Consecutive away wins

In this week's Behind the Numbers, our statistician looks at a new record set by the Gunners.

Sunday's draw at The Hawthorns brought an end to Arsenal's all-time record of consecutive away wins, which had stretched to 12 games in all.

Spanning more than six months, the record-breaking sequence included eight Premier League matches, three Champions League fixtures, and the win (on penalties) against West Brom in the Capital One Cup.

The record doubled the Club's previous best run of wins on the road - the side achieved six consecutive away victories three times previously, most recently in 1997/98.

This year's run began with the famous 2-0 win away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League back in March. Arsène Wenger's men then proceeded to win each of the remaining five away games that season, conceding just one goal in the process (a penalty at The Hawthorns). In fact of the six goals Arsenal conceded in the run as a whole, only three were from open play.

The Gunners netted 23 goals in the dozen games.

The wins came at nine different venues, as Swansea City, Fulham and West Brom were each beaten twice in the run.

Arsenal's win at the Allianz Arena, which kicked off the series, was especially noteworthy. Since Arsenal's 2-0 win there on March 13, 2013, Bayern have won each of their 14 home games (with an aggregate score of 47-7) and that Arsenal defeat remains their only loss in their last 27 home fixtures.

During the run of 12 away wins, Arsenal also played four away pre-season friendlies, which all ended in victory, and one friendly on neutral ground, which was a 3-1 victory over Manchester City.

* = won on penalties

Arsenal used 32 different players during the run, though eight of them appeared just once.

Per Mertesacker played more than anyone else, he starred in 11 of the 12 matches (missing just Sunderland away this season) and was on the pitch for 1,000 minutes in all (90 per cent of the total). Aaron Ramsey also only missed one game - the Capital One Cup victory on penalties against West Brom.

Ramsey was the top scorer in the run. He claimed five of the 23 goals (all scored this season) and was one of 12 different players to find the net in that time.

Although Arsenal's winning run came to an end at the weekend, the team continued the sequence of scoring in away games, which now stretches back to November 2012 - the goalless draw at Aston Villa. That means the Gunners have found the net at least once in each of the past 24 away games, and opened the scoring in 18 of those matches.

By beating Swansea on September 28, Arsenal also equalled the Club record for consecutive away wins in league football (eight), matching the feat of the 2001/02 season, when Arsenal triumphed in each of the last eight games on the road en route to the Premier League title.

Only Chelsea have won more consecutive away games in Premier League history.

Arsenal's run in 2002 began in January with a 3-1 win at Leicester City's Filbert Street, and ended four months later at Old Trafford, when Sylvain Wiltord's second-half strike gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over Manchester United to clinch the title.

Other memorable games in that sequence included the 2-0 win at St James' Park in which Dennis Bergkamp scored one of his best-ever goals, and the 2-1 win at Villa Park a fortnight later which featured a stunning lob from Robert Pires.

The eight-game sequence also confirmed an unbeaten away campaign for Arsenal in the Premier League that season - becoming the first team ever to achieve such a feat. In fact it's only been managed once more since then - also by the Gunners in 2003/04.

Already this season 17 of the 20 Premier League teams have lost an away game (Arsenal, Liverpool and West Brom being the exceptions).

It could certainly be argued that it was Arsenal's away form which won them the league in 2002. It remains the only Premier League season in which the Club's away record was superior to the home record.

The only other times the side has reached 40 away points in a league season were in 1988/89 and 2003/04 - which were also title-winning campaigns.

So an impressive away record is clearly vital to a team's chances of success, and it's therefore worth noting that since the start of last season Arsenal have gained more points on the road in the Premier League (45) than at home (44). The away form has also been better than the home form in the Champions League over that same period.

Since the Premier League began in 1992/93, Arsenal have taken 43.2 per cent of their points away from home, and last season was the highest ratio of away points (47.9 per cent) since the 2001/02 season.

Expanding the stats to games in all competitions though, this season's record smashes the Club's previous best effort, of six consecutive away wins.

This was last achieved towards the end of the 1997/98 Double-winning season, and also included a victory on penalties, in the FA Cup against West Ham. Incidentally, results after penalty shoot-outs are counted as either victories or defeats in official club records, when the match was a one-off fixture or replay. Where penalties (or away goals) were needed after a two-legged tie, the two match results are recorded.

That run in 1998 included the pivotal 1-0 win at Old Trafford as Arsenal stormed to the title with an excellent late run. There was also a win on neutral territory - against Wolves in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park - sandwiched among the away victories.

* = won on penalties

With thanks to Opta. Stats correct as at October 9, 2013.