It's a scoreline we know well at Arsenal. 

One goal is so often enough to claim all three points, and it has helped take us to Premier League titles throughout our history.

Since the arrival of Mikel Arteta as our boss, we've shown an ability to get over the line and take victory after victory.

After our 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest in October 2026, we've taken a closer look at how good we've become at winning by a single goal.

FINDING A WAY

Champions find ways to win football matches.

Mikel Arteta has often spoken about earning the right to win matches and just how competitive the Premier League is. 

That means games are often settled by the odd goal, and under the Spaniard, we've made a habit of that over the past seven years.

Since his arrival, no manager has collected more 1-0 victories than Mikel, with 32 in his first 255 Premier League games, five more than Pep Guardiola, second on the list.

While Mikel has picked up 32 wins by 1-0, he won only one Premier League match by that margin in his first season in charge: a 1-0 victory over West Ham United in March 2020.

It comes as no surprise that the season with our highest number of 1-0 wins was 2025/26, which saw us win eight of our 26 matches by that scoreline to help us secure our first Premier League title in 22 years. 

MAKING GAINS

So how does Mikel Arteta compare to the rest?

Given their longevity, Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are the top two managers with the most 1-0 wins. The former Man United boss has 104 1-0 wins, with Arsene behind on 89.

Mikel sits 16th on the all-time list, three behind former Arsenal manager George Graham's Premier League tally.

However, Mikel is much closer to the top when you look at the percentage of 1-0 victories in his managerial career.

For managers with over 100 games in charge, Mikel ranks sixth on the all-time list, with 12.5% of all his matches ending 1-0.

ONE-GOAL MARGINS

Finding a way to win doesn't just mean 1-0s. 

Matches often hang on a knife-edge at 1-1, 2-2, or 3-3 before a winner emerges. 

One-goal margins have been our forte under Mikel, picking up 63 victories by a one-goal margin across his first 255 Premier League games in charge.

No manager has had more, with Mikel 13 clear of former Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

In 2025/26, 14 of our 26 Premier League wins were by a single goal, the highest by a champion since Liverpool's 2019/20 side produced 14 one-goal wins. 

The last time a champion had more one-goal wins was in 2012/13, when Manchester United won 16 matches by a single goal, a joint record with their 2008/09 success.

Arteta finds himself in the top five Premier League managers for highest percentage of one-goal wins. Almost 26 per cent of all victories have been won by a single effort. Former boss Unai Emery sits top, on 27.4 per cent.

*Statistics, courtesy of OPTA, correct as of October 20, 2026.