2009–10 Arsenal F.C. season

Arsenal F.C.

2009–10 season
Arsenal and Everton players shake hands before their Premier League game at the Emirates
Chairman	Peter Hill-Wood
Manager	Arsène Wenger
Stadium	Emirates Stadium
Premier League	3rd
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Fifth round
UEFA Champions League	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Cesc Fàbregas (15) All: Cesc Fàbregas (19)
Highest home attendance	60,103 (vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 31 October 2009)
Lowest home attendance	56,592 (vs. West Bromwich Albion, 22 September 2009)
Average home league attendance	59,920
Home colours Away colours Third colours

The 2009–10 season was Arsenal Football Club's 18th season in the Premier League and their 84th consecutive season in the top flight of English football. It began on 1 July 2009 and concluded on 30 June 2010, with competitive matches played between August and May. The club ended the Premier League campaign in third position, 11 points behind champions Chelsea. In the domestic cup competitions, Arsenal were knocked out in the fourth round of the FA Cup to Stoke City and the fifth round of the League Cup against Manchester City. They failed to progress past the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, losing to reigning champions Barcelona in a two-legged tie.

Arsenal did little business in the transfer market; their only outfield signing of the summer was defender Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax. Several players however left the club before the campaign got under way, including Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Touré in separate deals to Manchester City. To reinvigorate the side and benefit from Cesc Fàbregas's creativity, manager Arsène Wenger instituted a fluid 4–3–3 formation. The team made an impressive start; by November they had scored 36 goals in 11 league games and qualified for the Champions League knockout stage with a game to spare. Arsenal's defensive fragility was a recurring theme throughout the season and meant the team struggled to sustain a title challenge; they suffered back-to-back Premier League losses on four occasions.

41 different players represented Arsenal in four competitions and there were 14 different goalscorers. Arsenal's top goalscorer was Fàbregas, who scored 19 goals in 36 appearances.

Background

See also: 2008–09 Arsenal F.C. season

Transfers

Arsenal made one outfield signing during the summer, defender Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax in a deal estimated at £10 million. Several players were let go, including Amaury Bischoff who joined in 2008 and played the majority of his football in the reserves and Rui Fonte. Striker Emmanuel Adebayor was sold to Manchester City for a fee of £25 million and Kolo Touré soon joined him, ending a seven-year association with Arsenal. His former teammate Sol Campbell rejoined the club during the winter transfer window, having been a free agent. Wenger, who signed him to bolster the squad's defensive options, said: "He has a fantastic attitude and good fitness. Of course he is not the youngest but he is in a very good shape. He can still play in the Premier League. He is important in the dressing room as well. He's positive with the young players."

A number of players were loaned out during the season for game time and career development. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny joined Brentford in November 2009 and stayed their for the remainder of the season, while in the January window Jack Wilshere and Philippe Senderos moved to Bolton Wanderers and Everton respectively.

In

No.	Position	Player	Transferred from	Fee	Date	Ref
5	DF	Thomas Vermaelen	Ajax	£10,000,000	19 June 2009
	MF	Samuel Galindo	Real América	Free transfer	15 January 2010
31	DF	Sol Campbell	Free agent	Free transfer	16 January 2010

Out

No.	Position	Player	Transferred to	Fee	Date	Ref
28	MF	Amaury Bischoff	Académica de Coimbra	Free transfer (Released)	30 June 2009
39	FW	Rui Fonte	Sporting CP	Free transfer (Released)	30 June 2009
49	DF	Paul Rodgers	Northampton Town	Free transfer (Released)	30 June 2009
25	FW	Emmanuel Adebayor	Manchester City	£25,000,000	20 July 2009
5	DF	Kolo Touré	Manchester City	£16,000,000	29 July 2009

Loan out

No.	Position	Player	Loaned from	Date	Loan expires	Ref
	DF	Pedro Botelho	Celta Vigo	23 July 2009	End of the season
	DF	Håvard Nordtveit	1. FC Nürnberg	7 August 2009	End of the season
38	MF	Jay Emmanuel-Thomas	Blackpool	17 August 2009	17 November 2009
45	MF	Henri Lansbury	Watford	21 August 2009	End of the season
50	FW	Jay Simpson	Queens Park Rangers	27 August 2009	End of the season
44	DF	Gavin Hoyte	Brighton & Hove Albion	9 October 2009	End of the season
53	GK	Wojciech Szczęsny	Brentford	20 November 2009	End of the season
47	FW	Rhys Murphy	Brentford	24 November 2009	24 February 2010
48	MF	Mark Randall	Milton Keynes Dons	15 January 2010	End of the season
42	DF	Kerrea Gilbert	Peterborough United	15 January 2010	End of the season
6	DF	Philippe Senderos	Everton	25 January 2010	End of the season
19	MF	Jack Wilshere	Bolton Wanderers	29 January 2010	End of the season
54	MF	Sanchez Watt	Southend United	1 February 2010	28 February 2010
34	DF	Kyle Bartley	Sheffield United	9 February 2010	12 May 2010
51	FW	Gilles Sunu	Derby County	19 February 2010	End of the season
38	MF	Jay Emmanuel-Thomas	Doncaster Rovers	27 February 2010	End of the season
46	DF	Luke Ayling	Yeovil Town	17 March 2010	End of the season
54	MF	Sanchez Watt	Leeds United	25 March 2010	End of the season

Pre-season

Barnet v Arsenal

18 July 2009	Barnet	2–2	Arsenal	Barnet
15:00 BST	Yakubu 45' Charles 83'	Report	43' Arshavin 51' Barazite	Stadium: Underhill Stadium Attendance: 5,099

SC Columbia v Arsenal

21 July 2009	SC Columbia	1–7	Arsenal	Columbiaplatz
18:30 CEST	Lehner 35'	Report	36', 44' Bendtner 39', 83' Ramsey 56' (pen.), 73' Van Persie 77' Gallas	Stadium: Schwarzlackenau Stadium Attendance: 6,900

Szombathelyi Haladás v Arsenal

27 July 2009	Szombathelyi Haladás	0–5	Arsenal	Szombathely
19:00 CEST		Report	17', 43' Bendtner 24', 40' Eduardo 66' (pen.) Van Persie	Stadium: Rohonci Street Stadium Attendance: 12,500

Hannover 96 v Arsenal

Arsenal v Atlético Madrid

1 August 2009 Emirates Cup	Arsenal	2–1	Atlético Madrid	London
16:15 BST	Arshavin 86', 90'	Report	29' Juanito  44' Ujfaluši 88' Pacheco	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 54,224 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Arsenal v Rangers

2 August 2009 Emirates Cup	Arsenal	3–0	Rangers	London
16:15 BST	Wilshere 2', 72' Eduardo 11'	Report	50' McCulloch	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 56,758 Referee: Mike Dean

Valencia v Arsenal

8 August 2009	Valencia	2–0	Arsenal	Valencia
21:30 CEST	Míchel 75' Villa 90'	Report		Stadium: Mestalla Stadium Attendance: 55,000

Premier League

See also: 2009–10 Premier League

A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2009–10 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 three teams qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League; the team in fourth needed to play a qualifier.

The provisional fixture list was released on 17 June 2009, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage.

August–October

Emmanuel Adebayor scored against Arsenal and reacted by celebrating in front of the visiting supporters.

The league campaign began for Arsenal with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on 15 August 2009. Denílson scored the opening goal four minutes before the half-hour and Vermaelen doubled Arsenal's lead, heading the ball in from a Robin van Persie cross. Everton's failure to mark Gallas brought about the visitors' third just before the break. Fàbregas scored two goals in the second half and substitute Eduardo added Arsenal's sixth, before Saha scored for Everton in stoppage time. The game marked Vermaelen's league debut and the player was described by The Guardian's match correspondent Andy Hunter as "comfortably the finest defender on display," having limited his counterpart Marouane Fellaini to so few chances while "anticipating danger expertly". The following week Abou Diaby scored two goals as Arsenal beat Portsmouth 4–1. Arsenal then travelled to play the incumbent champions Manchester United at Old Trafford. Arshavin's goal in the 40th minute gave Arsenal the lead, but Manuel Almunia conceded a penalty in the second half, as he adjusted to have fouled striker Wayne Rooney in the penalty box. Rooney converted the spot kick to level the scoreline, before Diaby headed the ball into his own net from a United free-kick. Late on, Wenger was sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle after Van Persie's equaliser was correctly disallowed. He felt the defeat was an "undeserved" one, going further to criticise his opponents' tactics: "I have seen a player make 20 fouls without getting a yellow card. If you have seen the game, you don't need me to tell you who but their player gets away without a yellow card. It's quite amazing."

Arsenal did not play another game for a fortnight because of the international football break. On the resumption of club football, they faced Manchester City. At the City of Manchester Stadium, Arsenal lost for the second league match in succession, this time by a two-goal margin. Adebayor scored against his former club and caused controversy by running towards the Arsenal section and celebrating in front of them. Television replays also caught the striker attempting to stamp Van Persie's face. At home, Arsenal responded with a 4–0 win against Wigan Athletic and a single Van Persie's goal was enough to beat Fulham away in the team's final match of September. Vito Mannone's performance at Craven Cottage was praised; he stood in for the injured Almunia. After six games, Arsenal garnered 12 points and stood in fifth position, having played a game less than each of the teams occupying the top four.

The visit of Blackburn Rovers to the Emirates Stadium in early October coincided with the start of Wenger's 13th year at the club. Six different players (Vermaelen, Van Persie, Arshavin, Fàbregas, Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner) scored in the team's 6–2 win. Arsenal defeated Birmingham City 3–1 at home before conceding twice away to West Ham United on 25 October 2009 to draw. Arsenal's final game of October was a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Van Persie scored the opening goal in the 42nd minute, before Fàbregas added a second immediately – he won the ball straight from the kick-off and went past Tottenham's static defence, before shooting past Heurelho Gomes. Van Persie scored Arsenal's third in the second half and the 3–0 win moved Arsenal into third position, five points behind Chelsea in first who played a game more.

November–January

Aaron Ramsey made his breakthrough into the first eleven for Arsenal during the 2009–10 season.

Arsenal's first fixture of November was against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium. The team moved into second place as a result of a 4–1 win. Wenger was sceptical of whether his team could reach a century of goals in the league, but was overjoyed at Arsenal's goal tally of 36 in 11 league matches: "[It] shows that the way we play football, the way we are organised and the way we go forward suits our players." Following the international football break, Arsenal played Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Eduardo deputised for Van Persie, who injured himself whilst playing for the Netherlands. Darren Bent's goal in the 71st minute won the match for Sunderland, who became the first team to prevent Arsenal from scoring in a league match. Manchester United's defeat of Everton moved Arsenal down into third position in the league table, three points ahead. At home to league leaders Chelsea on 29 November 2009, Arsenal lost 3–0; striker Didier Drogba scored two goals in either interval of the game. When asked if Arsenal's title chances were over, Wenger replied, "It is not over and I believe, on what I have seen of Chelsea, that the team can drop points."

December saw Arsenal win five out of six league matches. Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey each scored against Stoke City at home, and the team came from behind to beat Liverpool at Anfield – a ground where they were winless in five years. The victory was attributed to Wenger's half-time team talk where he uncharacteristically shouted at his players and told them they were "not fit to wear the shirt" after a poor first-half performance. "Of course it can always go the other way and you can lose 6–1. Then it's a crisis; it is like that." he told reporters. Arsenal were then held to a 1–1 draw at Burnley which meant they remained in third spot, with the gap between themselves and Chelsea ever increasing. The team returned to winning ways at home to Hull City as Denílson, Eduardo and Diaby got on the scoresheet in a 3–0 victory. A day after Boxing Day, Arsenal beat Aston Villa by the same scoreline; Fàbregas came off the substitutes' bench and scored twice. The Arsenal captain however injured himself in the closing stages of the match and was ruled out for their next game, away to Portsmouth. Nevertheless, the team recorded a 4–1 victory to move four points behind leaders Chelsea with a game in hand.

Tomáš Rosický scored in stoppage time to deny Everton their first win at Arsenal in 14 years. The match, which saw the visitors lead twice, was played in cold conditions as a result of the "Big Freeze". Arsenal then faced Bolton Wanderers back-to-back; the home fixture was originally called off on 6 January 2010 due to heavy snow. At the Reebok Stadium, goals from Fàbregas and Fran Mérida saw the visitors to victory in what was Owen Coyle's first game in charge of Bolton. In the reverse fixture three days later Arsenal won again to go back in first spot, this time coming back from two goals down to win 4–2. Their stay at the top of the table was brief and moved back down to third, after they were held to a goalless stalemate against Aston Villa in the midweek round, while Chelsea beat Birmingham. Arsenal's best chances in the match came in the first half; Fàbregas and Rosicky both had efforts hit the post and crossbar respectively.

The end of January brought the visit of Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium. Wenger described the game as an opportunity for Arsenal to prove they were "mentally prepared" to compete in the title race, but his team were outclassed by the visitors which prompted boos from the home support at the final whistle. Nani opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark and was involved in the counter-attack that led to the second goal four minutes later, finished off by Rooney. Park Ji-sung added a third for United in the second half, before Vermaelen scored late on to make the scoreline 3–1. The defeat left Arsenal still in third with 14 games remaining, five points behind leaders Chelsea.

February–May

Arsenal's poor form against the title challengers continued: at Stamford Bridge they were unable to get the better of a Chelsea side that powered into a 2–0 lead in the first half-hour. Drogba opened the scoring in the eighth minute when John Terry headed the ball across the face of goal and he tapped in at the far post. The striker scored his second of the game from a counter-attack. In his match report for The Guardian, Kevin McCarra opined that Arsenal were "strangled by stereotype" and a second successive defeat put end to their title bid. Wenger downplayed the defeat, and told reporters "we didn't get a demonstration of football but they were efficient;” his comments on possession irked Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack. Arsenal returned to winning ways in midweek with a narrow victory against Liverpool and then scored twice to beat Sunderland. At the Britannia Stadium, Arsenal forged a comeback against Stoke City but their win was overshadowed by the injury to Ramsey. The midfielder broke his right leg following a challenge by Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross, who was immediately sent off. Wenger described the tackle as "horrendous" and added "People say we don’t fancy the physical side of it, but this is the result. If you see a player getting injured like that, it’s not acceptable."

A win against Burnley in March put Arsenal level on points with second-place Chelsea having played a game more. The team needed a late goal against Hull City, courtesy of Bendtner in the third minute of stoppage time to get three points and move above Manchester United into second place. Wenger was defiant his team could win the title after Arsenal beat West Ham to move top; it was their sixth consecutive league win and victory was ensured when Fàbregas converted a penalty late on. They were without Vermaelen for the trip to St Andrew's as the defender was sent off against West Ham. Arsenal were unable to hold on to their lead against Birmingham as Almunia's error gifted a stoppage-time equaliser, scored by Kevin Phillips. With six games remaining, Arsenal stood in third place, three points behind Chelsea and four on leaders Manchester United.

At home against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bendtner scored the winning goal in stoppage time, rising highest inside the six-yard box and heading in Sagna's cross. In the North London derby, Tottenham beat Arsenal at White Hart Lane to record their first league win against Wenger's side since November 1999. Danny Rose on his debut opened the scoring with a 30-yard volley and Gareth Bale doubled the host's lead minutes into the second half. Bendtner scored with five minutes remaining of normal time but the game ended 2–1 to Tottenham, leaving Arsenal six points adrift of Chelsea at the top.

Wenger was so incensed by Arsenal's response against Wigan – conceding three in the final 10 minutes to throw away a 2–0 lead – that he ordered the team bus to drop his players at Wigan railway station and told them to make their way back home. With Arsenal's title bid over, the team played out a goalless draw against Manchester City and then lost to Blackburn Rovers in early May. Arsenal secured third place on the final day, beating Fulham at home by four goals.

Matches

Everton v Arsenal

15 August 2009 1	Everton	1–6	Arsenal	Liverpool
17:30 BST	Saha 90'	Report	26' Denílson 37' Vermaelen 41' Gallas 48', 70' Fàbregas 89' Eduardo	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 39,309 Referee: Mark Halsey

Arsenal v Portsmouth

22 August 2009 2	Arsenal	4–1	Portsmouth	London
15:00 BST	Diaby 18', 22'  90' Gallas 51' Ramsey 69'	Report	37' Kaboul	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,049 Referee: Steve Bennett

Manchester United v Arsenal

29 August 2009 3	Manchester United	2–1	Arsenal	Manchester
17:15 BST	35' Evra 59' (pen.)  62' Rooney  62' Brown 64' (o.g.) Diaby	Report	23' Song  32' Gallas 40' Arshavin  45' Van Persie  58' Almunia  71' Eboué  75' Sagna	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,095 Referee: Mike Dean

Manchester City v Arsenal

12 September 2009 4	Manchester City	4–2	Arsenal	Manchester
15:00 BST	14' Lescott 20' (o.g.) Almunia 72' Bellamy 80'  81' Adebayor 84' Wright-Phillips  90+3' de Jong	Report	19' Sagna 63' Van Persie  72' Song 88' Rosický	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,339 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic

19 September 2009 5	Arsenal	4–0	Wigan Athletic	London
15:00 BST	25', 49' Vermaelen 59'  23' Eboué 90' Fàbregas  40' Song	Report	53' Gómez  65' Scharner	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,103 Referee: Mike Jones

Fulham v Arsenal

26 September 2009 6	Fulham	0–1	Arsenal	London
17:30 BST	26' Murphy  45' Zamora  70' Pantsil  79' Konchesky	Report	52' Van Persie	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 25,700 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers

4 October 2009 7	Arsenal	6–2	Blackburn Rovers	London
13:30 BST	17' Vermaelen 33'  45' Van Persie 37' Arshavin 57' Fàbregas 75' Walcott 89' Bendtner	Report	4' Nzonzi 30' Dunn  11' Di Santo	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,431 Referee: Peter Walton

Arsenal v Birmingham City

17 October 2009 8	Arsenal	3–1	Birmingham City	London
15:00 BST	16' Van Persie 18' Diaby 84' Arshavin  73' Song	Report	38' Bowyer  58' Hart  63' Ridgewell	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,082 Referee: Lee Probert

West Ham United v Arsenal

25 October 2009 9	West Ham United	2–2	Arsenal	London
16:15 GMT	74' Cole 80' (pen.) Diamanti  78'  85' Parker  71' Hines  78' Collison	Report	16' Van Persie 37' Gallas  77' Eboué  80' Mannone	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 34,442 Referee: Chris Foy

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

31 October 2009 10	Arsenal	3–0	Tottenham Hotspur	London
12:45 GMT	42', 60' Van Persie 43' Fàbregas  78' Vermaelen	Report	62' Crouch	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,103 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal

7 November 2009 11	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–4	Arsenal	Wolverhampton
17:30 GMT	89' Craddock  27' Ebanks-Blake  60' Milijaš	Report	28' (o.g.) Zubar 36' (o.g.) Craddock 45' Fàbregas 66'  40' Arshavin  10' Gallas  59' Gibbs	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 28,937 Referee: Steve Bennett

Sunderland v Arsenal

21 November 2009 12	Sunderland	1–0	Arsenal	Sunderland
15:00 GMT	71' Bent  84' Bardsley  90' Richardson	Report	90' Traoré	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 44,918 Referee: Alan Wiley

Arsenal v Chelsea

29 November 2009 13	Arsenal	0–3	Chelsea	London
16:00 GMT	26' Traoré  90+5' Fàbregas	Report	41', 86'  37' Drogba 45' (o.g.) Vermaelen  70' Mikel	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,067 Referee: Andre Marriner

Arsenal v Stoke City

5 December 2009 14	Arsenal	2–0	Stoke City	London
15:00 GMT	26' Arshavin 79' Ramsey 20' Fàbregas	Report		Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,041 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Liverpool v Arsenal

13 December 2009 15	Liverpool	1–2	Arsenal	Liverpool
16:00 GMT	41' Kuyt  44' Aurélio  55' Mascherano  85' Lucas	Report	50' (o.g.) Johnson 58'  81' Arshavin  24' Denílson  82' Fàbregas	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,853 Referee: Howard Webb

Burnley v Arsenal

16 December 2009 16	Burnley	1–1	Arsenal	Lancashire
19:45 GMT	28' (pen.) Alexander  40' Eagles  88' Caldwell	Report	7' Fàbregas	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 21,309 Referee: Mike Dean

Arsenal v Hull City

19 December 2009 17	Arsenal	3–0	Hull City	London
17:30 GMT	45+4' Denílson 59' Eduardo 80' Diaby  45' Nasri	Report	45' Barmby  45' Hunt  45+2' Zayatte  45+5' Boateng  90+3' Olofinjana	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,006 Referee: Steve Bennett

Arsenal v Aston Villa

27 December 2009 18	Arsenal	3–0	Aston Villa	London
13:30 GMT	65', 81' Fàbregas 90+1' Diaby  67' Song	Report	55' A. Young  76' Cuéllar  90+4' Delph	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,056 Referee: Phil Dowd

Portsmouth v Arsenal

30 December 2009 19	Portsmouth	1–4	Arsenal	Portsmouth
19:45 GMT	74' Belhadj  45+2' Mokoena  86' Hughes	Report	28' Eduardo 42' Nasri 69' Ramsey 81' Song	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,404 Referee: Alan Wiley

Arsenal v Everton

9 January 2010 20	Arsenal	2–2	Everton	London
15:00 GMT	28' Denílson 90+2' Rosický  87' Sagna	Report	12' Osman 81'  90+1' Pienaar	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,053 Referee: Peter Walton

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal

17 January 2010 21	Bolton Wanderers	0–2	Arsenal	Bolton
16:00 GMT	35' Robinson	Report	28' Fàbregas 78' Mérida  37' Rosický  77' Vermaelen	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 23,893 Referee: Phil Dowd

Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers

20 January 2010 22	Arsenal	4–2	Bolton Wanderers	London
19:45 GMT	43' Rosický 52' Fàbregas 65' Vermaelen 85' Arshavin  87' Clichy	Report	7' Cahill 28' (pen.) Taylor  47' Muamba  68' McCann	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,084 Referee: Alan Wiley

Aston Villa v Arsenal

27 January 2010 23	Aston Villa	0–0	Arsenal	Birmingham
19:45 GMT	55' Heskey  90+3' Dunne	Report	13' Vermaelen  84' Clichy	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 39,601 Referee: Lee Probert

Arsenal v Manchester United

31 January 2010 24	Arsenal	1–3	Manchester United	London
16:00 GMT	80' Vermaelen  17' Song	Report	33' (o.g.) Almunia 37' Rooney 52' Park	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,091 Referee: Chris Foy

Chelsea v Arsenal

7 February 2010 25	Chelsea	2–0	Arsenal	London
16:00 GMT	8', 23' Drogba  88' Zhirkov  88' J. Cole	Report	83' Song  84' Fàbregas	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,794 Referee: Mike Dean

Arsenal v Liverpool

10 February 2010 26	Arsenal	1–0	Liverpool	London
19:45 GMT	72' Diaby  40' Clichy  64' Bendtner  90+5' Fàbregas	Report	41' Rodríguez  62' Degen	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,045 Referee: Howard Webb

Arsenal v Sunderland

20 February 2010 27	Arsenal	2–0	Sunderland	London
15:00 GMT	27' Bendtner 90+3' (pen.) Fàbregas  50' Fàbregas	Report	34' Cana  44' Turner  58' Richardson  71' Mensah  90+2' Ferdinand	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,083 Referee: Steve Bennett

Stoke City v Arsenal

27 February 2010 28	Stoke City	1–3	Arsenal	Stoke-on-Trent
17:30 GMT	8' Pugh  66' Shawcross	Report	32' Bendtner 90+1' (pen.) Fàbregas 90+4' Vermaelen  62' Song	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 27,011 Referee: Peter Walton

Arsenal v Burnley

6 March 2010 29	Arsenal	3–1	Burnley	London
15:00 GMT	34' Fàbregas 60' Walcott 90+4' Arshavin	Report	50' Nugent  27' McDonald  48' Paterson  69' Carlisle  72' Elliott	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,043 Referee: Chris Foy

Hull City v Arsenal

13 March 2010 30	Hull City	1–2	Arsenal	Kingston upon Hull
17:30 GMT	28' (pen.) Bullard  39' Dawson  41'  45+1'Boateng	Report	14' Arshavin 90+3'  40' Bendtner  28' Campbell	Stadium: KC Stadium Attendance: 25,023 Referee: Andre Marriner

Arsenal v West Ham United

20 March 2010 31	Arsenal	2–0	West Ham United	London
17:30 GMT	5' Denílson 83' (pen.) Fàbregas  44' Vermaelen  39' Campbell	Report	38' 44' Diamanti  45+1' Kováč  62' Upson  90+1' Daprelà	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,077 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Birmingham City v Arsenal

27 March 2010 32	Birmingham City	1–1	Arsenal	Birmingham
15:00 GMT	90+2' Phillips  73' Ferguson  85' Gardner  89' Carr	Report	81' Nasri  16' Song  25' Clichy	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 27,039 Referee: Howard Webb

Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers

3 April 2010 33	Arsenal	1–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	London
15:00 BST	90+4' Bendtner	Report	66' Henry  64' Jarvis  79' Mancienne	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,067 Referee: Andre Marriner

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

14 April 2010 34	Tottenham Hotspur	2–1	Arsenal	London
20:00 BST	10' Rose 47' Bale  33' Modrić  36' Kaboul  83' Dawson	Report	85' Bendtner  36' Denílson	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 36,041 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Wigan Athletic v Arsenal

18 April 2010 35	Wigan Athletic	3–2	Arsenal	Wigan
13:30 BST	80' Watson 89',  68' Bramble 90+1' N'Zogbia  24' Diamé	Report	41' Walcott 48' Silvestre  37' Nasri	Stadium: DW Stadium Attendance: 22,113 Referee: Lee Mason

Arsenal v Manchester City

24 April 2010 36	Arsenal	0–0	Manchester City	London
17:30 BST	42' Silvestre  51' Diaby  67' Song  82' Van Persie	Report	81' Bellamy  83' Zabaleta	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,086 Referee: Mike Dean

Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal

3 May 2010 37	Blackburn Rovers	2–1	Arsenal	Blackburn
17:00 BST	Grella  25' Dunn 44' Pedersen  59' Samba 68'	Report	13' Van Persie  65' Silvestre  90' Campbell	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 26,138 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Arsenal v Fulham

9 May 2010 38	Arsenal	4–0	Fulham	London
16:00 BST	Arshavin 21' Van Persie 26' Baird 37' (o.g.) Eboué  68' Fabiański  69' Vela 84'	Report	65' Dempsey  90+3' Kelly	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,039 Referee: Mike Jones

Classification

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Chelsea (C)	38	27	5	6	103	32	+71	86	Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2	Manchester United	38	27	4	7	86	28	+58	85
3	Arsenal	38	23	6	9	83	41	+42	75
4	Tottenham Hotspur	38	21	7	10	67	41	+26	70	Qualification for the Champions League play-off round
5	Manchester City	38	18	13	7	73	45	+28	67	Qualification for the Europa League play-off round

Source: Premier League
(C) Champions
Notes:

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	23	6	9	83	41	+42	75	15	2	2	48	15	+33	8	4	7	35	26	+9

Source:

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	W	W	L	L	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	L	L	W	W	D	W	W	W	D	W	W	D	L	L	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	L	L	D	L	W
Position	1	1	5	8	6	5	4	4	3	3	2	3	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3

Source:
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

Main article: 2009–10 FA Cup

Arsenal entered the FA Cup in the third round (last 64), in which they were drawn to face fellow Premier League club West Ham United away from home. They came from a goal down to beat their London rivals and progress, but made an exit the following round against Stoke where an understrength side were undone in the final 20 minutes. Wenger defended his team selection, pointing out to the media: "We had 10 injuries and a very difficult programme coming up."

West Ham United v Arsenal

3 January 2010 Third round	West Ham United	1–2	Arsenal	London
16:15 GMT	Diamanti 45+1' Daprelà  45'	Report	78' Ramsey 83' Eduardo  27' Song	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 25,549 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Stoke City v Arsenal

24 January 2010 Fourth round	Stoke City	3–1	Arsenal	Stoke-on-Trent
13:30 GMT	Fuller 2', 78' Whitehead 86'	Report	42' Denílson	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 19,735 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Football League Cup

Main article: 2009–10 Football League Cup

Arsenal entered the Football League Cup in the third round, where they were drawn at home against West Bromwich Albion. Helped by the dismissal of Jerome Thomas, Arsenal's young team – averaging at 20 years – were able to beat the visitors by two goals to progress. A strong performance against Liverpool followed in the competition, but Arsenal were knocked out in the quarter-final stage when Manchester City defeated them by three goals.

Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion

22 September 2009 Third round	Arsenal	2–0	West Bromwich Albion	London
19:45 BST	Watt 68' Vela 76' Senderos  32' Ramsey  57'	Report	37' Thomas  38' Cox	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 56,592 Referee: Lee Mason

Arsenal v Liverpool

28 October 2009 Fourth round	Arsenal	2–1	Liverpool	London
19:45 GMT	Mérida 19' Bendtner 50'	Report	26' Insúa	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,004 Referee: Alan Wiley

Manchester City v Arsenal

2 December 2009 Fifth round	Manchester City	3–0	Arsenal	Manchester
19:45 GMT	Tevez 50' Wright-Phillips 69' Weiss 89' Kompany  82' Bellamy  83'	Report	38' Traoré  39' Eastmond  58' Silvestre  77' Wilshere  79' Song  82' Ramsey	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,015 Referee: Chris Foy

UEFA Champions League

Main article: 2009–10 UEFA Champions League

Given Arsenal finished fourth in the league the previous season, the club played a qualifying round against Celtic to ensure progression into the group stages. In the first leg at Celtic Park, Arsenal broke the deadlock when Fábregas' free-kick deflected in off defender William Gallas and past the goal net. Gary Caldwell's own goal deep into the second half strengthened Arsenal's advantage on a night when their midfielder Alex Song was described by journalist David Hytner as being "…outstanding, his strength, smart positioning and interceptions helping to stem Celtic raids and launch those of his own team."

Arsenal beat Celtic 3–1 in the return leg a week later; it was not without controversy as the Celtic players accused Eduardo of diving to win his team a penalty that led to the first goal. UEFA charged the striker and banned him for two matches as he was found guilty of deceiving referee Manuel Gonzalez. Arsenal lodged an appeal and the ban was overturned at a later date.

Play-off round

Main article: 2009–10 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round

Celtic v Arsenal

18 August 2009 First leg	Celtic	0–2	Arsenal	Glasgow, Scotland
19:45 BST	52' Fox  58' N'Guemo  86' Loovens	Report	43' Gallas 71' (o.g.) Caldwell  84' Clichy	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,165 Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

Arsenal v Celtic

26 August 2009 Second leg	Arsenal	3–1 (5–1 agg.)	Celtic	London, England
19:45 BST	28' (pen.) Eduardo 53',  53' Eboué 74' Arshavin  83' Denílson	Report	90+2' Donati  33' Caldwell  56' McGeady  83' Brown	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,962 Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)

Group stage

Main article: 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage § Group H

Arsenal were drawn in Group H, along with Greek club Olympiacos, Belgian side Standard Liège and Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar. The team mounted a comeback against Standard Liège on the first night of the competition, having conceded twice in the space of the first five minutes. Eduardo's deciding goal, which came nine minutes before the end marked the fifth season in the previous six that Arsenal opened their campaign with a win. Late goals from Van Persie and Arshavin secured a 2–0 win at home to Olympiacos, but the team were unable to make it three wins after conceding a stoppage-time goal to draw 1–1 against AZ. In the reverse match, staged on matchday four, Fábregas scored twice in Arsenal's 4–1 win which put the club on 10 points in the group. Victory against Standard Liège ensured qualification into the knockout stages with a match to spare. That game was against Olympiacos, which Wenger made changes to his first XI. Arsenal lost 1–0 at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Arsenal	6	4	1	1	12	5	+7	13	Advance to knockout phase
2	Olympiacos	6	3	1	2	4	5	−1	10
3	Standard Liège	6	1	2	3	7	9	−2	5	Transfer to Europa League
4	AZ	6	0	4	2	4	8	−4	4

Source: RSSSF

Standard Liège v Arsenal

16 September 2009 1	Standard Liège	2–3	Arsenal	Liège, Belgium
20:45 CEST	Mangala 3' Jovanović 5' (pen.) Witsel  68' Nicaise  76'	Report	Clichy  34' Bendtner 45' Vermaelen 78' Eduardo 81'	Stadium: Stade Maurice Dufrasne Attendance: 23,022 Referee: Eduardo Iturralde González (Spain)

Arsenal v Olympiacos

29 September 2009 2	Arsenal	2–0	Olympiacos	London, England
19:45 BST	Van Persie  52', 78' Arshavin 86' Fàbregas  90'	Report	Żewłakow  52' Dudu  66' Torosidis  80' Bravo  89'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,884 Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (France)

AZ v Arsenal

20 October 2009 3	AZ	1–1	Arsenal	Alkmaar, Netherlands
20:45 CEST	Mendes da Silva 90+3' Lens  89'	Report	Fàbregas 36' Van Persie  48' Clichy  66' Vela  77'	Stadium: DSB Stadion Attendance: 16,666 Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

Arsenal v AZ

4 November 2009 4	Arsenal	4–1	AZ	London, England
19:45 GMT	Fàbregas 25', 52' Nasri 43' Diaby 72'	Report	Moisander  66' Lens 82'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,345 Referee: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)

Arsenal v Standard Liège

24 November 2009 5	Arsenal	2–0	Standard Liège	London, England
19:45 GMT	Nasri 35' Denílson 45+2' Fàbregas  87'	Report	Mulemo  68' Mangala  70' Carcela  86'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,941 Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

Olympiacos v Arsenal

9 December 2009 6	Olympiacos	1–0	Arsenal	Piraeus, Greece
21:45 EET	Leonardo  24', 47'	Report	Mérida  40'	Stadium: Karaiskakis Stadium Attendance: 30,277 Referee: Lucílio Batista (Portugal)

Knockout phase

Main article: 2009–10 UEFA Champions League knockout phase

Round of 16

Arsenal faced Porto in the knockout stages. In the first leg at the Estádio do Dragão, an own goal by goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański gave Porto the lead, but Campbell scored Arsenal a crucial away goal seven minutes later when he headed in a corner. Radamel Falcao restored Porto's lead in the second half and the tie finished 2–1 in their favour. At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal overturned Porto's slender advantage as Bendtner scored twice inside the first 25 minutes. Nasri and Emmanuel Eboué added further goals before Bendtner converted a penalty to round off a hat-trick.

Porto v Arsenal

17 February 2010 First leg	Porto	2–1	Arsenal	Porto, Portugal
19:45 WET	Fabiański 11' (o.g.) Falcao 51' Alves  34' Fucile  64' Pereira  78' Fernando  84'	Report	Campbell 18' Diaby  31'	Stadium: Estádio do Dragão Attendance: 40,717 Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)

Arsenal v Porto

9 March 2010 Second leg	Arsenal	5–0 (6–2 agg.)	Porto	London, England
19:45 GMT	Bendtner 10', 25', 90+1' (pen.),  44' Nasri 63' Eboué 66' Vermaelen  38'	Report	Falcao  24' Pereira  59'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,661 Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, Arsenal played Barcelona which marked the return of former club captain Thierry Henry. Barcelona dominated proceedings but did not find a way through the Arsenal defence until the early stages of the second half; Zlatan Ibrahimovic took advantage of Almunia leaving his box and rushing towards him by lofting the ball over the goalkeeper. Ibrahimovic doubled Barcelona's lead, to which Wenger responded by bringing Walcott on. The forward made an instant impact with his pace and acceleration, scoring past Victor Valdes. Barcelona defender Carles Puyol was sent off for a second bookable offence when he fouled Fábregas in the box, and the Arsenal captain converted the penalty awarded by the referee to equalise.

Walcott, who Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola described as Arsenal's biggest threat, was named in the first XI for the return leg and set Bendtner up to score. The joy was short lived as Messi equalised within minutes and he added a further three goals to give Barcelona a 6–3 aggregate win – 4–1 on the night. Wenger was full of praise for Messi afterwards, telling reporters: "…We lost against a team that is better than us and that has the best player in the world. Once he's on the run, Messi is unstoppable. He's the only player who can change direction at such a pace."

Arsenal v Barcelona

31 March 2010 First leg	Arsenal	2–2	Barcelona	London, England
19:45 BST	Walcott 69' Fàbregas 85' (pen.)  44' Arshavin  21' Song  40' Eboué  74' Diaby  79'	Report	Ibrahimović 46', 59' Puyol  84' Piqué  72'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,572 Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

Barcelona v Arsenal

6 April 2010 Second leg	Barcelona	4–1 (6–3 agg.)	Arsenal	Barcelona, Spain
20:45 CEST	Messi 21', 37', 42', 88'	Report	Bendtner 18' Denílson  31' Rosický  45' Eboué  67'	Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 93,330 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

Squad statistics

Arsenal used a total of 41 players during the 2009–10 season and there were 20 different goalscorers. There were also four squad members who did not make a first-team appearance in the campaign. This was the first season the team played in a 4–3–3 formation, utilised for the benefit of Fàbregas. Sagna featured in 44 matches – the most of any Arsenal player in the campaign. Vermaelen started in 33 league matches.

The team scored a total of 115 goals in all competitions. The highest scorer was Fàbregas, with 19 goals, 15 of which scored in the league. Vermaelen was the only Arsenal player to be sent off in the entire season. The side's continuing sportsmanship was acknowledged at the end of the season with the Barclays Fair Play Award.

Key

No. = Squad number

Pos = Playing position

Nat. = Nationality

Apps = Appearances

GK = Goalkeeper

DF = Defender

MF = Midfielder

FW = Forward

= Yellow cards

= Red cards

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		Europe		Total		Discipline
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	ESP	Manuel Almunia	29	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	36	0	1	0
2	MF	FRA	Abou Diaby	26 (3)	6	(1)	0	0	0	9 (1)	1	35 (5)	7	4	0
3	DF	FRA	Bacary Sagna	31 (4)	0	1	0	0	0	7 (1)	0	39 (5)	0	3	0
4	MF	ESP	Cesc Fàbregas	26 (1)	15	1	0	0	0	8	4	35 (1)	19	8	0
5	DF	BEL	Thomas Vermaelen	33	7	1	0	0	0	11	1	45	8	4	1
6	DF	SUI	Philippe Senderos †	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	1	0
7	MF	CZE	Tomáš Rosický	14 (11)	3	0	0	1	0	5 (2)	0	20 (13)	3	2	0
8	MF	FRA	Samir Nasri	22 (4)	2	(1)	0	1	0	6	3	29 (5)	5	2	0
9	FW	CRO	Eduardo	13 (11)	2	1 (1)	1	1	0	2 (3)	2	17 (15)	5	0	0
10	DF	FRA	William Gallas	26	3	1	1	0	0	8	1	35	4	2	0
11	FW	NED	Robin van Persie	14 (2)	9	0	0	0	0	4	1	18 (2)	10	5	0
12	FW	MEX	Carlos Vela	1 (10)	1	2	0	1 (1)	1	2 (3)	0	6 (14)	2	1	0
14	MF	ENG	Theo Walcott	12 (11)	3	1	0	0	0	2 (4)	1	15 (15)	4	0	0
15	MF	BRA	Denílson	19 (1)	3	1	1	0	0	5 (2)	1	25 (3)	5	3	0
16	MF	WAL	Aaron Ramsey	7 (11)	3	1 (1)	1	3	0	1 (5)	0	12 (17)	4	2	0
17	MF	CMR	Alex Song	25 (1)	1	1	0	1	0	10	0	37 (1)	1	13	0
18	DF	FRA	Mikaël Silvestre	9 (3)	1	2	0	3	0	2 (1)	0	16 (4)	1	3	0
19	MF	ENG	Jack Wilshere †	(1)	0	1	0	2	0	1 (2)	0	4 (3)	0	1	0
20	DF	SUI	Johan Djourou	(1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0
21	GK	POL	Łukasz Fabiański	4	0	2	0	2	0	2	0	10	0	1	0
22	DF	FRA	Gaël Clichy	23 (1)	0	0	0	0	0	9	0	32 (1)	0	6	0
23	MF	RUS	Andrey Arshavin	25 (5)	10	(1)	0	0	0	7 (1)	2	32 (7)	12	3	0
24	GK	ITA	Vito Mannone	5	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	8	0	1	0
27	DF	CIV	Emmanuel Eboué	17 (8)	1	0	0	1	0	6 (4)	2	24 (12)	3	6	0
28	DF	ENG	Kieran Gibbs	3	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	7	0	1	0
30	DF	FRA	Armand Traoré	9	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	12	0	3	0
31	DF	ENG	Sol Campbell	10 (1)	0	1	0	0	0	2	1	13 (1)	1	3	0
32	MF	ESP	Fran Mérida	(4)	1	1	0	2	1	1	0	4 (4)	2	1	0
33	MF	NED	Nacer Barazite	0	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0
34	MF	ENG	Kyle Bartley †	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
35	MF	FRA	Francis Coquelin	0	0	1	0	1 (1)	0	0	0	2 (1)	0	0	0
36	DF	ENG	Thomas Cruise	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
37	DF	ENG	Craig Eastmond	2 (2)	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	5 (2)	0	1	0
38	MF	ENG	Jay Emmanuel-Thomas †	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
42	DF	ENG	Kerrea Gilbert †	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	3	0	0	0
45	MF	ENG	Henri Lansbury †	(1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0
48	MF	ENG	Mark Randall †	0	0	0	0	(2)	0	0	0	(2)	0	0	0
51	FW	FRA	Gilles Sunu †	0	0	0	0	1	0	(1)	0	1 (1)	0	0	0
52	FW	DEN	Nicklas Bendtner	13 (10)	6	0	0	1	1	7	5	21 (10)	12	3	0
53	GK	POL	Wojciech Szczęsny †	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
54	MF	ENG	Sanchez Watt †	0	0	0	0	1 (2)	1	0	0	1 (2)	1	0	0

Source:

See also

• 2009–10 in English football
• List of Arsenal F.C. seasons