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2006–07 Arsenal F.C. season

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Arsenal F.C.
2006–07 season
ChairmanPeter Hill-Wood
ManagerArsène Wenger
StadiumEmirates Stadium
FA Premier League4th
FA CupFifth round
League CupRunners-up
UEFA Champions LeagueRound of 16
Top goalscorerLeague: Robin van Persie (11)
All: Robin van Persie (13)
Highest home attendance60,128 (vs. Manchester United, 21 January 2007)
Lowest home attendance56,761 (vs. Blackburn Rovers, 17 February 2007)

The 2006–07 season was Arsenal Football Club's 15th season in the Premier League and their 81st consecutive season in the top flight of English football.[1][2] It was the first season in which home matches were played at the over-60,000 capacity Emirates Stadium; the club's former ground Highbury was to be redeveloped as a residential development. Arsenal ended their Premier League campaign in fourth, level on points with third-placed Liverpool but with a marginally lower goal difference. In the League Cup, a competition which offered manager Arsène Wenger the chance to play his younger players, Arsenal reached the final but lost to a relatively experienced Chelsea side. The defeat was followed by exits in the FA Cup to Blackburn Rovers and in the UEFA Champions League to PSV Eindhoven.

Twenty-eight players represented Arsenal in four competitions and there were 18 goalscorers. Arsenal's top goalscorer was Robin van Persie, who scored 13 goals in 31 appearances.

Transfers

[edit]

In

[edit]
No.
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Moving from
Type
Transfer
window
Ends
Transfer
fee
Source
17 DM Cameroon Alex Song 18 Non-EU Bastia France Transferred Green tickY Summer Undisclosed £1M BBC
7 AM Czech Republic Tomáš Rosický 25 EU Borussia Dortmund Germany Transferred Green tickY Summer Undisclosed Undisclosed BBC
9 AM Brazil Júlio Baptista 24 Non-EU Real Madrid Spain Loan Green tickY Summer May 2007 N/A BBC
10 CB France William Gallas 29 EU Chelsea Swap Green tickY Summer Undisclosed Free
Swap
BBC
15 MF Brazil Denílson 18 Non-EU São Paulo Brazil Transferred Green tickY Summer Undisclosed £3.4M BBC

Out

[edit]
N
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Moving to
Type
Transfer
window
Transfer
fee
Source
10 SS Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp 37 EU Retired Green tickY BBC
7 AM France Robert Pires 32 EU Villarreal Spain Transferred Green tickY Summer Free BBC
43 MF England Ryan Smith 19 EU Derby County Transferred Green tickY Summer Undisclosed BBC
29 MF Sweden Sebastian Larsson 21 EU Birmingham City Loaned out Green tickY Summer N/A BBC
26 MF Denmark Nicklas Bendtner 18 EU Birmingham City Loaned out Green tickY Summer N/A BBC
23 CB England Sol Campbell 31 EU Portsmouth Transferred Green tickY Summer Free BBC
41 CF Italy Arturo Lupoli 19 EU Derby County Loaned out Green tickY Summer N/A BBC
18 DF France Pascal Cygan 32 EU Villarreal Spain Transferred Green tickY Summer £2M BBC
9 MF Spain José Antonio Reyes 22 EU Real Madrid Spain Loaned out Green tickY Summer N/A (Included in Baptista transfer) BBC
3 LB England Ashley Cole 25 EU Chelsea Transferred Green tickY Summer £5M + Gallas BBC
45 FW Republic of Ireland Anthony Stokes 18 EU Sunderland Transferred Green tickY Winter £2M BBC
12 RB Cameroon Lauren 29 Non-EU Portsmouth Transferred Green tickY Winter £0.5M BBC
17 DM Cameroon Alex Song 19 Non-EU Charlton Athletic Loaned out Green tickY Winter N/A BBC
29 MF Sweden Sebastian Larsson 21 EU Birmingham City Transferred Green tickY Winter £1M BBC

Last updated: 2 August 2008
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable.

Club

[edit]

Coaching staff

[edit]
This was Arsène Wenger's 11th season with Arsenal.
Position Staff
Manager France Arsène Wenger
Assistant manager Northern Ireland Pat Rice
First team coach Bosnia and Herzegovina Boro Primorac
Goalkeeping coach Republic of Ireland Gerry Peyton
Physiotherapist England Gary Lewin
Fitness coach England Tony Colbert
Chief scout England Steve Rowley
Kit manager England Vic Akers
England Paul Johnson

Last updated: 1 July 2006
Source: Arsenal FC

Kit

[edit]

Supplier: Nike / Sponsor: Fly Emirates

Home
Home alt.
Away
Goalkeeper 1
Goalkeeper alt.
Goalkeeper 2
Goalkeeper 3
Goalkeeper Pre-season

Kit information

[edit]

All of the new Arsenal kit this season was featured with new sponsor, Fly Emirates. Replaced with previous sponsor, O2.

  • Home: The new home kit returned to a solid iconic Arsenal red shirt with white sleeves, white shorts and white socks, the colours Arsenal are well known for, after the last season saw a redcurrant 'anniversary' kit in final season at Highbury. The new features added to the home kit was a red band appearing on the sleeves and socks, while the golden trimmings appeared on the side of the shirt. The home was usually worn with white socks, however red socks were worn in some away games in order to prevent confusion.
  • Away: The yellow and dark grey away kit from last season was unchanged, albeit with new sponsor.
  • Keeper: The goalkeeper kit were based on Nike's Harlequin template, which was basically a strip split into subtle halves in two tones of one colour. The main kit was green, but the black and yellow kit were available should they be required.

Other information

[edit]
The Emirates Stadium is the new Arsenal stadium and second largest stadium in the Premier League.
Chairman England Peter Hill-Wood
Ground (capacity and dimensions) Emirates Stadium (60,355 / 114x71 yards)

Updated to match played 2 Aug 2008
Source: Arsenal and Emirates Stadium

Premier League

[edit]

August–October

[edit]

Arsenal's league season began with their first-ever match at the new Emirates Stadium, against an Aston Villa side who had struggled with relegation threats the previous season. However, the Gunners` performance did not match the pre-game expectations; the sides drew 1-1, Gilberto Silva scoring a late equaliser after Olof Mellberg put Villa ahead; a bright spark for Arsenal was youngster Theo Walcott, who had helped create the goal with a fine run after making his debut as a substitute.[3] The Gunners then disappointingly lost 1–0 to Manchester City to a Joey Barton penalty just before the break, having dominated the match and spurned numerous chances.[4]

The Gunners then hosted Middlesbrough in their second league match at the Emirates, and once again were forced to come from behind in a strangely similar game to the Villa one; James Morrison gave Boro the lead, before Thierry Henry opened his account for the season from the penalty spot to salvage a point for Arsenal.[5]

The Gunners finally registed their first win of the season, claiming a magnificent 1–0 victory at Old Trafford against to-be champions Manchester United, thanks to a late Emmanuel Adebayor goal and some heroic defending, including a stunning fingertip save from Jens Lehmann against United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.[6] This was followed by a first-ever league win at the Emirates; second-half goals from William Gallas and Thierry Henry either side of a Phil Jagielka own goal gave the Gunners a comfortable 3–0 victory over Sheffield United. They then were forced to come from behind away to Charlton Athletic; however a Robin van Persie double, including a stunning edge-of-the box flying volley, gave the Gunners a 2–1 victory to close out the month in eighth position.[7] October began with a fine 3–0 win over Watford, Arsenal's second in a row by that scoreline at the Emirates. An own goal from Jordan Stewart and strikes from Henry and Emmanuel Adebayor took the Gunners to fifth position in the league.[8] The Gunners managed to crack the top four for the first time that season thanks to a convincing 4-0 trouncing of Premier League newboys Reading at the Madejski Stadium. Two for Henry, including one from the spot, and further goals for Alexander Hleb and Robin van Persie gave the Gunners a convincing victory.[9] The Gunners then concluded October with more silly dropped points at the Emirates, van Persie's free-kick not enough as the Gunners drew 1–1 with Everton.[10]

November–February

[edit]

Overall November was a poor month for Arsenal, with just one win and one draw in the five games played. A late goal from Marlon Harewood saw the Gunners sloppily lose 1–0 at West Ham United,[11] before goals from Kolo Toure, William Gallas and Mathieu Flamini gave the Gunners a stunning 3–0 victory against Liverpool.[12] However, a draw with Newcastle at the Emirates, only salvaged by Thierry Henry's late free-kick,[13] was followed by back to back defeats at Bolton and Fulham by scorelines of 3-1 and 2-1 respectively, with Gilberto Silva scoring at Bolton[14] and Robin van Persie in Craven Cottage.[15] December began with the first-ever north London derby at the Emirates Stadium against Tottenham Hotspur, which was decided ultimately by two controversial penalty calls from referee Graham Poll; both were converted by Gilberto Silva either side of half-time to add to Emmanuel Adebayor's opener as Arsenal won 3–0.[16] Another London derby followed, this time at Stamford Bridge against Premier League title-holders Chelsea, where a hotly-contested derby ended 1-1 after Michael Essien responded to Mathieu Flamini's strike late in the match.[17] The Gunners then claimed a dramatic late win at Wigan thanks to Adebayor to move third in the table,[18] before staging a two-goal comeback to draw 2–2 with Portsmouth at the Emirates with Adebayor and stand-in captain Silva on the scoresheet.[19] The Gunners then concluded the first half of the season with a 6-2 dismantling of Blackburn Rovers at the Emirates, claiming their biggest win at the new venue to date. Shabani Nonda actually put Blackburn in front with a penalty just three minutes in, but goals from Gilberto Silva, Alexander Hleb and a penalty from Adebayor gave Arsenal a 3–1 lead before half an hour was up. Nonda pulled one back for Blackburn with his second in the second half, but three goals in the last eight minutes through a brace from van Persie and a third of the season for Mathieu Flamini sealed a big victory.[20] Van Persie scored a late winner at Watford after Tommy Smith had responded to Gilberto Silva's opener, taking the Gunners up to third in the table. However, they ended the year in fifth after a dramatic 1–0 loss at newly promoted and relegation-doomed Sheffield United, with Blades defender Phil Jagielka filling in goals for half an hour,[21] as Arsenal concluded the year with an embarrassing defeat. Arsenal responded to the loss at Bramall Lane with a thumping win over relegation-doomed Charlton Athletic to start the year-a rare goal for Justin Hoyte, a penalty for Thierry Henry and a brace, including one penalty, for Robin van Persie handed the Gunners a 4–0 win to start the year.[22] Captain Henry was particularly impressive on his return from injury after 34 days, delivering an assist as well as his goal and winning the second penalty. He then netted a fine curling effort and delivered another assist in a 2–0 win at Blackburn Rovers,[23] before a big clash at home to Manchester United-after Wayne Rooney gave United the lead, Henry set up van Persie for an equaliser before heading in a 93rd-minute winner, in what was the club's 200th meeting with United to date.[24] Henry was again the hero, netting a late equaliser at Middlesbrough after Yakubu's penalty had put Boro ahead in a 1–1 draw.[25] An own goal from Fritz Hall and a first Premier League goal for Tomas Rosicky in the last ten minutes earned the Gunners a dramatic 2–1 victory over Wigan, closing out the month in fourth place.[26]

March–May

[edit]

March began with a penalty from Gilberto Silva and a first league goal for the Gunners from Julio Baptista giving them a 2–1 win against Reading. This was followed by a narrow 1-0 success at Aston Villa, thanks to an early Abou Diaby strike, as Arsenal rose to third position.[27] They consolidated this place despite performing poorly in a 1–0 defeat at Everton.[28] Returning to Merseyside nearly a fortnight later, Arsenal were crushed 4-1 by Liverpool, who were inspired by Peter Crouch, who netted a "perfect" hat-trick of left foot, right foot and head; William Gallas scored Arsenal's consolation as they slipped to fourth in the table.[29] A string of fine saves from visiting goalkeeper Robert Green, as well as many missed chances, saw the Gunners beaten 1–0 at the Emirates against West Ham United-their first defeat at the venue.[30] Another lacklustre display saw them draw 0–0 at Newcastle [31] before returning to winning ways against Bolton; after falling behind to Nicolas Anelka's goal, Tomas Rosicky and Cesc Fabregas struck as the Gunners turned it around to win it 2–1 against the ten-men Trotters.[32] Fabregas and Rosicky were both again on the scoresheet, alongside Julio Baptista, as they beat Manchester City 3–1 at the Emirates.[33] In a big north London derby at White Hart Lane, Arsenal fell behind half an hour in before turning it around with Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor; however they were denied a win thanks to a late Jermaine Jenas equaliser.[34] They concluded the month with a league match against struggling Fulham at the Emirates; after Julio Baptista gave the Gunners an early lead, Fulham pegged them back with twelve minutes left before a late strike from Adebayor and a penalty from Gilberto Silva gave the Gunners a 3–1 win.[35] The Gunners began May with a London derby at the Emirates against Chelsea. The champions needed a victory to take their title race with Manchester United to the final day, but a penalty from Gilberto Silva and a red card from Khalid Boulahrouz had them trailing by a goal and a man at the break. Despite eventually drawing the match 1-1, they lost the league to United, whilst Arsenal stayed fourth.[36] The Gunners concluded their season at Portsmouth, drawing 0–0 to finish the season in fourth position.[37]

Matches

[edit]
19 August 2006 1 Arsenal 1–1 Aston Villa London
15:00 BST Gilberto 84' Report Mellberg 53' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,023
Referee: Graham Poll
26 August 2006 2 Manchester City 1–0 Arsenal Manchester
17:15 BST Barton 41' (pen.) Report Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
Attendance: 40,699
Referee: Uriah Rennie
9 September 2006 3 Arsenal 1–1 Middlesbrough London
15:00 BST Henry 67' (pen.) Report Morrison 22' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,007
Referee: Rob Styles
17 September 2006 4 Manchester United 0–1 Arsenal Manchester
16:00 BST Report Adebayor 86' Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 75,595
Referee: Graham Poll
23 September 2006 5 Arsenal 3–0 Sheffield United London
15:00 BST Gallas 65'
Jagielka 69' (o.g.)
Henry 80'
Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,912
Referee: Alan Wiley
30 September 2006 6 Charlton Athletic 1–2 Arsenal London
15:00 BST Bent 22' Report Van Persie 32', 49' Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 26,770
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
14 October 2006 7 Arsenal 3–0 Watford London
15:00 BST Stewart 33' (o.g.)
Henry 43'
Adebayor 67'
Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,018
Referee: Howard Webb
22 October 2006 8 Reading 0–4 Arsenal Reading
16:00 Report Henry 1', 70' (pen.)
Hleb 39'
Van Persie 50'
Stadium: Madejski Stadium
Attendance: 24,004
Referee: Alan Wiley
28 October 2006 9 Arsenal 1–1 Everton London
15:00 BST Van Persie 71' Report Cahill 11' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,047
Referee: Mike Riley
5 November 2006 10 West Ham United 1–0 Arsenal London
13:30 GMT Harewood 89' Report Stadium: Upton Park
Attendance: 34,969
Referee: Rob Styles
12 November 2006 11 Arsenal 3–0 Liverpool London
16:00 GMT Flamini 41'
Touré 56'
Gallas 80'
Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,110
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
18 November 2006 12 Arsenal 1–1 Newcastle United London
15:00 GMT Henry 70' Report Dyer 30' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,058
Referee: Martin Atkinson
25 November 2006 13 Bolton Wanderers 3–1 Arsenal Bolton
17:15 GMT Faye 9'
Anelka 45', 76'
Report Gilberto 45+2' Stadium: Reebok Stadium
Attendance: 24,409
Referee: Mike Dean
29 November 2006 14 Fulham 2–1 Arsenal London
19:45 GMT McBride 6'
Radzinski 19'
Report Van Persie 36' Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 24,510
Referee: Howard Webb
2 December 2006 15 Arsenal 3–0 Tottenham Hotspur London
12:45 GMT Adebayor 20'
Gilberto 42' (pen.), 72' (pen.)
Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,115
Referee: Graham Poll
10 December 2006 16 Chelsea 1–1 Arsenal London
16:00 GMT Essien 84' Report Flamini 78' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 41,917
Referee: Alan Wiley
13 December 2006 17 Wigan Athletic 0–1 Arsenal Wigan
19:45 GMT Report Adebayor 88' Stadium: JJB Stadium
Attendance: 15,311
Referee: Rob Styles
16 December 2006 18 Arsenal 2–2 Portsmouth London
15:00 GMT Adebayor 58'
Gilberto 60'
Report Pamarot 45+2'
Taylor 47'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,037
Referee: Steve Bennett
23 December 2006 19 Arsenal 6–2 Blackburn Rovers London
15:00 GMT Gilberto 10'
Hleb 23'
Adebayor 27' (pen.)
Van Persie 85', 88'
Flamini 90+3'
Report Nonda 3' (pen.), 69' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,913
Referee: Howard Webb
26 December 2006 20 Watford 1–2 Arsenal Watford
17:30 GMT Smith 23' Report Gilberto 19'
Van Persie 83'
Stadium: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 19,750
Referee: Mike Dean
30 December 2006 21 Sheffield United 1–0 Arsenal Sheffield
17:15 GMT Nade 41' Report Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 32,086
Referee: Lee Mason
2 January 2007 22 Arsenal 4–0 Charlton Athletic London
19:45 GMT Henry 30' (pen.)
Hoyte 45'
Van Persie 76' (pen.), 90'
Report Sankofa Red card 29' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,057
Referee: Mike Riley
13 January 2007 23 Blackburn Rovers 0–2 Arsenal Blackburn
17:15 GMT Report Gilberto Red card 13'
Touré 37'
Henry 71'
Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 21,852
Referee: Rob Styles
21 January 2007 24 Arsenal 2–1 Manchester United London
16:00 GMT Van Persie 83'
Henry 90+3'
Report Rooney 53' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,128
Referee: Steve Bennett
3 February 2007 25 Middlesbrough 1–1 Arsenal Middlesbrough
17:15 GMT Yakubu 63' (pen.) Report Henry 77' Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 31,122
Referee: Mike Riley
11 February 2007 26 Arsenal 2–1 Wigan Athletic London
16:00 GMT Hall 81' (o.g.)
Rosický 85'
Report Landzaat 35' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,049
Referee: Phil Dowd
3 March 2007 27 Arsenal 2–1 Reading London
15:00 GMT Gilberto 51' (pen.)
Baptista 62'
Senderos Yellow card 90+3'
Report Kitson Yellow card 42'
Fàbregas 87' (o.g.)
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,132
Referee: Chris Foy
14 March 2007 28 Aston Villa 0–1 Arsenal Birmingham
19:45 GMT Report Diaby 10' Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 39,968
Referee: Martin Atkinson
18 March 2007 29 Everton 1–0 Arsenal Liverpool
16:00 GMT Johnson 90+1' Report Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 37,162
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
31 March 2007 30 Liverpool 4–1 Arsenal Liverpool
12:45 GMT Crouch 4', 35', 81'
Agger 60'
Report Gallas 73' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,958
Referee: Steve Bennett
7 April 2007 31 Arsenal 0–1 West Ham United London
15:00 BST Report Zamora 45+2' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,098
Referee: Graham Poll
9 April 2007 32 Newcastle United 0–0 Arsenal Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 BST Report Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 52,293
Referee: Howard Webb
14 April 2007 33 Arsenal 2–1 Bolton Wanderers London
15:00 BST Rosický 31'
Fàbregas 46'
Report Anelka 11' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,101
Referee: Rob Styles
17 April 2007 34 Arsenal 3–1 Manchester City London
19:45 BST Rosický 12'
Fàbregas 73'
Baptista 80'
Report Beasley 41' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,913
Referee: Mark Halsey
21 April 2007 35 Tottenham Hotspur 2–2 Arsenal London
12:45 BST Keane 30'
Jenas 90+5'
Report Touré 64'
Adebayor 78'
Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 36,050
Referee: Mike Dean
29 April 2007 36 Arsenal 3–1 Fulham London
16:00 BST Baptista 4'
Adebayor 84'
Gilberto 87' (pen.)
Report Davies 78' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,043
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
6 May 2007 37 Arsenal 1–1 Chelsea London
16:00 BST Gilberto 43' (pen.)
Adebayor Yellow card 49'
Report Mikel Yellow card 31'
Boulahrouz Red card 43'
Essien 70', Yellow card 90+2'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,102
Referee: Alan Wiley
13 May 2007 38 Portsmouth 0–0 Arsenal Portsmouth
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,188
Referee: Graham Poll

Classification

[edit]

Standings

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Chelsea 38 24 11 3 64 24 +40 83 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
3 Liverpool 38 20 8 10 57 27 +30 68 Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round
4 Arsenal 38 19 11 8 63 35 +28 68
5 Tottenham Hotspur 38 17 9 12 57 54 +3 60 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
6 Everton 38 15 13 10 52 36 +16 58
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Since both finalists of the FA Cup (Manchester United and Chelsea) and the League Cup winners (Chelsea) were qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup spots were given to the 6th- and 7th-placed Premier League teams.

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 19 11 8 63 35  +28 68 12 6 1 43 16  +27 7 5 7 20 19  +1

Source: Premier League

Results by round

[edit]
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAAHHAAHAHAHHAAAHAHHAHHA
ResultDLDWWWWWDLWDLLWDWDWWLWWWDWWWLLLDWWDWDD
Position91717119854553466333443544444433444444444
Source: Arsenal F.C.
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

UEFA Champions League

[edit]

Having finished fourth in the Premier League the previous season, Arsenal entered the Champions League at the third qualifying round stage, and were duly drawn against Croatians Dinamo Zagreb. In the first leg in Zagreb, the home side held Arsenal off for over an hour before two goals in a minute for Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie established a 2–0 lead for Arsenal; Fabregas sealed his brace late on as Arsenal took a convincing lead to London. Despite falling behind to a goal after 12 minutes from future Arsenal striker Eduardo, late goals from Invincible Freddie Ljungberg and Mathieu Flamini gave the Gunners their first win at the Emirates and a 5-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were drawn in Group G, alongside Portuguese champions Porto, German outfit Hamburg and Russians CSKA Moscow. A stunning second-half goal from Tomas Rosicky sealed three points in Hamburg before goals from Thierry Henry and Alexander Hleb gave them a 2–0 win over Porto. A disappointing set of results against CSKA Moscow followed; Arsenal lost 1–0 in Russia before being held to a goalless draw at the Emirates, however they bounced back with a 3–1 win over Hamburg before sealing top spot in the group through a goalless draw at Porto. As a seeded side, Arsenal got what was considered a favourable round-of-16 draw against Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, but crashed out 2–1 on aggregate, with a 1–1 draw at the Emirates failing to make up for a poor 1–0 defeat in the Netherlands.

Third qualifying round

[edit]
8 August 2006 First leg Dinamo Zagreb Croatia 0–3 England Arsenal Zagreb, Croatia
21:05 CET Report Fàbregas 63', 79'
Van Persie 64'
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir
Attendance: 28,500
Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)
23 August 2006 Second leg Arsenal England 2–1
(5–1 agg.)
Croatia Dinamo Zagreb London, England
20:05 BST Ljungberg 77'
Flamini 90+1'
Report Eduardo 12' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,418
Referee: Bertrand Layec (France)

Group stage

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 England Arsenal 6 3 2 1 7 3 +4 11 Advance to knockout stage
2 Portugal Porto 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11
3 Russia CSKA Moscow 6 2 2 2 4 5 −1 8 Transfer to UEFA Cup
4 Germany Hamburger SV 6 1 0 5 7 15 −8 3
Source: RSSSF
13 September 2006 1 Hamburg Germany 1–2 England Arsenal Hamburg, Germany
20:45 CET Kirschstein Red card
Sanogo 90'
Report Gilberto 12' (pen.)
Rosický 53'
Stadium: Hamburg Arena
Attendance: 51,258
Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt (Sweden)
26 September 2006 2 Arsenal England 2–0 Portugal Porto London, England
19:45 BST Henry 38'
Hleb 48'
Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,861
Referee: Stefano Farina (Italy)
17 October 2006 3 CSKA Moscow Russia 1–0 England Arsenal Moscow, Russia
18:30 CET Carvalho 24' Report Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadium
Attendance: 36,500
Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)
1 November 2006 4 Arsenal England 0–0 Russia CSKA Moscow London, England
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,003
Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)
21 November 2006 5 Arsenal England 3–1 Germany Hamburg London, England
19:45 GMT Van Persie 52'
Eboué 83'
Baptista 88'
Report Van der Vaart 4' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,962
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)
6 December 2006 6 Porto Portugal 0–0 England Arsenal Porto, Portugal
20:45 CET Report Stadium: Estádio do Dragão
Attendance: 41,500
Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)

Knockout phase

[edit]

Round of 16

[edit]
20 February 2007 First leg PSV Eindhoven Netherlands 1–0 England Arsenal Eindhoven, Netherlands
20:45 CET Méndez 61' Report Stadium: Philips Stadion
Attendance: 35,000
Referee: Tom Henning Øvrebø (Norway)
7 March 2007 Second leg Arsenal England 1–1
(1–2 agg.)
Netherlands PSV Eindhoven London, England
19:45 GMT Alex 58' (o.g.) Report Alex 83' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,073
Referee: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)

FA Cup

[edit]

Arsenal began their FA Cup campaign in the third round, where they faced a tough draw in the form of fellow Premier League side Liverpool at Anfield. However, a first-half brace from Tomas Rosicky and a late strike from Thierry Henry gave the Gunners an excellent 3–1 win, shortly before a 6-3 League Cup win at the same venue. The Gunners drew Premier League team Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round, and were hard-put to it against their bogey team, drawing 1–1 at the Emirates before being forced into extra-time at the Reebok. However, an Emmanuel Adebayor double and a goal from Freddie Ljungberg eventually gave them a 3–1 win. The Gunners however were eliminated in the next round; after a goalless draw at the Emirates, Arsenal lost their fifth-round replay 1–0 to Blackburn Rovers.

6 January 2007 R3 Liverpool 1–3 Arsenal Liverpool
17:15 Alonso Yellow card 25'
Kuyt 71'
Report Senderos Yellow card 31'
Clichy Yellow card 34'
Rosický 37', 45'
Eboué Yellow card 65'
Henry 84'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,619
Referee: Steve Bennett
28 January 2007 R4 Arsenal 1–1 Bolton Wanderers London
16:00 GMT Touré 78' Report Nolan 50' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,778
Referee: Mike Dean
14 February 2007 R4 Replay Bolton Wanderers 1–3 (a.e.t.) Arsenal Bolton
20:05 GMT Méïté 90' Report Adebayor 13', 120'
Ljungberg 108'
Stadium: Reebok Stadium
Attendance: 21,088
Referee: Chris Foy
17 February 2007 R5 Arsenal 0–0 Blackburn Rovers London
12:30 GMT Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 56,761
Referee: Martin Atkinson
28 February 2007 R5 Replay Blackburn Rovers 1–0 Arsenal Blackburn
20:00 GMT McCarthy 87' Report Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 18,882
Referee: Graham Poll

League Cup

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Arsenal entered the competition in the third round and faced West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, where striker Aliadière scored twice to secure a 2–0 victory for the visitors.[38] They then travelled to Goodison Park in the fourth round to play Everton. Arsenal won the match 0–1 courtesy of a late Adebayor goal, which came from a corner. For much of the game Everton played with a man disadvantage as striker James McFadden was sent off in the 19th minute for dissent.[39]

Closing stages of Arsenal's second leg match against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium.

Liverpool were Arsenal's opponent in the fifth round. The match, scheduled on 19 December 2006 at Anfield, was postponed by referee Martin Atkinson because of heavy fog.[40] Atkinson's decision infuriated the managers of both clubs, with Rafael Benítez commenting: "There were a lot of people looking forward to the game and it's really difficult to explain."[41] The tie was rescheduled for 9 January 2007 and on the night Arsenal took the lead when Aliadière scored in the 27th minute. Robbie Fowler equalised for Liverpool six minutes later. Later, two goals from Baptista and goal from Alex Song put Arsenal 4–1 ahead at half time. In the second half, Baptista completed his hat-trick; although Steven Gerrard and Sami Hyypiä scored to close the scoreline gap for Liverpool, Baptista added his fourth goal of the match in the 84th minute. The final score was 6–3, Liverpool's heaviest defeat at Anfield in 76 years.[42] In his match report for The Guardian, Taylor praised Arsenal's reserve team and summarised, "The difference between the two teams was immense. Arsenal played with flair and purpose; Liverpool were dishevelled and short of leadership."[43]

Pre-match presentation

Tottenham Hotspur faced Arsenal in the semi-final which was played over two legs. A goal from Dimitar Berbatov gave Tottenham the lead in the 12th minute and they extended their advantage after Baptista inadvertently kicked the ball into his own goal. Baptista, however, made amends in the second half, scoring twice in the space of 13 minutes to level the score at 2–2.[44] The second leg at the Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal dominate proceedings, but only took the lead in the 77th minute when Adebayor scored. Mido equalised for Tottenham, which took the match into extra time because of the away goals rule. Aliadière's goal in the 105th minute restored Arsenal's lead and an own goal scored by Pascal Chimbonda ensured the home team progressed to the final, winning 3–1 after extra time and 5–3 on aggregate.[45]

Arsenal played Chelsea in the final at the Millennium Stadium on 25 February 2007. Wenger continued his policy of naming a young team, which took the lead in the 12th minute when Walcott converted his chance.[46] Chelsea striker Didier Drogba equalised and scored in the 84th minute to earn his side victory. A fracas occurred between the Arsenal and Chelsea players occurred during stoppage time, resulting in Touré and Adebayor getting shown a red card each.[46] Wenger later apologised for his players' conduct, but was charged £2,500 for accusing the linesman of lying in his account of Adebayor's actions.[47][48] Both clubs were fined £100,000 each by The Football Association for their inability to control their players and Eboué was retrospectively charged with violent conduct for striking Wayne Bridge.[49]

24 October 2006 Third round West Bromwich Albion 0–2 Arsenal West Bromwich
Report Aliadière 34', 49' (pen.) Stadium: The Hawthorns
Attendance: 21,566
Referee: Martin Atkinson
8 November 2006 Fourth round Everton 0–1 Arsenal Liverpool
Report Adebayor 85' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 31,045
Referee: Graham Poll
9 January 2007 Fifth round Liverpool 3–6 Arsenal Liverpool
Fowler 33'
Gerrard 68'
Hyypiä 80'
Report Aliadière 27'
Baptista 40', 45+2', 60', 84'
Song 45'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,614
Referee: Martin Atkinson
24 January 2007 Semi-final, first leg Tottenham Hotspur 2–2 Arsenal London
Berbatov 12'
Baptista 20' (o.g.)
Report Baptista 64', 77' Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 35,485
Referee: Graham Poll
31 January 2007 Semi-final, second leg Arsenal 3–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 agg.)
Tottenham Hotspur London
Adebayor 77'
Aliadière 105'
Chimbonda 113' (o.g.)
Report Mido 85' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,872
Referee: Alan Wiley
25 February 2007 Final Arsenal 1–2 Chelsea Cardiff
15:00 GMT Walcott 12' Report Drogba 20', 84' Stadium: Millennium Stadium
Attendance: 70,073
Referee: Howard Webb

Squad statistics

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No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup League Cup Champions League
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Germany GER Jens Lehmann 44 1 36 1 0 0 0 0 8 0
2 MF France FRA Abou Diaby 18 1 9+3 1 1 0 3+1 0 0+1 0
4 MF Spain ESP Cesc Fàbregas 54 4 34+4 2 2 0 3+1 0 10 2
5 DF Ivory Coast CIV Kolo Touré 53 4 35 3 4 1 4 0 10 0
6 DF Switzerland SUI Philippe Senderos 25 0 9+5 0 4 0 5 0 2 0
7 MF Czech Republic CZE Tomáš Rosický 37 6 22+4 3 3+1 2 0+1 0 6 1
8 MF Sweden SWE Freddie Ljungberg 26 2 16+2 0 2+1 1 0 0 4+1 1
9 AM Brazil BRA Júlio Baptista 35 10 11+13 3 2+2 0 3 6 1+3 1
10 DF France FRA William Gallas 29 3 21 3 2 0 0 0 6 0
11 FW Netherlands NED Robin van Persie 31 13 17+5 11 1 0 0 0 7+1 2
12 DF Cameroon CMR Lauren 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 AM Belarus BLR Alexander Hleb 48 3 27+6 2 3 0 0+2 0 10 1
14 FW France FRA Thierry Henry 27 12 16+1 10 3 1 0 0 5+2 1
15 MF Brazil BRA Denílson 19 0 4+6 0 2 0 6 0 1 0
16 MF France FRA Mathieu Flamini 32 4 9+11 3 3 0 2+1 0 3+3 1
17 DM Cameroon CMR Alex Song 6 1 1+1 0 0 0 3 1 0+1 0
19 MF Brazil BRA Gilberto Silva 47 11 34 10 3 0 1 0 8+1 1
20 DF Switzerland SUI Johan Djourou 30 0 18+3 0 1 0 3 0 5 0
21 GK Estonia EST Mart Poom 2 0 1 0 0 0 0+1 0 0 0
22 DF France FRA Gaël Clichy 40 0 26+1 0 3+2 0 1+1 0 5+1 0
24 GK Spain ESP Manuel Almunia 14 0 1 0 5 0 6 0 2 0
25 FW Togo TOG Emmanuel Adebayor 44 12 21+8 8 2+1 2 3+1 2 6+2 0
27 DF Ivory Coast CIV Emmanuel Eboué 35 1 23+1 0 2 0 1+2 0 6 1
30 FW France FRA Jérémie Aliadière 23 4 4+7 0 2+2 0 6 4 0+2 0
31 DF England ENG Justin Hoyte 36 1 18+4 1 2+2 0 4 0 5+1 0
32 FW England ENG Theo Walcott 32 1 5+11 0 2+2 0 6 1 0+6 0
33 DF England ENG Matthew Connolly 2 0 0 0 0 0 1+1 0 0 0
43 MF England ENG Mark Randall 2 0 0 0 0 0 0+2 0 0 0
45 DF France FRA Armand Traoré 7 0 0 0 1 0 5+1 0 0 0

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ James, Josh (18 June 2013). "All-time Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. ^ Ross, James; Heneghan, Michael; Orford, Stuart; Culliton, Eoin (25 August 2016). "English Clubs Divisional Movements 1888–2016". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa". 19 August 2006.
  4. ^ "Man City 1-0 Arsenal". 26 August 2006.
  5. ^ "Arsenal 1-1 Middlesbrough". 9 September 2006.
  6. ^ "Man Utd 0-1 Arsenal". 17 September 2006.
  7. ^ "Charlton 1-2 Arsenal". 30 September 2006.
  8. ^ "Arsenal 3-0 Watford". 14 October 2006.
  9. ^ "Reading 0-4 Arsenal". 22 October 2006.
  10. ^ "Arsenal 1-1 Everton". 28 October 2006.
  11. ^ "West Ham 1-0 Arsenal". 5 November 2006.
  12. ^ "Arsenal 3-0 Liverpool". 12 November 2006.
  13. ^ "Arsenal 1-1 Newcastle". 18 November 2006.
  14. ^ "Bolton 3-1 Arsenal". 25 November 2006.
  15. ^ "Fulham 2-1 Arsenal". 29 November 2006.
  16. ^ "Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham". 2 December 2006.
  17. ^ "Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal". 10 December 2006.
  18. ^ "Wigan 0-1 Arsenal". 13 December 2006.
  19. ^ "Arsenal 2-2 Portsmouth". 16 December 2006.
  20. ^ "Arsenal 6-2 Blackburn". 23 December 2006.
  21. ^ "Sheff Utd 1-0 Arsenal". 30 December 2006.
  22. ^ "Arsenal 4-0 Charlton". 2 January 2007.
  23. ^ "Blackburn 0-2 Arsenal". 13 January 2007.
  24. ^ "Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd". 21 January 2007.
  25. ^ "Middlesbrough 1-1 Arsenal". 3 February 2007.
  26. ^ "Arsenal 2-1 Wigan". 11 February 2007.
  27. ^ "Arsenal 2-1 Reading". 3 March 2007.
  28. ^ "Everton 1-0 Arsenal". 18 March 2007.
  29. ^ "Liverpool 4-1 Arsenal". 31 March 2007.
  30. ^ "Arsenal 0-1 West Ham". 7 April 2007.
  31. ^ "Newcastle 0-0 Arsenal". 9 April 2007.
  32. ^ "Arsenal 2-1 Bolton". 14 April 2007.
  33. ^ "Arsenal 3-1 Man City". 17 April 2007.
  34. ^ "Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal". 21 April 2007.
  35. ^ "Arsenal 3-1 Fulham". 29 April 2007.
  36. ^ "Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea". 6 May 2007.
  37. ^ "Portsmouth 0-0 Arsenal". 13 May 2007.
  38. ^ "West Brom 0–2 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 24 October 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  39. ^ "Everton 0–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 8 November 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  40. ^ "Benitez & Wenger rue postponement". BBC Sport. 19 December 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  41. ^ Rich, Tim (20 December 2006). "Chaos looms through Anfield fog". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  42. ^ Winter, Henry (10 January 2007). "Baptista revels in Arsenal's extravaganza". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  43. ^ Taylor, Daniel (10 January 2007). "Baptista grabs four as Liverpool hit for six". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  44. ^ McCarra, Kevin (25 January 2007). "Baptista at the double spikes Spurs". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  45. ^ Lyon, Sam (31 January 2007). "Arsenal 3–1 Tottenham (agg 5–3)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  46. ^ a b Dickinson, Matt (26 February 2007). "Tempers snap in the Snarling Cup". The Times. London. p. S2.
  47. ^ Isaacs, Marc (28 February 2007). "Wenger says sorry for Arsenal's part in cup final brawl". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  48. ^ "Wenger fined and censured by FA". BBC Sport. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  49. ^ "FA Statement". The Football Association. 27 February 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2015.