsurprisingly, Arsenal failed to keep a clean sheet in any of those games, while also losing Gabriel and Timber to injury against Liverpool in gameweek nine and going without Rice against Newcastle due to his toe problem.
Arsenal's backline combinations in 2024-25 Premier League season
Gameweek 1: White-Saliba-Gabriel-Zinchenko
Gameweek 2: White-Saliba-Gabriel-Timber
Gameweek 3: White-Saliba-Gabriel-Timber
Gameweek 4: White-Saliba-Gabriel-Timber
Gameweek 5: Timber-Saliba-Gabriel-Calafiori
Gameweek 6: Timber-Saliba-Gabriel-Calafiori
Gameweek 7: Partey-Saliba-Gabriel-Calafiori
Gameweek 8: White-Saliba-Gabriel-Calafiori
Gameweek 9: Partey-White-Gabriel-Timber
Gameweek 10: Partey-Saliba-Gabriel-Timber
Gameweek 11: White-Saliba-Gabriel-Timber
Sports Mole recently spoke to Arsenal expert Charles Watts to pinpoint exactly what is going wrong with the Gunners' defence this season. Press play on the video above to watch the full discussion.
Ben Knapton
