Better than Invincibles? - Arsenal's 25/26 start compared to past great teams

Better than Invincibles? - Arsenal's 25/26 start compared to past great teams

Ten games have gone in the 2025/26 Premier League season, and Arsenal have taken it by storm. Eight wins, one draw and one defeat make it 25 points from a possible 30, and sitting six points clear at the top, the Gunners are looking to end a 21-year wait for title glory. But how does this start compare to those of legendary title-winning sides?

Arsenal 2003/2004:

The current Arsenal side may be strong, but the achievement of the 2003/2004 team is one that may never be matched by any English club. The side, managed and masterminded by Arsene Wenger, spearheaded by Thierry Henry at the peak of his powers, and led by inspiring captain Patrick Vieira, has gone down in legend as the only English top-flight team in the modern age to go a full season unbeaten. 38 wins, 12 draws, and 0 defeats in a campaign never seen before, since, and perhaps never again (in England - no disrespect to Bayer Leverkusen!).

However, the first ten games were not all plain sailing. Despite starting with four wins in a row, a home 1-1 draw with Portsmouth saw dropped points for the first time in gameweek 5, and those present at the time would say Arsenal were lucky to escape defeat, with the Gunners' equaliser coming from the spot following what appeared to be a bit of simulation from Robert Pires to win the spot kick to rescue a point.

Another draw would follow in a famous clash with rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford, as late drama saw Red Devils striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy miss a last-minute penalty following a foul by Martin Keown after Patrick Vieira was sent off in a brawl with the Dutch striker.

The Gunners would then win another three on the bounce, including a 1-2 success at Anfield with a renowned winner from Pires.

However, they dropped two points on gameweek ten versus Charlton Athletic with a 1-1 draw, finishing the opening ten fixtures on 24 points, interestingly, one less than the current Arsenal side. They may have a long way to go, but beating the Invincibles' point tally at this stage can be seen as pretty encouraging for Gunners fans

Arsenal have now accumulated more points in their opening 10 Premier League matches this season (25) than the opening 10 matches of their 2003/04 Invincibles season (24). 🤯 pic.twitter.com/63Bb2k9cSQ

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) November 2, 2025

Chelsea 2004/2005

From a defensive point of view, there has been no better in the Premier League than Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea team of 2004/2005. Fresh from masterminding a shock Champions League win with FC Porto, ‘The Special One’ assembled a defensive unit which became almost impenetrable.

With Roman Abramovich at the helm and Stamford Bridge as their fortress, the Blues won the league title, conceding a record 15 goals across 38 games. And started with three wins and three clean sheets before conceding their first of the season at home to Southampton but still came away with the three points.

Despite their defensive capabilities, Mourinho’s side failed to find the net in back-to-back games vs Aston Villa and Tottenham with two 0-0 draws, before winning 1-0 against Middlesbrough and Liverpool. The Blues then got a taste of their own medicine, seeing defeat for the first time that season, going down 1-0 to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. A 4-0 success over Blackburn Rovers saw Chelsea finish the first ten gameweeks with 23 points, two less than 25/26 Arsenal.

With the Gunners only conceding three goals so far, comparisons between the two have already been made, and questions are already being asked on whether they can break the record set by 2004/2005 Chelsea and become the best defence in PL history.

Arsenal have played 9 league games with just 3 goals conceded this season...

Chelsea's record-breaking defence went 11 games before conceding their 3rd in the 2004/2005 season.#PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/PdwsTNtlDp

— FC One Football (@FCOneFootball) October 27, 2025

Manchester United 1998/1999:

Arsenal may have the Invincibles, but Manchester United have a legendary season of their own, an achievement which until recently stood as unique as Arsenal’s 2003/2004 accolade, the famed treble of 99’.

Andy Cole’s last-day league winner, Ryan Giggs’s sensational solo goal in the FA Cup semi-final, and that unforgettable night in Barcelona to clinch the UEFA Champions League – the team, season, and memories stick out in the minds of any Red Devils fan lucky enough to witness it. With the class of 92’ flowing through, captained by the imperious Roy Keane and led by Sir Alex Ferguson, this Manchester United team stands out above the rest as the best in the history of the club, and that alone is an impressive achievement.

The season, however, didn’t start particularly strongly, with two draws from the opening two fixtures, and gameweek five saw a 3-0 defeat at Highbury to Arsenal. However, wins versus Charlton, Coventry and Liverpool were added to comprehensive victories against Southampton, Wimbledon and Everton.

Overall, 21 points from a possible 30 may not have looked like a particularly impressive start at the time - it is four less than the current Arsenal side and acts as a potential example that sometimes the best teams don’t often have the best starts.

Manchester United, 1998/99. pic.twitter.com/BMdqb6GlPr

— 90s Football (@90sfootball) July 24, 2025

Manchester City 2017/2018

When Pep Guardiola finished his first season as manager of Manchester City trophyless, many began asking questions about whether his tiki-taka style which was once so successful at Barcelona and Bayern Munich could be replicated in the Premier League, however all questions were put to bed in the 2017/2018 season.

A last day winner from Gabriel Jesus at Southampton saw Guardiola’s team become the first team in Premier League history to reach 100 points in a season. 32 wins and 106 goals scored saw records broken for most wins and most scored in a season and cemented Guardiola’s legacy as one of the best managers in modern times.

The signs were there early on, as a 0-2 victory on the opening day away at Brighton and Hove Albion was soon followed by a thumping 5-0 victory over Liverpool and a 0-6 win at Vicarage Road vs Watford, with a win vs Bournemouth and a draw at home to Everton sandwiched in between. The goals continued to go in with a 5-0 win vs Crystal Palace soon followed by a 7-2 win vs Stoke City as the Citizens looked set to have an unprecedented attacking force.

Manchester City 17/18:

- Most points (100)
- Biggest points gap to 2nd (19)
- Longest win-streak (18 consecutive wins)
- Most away wins (16)
- Most goals scored (106)
- Most wins (32)
- Best Goal Difference (+79)

Greatest Premier League Team Ever. pic.twitter.com/jVJ9Ft6ome

— 𝐄 🇧🇻 (@ErlingProp) June 3, 2025

The first ten games of the league season saw nine wins, one draw and 28 points, as Guardiola and co. looked to set the record straight early on in the 2017/18 Premier league campaign.

Mikel Arteta’s 2025/26 Arsenal may have not quite hit the heights of Guardiola’s 17/18 start, but more points both the Invincibles, United’s 1998/99 treble side’s means the mood in the red side of North London should be high as the wait for that 14th Premier League title looks to end at last.