Arsenal kings of London for third-straight season

Wednesday night’s encounter with Crystal Palace will be our final London derby of the campaign, but while three points against the Eagles is still up for grabs, our title as the kings of the capital is once again secure.

That’s because for the third season in a row, we have come out on top of the Premier League’s London mini-table, having picked up more points from derby matches than any other side from the city.

As well as doing the double against our arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, four points have been taken from each of our encounters with Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford, while five goals were netted in wins against Palace and West Ham United - the only capital club to beat us this term so far.

That 24-point haul puts us two points clear of our nearest rivals Chelsea, who despite coming out on top against their neighbours Fulham on the weekend, cannot catch us at the summit having completed their 12-game schedule against their London rivals.

Our encounter against the Eagles at Emirates Stadium gives us an opportunity to record our second-highest points tally in a season against our fellow Londoners. An impressive 32 from a possible 36 were claimed in 2022/23 against the same six teams we have faced in each of our latest three table-topping campaigns, while 25 were picked up around the capital in 2013/14.

This is the 16th time we have finished top of the London table in the 33 seasons of the Premier League, five more than Chelsea’s total of 10, with Spurs way behind in third with just five successes.

Both us and Palace head into this game in good form when it comes to London derbies. We have lost just one of our last 16 in the Premier League, with that defeat coming against the Hammers back in February, while you have to go back to December 2023 for the last time we lost a derby on the road, which was inflicted at Craven Cottage by Fulham.

However the Eagles head across the Thames having claimed three league derby successes this term, their best total since they achieved five in the old First Division in 1990/91. The Eagles have also won their last two away capital clashes, more than in their previous 22 combined, as they seek three on the bounce for the first time since November 1997.

But they'll have to end a three-game losing run at Emirates Stadium, which includes a 3-2 League Cup success the last time we met in N5 back in December - yet another derby day to remember for us during 2024/25.