Last Sunday’s loss at Stamford Bridge left Arsenal top of the table - the ‘penalties conceded’ table that is. Laurent Koscielny’s desperate dangled leg saw Eden Hazard tumble over and finish the resulting spot kick. Since Koscielny’s arrival at The Emirates in August 2010, himself and teammate Wojciech Szczesny have given away 13 penalties in the Premier League between them. This statistic results in the pair leading the way as the top two players to have conceded penalties within that time, with Koscielny on seven and Szczesny just in behind on six.

Below is a list of the penalties committed by the duo:

Laurent Koscielny:

  1. 29.12.10 Wigan Athletic (A)
  2. 05.02.11 Newcastle United (A)
  3. 13.01.13 Manchester City (H)
  4. 17.08.13 Aston Villa (H)
  5. 14.09.13 Sunderland (A)
  6. 01.03.14 Stoke (A)
  7. 05.10.14 Chelsea (A)

Wojciech Szczesny:

  1. 20.04.11 Tottenham Hotspur (A)
  2. 26.02.12 Tottenham Hotspur (H)
  3. 03.03.12 Liverpool (A)
  4. 20.01.13 Chelsea (A)
  5. 17.08.13 Aston Villa (H)
  6. 14.12.13 Manchester City (A)

Of these penalties two directly resulted in Arsenal dropping points (Tottenham Away & Stoke Away), another five contributed to an Arsenal loss and another (Newcastle Away) was one of two penalties conceded in the game as Arsenal dropped an unlikely two points from a 4-0 winning position. Three of the 13 penalties were saved by Szczesny, although one of the three, (Aston Villa Home) was scored off the rebounded save. Only one of the fouls committed resulted in a sending off as Laurent Koscielny was dismissed early against Manchester City at The Emirates and although the dismissal did not help Arsenal’s chances within the game, the penalty was one of the three Wojciech Szczesny has saved.

Laurent Koscielny has spoken during the week about his unwanted statistic and attempted to make light of the situation, stating “It is true that I have conceded many penalties. I do not know if the Guinness Book of Records has that kind of record” and “I have played about 200 games, and conceded eight penalties for Arsenal and the French team. If I could concede penalty kicks when the score is 4-0, it would be better for sure, but we don’t choose." Perhaps Laurent forgot that he has conceded a penalty when Arsenal have been 4-0 up and whilst he can’t be solely blamed, it did contribute to Newcastle scoring four second half goals in reply.

The two players are infamous for their mix up in the 2011 Carling Cup Final which allowed Obafemi Martins to snatch a late Birmingham City winner, but have since established themselves as two key members of the Arsenal setup. Koscielny has progressed into the French National team and Szczesny has become Arsenal’s undoubted 'Number One' over the past couple of seasons, although summer signing David Ospina will be hot on his heels this campaign.

Answers as to why the pair have committed a table-topping amount of penalties could lie in the manner of Arsenal’s offensive style and that needless or desperate challenges occur defensively due to an exposed back line. It could also lie in the over-zealous nature that both players possess on occasions, but whatever the answer for the number of penalties conceded, Arsenal will not want to find themselves continuing to lead this statistic much longer.