Arsenal boss Unai Emery has definitely made a big mark in what is still an ongoing debut season at the Emirates Stadium after achieving a major record which even the Invincibles team that went unbeaten for an entire league season did not achieve.
The Spaniard, who replaced legendary manager Arsene Wenger at the start of this season, saw his men overcome a difficult Newcastle United 2-0 in a Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night.
For one, the result saw the Gunners jump from fifth to third place on the league table with 63 points, two points ahead of arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, and a further point ahead of London neighbours Chelsea in the race to finish in the top four.
But there was more cause for celebration in the Arsenal camp as the result ensured the Gunners have now won 10 consecutive home matches in the league – the first time Arsenal have managed to achieve the feat in more than 20 years.
The last time the Gunners managed to win 10 successive league matches at home was in the 1997/98 season which saw Wenger beat a Manchester United side led by Sir Alex Ferguson to the league title a little over a year after he joined from the Japanese league.
Arsenal’s incredible run of form at home in the league started with a thrilling 4-2 win over north London, Tottenham, back in December.
It was then followed by wins over Huddersfield Town, Burnley, west London duo Fulham and Chelsea, Cardiff City, Southampton, Bournemouth and Manchester United – a result that was the first league loss for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer while he was interim manager of the Red Devils.
On the night, Arsenal went ahead through Aaron Ramsey in the 30th minute but resilient defending from Newcastle prevented the Gunners from adding more to their tally. Alexandre Lacazette had a goal-bound effort headed off the line while Ramsey had a goal disallowed earlier in the game.
Lacazette eventually got the goal his game deserved in the 83rd minute, sending a lob over Martin Dubravka after good link-up play with strike partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, to seal an important win for the Gunners as they hope to return to the Champions League after three years away from Europe’s elite club competition.
At the moment, only reigning champions Manchester City can boast a better record in front of their own fans this season – but Arsenal have only two home games remaining and need to add to their five wins on the road if they are to maintain their top-four position.
