Only four teams have taken more points than Arsenal's ۲۷ after ۱۰ games
We are now more than a quarter of the way through the Premier League season, with each team having played ۱۰ games.
Last season, for instance, the top two - and two of the eventual bottom three - were in the exact spots at this stage that they in finished six months later.
Arsenal are top of the table on ۲۷ points - which is higher than the average number of points (۲۳) champions have after ۱۰ games.
In fact, only four teams have taken more points from their first ۱۰ fixtures than the Gunners, and all four have gone on to win the league.
One small quirk that means Arenal fans should not start making plans for a parade just yet is that the only two previous sides to post exactly ۲۷ points at this point of the campaign both failed to win the title - including the Gunners in ۲۰۲۲-۲۳.
In ۱۵ of the ۳۴ Premier League seasons to date, the team top at this stage have gone on to win the title, so less than half the time.
While on ۱۴ previous occasions, teams on ۲۱ points, the tally of second-placed Brighton , or fewer after ۱۰ games won the title, so there is still hope for the Seagulls.
However, the less good news for Fabian Hurzeler's side is that, bizarrely, the team in second after ۱۰ games have won the title in just one of the past ۱۸ seasons - that was Manchester City in ۲۰۲۲-۲۳.
The fewest points any side has had at this stage and gone on to win the league is ۱۸ - so City, on ۲۱, and Liverpool , on ۱۸, could still have a say.
Arsenal lead Brighton by five points, one fewer than the most points a team have ever come from behind at this stage to win a title.
Manchester United in ۲۰۰۲-۰۳ and Manchester City in ۲۰۱۳-۱۴ are the two to do that.
But Mikel Arteta and co can take comfort knowing the leaders at this stage have gone on to win the title in the past two seasons - after failing to do so in the previous four years.
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Crystal Palace are propping up the table having lost their past four league matches, but the stats suggest their position is far from terminal.
In total, ۱۴ teams have stayed up having been bottom of the table at this point in the season - most recently Wolves in ۲۰۲۴-۲۵.
Moreover, the fewest points a team has had after ۱۰ games and stayed up at the end of the season is three.
That same Wolves team are the most recent of the four teams to have achieved that feat.
Sunderland , who climbed off the foot of the table with victory over Chelsea , had just four points at this stage in ۲۰۱۳-۱۴ but still ended up finishing ۱۴th.
Palace can also count themselves a little unfortunate to have amassed seven points and find themselves in ۲۰th.
Only Bolton in ۲۰۰۲-۰۳ have had more points (eight) after ۱۰ games and been bottom - and that was in a situation when a number of other sides had played ۱۱ matches.
Overall, ۸۸ teams have previously had seven or fewer points after ۱۰ Premier League games and ۳۷ managed to stay up.
There is good news for Ipswich and Hull in that every promoted side since ۲۰۱۵-۱۶ to take ۱۱ points or more from their first ۱۰ games - and there have been ۱۴ of them - has survived.
The most recent promoted side to make as bright a start and go down were Cardiff in ۲۰۱۳-۱۴, who were ۱۲th with ۱۲ points but finished bottom on ۳۰ points.
Only two promoted sides in the past ۱۱ seasons have taken fewer than ۱۱ points and survived - Bournemouth in ۲۰۱۵-۱۶ (eight) and Nottingham Forest in ۲۰۲۲-۲۳ (five).
Frank Lampard's men are also the seventh promoted side to take exactly nine points from their first ۱۰ games - two of the previous six survived (Wolves in ۲۰۰۹-۱۰ and Leicester in ۲۰۱۴-۱۵).
A long way to go then, still plenty of time for things to change. But how much do things really change from this point?
Well, not a great deal if we look at last season, when ۱۵ of the ۲۰ teams finished with three places of where they were after ۱۰ games.
Aston Villa made the biggest jump, going from ۱۱th at this stage to secure a top-four finish with time to spare.
So Champions League qualification remains well within grasp for Unai Emery's side, who are currently in ۱۰th.
On the other extreme were Tottenham , riding high in sixth after ۱۰ games before plummeting ۱۱ places down the standings to finishing ۱۷th, only securing survival on the final day.
As mentioned earlier, the top two and two of the eventual bottom three were already in their final positions by this point, while Burnley - the third relegated side - were only a place above the drop zone in ۱۷th.
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