2005–06 Arsenal F.C. season

The 2005–06 season was the 108th season of competitive football played by Arsenal. It was the final season in which home matches were played at the club's Highbury stadium after 93 years; Arsenal intended to move to its new 60,000 capacity Emirates Stadium in time for the following season. The club ended their Premier League campaign in fourth, having pipped local rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the position on the final day. Arsenal became the first London club to reach a UEFA Champions League final, though lost 2–1 to Barcelona in Paris. In the League Cup the club was eliminated in the semi-finals on aggregate score by Wigan Athletic and knocked out of the FA Cup, against Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round.

Arsenal

2005–06 season
Chairman	Peter Hill-Wood
Manager	Arsène Wenger
Stadium	Highbury
Premier League	4th
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Semi-finals
FA Community Shield	Runners-up
UEFA Champions League	Runners-up
Top goalscorer	League: Thierry Henry (27) All: Thierry Henry (33)
Highest home attendance	38,359 vs Wigan Athletic (7 May 2006)
Lowest home attendance	34,498 vs Thun (14 September 2005)
Average home league attendance	37,295
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Before the season commenced midfielder Patrick Vieira was sold to Juventus; striker Thierry Henry assumed his club captaincy role. Alexander Hleb was purchased from Stuttgart for an undisclosed fee in July 2005; in the winter transfer window Arsenal signed midfielder Abou Diaby, and forwards Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott.

Arsenal lost to league champions Chelsea in the 2005 FA Community Shield at the Millennium Stadium. An indifferent start in the league saw Arsenal peak in second position after 13 matches, but a run of three consecutive defeats a month later had effectively ruled them out of title contention. On the final day, they beat Wigan Athletic 4–2 at Highbury; Tottenham Hotspur's defeat at West Ham United meant Arsenal secured fourth place. The team's performances in Europe were more striking; they eliminated Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal in the knockout stages. In the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final held at the Stade de France in Paris on 17 May 2006, goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off for a professional foul on Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o. Although defender Sol Campbell gave Arsenal a first half lead from a set piece, the team conceded twice in the final 15 minutes to lose the match.

To mark the final season at Highbury, Arsenal held a valedictory campaign titled "Highbury – The Final Salute". The club staged several themed matchdays and a redcurrant home kit replaced the common red to honour the shirts worn in 1913.

Background

See also: 2004–05 Arsenal F.C. season

Arsenal began the preceding season as league champions; a win against Blackburn Rovers in August 2004 ensured they eclipsed Nottingham Forest's record of 42 league matches unbeaten.[1] The run extended to six more matches, before losing 2–0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 24 October 2004.[2] Poor form throughout November allowed league leaders Chelsea to extend the gap at the top; Wenger conceded retaining the title in April 2005, calling his opponents "worthy champions ... they have been remarkably consistent."[3] A run of twelve league matches unbeaten, culminating in a 7–0 home win against Everton helped Arsenal finish in second place.[4] In spite of exiting the Champions League to Bayern Munich in the second round, the team won the 2005 FA Cup Final against Manchester United – winning 5–4 on penalties after a goalless draw.[5]

Highbury – The Final Salute

Arsenal prepared for their final season at Highbury

The 2005–06 season marked Arsenal's final season at Highbury, their home since 1913. The club planned to move half a mile to the Emirates Stadium, considered "vital to our future" by Wenger, as it financially would help them to compete at the top level.[6] To mark the valedictory campaign titled "Highbury – The Final Salute", the club staged many special activities on matchdays "...to celebrate the many great players and moments that this fantastic stadium has witnessed."[4] A redcurrant home kit was designed to honour the shirts worn in the club's first season at Highbury.[7] It was adorned with gold lettering and accompanied by white shorts and redcurrant socks.[8]

List of themed matchdays at Highbury[9]

Matchday	Date
Players Day	14 August 2005
Goal Celebrations Day	24 August 2005
European Night	14 September 2005
	2 November 2005
Doubles Day	19 September 2005
Internationals Day	2 October 2005
Wenger Day	22 October 2005
Memorial Day	5 November 2005
49-ers Day	26 November 2005
League Cup Night	29 November 2005
	24 January 2006
Boxers v Jockeys Day	7 December 2005
Great Saves Day	18 December 2005
Hat-trick Heroes Day	28 December 2005
Back Four Day	3 January 2006
FA Cup Day	7 January 2006
1913 Day	14 January 2006
London Derbies Day	1 February 2006
Home Grown Players Day	11 February 2006
Managers Day	8 March 2006
Captains Day	12 March 2006
Junior Gunners Day	18 March 2006
Decades Day	28 March 2006
David Rocastle Day	1 April 2006
Dennis Bergkamp Day	15 April 2006
Records Day	19 April 2006
Kits Day	22 April 2006
Goals Day	7 May 2006

Transfers

Arsenal signed youth players Nicklas Bendtner, Vito Mannone and Armand Traoré in the summer transfer window. Belarusian Alexander Hleb joined the club for an undisclosed fee on 12 July 2005. Arsenal made four more additions during the season: goalkeeper Mart Poom, signed on a permanent deal, midfielder Abou Diaby, who reportedly turned down an offer to join Chelsea[10] and forwards Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott.

After the early departures of Jermaine Pennant and Stuart Taylor, club captain Patrick Vieira joined Italian side Juventus in a £13.7 million deal. Wenger did not intend to sign a replacement, saying "I am not in a hurry. We have Gilberto, Flamini, and Fàbregas. Pires can play in there also so we have plenty of players."[11] English midfielder David Bentley made his loan deal at Blackburn Rovers permanent in the January transfer window.

In No. Position Player Transferred from Fee Date Ref 33 FW Nicklas Bendtner Copenhagen £75,000 1 July 2005 [12] GK Vito Mannone Atalanta £350,000 4 July 2005 [13] DF Armand Traoré AS Monaco Undisclosed 4 July 2005 [14] 13 MF Alexander Hleb Stuttgart Undisclosed 12 July 2005 [15] 2 MF Abou Diaby Auxerre £2m 13 January 2006 [16] 25 FW Emmanuel Adebayor AS Monaco Undisclosed 13 January 2006 [17] 32 FW Theo Walcott Southampton £5m 20 January 2006 [18] GK Mart Poom Sunderland Undisclosed 23 January 2006 [19]

Out No. Position Player Transferred to Fee Date Ref MF Jermaine Pennant Birmingham City £3.0m 25 April 2005 [20] GK Chris Wright Boston United Undisclosed 29 May 2005 [21] 13 GK Stuart Taylor Aston Villa Undisclosed 27 June 2005 [22] 4 MF Patrick Vieira Juventus £13.7m 14 July 2005 [23] DF Frank Simek Sheffield Wednesday Free 27 July 2005 [24] 31 GK Graham Stack Reading Undisclosed 30 December 2005 [25] 35 MF Patrick Cregg Falkirk Undisclosed 6 January 2006 [26] 25 MF David Bentley Blackburn Rovers Undisclosed 31 January 2006 [27] 26 FW Quincy Owusu-Abeyie Spartak Moscow Undisclosed 31 January 2006 [28]

Loans in No. Position Player Loaned from Loan commenced Loan expired Ref DF Alex Song Bastia 11 August 2005 End of season, view to sign permanently [29] GK Mart Poom Sunderland 31 August 2005 End of season [30]

Loans out No. Position Player Loaned to Loan commenced Loan expired Ref 31 GK Graham Stack Reading 7 July 2005 January 2006 [31] 30 FW Jérémie Aliadière West Ham United 25 August 2005 January 2006 [32] Wolverhampton Wanderers 31 January 2006 End of season [33] 25 MF David Bentley Blackburn Rovers 31 August 2005 End of season [34] 31 DF Justin Hoyte Sunderland 31 August 2005 End of season [35] 39 GK Mark Howard Falkirk 29 January 2006 End of season [36]

Pre-season

Barnet v Arsenal

16 July 2005 Friendly	Barnet	1–4	Arsenal	Barnet
	Sinclair  74'	Report	Hleb  2', Henry  pen' (?), Bergkamp  ?', Hoyte  ?'	Stadium: Underhill Stadium

SC Weiz v Arsenal

20 July 2005 Friendly	SC Weiz	0–5	Arsenal	Weiz
19:00 CET		Report	Flamini  1', Henry  4', 37', Bentley  15', Bergkamp  50'	Stadium: Sparkassen-Stadion

SC Ritzing v Arsenal

24 July 2005 Friendly	SC Ritzing	2–5	Arsenal	Ritzing
16:00 CET	Pajer  38', Schiffer  75'	Report	Bergkamp  10', Henry  17', Reyes  35' (pen), Hleb  79', Larsson  90'	Stadium: Sparkassen-Stadion

FC Utrecht v Arsenal

26 July 2005 Friendly	FC Utrecht	0–3	Arsenal	Bad Waltersdorf
		Report	Pires  13' (pen), Reyes  54', Henry  77'

Ajax v Arsenal

29 July 2005 Amsterdam Tournament	Ajax	0–1	Arsenal	Amsterdam
		Report	Lupoli  87'	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Dick van Egmond (Netherlands)

Porto v Arsenal

31 July 2005 Amsterdam Tournament	Porto	1–2	Arsenal	Amsterdam
	Lisandro  37'	Report	Ljungberg  49', 58'	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Ruud Bossen (Netherlands)

FA Community Shield

Main article: 2005 FA Community Shield

As winners of the FA Cup in the previous season, Arsenal contested the 2005 FA Community Shield against league champions Chelsea. Two goals scored by striker Didier Drogba in the first half meant Arsenal lost the match. Wenger commented afterwards that Chelsea's gameplan made it difficult for the Arsenal defenders, and noted his opposition's strength was playing long balls.[37] When asked if he was concerned by the performance, Wenger replied: "Why should I worry? Did you see the game? You can worry for the Chelsea supporters."[37]

Arsenal v Chelsea

7 August 2005	Arsenal	1–2	Chelsea	Cardiff, Wales
15:00 BST	Fàbregas  64'	Report	Drogba  8', 58'	Stadium: Millennium Stadium Attendance: 58,014 Referee: Howard Webb

Premier League

Main article: 2005–06 FA Premier League

August–October

"If you look at the history of the championship, this is very early to have lost two games. If we lose more than four, it's going to be a struggle."

—Ashley Cole, 10 September 2005[38]

Arsenal began their final league season at Highbury against Newcastle United on 14 August 2005. In spite of having a man advantage after midfielder Jermaine Jenas was sent off for a challenge on Gilberto Silva, striker Thierry Henry scored from the penalty spot in the 81st minute.[39] Robin van Persie added a second, four minutes from the end of the match.[39] A fortunate goal from Drogba inflicted Arsenal's first defeat against Chelsea in the league for almost a decade.[40] The team responded with a 4–1 victory against Fulham, whereby Henry and defender Pascal Cygan both scored twice.[41] Arsenal lost away to Middlesbrough on 10 September 2005, in a performance derided by Wenger as being "unacceptable".[38] A brace (two goals) from Sol Campbell against Everton[42] was followed by a goalless draw against newly promoted West Ham United.[43]

An own goal scored by Stephen Clemence gave Arsenal a 1–0 victory in the first week of October at home to Birmingham City.[44] Despite being "technically the better side" away to West Bromwich Albion, Arsenal lost 2–1; Wenger after the match commented that the team "played with great spirit but … were punished for a lack of experience and maturity because we didn't take advantage of the chances we created."[45] A penalty scored by Robert Pires was enough to secure three points against Manchester City.[46] The midfielder wasted a second penalty in the second half, choosing to recreate a spot kick executed by Johan Cruyff and Jesper Olsen for Ajax.[46] Having attempted to roll the ball towards onrushing Henry, Pires inadvertently flicked the ball twice, enabling referee Mike Riley to award a free-kick to Manchester City.[46] Although both players were scrutinised by Chelsea manager José Mourinho,[47] they were commended by Cryuff for showing a desire to try something different.[48] The final league match of October ended in a 1–1 draw against local rivals Tottenham Hotpsur.[49]

November–February

Luis García scored the winning goal for Liverpool against Arsenal

A 3–1 win at home to Sunderland on 5 November 2005 meant Arsenal moved third in the league table.[50] This was followed by a trip to the JJB Stadium; Arsenal beat Wigan Athletic 3–2 in a "hugely entertaining game on a cold, frosty afternoon".[51] Henry scored his 100th goal at Highbury against Blackburn Rovers to extend a club unbeaten run of nine matches.[52] Defeat at Bolton Wanderers in early December concerned Wenger, admitting the opponents showed the template required to beat his team.[53] A further defeat against Newcastle United, where Gilberto Silva was sent off in the second half highlighted the "physical absence" of Vieira in midfield.[54] In losing 2–0 to Chelsea a week after – their third successive defeat for the first time under Wenger, Arsenal lay in eighth position, 11 points behind Manchester United.[55] An early morning kick-off away to Charlton Athletic ended in a 1–0 victory for Arsenal; José Antonio Reyes scored his second goal in the league.[56] Four first-half goals against Portsmouth helped Arsenal to close the gap on second place by nine points.[57] They ended the calendar year and began 2006 with goalless draws against Aston Villa and Manchester United respectively.[58][59]

Arsenal recorded the biggest win of the league season, against Middlesbrough at Highbury. Henry scored a hat-trick in a 7–0 victory; the striker post-match deemed it was vital for the club to finish in the top four "…for me, for the club and for the fans."[60] They suffered two consecutive defeats: away to Everton[61] and at home to West Ham United.[62] In the latter match, Campbell was substituted at his request before the second half, having been at fault for Nigel Reo-Coker and Bobby Zamora’s goals.[62] He "went missing" after the match, subsequently returning to training five days later.[63] Emmanuel Adebayor scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 2–0 win against Birmingham City on 4 February 2006.[64] A stoppage time goal scored by Gilberto earned the team a point against Bolton Wanderers at Highbury; they went 1–0 down in the 12th minute after Kevin Nolan chipped the ball past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.[65] Arsenal conceded a late goal away to Liverpool on Valentine's Day – a result which left the club 10 points behind their opponents.[66] Defeat against Blackburn Rovers meant they lost for the second consecutive game.[67] Having collected just three wins out of a possible 14 away from home, Wenger admitted the form of the team remained "a big worry" given they needed to play five more.[67]

March–May

Thierry Henry preparing to take a corner kick during the final match at Highbury

In the first week of March, Arsenal beat Fulham 4–0 with a "commanding performance" from Henry, who scored two goals.[68] The striker scored the winning goal against Liverpool in their next match, from a Steven Gerrard backpass.[69] A polished performance against Charlton Athletic[70] was followed by a five-goal win at home to Aston Villa on 1 April 2006.[71] Arsenal lost 2–0 to Manchester United and dropped two points against relegation-threatened Portsmouth, meaning a fourth-place finish was in Tottenham Hotspur's favour.[72][73]

Dennis Bergkamp scored his final goal for Arsenal against West Bromwich Albion in a 3–1 win; he came on as a substitute in the second half to set up Pires to score the winning goal, moments after Nigel Quashie had leveled the scoreline; fittingly the day was dedicated to him.[74] Arsenal drew 1–1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur, with Wenger choosing to rest players in mind for the club's Champions League semi-final. A 3–0 win away at Sunderland was overshadowed by a tackle on Abou Diaby, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.[75] Two late goals scored by Reyes against Manchester City moved Arsenal a point behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth.[76] In the final competitive match played at Highbury, Arsenal faced Wigan Athletic, needing to better their rivals result to guarantee Champions League qualification. Henry scored a hat-trick in a six-goal match, helping Arsenal end the season with 67 points from 38 matches.[77] Tottenham Hotspur's defeat against West Ham United meant Arsenal finished fourth, a position Gilberto felt the club "deserved".[78]

Match results

Arsenal v Newcastle United

14 August 2005 1	Arsenal	2–0	Newcastle United	London
13:30 BST	Henry  81' (pen.) van Persie  87'	Report	Jenas  32'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,072 Referee: Steve Bennett

Chelsea v Arsenal

21 August 2005 2	Chelsea	1–0	Arsenal	London
16:00 BST	Drogba  73'	Report		Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 42,136 Referee: Graham Poll

Arsenal v Fulham

24 August 2005 3	Arsenal	4–1	Fulham	London
19:45 BST	Cygan  32', 90+1' Henry  53', 82'	Report	Jensen  22'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 37,867 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Middlesbrough v Arsenal

10 September 2005 4	Middlesbrough	2–1	Arsenal	Middlesbrough
17:15 BST	Yakubu  40' Maccarone  59'	Report	Reyes  90+3'	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 28,075 Referee: Mike Riley

Arsenal v Everton

19 September 2005 5	Arsenal	2–0	Everton	London
20:00 BST	Campbell  11', 30'	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,121 Referee: Alan Wiley

West Ham United v Arsenal

24 September 2005 6	West Ham United	0–0	Arsenal	London
15:00 BST		Report		Stadium: Upton Park Attendance: 34,742 Referee: Mike Dean

Arsenal v Birmingham City

2 October 2005 7	Arsenal	1–0	Birmingham City	London
13:30 BST	Clemence  81' (o.g.)	Report	Cunningham  24'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 37,891 Referee: Chris Foy

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal

15 October 2005 8	West Bromwich Albion	2–1	Arsenal	West Bromwich
15:00 BST	Kanu  37' Carter  76'	Report	Senderos  17'	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 26,604 Referee: Barry Knight

Arsenal v Manchester City

22 October 2005 9	Arsenal	1–0	Manchester City	London
15:00 BST	Pires  61' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,189 Referee: Mike Riley

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

29 October 2005 10	Tottenham Hotspur	1–1	Arsenal	London
13:00 BST	King  17'	Report	Pires  77'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 36,154 Referee: Steve Bennett

Arsenal v Sunderland

5 November 2005 11	Arsenal	3–1	Sunderland	London
15:00 GMT	van Persie  12' Henry  36', 82'	Report	Stubbs  75'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,210 Referee: Alan Wiley

Wigan Athletic v Arsenal

19 November 2005 12	Wigan Athletic	2–3	Arsenal	Wigan
12:45 GMT	Camara  28' Bullard  45'	Report	van Persie  11' Henry  21', 41'	Stadium: JJB Stadium Attendance: 25,004 Referee: Graham Poll

Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers

26 November 2005 13	Arsenal	3–0	Blackburn Rovers	London
15:00 GMT	Fàbregas  4' Henry  45' van Persie  90'	Report		Stadium: Higbury Attendance: 38,192 Referee: Chris Foy

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal

3 December 2005 14	Bolton Wanderers	2–0	Arsenal	Bolton
15:00 GMT	Faye  20' Giannakopoulos  32'	Report		Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 26,792 Referee: Howard Webb

Newcastle United v Arsenal

10 December 2005 15	Newcastle United	1–0	Arsenal	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
17:15 GMT	Solano  82'	Report	Gilberto	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,297 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Arsenal v Chelsea

18 December 2005 16	Arsenal	0–2	Chelsea	London
16:00 GMT		Report	Robben  39' J. Cole  73'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,347 Referee: Rob Styles

Charlton Athletic v Arsenal

26 December 2005 17	Charlton Athletic	0–1	Arsenal	London
12:45 GMT	Murphy	Report	Reyes  58'	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 27,111 Referee: Steve Bennett

Arsenal v Portsmouth

28 December 2005 18	Arsenal	4–0	Portsmouth	London
19:45 GMT	Bergkamp  7' Reyes  13' Henry  37', 43' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,223 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Aston Villa v Arsenal

31 December 2005 19	Aston Villa	0–0	Arsenal	Birmingham
12:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 37,114 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Arsenal v Manchester United

3 January 2006 20	Arsenal	0–0	Manchester United	London
20:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,313 Referee: Graham Poll

Arsenal v Middlesbrough

14 January 2006 21	Arsenal	7–0	Middlesbrough	London
15:00 GMT	Henry  20', 30', 68' Senderos  22' Pires  45+2' Silva  59' Hleb  84'	Report	Doriva	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,186 Referee: Rob Styles

Everton v Arsenal

21 January 2006 22	Everton	1–0	Arsenal	Liverpool
12:45 GMT	Beattie  13'	Report		Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 36,920 Referee: Alan Wiley

Arsenal v West Ham United

1 February 2006 23	Arsenal	2–3	West Ham United	London
20:00 GMT	Henry  45' Pires  89'	Report	Reo-Coker  25' Zamora  32' Etherington  80'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,216 Referee: Mark Halsey

Birmingham City v Arsenal

4 February 2006 24	Birmingham City	0–2	Arsenal	Birmingham
15:00 GMT		Report	Adebayor  21' Henry  63'	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 27,075 Referee: Mike Riley

Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers

11 February 2006 25	Arsenal	1–1	Bolton Wanderers	London
15:00 GMT	Silva  90+3'	Report	Nolan  12'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,193 Referee: Howard Webb

Liverpool v Arsenal

14 February 2006 26	Liverpool	1–0	Arsenal	Liverpool
20:00 GMT	Luis García  87'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,012 Referee: Graham Poll

Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal

25 February 2006 27	Blackburn Rovers	1–0	Arsenal	Blackburn
15:00 GMT	Pedersen  18'	Report		Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 22,504 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Fulham v Arsenal

4 March 2006 28	Fulham	0–4	Arsenal	London
15:00 GMT		Report	Henry  31', 77' Adebayor  35' Fàbregas  86'	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 22,397 Referee: Rob Styles

Arsenal v Liverpool

12 March 2006 29	Arsenal	2–1	Liverpool	London
16:00 GMT	Henry  21', 83'	Report	Luis García  76'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,221 Referee: Steve Bennett

Arsenal v Charlton Athletic

18 March 2006 30	Arsenal	3–0	Charlton Athletic	London
15:00 GMT	Pires  12' Adebayor  32' Hleb  49'	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,223 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Arsenal v Aston Villa

1 April 2006 31	Arsenal	5–0	Aston Villa	London
15:00 BST	Adebayor  19' Henry  25', 46' van Persie  71' Diaby  80'	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,183 Referee: Mark Atkinson

Manchester United v Arsenal

9 April 2006 32	Manchester United	2–0	Arsenal	Manchester
16:00 BST	Rooney  54' Park  78'	Report		Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 70,908 Referee: Graham Poll

Portsmouth v Arsenal

12 April 2006 33	Portsmouth	1–1	Arsenal	Portsmouth
20:00 BST	LuaLua  66'	Report	Henry  36'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,230 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion

15 April 2006 34	Arsenal	3–1	West Bromwich Albion	London
15:00 BST	Hleb  44' Pires  76' Bergkamp  89'	Report	Quashie  72'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,167 Referee: Mike Dean

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

22 April 2006 35	Arsenal	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	London
12:45 BST	Henry  84'	Report	Keane  66'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,326 Referee: Steve Bennett

Sunderland v Arsenal

1 May 2006 36	Sunderland	0–3	Arsenal	Sunderland
17:15 BST		Report	Collins  29' (o.g.) Fàbregas  40' Henry  43'	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 44,003 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Manchester City v Arsenal

4 May 2006 37	Manchester City	1–3	Arsenal	Manchester
19:45 BST	Sommeil  38'	Report	Ljungberg  30' Reyes  78', 84'	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 41,875 Referee: Graham Poll

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic

7 May 2006 38	Arsenal	4–2	Wigan Athletic	London
15:00 BST	Pires  8' Henry  35', 56', 76' (pen.)	Report	Scharner  10' Thompson  33'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,359 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Classification

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
2	Manchester United	38	25	8	5	72	34	+38	83	Qualification for the Champions League group stage[lower-alpha 1]
3	Liverpool	38	25	7	6	57	25	+32	82	Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round
4	Arsenal	38	20	7	11	68	31	+37	67
5	Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	11	9	53	38	+15	65	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
6	Blackburn Rovers	38	19	6	13	51	42	+9	63

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

1. Since Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners passed down to the league and was awarded to Blackburn Rovers as the highest-placed team not already qualified for European competitions.

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	20	7	11	68	31	+37	67	14	3	2	48	13	+35	6	4	9	20	18	+2

Source: [79]

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	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H
Result	W	L	W	L	W	D	W	L	W	D	W	W	W	L	L	L	W	W	D	D	W	L	L	W	D	L	L	W	W	W	W	L	D	W	D	W	W	W
Position	3	9	4	8	7	7	7	8	7	7	3	4	2	5	6	8	7	6	6	5	5	5	6	5	5	5	6	5	5	5	5	6	5	5	5	5	5	4

Source: [80]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup

Main article: 2005–06 FA Cup

Arsenal entered the competition in the third round, receiving a bye as a Premier League club. Their opening match was a 2–0 home win against Cardiff City on 7 January 2006, with both goals scored by Pires.[81] Arsenal faced Bolton Wanderers the following round; an understrength team lost 1–0 after Giannakopulos headed in the winning goal, six minutes from the end of the match.[82]

Arsenal v Cardiff City

7 January 2006 Third round	Arsenal	2–1	Cardiff City	London
	Pires  6', 18'	Report	Jerome  87'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 36,552 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal

28 January 2006 Fourth round	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Arsenal	Bolton
	Giannakopulos  84'	Report		Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 13,326 Referee: Mike Dean

Football League Cup

Main article: 2005–06 Football League Cup

Arsenal entered the Football League Cup in the third round, where they were drawn away to Sunderland.[83] A 3–0 victory meant they progressed to the fourth round, where they beat First Division club Reading by an identical scoreline.[84][85] Extra time and penalties was required in Arsenal's fifth round tie against Doncaster Rovers, after a 2–2 draw in 90 minutes. Two saves by goalkeeper Manuel Almunia helped Arsenal win 3–1 on penalties and reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 1998.[86] They faced Wigan Athletic, losing 1–0 in the first leg and in spite of winning the second leg 2–1 with a full strength team, Arsenal was eliminated on the away goals rule.[87]

Sunderland v Arsenal

25 October 2005 Third round	Sunderland	0–3	Arsenal	Sunderland
		Report	Eboué  61' van Persie  67', 87' (pen.)	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 47,366 Referee: Matt Messias

Arsenal v Reading

29 November 2005 Fourth round	Arsenal	3–0	Reading	London
	Reyes  12' van Persie  42' Lupoli  65'	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 36,167 Referee: Lee Mason

Doncaster Rovers v Arsenal

21 December 2005 Fifth round	Doncaster Rovers	2–2 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p)	Arsenal	Doncaster
	McIndoe  2' Green  104'	Report	Owusu-Abeyie  63' Gilberto  120'	Stadium: Belle Vue Attendance: 10,006 Referee: Phil Dowd

Wigan Athletic v Arsenal

10 January 2006 Semi-final, first leg	Wigan Athletic	1–0	Arsenal	Wigan
	Scharner  78'	Report		Stadium: JJB Stadium Attendance: 12,181 Referee: Howard Webb

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic

24 January 2006 Semi-final, second leg	Arsenal	2–1 (a.e.t.) (2–2a agg.)	Wigan Athletic	London
19:45 GMT	Henry  65' van Persie  108'	Report	Roberts  119'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 37,086 Referee: Phil Dowd

UEFA Champions League

Main article: 2005–06 UEFA Champions League

Group stage

Main article: 2005–06 UEFA Champions League group stage § Group B

Arsenal qualified for the group stages of the Champions League in the 2005–06 season on virtue of finishing runners-up in the Premier League the preceding season. They were drawn in Group B, along with Swiss' Thun, Czech club Sparta Prague and Ajax of the Netherlands.[88] In spite of Van Persie's dismissal against Thun in the opening group match, Arsenal won 2–1, courtesy of a late goal by substitute Bergkamp.[89] A 2–1 win against Ajax[90] was followed by a 2–0 victory against Sparta Prague; Henry scored both goals to surpass Ian Wright's all-time leading scorer record.[91] A goal from Henry and two from Van Persie in the reverse fixture meant the club reached the knockout stages.[92] A win at Thun on 22 November 2005 ensured Arsenal topped the group; they ended the group stages with a draw at Highbury against Ajax.[93][94]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Arsenal	6	5	1	0	10	2	+8	16	Advance to knockout stage
2	Ajax	6	3	2	1	10	6	+4	11
3	Thun	6	1	1	4	4	9	−5	4	Transfer to UEFA Cup
4	Sparta Prague	6	0	2	4	2	9	−7	2

Source:

Arsenal v Thun

14 September 2005 1	Arsenal	2–1	Thun	London, England
19:45 BST	van Persie  45' Silva  51' Bergkamp  90+2'	Report	Ferreira  53'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 34,498 Referee: Grzegorz Gilewski (Poland)

Ajax v Arsenal

27 September 2005 2	Ajax	1–2	Arsenal	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CET	Rosenberg  71'	Report	Ljungberg  2' Pires  69' (pen.)	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Attendance: 47,820 Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain)

Sparta Prague v Arsenal

18 October 2005 3	Sparta Prague	0–2	Arsenal	Prague, Czech Republic
20:45 CET		Report	Henry  21', 74'	Stadium: Generali Arena Attendance: 12,528 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

Arsenal v Sparta Prague

2 November 2005 4	Arsenal	3–0	Sparta Prague	London, England
19:45 GMT	Henry  23' van Persie  81', 86'	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 35,155 Referee: Alain Sars (France)

Thun v Arsenal

22 November 2005 5	Thun	0–1	Arsenal	Bern, Switzerland
20:45 CET	Deumi  35'	Report	Pires  88' (pen.)	Stadium: Stade de Suisse Attendance: 31,330 Referee: Lucílio Batista (Portugal)

Arsenal v Ajax

7 December 2005 6	Arsenal	0–0	Ajax	London, England
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 35,376 Referee: Eduardo Iturralde González (Spain)

Knockout phase

Main article: 2005–06 UEFA Champions League knockout stage

First knockout round

The club faced Real Madrid in the last 16 – the first encounter between both clubs in the competition.[95] A solo goal by Henry at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg, inflicted the home team's first defeat in 18 Champions League matches.[96] A disciplined display at home a fortnight after helped Arsenal to reach the quarter-finals and become the sole English representative left in the competition.[97]

Real Madrid v Arsenal

21 February 2006 First leg	Real Madrid	0–1	Arsenal	Madrid, Spain
20:45 CET		Report	Henry  47'	Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Stefano Farina (Italy)

Arsenal v Real Madrid

8 March 2006 Second leg	Arsenal	0–0 (1–0 agg.)	Real Madrid	London, England
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 35,487 Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)

Quarter-finals

At home to Juventus, Arsenal won 2–0 with goals from Fàbregas and Henry; the match was overshadowed by the return of former captain Vieira.[98] A goalless draw at the Stadio delle Alpi meant the club progressed into the semi-finals against Villarreal.[99]

Arsenal v Juventus

28 March 2006 First leg	Arsenal	2–0	Juventus	London, England
19:45 GMT	Fàbregas  40' Henry  69'	Report	Camoranesi  87' Zebina  89'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 35,472 Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden)

Juventus v Arsenal

5 April 2006 Second leg	Juventus	0–0 (0–2 agg.)	Arsenal	Turin, Italy
20:45 CEST		Report		Stadium: Stadio delle Alpi Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Semi-finals

In the club's final European match at Highbury, Touré scored a first-half goal to give Arsenal a 1–0 win.[100] A late penalty save by goalkeeper Lehmann in the second leg helped Arsenal become the first London club to reach a Champions League final.[101] The result, another goalless draw was Arsenal's tenth clean sheet in a row – a new competition record.[102] Campbell, returning from injury praised the team performance in his post-match interview: "It's brilliant for us. It's also great for the manager Arsène Wenger to get to the final in France – I'm sure he will get a great reception."[103]

Arsenal v Villarreal

19 April 2006 First leg	Arsenal	1–0	Villarreal	London, England
19:45 BST	Touré  41'	Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 35,438 Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

Villareal v Arsenal

25 April 2006 Second leg	Villareal	0–0 (0–1 agg.)	Arsenal	Villarreal, Spain
20:45 CEST		Report		Stadium: Estadio El Madrigal Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Ivan Ivanov (Russia)

Final

Main article: 2006 UEFA Champions League Final

Play during the first half

In the final against Barcelona at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, Arsenal fielded a 4–5–1 formation, with Eboué replacing the injured Lauren, and Cole making a return at left-back for Flamini.[104]

Lehmann was sent off in 18th minute for a professional foul on striker Samuel Eto'o.[104] Wenger reacted by substituting Pires for goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, altering the formation.[104] In spite of the disadvantage, Arsenal took the lead in the 37th minute, after Henry's free kick was headed in by Campbell.[104] Henry missed a chance in the second half to give Arsenal a two-nil lead before Eto'o equalised with 14 minutes left.[104] Substitute Henrik Larsson set up Juliano Belletti to score the winner for Barcelona.[104] Wenger used his post-match press conference to criticise referee Terje Hauge for sending off Lehmann, a view later shared by club captain Henry and FIFA president Sepp Blatter.[105]

Barcelona v Arsenal

17 May 2006 Final	Barcelona	2–1	Arsenal	Paris, France
20:45 CEST	Oleguer  69' Eto'o  76' Belletti  80'	Report	Lehmann  18' Eboué  22' Campbell  37' Henry  51'	Stadium: Stade de France Attendance: 79,610 Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)

Squad statistics

Arsenal used a total of 34 players during the 2005–06 season and there were 16 different goalscorers. There were also six squad members who did not make a first-team appearance in the campaign. The team played in a 4–4–2 formation for much of the season, though Wenger deployed a 4–5–1 formation in Europe – a five-man midfield with Ljungberg playing behind the main striker Henry.[106][107] Fàbregas featured in 50 matches – the most of any Arsenal player in the campaign; Lehmann started in all 38 league matches.

The team scored a total of 96 goals in all competitions. The highest scorer was Henry, with 33 goals, followed by Van Persie and Pires who both scored 11 goals. Four Arsenal players were sent off during the season: Lehmann, Fàbregas, Van Persie and Gilberto.

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. Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Arsenal.

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		Community Shield		Champions League		Total		Discipline
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	GER	Jens Lehmann	38	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	8	0	47	0	1	1
2	MF	FRA	Abou Diaby	9 (3)	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	(2)	0	11 (5)	1	3	0
3	DF	ENG	Ashley Cole	9 (2)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	0	13 (2)	0	3	0
7	MF	FRA	Robert Pires	23 (10)	7	1	2	(1)	0	1	0	7 (5)	2	32 (16)	11	1	0
8	MF	SWE	Freddie Ljungberg	21 (4)	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	9	1	32 (4)	2	2	0
9	FW	ESP	José Antonio Reyes	22 (4)	5	2	0	3	1	(1)	0	11 (1)	0	38 (6)	6	9	0
10	FW	NED	Dennis Bergkamp	8 (16)	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	1 (3)	1	12 (19)	3	1	0
11	FW	NED	Robin van Persie	13 (11)	5	2	0	3 (1)	4	(1)	0	3 (4)	2	21 (17)	11	4	1
12	DF	CMR	Lauren	22	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	5 (1)	0	30 (1)	0	7	0
13	MF	BLR	Alexander Hleb	17 (8)	3	1	0	3	0	(1)	0	9 (1)	0	30 (10)	3	1	0
14	FW	FRA	Thierry Henry	30 (2)	27	0	0	1	1	1	0	10 (1)	5	42 (3)	33	5	0
15	MF	ESP	Cesc Fàbregas	30 (5)	3	0	0	(1)	0	1	1	10 (3)	1	41 (9)	5	7	1
16	MF	FRA	Mathieu Flamini	19 (12)	0	2	0	2 (1)	0	1	0	11 (1)	0	35 (14)	0	6	0
17	MF	CMR	Alex Song*	3 (2)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1 (1)	0	6 (3)	0	0	0
18	DF	FRA	Pascal Cygan	11 (1)	2	0	0	3 (1)	0	(1)	0	2 (1)	0	16 (4)	2	7	0
19	MF	BRA	Gilberto Silva	33	2	1	0	3	1	(1)	0	10	1	47 (1)	4	4	1
20	DF	SUI	Philippe Senderos	19 (1)	2	2	0	5	0	1	0	7	0	34 (1)	2	4	0
22	DF	FRA	Gaël Clichy	5 (2)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2 (2)	0	7 (4)	0	1	0
23	DF	ENG	Sol Campbell	20	2	1	0	2	0	1	0	6	1	29	3	1	0
24	GK	ESP	Manuel Almunia	0	0	2	0	5	0	0	0	5 (1)	0	12 (1)	0	1	0
25	FW	ENG	David Bentley	(1)	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0	0	0	(2)	0	0	0
25	FW	TOG	Emmanuel Adebayor	12 (1)	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12 (1)	4	0	0
26	FW	NED	Quincy Owusu-Abeyie	(4)	0	(1)	0	4	1	0	0	1 (2)	0	5 (7)	1	0	0
27	DF	CIV	Emmanuel Eboué	11 (7)	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	9 (2)	0	24 (9)	1	1	0
28	DF	CIV	Kolo Touré	33	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	12	1	46	1	4	0
29	MF	SWE	Sebastian Larsson	2 (1)	0	(1)	0	2 (2)	0	0	0	1	0	5 (4)	0	0	0
31	DF	ENG	Justin Hoyte	0	0	0	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0
33	FW	DEN	Nicklas Bendtner	0	0	0	0	(3)	0	0	0	0	0	(3)	0	0	0
35	MF	IRL	Patrick Cregg	0	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0
36	DF	SUI	Johan Djourou	6 (1)	0	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	11 (1)	0	1	0
38	DF	ENG	Kerrea Gilbert	2	0	2	0	3 (1)	0	0	0	(1)	0	7 (2)	0	2	0
41	FW	ITA	Arturo Lupoli	(1)	0	0	0	2 (2)	1	0	0	0	0	2 (3)	1	0	0
44	MF	ENG	Fabrice Muamba	0	0	0	0	(2)	0	0	0	0	0	(2)	0	0	0
45	FW	IRL	Anthony Stokes	0	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0	0	0	(1)	0	0	0
			Own Goals												2

Source:[108]

See also

• 2005–06 in English football
• List of Arsenal F.C. seasons

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External links

• Arsenal play in European Cup Final at Arsenal.com