By Lizzie Howard
Arsenal FC is a club that is steeped deep in history. The club has gone through many iconic phases in the 135 years since it was established. These phases have produced some of the most exhilarating moments of triumph.
Here are the seven greatest moments in Arsenal history.
The Invincibles
Few teams can confidently boast of going through an entire season without losing a single match. The 2003/04 season was a hallmark of Arsenal history. The team went through an incredible run of 26 wins and 12 draws. The team won the title that season with over 90 points and an 11 point margin.
Under the management of Arsene Wenger, the team delighted fans with swift, free-flowing football. Fan and critics aside hailed the team as the invincibles. The team swept most of the prizes that season, including player of the season and top goalscorer, which went to Henry Thiery. Wenger was also voted as the manager of the season.
Wenger Appointed As Arsenal Boss
The little-known Frenchman officially took up his role as manager on October 1, 1996. When he arrived at Highbury that fall, many fans did not know what to make of Arsene Wenger. However, he managed to win the hearts and minds of both players and fans and led the club to dizzying heights of success.
Wenger’s most outstanding achievement was the glorious unbeaten season of 2003/04, resulting in the longest streak of 49 unbeaten games. He is also ranked as one of the greatest Arsenal managers of all time.
Wenger brought joy to fans. He is also considered the transfer king because of his ability to buy or sell players. For instance, he signed Nicholas Anelka from PSG at a relatively cheap price and later sold him to Real Madrid at a whopping 22 million.
Henry Joins The Gunners
Few could anticipate the impact of the 22-year-old Thierry Henry that Arsenal signed in August 1999. Arsene Wenger brought him in from Juventus for £11m, marking the start of an illustrious career for Henry.
Wenger had worked with Henry at Monaco and realized that Henry had blistering pace, excellent dribbling, and ball control skills. He moved him from the wing and pushed him into a more central role as a striker, which paid off well for the team.
Henry went on to score 39 goals during their unbeaten run. He is ranked as Arsenal’s all-time top scorer with 228 goals to his name.
Bergkamp’s Stunner
Of the countless goals scored in the Premier League, Bergkamp’s goal is ranked as one of the best goals in history. The goal scored against Newcastle Utd in the 2001/02 season amazed both supporters and critics alike. To date, there is still speculation whether Bergkamp actually meant to score that goal or it was just a lucky break.
That afternoon, Bergkamp’s wonder goal summed up the flair, brilliance, and impact the dutchman had on Arsenal during his 11-year stint at the club. Bergkamp’s goal was voted the best goal of the Premier League era by fans, and 20 years later, it still stands out.
Arsenal Moves to Emirates
Some of the most glorious moments for Arsenal have happened at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal moved to Emirates in 2006 after spending 93 years at Highbury stadium.
Emirates is a state-of-art stadium that has a capacity of 60,000. The first game played at the stadium was David Bergkamp’s testimonial match on June 22, 2006. It was befitting to pay tribute to one of their greatest players and start life at the new home.
Henry inspires 5-1 win over Milan
The Victory for Arsenal over Milan at the San Siro was nothing short of spectacular. It goes down in history as one of the untold arsenal triumphs in the champions league. Coming off the back of a 3-0 defeat at Highbury, Arsenal needed a win to proceed to the tournament’s next stage.
Thierry Henry produced two brilliant goals and provided two assists to inspire Arsenal to a resounding 5-1 victory over Milan.
The team has had many glorious moments of success in its 135-year history. These few serve as excellent examples of Arsenal’s dominance in top-flight football.
I wonder what other club had to justify itself for asking for a postponment…. Can’t remembeer one. Incredible.
What about 3-0 win at s field in 1989
2-0 win at an field in 1989
@Chris
To answer your question:
Liverpool.
And your memory isn’t ‘incredable’ as you claim.
It is diabolical de facto.
Sorry to be OT. But can anyone that reads the athletic confirm this?
https://mobile.twitter.com/BenBrowning3/status/1483847106150416394?t=BpWdIRk9U4Fczzi0fNORmw&s=09
@Charles,
Considering they had a statistical unicorn/outlyer in terms of false negatives, I’d say Pool! had to try to explain that.
But yes, you’ve showed me wrong.
As for the term ‘incredible’, it did not refer to my memory but to the length Mr Arteta had to go to explain things.
What this article actually shows is that there are many more than 7 contenders for Arsenal’s greatest moments.
Well, the shit is starting to hit the fan.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jan/19/fa-investigates-arsenal-yellow-card-suspicious-betting-patterns
Considering the utter imcompetence of PL referees, not surprising bets on stupid game changing decisions against Arsenal have started to happe. Any idiot can figure out that the same referee for 5 games in the first half of the season already is the mark of something amiss, and something you can start betting on.
I always defended the opinion that PL referees were totally incompetent, arrogant and idiotic, but now suddendly they find themselves exposed as corrupt. Oh I just love it ! Their lunacy now is putting them in a suspicious position.
Now the piece where the conclusion is telling us a previous such case showed the player was the culprit is just a hit piece on Arsenal. Typical english ‘so-called’ press. Not one word on what should be the focal point : how about the referee ? No they just show 2 examples of football players misbehaving.
Yet the other day they had absolutely NO remorse in doing a ‘kill’ piece on an african referee.
And why is no one in the ‘so-called’ press questionning how Arsenal can have 5 times the same referee since the start of the competion ? Why the F..K ?
@Charles
If only you could spell the word “incredible”……must do better!
Let’s not even mention the hundreds of players you must have tested to mathematically have achieved 6 false positives…..perhaps both English AND maths aren’t your strong points!
@Mikey
Thank you for your comment on my spelling of the ‘in…..’ word.
A classic example of ‘what I see I have understanding of the reason why it happened.
I believe football spectators around the world do this. They see a player make a mistake and on seeing the action from their view point at the ground or at home on the potato couch, they know why the player made the mistake.
There could of course be any number of reasons why the player made the mistake and perhaps only the player knows why the mistake was made.
No matter the spectator is all knowing and understanding.
You could be right of course, I don’t know how to spell the ‘in….’ word.
It might have been a typo not spotted by me.
It could have been a deliberate miss spell on my part in an attempt to mock the ever right person I addressed in my post.
But what matter – you saw and you know the reason why.
Now I wonder what will happen the next time you assume something.
As a 15 year old on a soaking wet night at Highbury we won the Fairs Cup the first trophy in many years
Steve Vallins
I was there as a 10 year old sat on the railing by old Half Time score board that ran around corners of the pitch. We, Mum, Dad, Brother and Me, were on the RH side of the North bank.
Too young to remember much.
Bright lights. Loud noise. Everyone being so excited. That’s what I remember
Nitram
I watched the game from the Clock End and invaded the pitch at the end and cheered with the rest of the crowd till the team came out in the upper stand , also so much mud on my shoes , a great night .
The rise of that team started with two League Cup finals and with a bit of tinkering a Double .
Steve Vallins
As I’ve mentioned on here many times, the first ever match I went to was the Don Rogers final 3-1 defeat to Swindon Town.
Now that was a mud bath. One of our other regulars informed me that was because the a horse of the Year show had been on it the week before.
That being said I do hope that was mud !
I was in my usual spot on the north bank about the edge of the penalty area and in front of a crash barrier o n the ledge that ran the width of the terrace .
I have been in many noisy nights at Highbury but that inter cities night is the loudest I can remember.
Nitram
I went to both League Cup finals , the Leeds one where our goalkeeper was impeded and Jack Charlton scored from a corner .
It may have been me regarding the Horse of the Year Show and if my memory serves me well we had a few player recovering or still had the flu
RH side as you look from the pitch I meant.
As l got slightly older, whenever I went with mum and dad they stood me on a man hole cover that stood just a bit higher than the steps which is a big help when you’re knee high to a grasshopper in stature.
As I got older and went on my own I too went up the clock end.
I think my favourite game at Highbury was on the 4th of December 1976.
We had signed Malcolm ‘Supermac’ MacDonald in the summer for a then record £333,333 but he didn’t get off to a great start.
That all changed when the club we bought him from came to visit.
It was end to end but we eventually ran out 5-3 winners with Supermac netting a Hattrick.
What a match. What a player.