Head and shoulders: How Arsenal became the kings of set pieces

League leaders have scored a glut of goals from dead balls this season – and they may be about to master throw-ins too

24 Jan 2026 - THE GUARDIAN / Sport

Niall Mcveigh

Set pieces are dominating the Premier League this season, with almost 30% of goals coming from corners, free-kicks, penalties or long throws. The leaders, Arsenal, are kings of the dead ball, scoring 17 of their 40 league goals from set pieces (including penalties). But what makes Mikel Arteta’s side so effective in these areas, and what can opponents do to stop them? The data provides some answers.

Rice and Saka in the swing

Arsenal have scored 19 goals from corners in all competitions this season. Much of the credit for that goes to their primary corner takers, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. Taking corners from the left with his right foot, Rice has created eight goals, compared with five from Saka, who offers left-foot deliveries from the right. The vast majority of Arsenal’s corners (81%) are in-swinging, and statistically more likely to lead to a goal than outswinging deliveries. Arteta learned the ropes under Pep Guardiola, but whereas the Manchester City manager has generally favoured out-swinging or short corners to maintain possession, his former assistant has opted for a more aggressive stance.

Getting it in the mixer …

Arsenal’s use of set pieces is grounded in old-school methods. There is nothing particularly sophisticated about the pattern of corner deliveries; about three-quarters are aimed squarely at the six-yard box. While not a giant side – they are 15th in the league in terms of average height – Arsenal have assembled a fleet of tall, imposing defensive players. At least three of Arteta’s back four are usually involved at corners, with William Saliba often tasked with disrupting the goalkeeper – as he did successfully for the winning goal at Old Trafford in August, scored by Riccardo Calafiori. The then United manager, Ruben Amorim, took issue, claiming Arsenal are “allowed to do a lot of things at the corners – we need to do the same”.

… but also mixing it up

While launching balls directly towards leaping centre-backs is an effective strategy, some variety is needed to keep it that way. Arsenal’s set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, curates the finer details. The system is not reliant on Rice and Saka – Martin Ødegaard, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke have created goals from corners this season – and whoever delivers dead balls into the six-yard box is encouraged to mix things up. There is a fairly even spread between deliveries into the middle (37%), near post (23%) and far post (15%) – even more so in terms of where the goals are scored (10 central, eight at the near post, and six at the far post).

Heavy rotation

While the defining image of Arsenal’s set-piece domination may be Gabriel Magalhães towering over defenders at the far post, the league leaders are not reliant on any one player to finish the job. Gabriel has four goals from dead balls this season but 11 of his teammates have scored from a set piece, including free-kicks and penalties. This also points to another factor: Arsenal players’ movement off the ball. A group of three players will usually make a run from the far post across the six-yard box, creating confusion over where the ball will end up. One such example came in the Champions League win over Bayern Munich, with Jurriën Timber heading home after making that run.

Controlled chaos

By shifting players’ starting positions, pressuring the goalkeeper and varying the direction of deliveries, Arsenal can create a level of chaos that is advantageous. Arteta’s side have scored seven goals from a knock-down, flick-on or goalmouth scramble after a set piece. Leandro Trossard’s winner at Fulham was created by Gabriel flicking Saka’s delivery to the far post, where the Belgian was unmarked. Trossard turned provider in this week’s victory over Inter: his header aimed back across goal struck the bar and fell for Gabriel Jesus to score. The panic that Arsenal create in defences has also led to two converted penalties and four own goals, with the Wolves keeper Sam Johnstone and Brighton’s Giorginio Rutter finding their heads scrambled in matches at the Emirates Stadium last month.

Counter balance

Arsenal’s aggressive approach to set pieces should, in theory, leave the defence exposed to counterattacks, with both centre-backs and a fullback usually deep in the opposing area. Arsenal have avoided that, conceding only 14 league goals all season – with only Erling Haaland’s opener at the Emirates a definitive counterattacking goal. At corners, Arsenal’s opponents crowd the box to try to counter the danger, reducing their chances of breaking away. If they do get the ball upfield, they come up against one of the league’s hardest-running sides – tracking back with speed and cohesion even when 2-0 up in stoppage time.

In Europe, Paris Saint-Germain found some success defending Arsenal corners by intentionally leaving players upfield rather than bunkering down. It’s a risky approach, but one that Premier League sides may have to take to find a flaw in this finely tuned goalscoring machine. It could be about to get even worse for opposing defences, too. Arteta’s squad are working with a long-throw specialist, Thomas Grønnemark, to add another dimension to their set-piece prowess.