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2004–05 Arsenal F.C. season

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Arsenal
2004–05 season
ChairmanPeter Hill-Wood
ManagerArsène Wenger
StadiumHighbury
Premier League2nd
FA CupWinners
League CupQuarter-finals
FA Community ShieldWinners
UEFA Champions LeagueRound of 16
Top goalscorerLeague: Thierry Henry (25)
All: Thierry Henry (30)
Highest home attendance38,164 vs Manchester United
(1 February 2005)
Lowest home attendance27,791 vs Everton
(9 November 2004)
Average home league attendance37,979
(in all competitions)[1]

The 2004–05 season was Arsenal Football Club's 13th season in the Premier League and their 79th consecutive season in the top flight of English football.[2][3] The club ended the campaign as FA Cup winners, but failed to retain their Premier League title as they finished second to Chelsea. In the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal made an exit in the knockout stages to Bayern Munich.

In the transfer window Arsenal purchased goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, who initially served a backup to Jens Lehmann, and midfielder Mathieu Flamini. The club kept hold of its captain Patrick Vieira after much transfer speculation over his expected move to Real Madrid. Several players left Arsenal before the campaign got under way; defender Martin Keown left to play for Leicester City, Ray Parlour joined Middlesbrough while Sylvain Wiltord signed for Lyon.

Arsenal began the season in good form and equalled Nottingham Forest's unbeaten league run of 42 matches against Middlesbrough. The team set a new English division record and went a further seven games unbeaten before losing to Manchester United in controversial circumstances. Arsenal's form suffered as a result and defensive shortcomings became more apparent; two draws and a defeat in November reinforced Chelsea's position at the top of the table, where they remained for the rest of the season. At home to Crystal Palace in February 2005, Wenger named an Arsenal squad with no English players – a first in the club's history which attracted criticism from the media. The team ended the season strongly, with a run of eight wins from nine games ensuring a second-place finish. 32 different players represented the club in five competitions and there were 15 different goalscorers. Arsenal's top goalscorer was Thierry Henry, who scored 30 goals in 42 games.

Background

[edit]
See also: 2003–04 Arsenal F.C. season

Arsenal ended the previous season as league champions, becoming the first side since Preston North End 115 years earlier to do so undefeated.[4] They completed their historic league campaign with 26 wins, 12 draws and 90 points.[5]

By the end of January 2004, Arsenal were still in the hunt for all four trophies, but suffered setbacks in each of the cup competitions; they were unable to retain the FA Cup, losing out to eventual winners Manchester United in the semi-finals and days later were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea in the quarter-finals.[6] They exited the League Cup after a defeat to Middlesbrough in early February.[7]

Transfers

[edit]

In

No. Position Player Transferred from Fee Date Ref
11 FW Robin van Persie Feyenoord £2,750,000 1 July 2004 [8]
24 GK Manuel Almunia Celta Vigo Undisclosed 14 July 2004 [9]
16 MF Mathieu Flamini Marseille Undisclosed 22 July 2004 [10]
27 DF Emmanuel Eboué Beveren £1,500,000 7 January 2005 [11]

Out

No. Position Player Transferred to Fee Date Ref
5 DF Martin Keown Leicester City Free 20 July 2004 [12]
15 MF Ray Parlour Middlesbrough Free 23 July 2004 [13]
25 FW Nwankwo Kanu West Bromwich Albion Free 30 July 2004 [14]
29 FW Francis Jeffers Charlton Athletic £2,600,000 10 August 2004 [15]
11 FW Sylvain Wiltord Lyon Free 31 August 2004 [16]
MF John Spicer AFC Bournemouth £10,000 17 December 2004 [17]
DF Dominic Shimmin Queens Park Rangers Undisclosed 24 March 2005 [18]
GK Chris Wright Boston United Undisclosed 29 May 2005 [19]

Pre-season

[edit]
17 July 2004 Friendly Barnet 1–10 Arsenal London
Reyes 19', 21', 42'
Van Persie 29'
Bergkamp 44', 67'
Jeffers 53', 55', 64'
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie 70'		 Stadium: Underhill Stadium
Attendance: 4,674
22 July 2004 Friendly Maribor 2–3 Arsenal Maribor
Bergkamp 4'
Aliadière 17'
Van Persie 84'		 Stadium: Ljudski vrt
Attendance: 5,000
24 July 2004 Friendly Grazer AK 1–2 Arsenal Graz
Bergkamp 6'
Van Persie 57'		 Stadium: UPC-Arena
28 July 2004 Friendly Sturm Graz 0–2 Arsenal Graz
Reyes 30' (pen.)
Jeffers 74'		 Stadium: UPC-Arena
Attendance: 5,000
30 July 2004 Amsterdam Tournament River Plate 0–0 Arsenal Amsterdam
Stadium: Amsterdam Arena
Attendance: 20,000
1 August 2004 Amsterdam Tournament Ajax 0–0 Arsenal Amsterdam
Stadium: Amsterdam Arena
Attendance: 52,000
3 August 2004 Friendly Boreham Wood 1–1 Arsenal Borehamwood
Stokes 47' Stadium: Meadow Park
Attendance: 5,000
4 August 2004 Friendly Beveren 0–0 Arsenal Beveren
Stadium: Freethiel Stadion

FA Community Shield

[edit]
Main article: 2004 FA Community Shield

The 2004 edition of the FA Community Shield, was contested between Manchester United and Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium on 8 August. Cesc Fàbregas started alongside Gilberto Silva in midfield for Arsenal as Vieira was absent, while Thierry Henry partnered Dennis Bergkamp up front.[20] After a goalless first half, Arsenal took the lead when Gilberto scored in the 50th minute. Manchester United equalised through Alan Smith five minutes after, but José Antonio Reyes restored Arsenal's advantage two minutes before the hour mark. Mikaël Silvestre scored an own goal 11 minutes before the end to give Arsenal a 3–1 victory.[21] Wenger praised Fàbregas's performance after the match, describing the midfielder as a "complete player" and reiterated his desire to keep Vieira.[22]

Premier League

[edit]
Main article: 2004–05 FA Premier League

A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2004–05 season. Each team played 38 matches; two against every other team and one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top two teams qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League; teams in third and fourth needed to play a qualifier.[23] The provisional fixture list was released on 24 June 2004, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, international football, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage.[24]

August–October

[edit]
Goalmouth action at Highbury, where Arsenal played Blackburn Rovers in August 2004.

Arsenal began their defence of the league title against Everton on 15 August 2004. Fàbregas was named in the first eleven; at 17 years 103 days he became the club's youngest ever Premier League player.[25] It was Bergkamp on his 500th league appearance who opened the scoring for Arsenal and Reyes made it 2–0, heading the ball in from Freddie Ljungberg's cross.[25][26] Ljungberg added a third goal in the second half and in spite of the team conceding moments after, Robert Pires scored Arsenal's fourth in the 83rd minute.[25] Shortly before the kick-off at home to Middlesbrough the following weekend, the club was presented a golden replica of the Premier League trophy, to commemorate their unbeaten season. In the match, Henry gave Arsenal the lead, which was cancelled out before half time by Joseph-Désiré Job's goal-bound effort.[27] Four minutes after the interval, Franck Queudrue exploited an error from defender Pascal Cygan and in turn passed the ball to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who "finish[ed] with perfect brutality".[27] Queudrue scored to put Middlesbrough 3–1 up in the 53rd minute, but Bergkamp replied with a goal for Arsenal a minute later. The home team completed the comeback with further goals by Reyes, Pires and Henry. Wenger afterwards admitted Arsenal's defending was poor, but said their attacking threat made up for their deficiencies.[27] The 5–3 win meant Arsenal equalled Nottingham Forest's record of 42 league matches undefeated.[27] Three days later, the team beat Blackburn Rovers 3–0 to set a new record.[28] Arsenal at the end of the month travelled to Norwich City, where three first half goals set the team on the way to a 4–1 victory.[29] The win ended Norwich's eight-month undefeated record at Carrow Road.[29]

Due to international fixtures, Arsenal did not play another game for two weeks. On the resumption of club football, they travelled across London to face Fulham. Vieira made his return to the first team in place of Fàbregas.[30] Fulham was awarded a penalty in the first half, after Ashley Cole brought down striker Andy Cole in the penalty area. Referee Mark Halsey however changed his mind after protests from the Arsenal players and a consultation with his assistant; the game was restarted with a dropped-ball. Arsenal scored three times in the second half and ended the weekend of 6 September 2004 top of the league table, two points clear of second place Chelsea.[31][32] The league champions dropped their first points of the season at home to Bolton Wanderers.[33] At the City of Manchester Stadium on 25 September 2004, a goal by Cole earned Arsenal a 1–0 win against Manchester City. Journalist Russell Thomas, writing for The Guardian, commented on Arsenal's fatigue during the second half and opined that the team needed to keep their focus against sterner opposition.[34]

Arsenal beat Charlton Athletic in early October to extend their unbeaten run to 48 league matches. Charlton manager Alan Curbishley said of his opponents: "The gulf between Arsenal and the rest of the Premier League means that the rest have got it all to do to try and stop them, and I'm including the big three or four."[35] Two goals from Pires and one from Henry ensured a 3–1 win against Aston Villa, who had led the game early on. Attention soon turned to Arsenal's trip to face Manchester United. The champions were looking to go half a century of league games unbeaten, whereas the home team – in transition, attempted to push on for a title challenge.[36] The game saw many late aggressive tackles made by United players go unpunished and later in the match, an attempted challenge by Sol Campbell on Wayne Rooney earned Manchester United a controversial penalty, converted by Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 73rd minute. Rooney then scored United's second goal of the match to end Arsenal's unbeaten run on 49 games.[37] Tempers boiled over in the players' tunnel, where pizza was thrown at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.[38] When speaking to the media, a distraught Wenger told reporters that Rooney dived to win the penalty and criticised the refereeing performance of Mike Riley. He was later found guilty of insinuating that Van Nistelrooy was a cheat, and fined £15,000 by the FA.[39]

The final match of October was against Southampton at Highbury. Henry who missed a penalty early on, scored to put Arsenal in front in the 67th minute. Southampton replied with two goals from Rory Delap, but Van Persie in stoppage time equalised for the home team with a curling shot.[40] The draw meant Arsenal stood in first position and had accumulated 26 points. The team were level on points with Chelsea, with a marginally better goal difference.[41]

November–December

[edit]

For the second league game in succession, Arsenal dropped two points. The team drew 1–1 at Crystal Palace on 6 November 2004, which meant Chelsea overtook them in first position.[42][43] Wenger rued Arsenal's inability to hold onto leads in matches and admitted the fluency had disappeared in their football, possibly because of the manner in which they lost the unbeaten record.[42] A week later Arsenal faced Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. It was Tottenham who began the match the better of the two teams and took the lead after 36 minutes when Noureddine Naybet scored. Henry equalised for Arsenal moments before half-time, and the champions went in front after Lauren converted a penalty. Vieira scored on the hour mark to make it 3–1, before Jermain Defoe replied for Tottenham instantly with a "wonderful, dipping finish into the top corner".[44] Fàbregas created Arsenal's fourth goal, scored by Ljungberg. In the final 16 minutes Tottenham scored twice and Arsenal once; the final score was 5–4, making it the highest scoring North London derby.[44][45] Arsenal's defending was ridiculed by Chelsea manager José Mourinho, who told reporters, "Five-four is a hockey score, not a football score."[46]

"I do not think there is too much wrong but when you lose the errors are highlighted. I won't be making any major changes."

Arsène Wenger after Arsenal's defeat to Liverpool, 28 November 2004.[47]

Arsenal only managed a draw against West Bromwich Albion on 20 November 2004; Robert Earnshaw's goal with 11 minutes remaining of normal time cancelled out Pires' opener.[48] Arsenal lost their final match of November, away to Liverpool at Anfield. Vieira finished off a one-touch move to equalise for Arsenal – who were behind in the first half – but Neil Mellor scored the winning goal of the game, shooting from long range.[49] Football pundit Alan Hansen in his analysis on Match of the Day criticised the temperament of Arsenal's players and questioned their desire: "When you have success, sometimes it isn't there and you have to dig in with great determination and hard work, and at the moment they are not doing that. When you look at their two big players, Henry and Vieira, [you think they] must do better in future."[50] Arsenal ended the month in second, five points behind leaders Chelsea.[51]

Henry scored two late goals in Arsenal's victory over Birmingham City on 4 December 2004. Wenger replaced Lehmann in goal with Almunia, who made his league debut.[52] Arsenal then faced league leaders Chelsea at Highbury; with Vieira suspended and Gilberto and Edu injured, Wenger picked Flamini to partner Fabregas in midfield.[53][54] The first chance of the match went to Henry, who scored inside 75 seconds. John Terry levelled the score, but Henry restored Arsenal's lead from a contentious free-kick – Graham Poll allowed the striker to take it quickly without warning the Chelsea players.[55] Eiður Guðjohnsen equalised early in the second half for Chelsea, and late on Henry missed a chance to score a hat-trick. There were no further goals and the match ended 2–2, meaning Chelsea remained five points clear of Arsenal.[56] Wenger said he was disappointed in the manner his team conceded to Chelsea – from two set pieces, but added, "I thought we did really well, and it was important for us to come back to the level we want to be at."[57]

Arsenal won their remaining games in December and conceded no goals. They beat Portsmouth courtesy of a Campbell goal in the second half, and on Boxing Day defeated Fulham by two goals.[58][59] Vieira scored the winning goal against Newcastle United, a volley that deflected over goalkeeper Shay Given.[60] After 20 games, Arsenal accumulated 44 points and lay second in the league table.[61]

January–February

[edit]

On New Year's Day, Ljungberg scored two goals in Arsenal's 3–1 win against Charlton Athletic.[62] The team four days later drew at home to Manchester City.[63] Arsenal lost further ground to Chelsea after defeat to Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.[64] Wenger conceded that Chelsea were favourites to win the league because of their point advantage, but added: "We will keep going and fight until the last minute of the championship."[65] Arsenal ended January with a 1–0 home win against Newcastle United. Wenger made four changes from the Bolton defeat, with Bergkamp the match scorer coming in place of Van Persie.[66]

The first night of February saw Arsenal host Manchester United at Highbury. In the tunnel before the match Roy Keane was seen confronting Vieira; the United captain accused him of intimidating his teammate Gary Neville.[67] Vieira scored after eight minutes, but Giggs equalised for Manchester United 10 minutes later. Bergkamp restored Arsenal's advantage nine minutes before half time, but two goals by Cristiano Ronaldo and one by John O'Shea in the second half gave United a 4–2 win.[68] It was Arsenal's fourth league defeat of the season and moved them down to third spot, overtaken by their opponents. Wenger ruled his team out of the title race and refused to blame Almunia for his error in Ronaldo's first goal.[69] The goalkeeper was dropped in Arsenal's next game, away to Aston Villa. Three first half goals by Ljungberg, Henry and Cole gave Arsenal a comfortable win.[70]

For the match against Crystal Palace on 14 February 2005, Wenger named an Arsenal squad that did not feature a single British player – a first in the club's history. The team did not get off to the best of starts with Lehmann miskicking a back pass and Vieira losing possession routinely, but grew as the game went on and scored three goals in seven minutes. On his 200th league appearance, Henry scored in either half, with the result 5–1 to Arsenal. The result was somewhat overshadowed by the foreign makeup of the team; former player Paul Merson called it a "joke"[71] and PFA chairman Gordon Taylor noted it was a "worrying pattern for English football".[72] When asked about his team selections, Wenger said: "I don't look at the passport of people, I look at their quality and their attitude."[73]

Arsenal only earned a point at Southampton, where Van Persie was sent off for a late challenge on Graeme Le Saux.[74] The team remained in third at the end of February, four points behind Manchester United and 10 behind leaders Chelsea, who played a game less than both challengers.[75]

March–May

[edit]

Arsenal's form improved as the season drew to a close. At home to Portsmouth on 5 March 2005, the team earned three points courtesy of Henry's hat-trick.[76] Van Persie scored the only goal in Arsenal's match against Blackburn Rovers and the team moved back to second position with a home win against Norwich City – Henry scored another hat-trick.[77][78] A week later Pires' goal was enough for Arsenal to beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium and win their fourth consecutive match.[79] The team then played out a goalless draw against Chelsea, who were on course to become champions; Wenger congratulated his opponents on their season and felt Arsenal needed to score first so that they could "force them to come out from the back."[80]

Arsenal defeated Tottenham 1–0 on 25 April 2005, which meant Chelsea needed to wait on Saturday in order to mathematically win the title.[81] Second position was the best Arsenal could aim for by the time they faced West Bromwich Albion on 2 May 2005. Goals from Van Persie and Edu earned a 2–0 win for the team and Arsenal beat Champions League finalists Liverpool at Highbury to all-but secure second spot.[82][83] Arsenal recorded the biggest win of the league season, against Everton at Highbury. An inspired performance by Bergkamp helped the team win 7–0; he created the opening two goals and scored in the second half.[84] Arsenal lost their final game of the campaign, away to Birmingham City. It was a lacklustre performance by the visitors, who equalised through Bergkamp after going a goal behind, but conceded in the 90th minute.[85]

Matches

[edit]
15 August 2004 1 Everton 1–4 Arsenal Liverpool
14:00 BST Carsley Yellow card 37', 64'
Osman Yellow card 43'		 Report Bergkamp 23'
Reyes 39'
Cole Yellow card 53'
Ljungberg 54'
Pires 83'		 Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 35,521
Referee: Mike Riley
22 August 2004 2 Arsenal 5–3 Middlesbrough London
16:05 BST Henry 25', 90'
Bergkamp 54'
Pires 65'
Reyes 65'		 Report Job 43'
Hasselbaink 50'
Queudrue 53'		 Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 37,415
Referee: S Dunn
25 August 2004 3 Arsenal 3–0 Blackburn Rovers London
19:45 BST Henry 50'
Fàbregas 58'
Reyes 79'		 Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 37,496
Referee: Neale Barry
28 August 2004 4 Norwich City 1–4 Arsenal Norwich
17:15 BST Huckerby 50' (pen.) Report Reyes 22'
Henry 36'
Pires 40'
Bergkamp 90+3'		 Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 23,944
Referee: Graham Poll
11 September 2004 5 Fulham 0–3 Arsenal London
15:00 BST Report Ljungberg 62'
Knight 65' (o.g.)
Reyes 71'		 Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 21,681
Referee: Mark Halsey
18 September 2004 6 Arsenal 2–2 Bolton Wanderers London
12:45 BST Henry 31'
Pires 66'		 Report Jaïdi 63'
Pedersen 85'		 Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 37,010
Referee: Phil Dowd
25 September 2004 7 Manchester City 0–1 Arsenal Manchester
15:00 BST Report Cole 14' Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
Attendance: 47,015
Referee: Neale Barry
2 October 2004 8 Arsenal 4–0 Charlton Athletic London
15:00 BST Ljungberg 33'
Henry 48', 69'
Reyes 70'		 Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,103
Referee: Mike Dean
16 October 2004 9 Arsenal 3–1 Aston Villa London
15:00 BST Pires 19' (pen.), 72'
Henry 45+1'		 Report Hendrie 3' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,137
Referee: Graham Poll
24 October 2004 10 Manchester United 2–0 Arsenal Manchester
16:05 BST G. Neville Yellow card 36'
P. Neville Yellow card 38'
Van Nistelrooy 73' (pen.)
Rooney 90+3'		 Report Cole Yellow card 35'
Vieira Yellow card 75'
Edu Yellow card 79'		 Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 67,862
Referee: Mike Riley
30 October 2004 11 Arsenal 2–2 Southampton London
15:00 BST Henry 67'
Van Persie 90+2'		 Report Delap 80', 85' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,141
Referee: Matt Messias
6 November 2004 12 Crystal Palace 1–1 Arsenal London
17:15 GMT Riihilahti 65' Report Henry 63' Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 26,193
Referee: Mike Dean
13 November 2004 13 Tottenham Hotspur 4–5 Arsenal London
12:00 GMT Naybet 37'
Defoe 61'
King 74'
Kanouté 88'		 Report Henry 45+1'
Lauren 55' (pen.)
Vieira 60'
Ljungberg 69'
Pires 81'		 Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 36,095
Referee: Steve Bennett
20 November 2004 14 Arsenal 1–1 West Bromwich Albion London
15:00 GMT Pires 54' Report Earnshaw 79' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,109
Referee: Howard Webb
28 November 2004 15 Liverpool 2–1 Arsenal Liverpool
16:05 GMT Alonso 41'
Mellor 90+2'		 Report Vieira 56' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,730
Referee: Alan Wiley
4 December 2004 16 Arsenal 3–0 Birmingham City London
15:00 GMT Pires 33'
Henry 80', 86'		 Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,064
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
12 December 2004 17 Arsenal 2–2 Chelsea London
16:05 GMT Henry 2', 29' Report Terry 17'
Guðjohnsen 46'		 Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,153
Referee: Graham Poll
19 December 2004 18 Portsmouth 0–1 Arsenal Portsmouth
16:05 GMT Report Campbell 75' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,170
Referee: Howard Webb
26 December 2004 19 Arsenal 2–0 Fulham London
13:00 GMT Henry 12'
Pires 71'		 Report Stadium: Highbury
Referee: Barry Knight
29 December 2004 20 Newcastle United 0–1 Arsenal Newcastle upon Tyne
20:00 GMT Report Vieira 45+1' Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 52,320
Referee: Steve Bennett
1 January 2005 21 Charlton Athletic 1–3 Arsenal London
15:00 GMT El Karkouri 45' Report Ljungberg 35', 48'
Van Persie 67'		 Stadium: The Valley
Referee: Mark Halsey
4 January 2005 22 Arsenal 1–1 Manchester City London
19:45 GMT Ljungberg 75' Report Wright-Phillips 31' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,086
Referee: Rob Styles
15 January 2005 23 Bolton Wanderers 1–0 Arsenal Bolton
17:15 GMT Giannakopoulos 41' Report Stadium: Reebok Stadium
Attendance: 27,514
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
23 January 2005 24 Arsenal 1–0 Newcastle United London
16:05 GMT Bergkamp 19' Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,137
Referee: Steve Dunn
1 February 2005 25 Arsenal 2–4 Manchester United London
20:00 GMT Vieira 8'
Bergkamp 36'		 Report Giggs 18'
Ronaldo 54', 58'
Silvestre Red card 69'
O'Shea 89'		 Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,164
Referee: Graham Poll
5 February 2005 26 Aston Villa 1–3 Arsenal Birmingham
17:15 GMT Ángel 74' Report Ljungberg 10'
Henry 14'
Cole 28'		 Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 42,593
Referee: Steve Bennett
14 February 2005 27 Arsenal 5–1 Crystal Palace London
20:00 GMT Bergkamp 32'
Reyes 35'
Henry 39', 77'
Vieira 54'		 Report A. Johnson 63' (pen.) Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,056
Referee: Rob Styles
26 February 2005 28 Southampton 1–1 Arsenal Southampton
12:45 GMT Prutton Yellow card 35' Yellow-red card 45'
Crouch 67'		 Report Ljungberg 45+4'
Van Persie Red card 52'		 Stadium: St Mary's Stadium
Attendance: 31,815
Referee: Alan Wiley
5 March 2005 29 Arsenal 3–0 Portsmouth London
15:00 GMT Henry 39', 53', 85' Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,079
Referee: Chris Foy
19 March 2005 30 Blackburn Rovers 0–1 Arsenal Blackburn
12:45 GMT Report Van Persie 43' Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 22,992
Referee: Graham Poll
2 April 2005 31 Arsenal 4–1 Norwich City London
15:00 BST Henry 19', 22', 66'
Ljungberg 50'		 Report Huckerby 30' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,066
Referee: Alan Wiley
9 April 2005 32 Middlesbrough 0–1 Arsenal Middlesbrough
15:00 BST Report Pires 73' Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 33,874
Referee: Phil Dowd
20 April 2005 33 Chelsea 0–0 Arsenal London
20:00 BST Report Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 41,621
Referee: Steve Bennett
25 April 2005 34 Arsenal 1–0 Tottenham Hotspur London
20:00 BST Reyes 22' Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,147
Referee: Mike Riley
2 May 2005 35 West Bromwich Albion 0–2 Arsenal West Bromwich
20:00 BST Report Van Persie 66'
Edu 90+2'		 Stadium: The Hawthorns
Attendance: 27,351
Referee: Neale Barry
8 May 2005 36 Arsenal 3–1 Liverpool London
16:05 BST Pires 25'
Reyes 29'
Fàbregas 90+4'		 Report Gerrard 51' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,119
Referee: Graham Poll
11 May 2005 37 Arsenal 7–0 Everton London
20:00 BST Van Persie 8'
Pires 12', 50'
Vieira 37'
Edu 70' (pen.)
Bergkamp 77'
Flamini 85'		 Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,073
Referee: Alan Wiley
15 May 2005 38 Birmingham City 2–1 Arsenal Birmingham
15:00 BST Pandiani 80'
Heskey 90'		 Report Bergkamp 88' Stadium: St. Andrew's
Attendance: 29,302
Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Classification

[edit]
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Chelsea (C) 38 29 8 1 72 15 +57 95 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Arsenal 38 25 8 5 87 36 +51 83
3 Manchester United 38 22 11 5 58 26 +32 77 Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round
4 Everton 38 18 7 13 45 46 −1 61
5 Liverpool 38 17 7 14 52 41 +11 58 Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round[a]
Source: [87]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ Although they failed to qualify for the Champions League as one of the top four English clubs, Liverpool were given a special dispensation to compete as the defending champions. They were, however, forced to enter in the first qualifying round.[86]


Results summary

[edit]
Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 25 8 5 87 36  +51 83 13 5 1 54 19  +35 12 3 4 33 17  +16

Source: [88]

Results by round

[edit]
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
ResultWWWWWDWWWLDDWDLWDWWWWDLWLWWDWWWWDWWWWL
Position11111111111222223222222233333322222222
Source: [89]
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

[edit]
Main article: 2004–05 FA Cup

Arsenal entered the competition in the third round, by virtue of their Premier League status. Their opening match was a home tie against Stoke City. The visitors took the lead just before the break, but goals from Reyes and Van Persie in the second half meant Arsenal won 2–1.[90] They then faced Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in the next round; a goal apiece from Vieira and Ljungberg secured a comfortable 2–0 victory.[91]

Arsenal's opponent in the fifth round was Sheffield United. After 35 minutes Bergkamp was sent off for his apparent push on Cullip. With eleven minutes of normal time remaining, Robert Pires scored for Arsenal, but the team conceded a late penalty which Andy Gray converted.[92] The equaliser for Sheffield United meant the match was replayed at Bramall Lane on 1 March 2005. Both teams played out a goalless draw after full-time and throughout extra-time, so the tie was decided by a penalty shootout. Almunia saved two penalties, which ensured progress into the quarter-finals.[93]

Bolton Wanderers hosted Arsenal at the Reebok Stadium in the sixth round of the competition. Ljungberg scored the only goal of the tie after just three minutes; he had an opportunity to extend Arsenal's lead in stoppage time, but hit the ball over from six yards.[94] Arsenal faced Blackburn Rovers in the semi-final which was played at the Millennium Stadium. Two goals from Van Persie and one from Pires gave Arsenal a 3–0 win, in a match marred by Blackburn's aggressive tactics.[95]

This set up a showdown with Manchester United in the final on 21 May 2005. United were on top for long periods of the game but Arsenal resisted their pressure and the match ended 0–0 after 120 minutes, albeit Arsenal were a man lighter after Reyes' dismissal with a minute remaining for two bookable offences.[96] The match went to penalties with all the penalty takers converting barring Paul Scholes, whose effort was denied by Lehmann. Vieira converted the final and winning spot-kick to seal a tenth FA Cup crown for Arsenal.[96]

9 January 2005 Third round Arsenal 2–1 Stoke City London
14:00 GMT
Report Thomas 44' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 36,579
Referee: Neale Barry (Lincolnshire)
29 January 2005 Fourth round Arsenal 2–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
15:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 37,153
Referee: Mike Riley (Leeds)
19 February 2005 Fifth round Arsenal 1–1 Sheffield United London
12:30 GMT Pires 78' Report Gray 90' (pen.) Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 36,891
Referee: Neale Barry (Lincolnshire)
1 March 2005 Fifth round replay Sheffield United 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(2–4 p)		 Arsenal Sheffield
20:05 GMT Report Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 27,595
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Penalties
12 March 2005 Sixth round Bolton Wanderers 0–1 Arsenal Bolton
12:15 GMT Report Ljungberg 3' Stadium: Reebok Stadium
Attendance: 23,523
Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)
16 April 2005 Semi-finals Arsenal 3–0 Blackburn Rovers Cardiff
12:15 BST
Report Stadium: Millennium Stadium
Attendance: 52,077
Referee: Steve Dunn (Gloucestershire)
21 May 2005 Final Arsenal 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 p)		 Manchester United Cardiff
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Millennium Stadium
Attendance: 71,876
Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire)
Penalties

Football League Cup

[edit]
Main article: 2004–05 Football League Cup

The Football League Cup is a cup competition open to clubs in the Premier League and Football League. Like the FA Cup it is played on a knockout basis, with the exception of the second round and semi-finals, which are contested over a two-legged tie. Together with the other clubs playing in European competitions, Arsenal entered the Football League Cup in the third round. The team were drawn to face Manchester City, on the week of 25 October 2004.[97] Wenger fielded a relatively young team for the tie, which took the lead in the second half when Van Persie scored. Danny Karbassiyoon extended the visitor's lead in the 90th minute, just before Manchester City striker Robbie Fowler scored from a free-kick.[98]

In the fourth round, Arsenal faced Everton at Highbury. The team went behind after eight minutes of play, but Quincy Owusu-Abeyie levelled the scoreline and in the second half Arturo Lupoli scored twice.[99] Wenger was pleased with how his team responded to the setback and added: "They played intelligently, technically well and with the spirit we like to play the game."[100] Arsenal bowed out of the competition away to Manchester United; the only goal of the match came inside 19 seconds when David Bellion profited from an error by goalkeeper Almunia.[101]

27 October 2004 Third round Manchester City 1–2 Arsenal Manchester
19:45 BST Fowler 90' Report
Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
Attendance: 21,708
Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
9 November 2004 Fourth round Arsenal 3–1 Everton London
19:45 GMT
Report Gravesen 8' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 27,791
Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)
1 December 2004 Quarter-finals Manchester United 1–0 Arsenal Manchester
19:45 GMT Bellion 1' Report Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 67,103
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

UEFA Champions League

[edit]
Main article: 2004–05 UEFA Champions League

Group stage

[edit]
Main article: 2004–05 UEFA Champions League group stage § Group E

Arsenal were drawn in Group E, along with Dutch champions PSV, Greek club Panathinaikos and Norwegian side Rosenborg.[102] An Alex own goal was enough for Arsenal to claim three points against PSV on the first matchday. The team drew away to Rosenborg and earned a point at Panathinaikos, despite twice having taken the lead at the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium.[103][104] In the reverse fixture, Cygan scored an own goal to cancel out Henry's first-half opener; the result left Arsenal in second position.[105] Their next match was against PSV at the Philips Stadion, where after eight minutes the home side took the lead. Henry equalised for Arsenal, having created the chance following a one-two with Ljungberg. In the second half Lauren and Vieira were both sent off, for two bookable offences.[106] Wenger accepted referee Herbert Fandel's decision, but added his surprise that Mark van Bommel was not cautioned: "If you look at the number of fouls he made without being punished it is very surprising because he made some deliberate fouls. Some people might criticise Patrick when we were down to 10 men but he felt he had to fight harder to win the ball."[107]

The draw against PSV meant Arsenal had to beat against Rosenborg to qualify for the last 16. A 5–1 win at home, with five different goalscorers on the scoresheet, put Arsenal top of the group given PSV lost to Panathinaikos.[108]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 England Arsenal 6 2 4 0 11 6 +5 10 Advance to knockout stage
2 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 6 3 1 2 6 7 −1 10
3 Greece Panathinaikos 6 2 3 1 11 8 +3 9 Transfer to UEFA Cup
4 Norway Rosenborg 6 0 2 4 6 13 −7 2
Source: [109]
14 September 2004 1 Arsenal England 1–0 Netherlands PSV London, England
19:45 BST Alex 41' (o.g.) Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 34,068
Referee: Domenico Messina (Italy)
29 September 2004 2 Rosenborg Norway 1–1 England Arsenal Trondheim, Norway
20:45 CET Strand 52' Report Ljungberg 6' Stadium: Lerkendal Stadion
Attendance: 21,100
Referee: Florian Meyer (Germany)
20 October 2004 3 Panathinaikos Greece 2–2 England Arsenal Athens, Greece
20:45 CET
Report
Stadium: Leoforos Alexandras Stadium
Attendance: 12,346
Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia)
2 November 2004 4 Arsenal England 1–1 Greece Panathinaikos London, England
19:45 GMT Henry 16' (pen.) Report Cygan 75' (o.g.) Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 35,137
Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain)
24 November 2004 5 PSV Netherlands 1–1 England Arsenal Eindhoven, Netherlands
20:45 CET Ooijer 8' Report
Stadium: Philips Stadion
Attendance: 35,200
Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)
7 December 2004 6 Arsenal England 5–1 Norway Rosenborg London, England
19:45 GMT
Report Hoftun 38' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 35,421
Referee: Stefano Farina (Italy)

Knockout phase

[edit]
Main article: 2004–05 UEFA Champions League knockout stage

Round of 16

[edit]

Arsenal were drawn against Bayern Munich in the knockout stages.[110] In the first leg a mistake from Touré presented Claudio Pizarro to score inside four minutes. The striker then scored his second of the match in the 58th minute, getting past his marker Touré, and Hasan Salihamidžić added a third for Bayern seven minutes later. Touré scored an away goal late on for Arsenal, which gave them a slender chance of progressing into the quarter-finals.[111] Arsenal beat Bayern in the second leg, but a solitary goal – scored by Henry in the 66th minute, meant the club was eliminated.[112]

22 February 2005 First leg Bayern Munich Germany 3–1 England Arsenal Munich, Germany
20:45 CET
Report Touré 88' Stadium: Olympiastadion
Attendance: 36,891
Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)
9 March 2005 Second leg Arsenal England 1–0
(2–3 agg.)		 Germany Bayern Munich London, England
19:45 GMT Henry 66' Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 35,450
Referee: Massimo De Santis (Italy)

Player statistics

[edit]

Arsenal used a total of 32 players during the 2004–05 season and there were 18 different goalscorers. There were also three squad members who did not make a first-team appearance in the campaign. The team played in a 4–4–2 formation throughout the season, but Wenger deployed a 4–5–1 formation for the cup final.[113] Touré featured in 49 matches – the most of any Arsenal player in the campaign.[114]

The team scored a total of 117 goals in all competitions.[115] The highest scorer was Henry, with 30 goals, followed by Pires who scored 17 goals.[115] Five Arsenal players were sent off during the season: Vieira, Reyes, Bergkamp, Van Persie and Lauren.[116]

Key

Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Players with number struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.

No. Pos. Nat. Name Premier League FA Cup League Cup Community Shield Champions League Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals A yellow rectangular card A red rectangular card
1 GK  GER Jens Lehmann 28 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 7 0 41 0 0 0
3 DF  ENG Ashley Cole 35 2 3 0 1 0 1 0 7 (1) 0 46 (1) 2 10 0
4 MF  FRA Patrick Vieira 32 6 6 1 0 0 0 0 6 0 44 7 12 1
7 MF  FRA Robert Pires 26 (7) 14 4 (2) 2 0 0 0 0 7 (1) 1 37 (10) 17 3 0
8 MF  SWE Freddie Ljungberg 24 (2) 10 5 (1) 2 0 0 0 0 6 2 35 (3) 14 3 0
9 FW  ESP José Antonio Reyes 25 (5) 9 6 1 0 0 1 1 7 (1) 1 39 (6) 12 5 1
10 FW  NED Dennis Bergkamp 20 (9) 8 4 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 29 (9) 8 2 1
11 FW  NED Robin van Persie 12 (14) 5 5 2 3 1 (1) 0 (6) 1 18 (23) 10 3 1
12 DF  CMR Lauren 32 (1) 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 7 0 44 (1) 1 8 1
14 FW  FRA Thierry Henry 31 (1) 25 1 0 0 0 1 0 8 5 41 (1) 30 3 0
15 MF  ESP Cesc Fàbregas 24 (9) 2 4 (2) 0 1 0 1 0 4 (1) 1 34 (12) 3 7 0
16 MF  FRA Mathieu Flamini 9 (12) 1 4 0 3 0 0 0 2 (2) 0 18 (14) 1 3 0
17 MF  BRA Edu 6 (6) 2 (1) 0 1 0 0 0 3 (1) 0 10 (8) 2 2 0
18 DF  FRA Pascal Cygan 15 0 2 (1) 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 22 (1) 0 2 0
19 MF  BRA Gilberto Silva 13 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 17 1 0 0
20 DF   SUI Philippe Senderos 12 (1) 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 22 (1) 0 2 0
21 MF  ENG Jermaine Pennant 1 (6) 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 6 (6) 0 0 0
22 DF  FRA Gaël Clichy 7 (8) 0 5 0 1 0 (1) 0 1 (1) 0 14 (10) 0 3 0
23 DF  ENG Sol Campbell 16 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 21 1 2 0
24 GK  ESP Manuel Almunia 10 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 16 0 0 0
27 DF  CIV Emmanuel Eboué (1) 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 (1) 0 0 0
28 DF  CIV Kolo Touré 35 0 5 (1) 0 0 0 1 0 8 1 49 (1) 1 3 0
30 FW  FRA Jérémie Aliadière (4) 0 (2) 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (7) 0 0 0
31 DF  ENG Justin Hoyte 4 (1) 0 (1) 0 3 0 (1) 0 1 (1) 0 8 (4) 0 0 0
32 DF  DEN Sebastian Svärd 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0
34 MF  IRL Patrick Cregg 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 0 0
35 DF   SUI Johan Djourou 0 0 0 0 2 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 2 (1) 0 0 0
39 MF  SWE Sebastian Larsson 0 0 0 0 2 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 2 (1) 0 0 0
40 FW  ITA Arturo Lupoli 0 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 0
42 FW  NED Quincy Owusu-Abeyie 1 0 (2) 0 1 (2) 1 0 0 (1) 0 2 (5) 1 0 0
46 DF  USA Danny Karbassiyoon 0 0 0 0 1 (2) 1 0 0 0 0 1 (2) 1 0 0
47 FW  ENG Ryan Smith 0 0 0 0 2 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 2 (1) 0 0 0

Source:[1][116]

See also

[edit]

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