EPL: ‘They’ll suffocate you’ – Cascarino names club that’ll break Chelsea’s record
Arsenal Eyes Record for Fewest Goals Conceded
Former Republic of Ireland forward Tony Cascarino has predicted that Arsenal may break Chelsea’s long-standing Premier League record for the fewest goals conceded in a season. Cascarino made his remarks after Arsenal secured a 2-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday at the Stadium of Light.
The match began without any goals in the first half, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya thwarted a penalty attempt by Enzo Le Fee. Shortly after, substitute Bruno Guimaraes found the back of the net, giving Mikel Arteta’s side the lead. In stoppage time, Bukayo Saka converted another penalty after being fouled by Reinildo Mandava, who received a red card for the incident.
This win marked the fifth clean sheet in six matches across all competitions for Arsenal this season, including three out of four Premier League matches. Cascarino suggested that this defensive strength could enable Arsenal to challenge Chelsea’s record of just 15 goals conceded in the 2004-05 season, when the team was managed by Jose Mourinho.
“I call them the anaconda team because they literally suffocate you,” Cascarino told talkSPORT. “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’s record of 15 goals conceded during their title-winning season remains a benchmark, followed by 22 goals in the subsequent season, a figure matched by Liverpool in the 2018-19 season when they finished as runners-up.
Last season, Arsenal exhibited strong early defensive performance as well, conceding just once in their opening four matches, but ultimately fell short of breaking Chelsea’s record.
