Wikipedia

2006–07 Arsenal F.C. season

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.

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)

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   Alex Song 18 Non-EU Bastia   Transferred  Y Summer Undisclosed £1M BBC
7 AM   Tomáš Rosický 25 EU Borussia Dortmund   Transferred  Y Summer Undisclosed Undisclosed BBC
9 AM   Júlio Baptista 24 Non-EU Real Madrid   Loan  Y Summer May 2007 N/A BBC
10 CB   William Gallas 29 EU Chelsea Swap  Y Summer Undisclosed Free
Swap 		BBC
15 MF   Denílson 18 Non-EU São Paulo   Transferred  Y Summer Undisclosed £3.4M BBC

Out edit

N
 Pos.
 Nat.
 Name
 Age
 EU
 Moving to
 Type
 Transfer
window 		Transfer
fee 		Source
10 SS   Dennis Bergkamp 37 EU Retired  Y BBC
7 AM   Robert Pires 32 EU Villarreal   Transferred  Y Summer Free BBC
43 MF   Ryan Smith 19 EU Derby County Transferred  Y Summer Undisclosed BBC
29 MF   Sebastian Larsson 21 EU Birmingham City Loaned out  Y Summer N/A BBC
26 MF   Nicklas Bendtner 18 EU Birmingham City Loaned out  Y Summer N/A BBC
23 CB   Sol Campbell 31 EU Portsmouth Transferred  Y Summer Free BBC
41 CF   Arturo Lupoli 19 EU Derby County Loaned out  Y Summer N/A BBC
18 DF   Pascal Cygan 32 EU Villarreal   Transferred  Y Summer £2M BBC
9 MF   José Antonio Reyes 22 EU Real Madrid   Loaned out  Y Summer N/A (Included in Baptista transfer) BBC
3 LB   Ashley Cole 25 EU Chelsea Transferred  Y Summer £5M + Gallas BBC
45 FW   Anthony Stokes 18 EU Sunderland Transferred  Y Winter £2M BBC
12 RB   Lauren 29 Non-EU Portsmouth Transferred  Y Winter £0.5M BBC
17 DM   Alex Song 19 Non-EU Charlton Athletic Loaned out  Y Winter N/A BBC
29 MF   Sebastian Larsson 21 EU Birmingham City Transferred  Y 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   Arsène Wenger
Assistant manager   Pat Rice
First team coach   Boro Primorac
Goalkeeping coach   Gerry Peyton
Physiotherapist   Gary Lewin
Fitness coach   Tony Colbert
Chief scout   Steve Rowley
Kit manager   Vic Akers
  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   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

Main article: 2006–07 FA Premier League

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   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   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   90+3'		 Report Kitson   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   49'		 Report Mikel   31'
Boulahrouz   43'
Essien   70',   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

Main article: 2006–07 UEFA Champions League

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

Main article: 2006–07 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds § Third qualifying round
8 August 2006 First leg Dinamo Zagreb   0–3   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   2–1
(5–1 agg.)		   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

Main article: 2006–07 UEFA Champions League group stage § Group G

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Arsenal 6 3 2 1 7 3 +4 11 Advance to knockout stage
2   Porto 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11
3   CSKA Moscow 6 2 2 2 4 5 −1 8 Transfer to UEFA Cup
4   Hamburg 6 1 0 5 7 15 −8 3
Source: RSSSF
13 September 2006 1 Hamburg   1–2   Arsenal Hamburg, Germany
20:45 CET Kirschstein  
Sanogo   90'		 Report Gilberto   12' (pen.)
Rosický   53'		 Stadium: Hamburg Arena
Attendance: 51,258
Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt (Sweden)
26 September 2006 2 Arsenal   2–0   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   1–0   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   0–0   CSKA Moscow London, England
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 60,003
Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)
21 November 2006 5 Arsenal   3–1   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   0–0   Arsenal Porto, Portugal
20:45 CET Report Stadium: Estádio do Dragão
Attendance: 41,500
Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)

Knockout phase edit

Main article: 2006–07 UEFA Champions League knockout stage

Round of 16 edit

20 February 2007 First leg PSV Eindhoven   1–0   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   1–1
(1–2 agg.)		   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

Main article: 2006–07 FA Cup

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   25'
Kuyt   71'		 Report Senderos   31'
Clichy   34'
Rosický   37', 45'
Eboué   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 edit

Main article: 2006–07 Football League Cup

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 edit

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   GER Jens Lehmann 44 1 36 1 0 0 0 0 8 0
2 MF   FRA Abou Diaby 18 1 9+3 1 1 0 3+1 0 0+1 0
4 MF   ESP Cesc Fàbregas 54 4 34+4 2 2 0 3+1 0 10 2
5 DF   CIV Kolo Touré 53 4 35 3 4 1 4 0 10 0
6 DF   SUI Philippe Senderos 25 0 9+5 0 4 0 5 0 2 0
7 MF   CZE Tomáš Rosický 37 6 22+4 3 3+1 2 0+1 0 6 1
8 MF   SWE Freddie Ljungberg 26 2 16+2 0 2+1 1 0 0 4+1 1
9 AM   BRA Júlio Baptista 35 10 11+13 3 2+2 0 3 6 1+3 1
10 DF   FRA William Gallas 29 3 21 3 2 0 0 0 6 0
11 FW   NED Robin van Persie 31 13 17+5 11 1 0 0 0 7+1 2
12 DF   CMR Lauren 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 AM   BLR Alexander Hleb 48 3 27+6 2 3 0 0+2 0 10 1
14 FW   FRA Thierry Henry 27 12 16+1 10 3 1 0 0 5+2 1
15 MF   BRA Denílson 19 0 4+6 0 2 0 6 0 1 0
16 MF   FRA Mathieu Flamini 32 4 9+11 3 3 0 2+1 0 3+3 1
17 DM   CMR Alex Song 6 1 1+1 0 0 0 3 1 0+1 0
19 MF   BRA Gilberto Silva 47 11 34 10 3 0 1 0 8+1 1
20 DF   SUI Johan Djourou 30 0 18+3 0 1 0 3 0 5 0
21 GK   EST Mart Poom 2 0 1 0 0 0 0+1 0 0 0
22 DF   FRA Gaël Clichy 40 0 26+1 0 3+2 0 1+1 0 5+1 0
24 GK   ESP Manuel Almunia 14 0 1 0 5 0 6 0 2 0
25 FW   TOG Emmanuel Adebayor 44 12 21+8 8 2+1 2 3+1 2 6+2 0
27 DF   CIV Emmanuel Eboué 35 1 23+1 0 2 0 1+2 0 6 1
30 FW   FRA Jérémie Aliadière 23 4 4+7 0 2+2 0 6 4 0+2 0
31 DF   ENG Justin Hoyte 36 1 18+4 1 2+2 0 4 0 5+1 0
32 FW   ENG Theo Walcott 32 1 5+11 0 2+2 0 6 1 0+6 0
33 DF   ENG Matthew Connolly 2 0 0 0 0 0 1+1 0 0 0
43 MF   ENG Mark Randall 2 0 0 0 0 0 0+2 0 0 0
45 DF   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.
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