Former Republic of Ireland forward, Tony Cascarino, has tipped Arsenal to break Chelsea’s long-standing record for the fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season.
He made the prediction following the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.
The first half at the Stadium of Light ended without any goals, but the Gunners goalkeeper David Raya successfully saved a penalty taken by Enzo Le Fee and shortly thereafter, substitute Bruno Guimaraes scored the opening goal for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Bukayo Saka then converted a penalty in stoppage time after being fouled by Reinildo Mandava, who received a red card, thus securing the win.
The victory marked the fifth time in six matches across all competitions this season, including three out of four Premier League games, that Mikel Arteta’s team has not conceded a goal.
This led Cascarino to suggest that the current champions could indeed break the record set by Chelsea over twenty years ago when the Blues conceded just 15 goals.
Cascarino told talkSPORT, “I call them the anaconda team because they literally suffocate you. They excel in every aspect; to me, they are the team capable of breaking Chelsea’s goals against column.
“What Chelsea accomplished many years ago seemed unbeatable to me. However, this Arsenal team, whether it is this season or in the future, is likely to concede very few goals.”
Chelsea conceded a mere 15 goals while winning the Premier League title in the 2004-05 season under the management of Jose Mourinho.
The following year, they allowed 22 goals, a figure that was matched by Liverpool in the 2018-19 season, where the Reds finished as runners-up.
Last season, the Gunners conceded just once in their opening four games, before eventually falling well short of lowering the Blues’ mark.