Match Reports

Tottennham Hotspur 0 - 0 Arsenal

Ten-man Arsenal took a priceless point away from White Hart Lane on Sunday in a game that hinged on three first-half minutes.

The encounter was lively but level until just past the half-hour. However, first Emmanuel Adebayor was stretchered off on 33 minutes and then Emmanuel Eboue was sent off on 36 after receiving his second yellow card. Those losses would have an immediate and lasting impact on the game.

Tottenham dominated for the remainder of the first half and opening 25 minutes of the second. However, a dogged Arsenal came closest to stealing the points when Alex Song slid a shot wide from close range 20 minutes from time and Nicklas Bendtner saw his shot tipped over at the death. Though Luka Modric might have won the game for the home side with virtually the last kick.

While Tottenham celebrated wildly after gaining an unlikely at Emirates Stadium, it will be the Arsenal fans who take most from this draw.

They stay in touch with fourth place Chelsea and have preserved a pleasing record. Tottenham have not beaten Arsenal in the Premier League since November 1999 – that’s now 19 games.

Wenger sprung a major surprise ahead of the game by naming Eduardo on the bench. It was 350 days since the Croatian had broken his leg so horribly at Birmingham. Even the most hard-hearted Tottenham fan would have been glad to see him back.

Andrey Arshavin also started as a substitute. The Russian had signed for Arsenal on Tuesday then flown back home to obtain his work permit. Bad weather had forced him re-route via Germany. That, and only 10 days of pre-season at Zenit St Petersburg, meant he would be employed only when needed this afternoon.

Elsewhere there were two changes. Song replaced the suspended and injured Abou Diaby while Robin van Persie came in for Bendtner.

His strike partner, Adebayor, was making his 100 Premier League appearance.

Tottenham had made their own major new signing, Robbie Keane, on deadline day. Surprisingly, manager Harry Redknapp had appointed the Irishman as captain immediately after he had put pen to paper.

It only added to a firecracker atmosphere for this Sunday lunchtime kick-off. Of course, the unofficial championship of North London was a stake. But both sides were also in danger of losing long-held status – Arsenal as a Champions League club, Tottenham as a Premier League club.

It is impossible for this game to be unimportant but this one was more important than most.

Tottenham had the early pressure but Arsenal had the first sight of goal. Eboue exchanged passes with Van Persie and the Ivorian drove an exploratory shot across the face of goal. Any kind of touch would have given the visitors the lead.

Aaron Lennon and Wilson Palacios forced Manuel Almunia into action in the moments that followed.

But Arsenal were looking sparky. In the 13th minute, Eboue, their brightest attacking influence, had the ball in the net but referee Mike Dean rightly adjudged the 25-year-old to have pushed Jonathan Woodgate in the build-up.

Roman Pavlyuchenko provided an immediate riposte by sending a snap-shot over the bar. Then Michael Dawson nodded wide from Luka Modric’s left-wing free-kick.

The little Croatian was starting to exert an influence from the flank. His raking ball sent Lennon clear but the former Leeds winger pulled his shot wide of the post.

On the half-hour, Almunia dived full-length to turn away his shot.

The game was starting to open up. Nasri robbed Corluka on the byline but Clichy’s dangerous ball towards Adebayor was cleared. Before all that Cudicini had spilled Toure’s low cross in the middle of the area.

Despite their vastly different League positions, the sides seemed evenly matched this afternoon. They were both looking for openings where possible but their defences were hardly water-tight.

However matters changed for Arsenal dramatically within three minutes just after the half-hour. In the 33rd minute, Adebayor pulled up with an injury, on the face of it a hamstring problem, and was stretchered off. The incident occurred on the far side of the pitch so the striker was carried off around the perimetre of the ground.

Almost immediately, Eboue clashed with Modric. Both players received yellow cards however it was the second for the Arsenal midfielder. He had received his first booking in the 17th minute for dissent.

Eboue and Adebayor went down the tunnel within seconds of one another. Arsenal were wounded and Tottenham went for the kill before half-time. Despite pressure, the closest they came was when Almunia tipped over a drive from Palacios injury time.

At least half-time gave Wenger time to settle his side and formulate a plan. He opted for a 4-3-1-1 with Van Persie playing a withdrawn role behind Bendtner, who had come on for Adebaypr, and drifting in from the left-hand side. It was all Wenger could do but it did little to stymie Tottenham immediately after the interval.

In the opening minutes, Pavlyuchenko profited from Toure’s slip but fired wildly over the bar.

On 56 minutes, Lennon’s lovely ball in from the right was nodded over by Keane with Almunia beaten. Tottenham were ominously in control. Arsenal were on the back foot and just hoping to see out the storm.

Van Persie fired wide from a corner in the 66th minute. It was a decent chance but their was little fanfare from the visitors, their main job was defending at the moment.

That said, three minutes later an unmarked Song miscued a shot inches wide from Van Persie’s corner. It was perhaps the clearest chance of the game so far and, in the circumstances, one that Arsenal could not afford to miss.

Keane volleyed wide from distance but Tottenham had lost their edge. Arsenal were scrapping and clawing their way to a point. The entire team were wearing long sleeves today but metaphorically they were rolled up.

Tottenham steeled themselves for a frantic finale. Like they needed it, Arsenal received another blow, literally, when Clichy clashed heads with Darren Bent and went off with blood streaming from a wound.

A full time approached you sensed the drama was not over. It wasn’t.

Bendtner’s fierce drive was tipped over by Cudicini at the near post and, from the corner, Tottenham broke. Adel Taarabt fed Modric on the right but the Croatian was denied by a sprawling save from Almunia.

As Emirates, this was a draw but honours were hardly even.

Kit Design

In 1895, two years before the Club became professional, a small group of Nottingham Forest players, Fred Beardsley, Bill Parr and Charlie Bates, joined Dial Square FC, (the Club’s first name) and brought their old red kit along with them. Working to a tight budget, the Club decided the most inexpensive way of acquiring a strip was to kit out the team in the same colour as the ex-Forest players.

This original kit was a dark red, with long sleeves, a collar and three buttons down the front. The shirt was worn with white knee length shorts and heavy woollen socks with blue and white hoops. The goalkeeper wore the same attire apart from the shirt - which was a hand knitted cream woollen polo neck jumper. It was this dark red kit that the team wore during their first season at Highbury in 1913/14.

Beardsley, Parr and Bates’ generosity in providing shirts and inspiring the Club to play in red encouraged several other teams to follow Arsenal’s lead. One of the most famous examples is Sparta Prague whose president, Dr Petric, visited London in 1906. He returned home to Czechoslovakia after having watched Woolwich Arsenal and was so inspired by the kit that he demanded his team play in the same colours. Today, Sparta Prague continue to play in the same dark red kit, not dissimilar to Arsenal’s 2005/06 redcurrant. It was the arrival of manager Herbert Chapman in 1925 that launched the Arsenal kit as we know it today.

Depending on which source you believe, Chapman either noticed someone at the ground wearing a red sleeveless sweater over a white shirt or played golf with famous cartoonist of the day Tom Webster who wore something similar. Either way the ‘look’ inspired the manager to create a new strip combining a red shirt with white collar and sleeves. It also incorporated the Club badge, which was positioned on the left-hand side of the shirt.

In the 1950s a second kit was developed to combat a clash of colours with opposing home teams with similar kits. And in 1960, the Club moved away from the woven rugby shirt style to a new knitted cotton jersey in around 1960.

The Club’s famous canon graphic appeared on the shirt for the first time in the early 1970s. It was this shirt that Arsenal won their first famous ‘double’, both the League Championship and the FA Cup in the 1970/71 season.

In the late 1970s, the shirt featured a kit manufacturer’s logo for the first time, in this case ‘Umbro’. And in 1982 ‘JVC’ became the Club’s first shirt sponsor, which in turn made way for ‘SEGA’ in 1999. Three years later and ‘O2’ replaced the games company before themselves making way for, from the start of the 2006/07 season, ‘Fly Emirates’. This particular deal will last eight years.

Interestingly, for Arsenal’s Champions League away fixture against Hamburg on Wednesday, September 13 the team wore shirts with the insignia ‘Dubai’ on. This was because the opposition that night were also sponsored by Emirates and UEFA rules decree that no two teams, in opposition, can wear the same sponsor on their shirts.

To commemorate the Club's final campaign at Highbury, the home of Arsenal since 1913, the Gunners wore a special redcurrant shirt.

Designed to honour the colour of the Club's set of shirts for the first season at Highbury, they were adorned with gold lettering and accompanied by white shorts and redcurrant socks.

For season 2006/07, the first at Emirates Stadium, a welcome return to the famous red and white of Arsenal was made.

For season 2007/08 Arsenal will wear a new away kit with a design that celebrates the pioneering spirit of legendary Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman. The new kit embraces design features that highlight Chapman’s influence over the game to this day, and sees a return to the white away shirts worn throughout the Club’s history.

The Crest

In 1888, just two years after the formation of the Club, Arsenal, who were then called Royal Arsenal, adopted its first crest (1). This was based largely on the coat of arms of the Borough of Woolwich. The Club was based in the Borough from its formation until 1913, playing at Plumstead Common; Sportsman Ground; Manor Ground; Invicta Ground and the Manor Ground again before heading across London to Highbury, Islington.

The original badge comprised three columns, which, although they look like chimneys, are in actual fact cannons. The significance of the cannons to the Borough of Woolwich derives from the long military history surrounding the area. The Royal Arsenal, Royal Artillery Regiment and various military hospitals - which still dot the landscape today - were all prominent in the Borough.

The cannons on the original crest were obviously a reference to the military influence in Woolwich and despite the Club's ties with the area being cut 89 years ago, the cannon theme has developed throughout the years and has remained prominent on the Gunners different crests down the years, including the new design.

In the early days the crest was not as significant a part of a football club's identity as it is today. Shirts remained plain, unless commemorating a significant match, an FA Cup Final for example, and the crest was generally reserved for official headed stationary, matchday programmes and handbooks.

Following Arsenal's move north to Highbury in 1913, it wasn't immediately apparent that the Club would embrace the Woolwich Arsenal legacy and keep the cannon as a recognisable motif. The Club soon became just 'Arsenal', the Great War affected football for four seasons and recommencing in 1919/20 ‘normal’ football took some time to settle. During all of this period there was no sign of a crest as such but, in the first matchday programme of the 1922/23 season, when the Gunners played Burnley, a new club crest (2) was revealed - a fearsome looking cannon, that would have sat proudly in the Royal Arsenal of Woolwich.

As can be seen the vertical cannons have gone with the new design featuring a single eastward pointing cannon. Whoever designed this robust looking weapon saw his handiwork used by the Club for just three seasons however, and for the start of the 1925/26 season, the Gunners changed to a westward pointing, narrower cannon (3) with the legend 'The Gunners' remaining next to it.

The derivation of the narrower cannon has never been officially confirmed, but the cannons on the crest of the Royal Arsenal Gatehouse in Woolwich (4) are uncannily similar to that used as the Gunners’ symbol.

This cannon crest remained prominent in the Arsenal matchday programme and other publications for 17 seasons. It changed slightly through the years with the wording eventually disappearing, but, despite being usurped by the Victoria Concordia Crescit crest in 1949 it has remained a basic symbol of the Club ever since, featuring on official merchandise and stationary throughout the years right up until the present day.

The VCC crest (5), which the new crest replaces, has been Arsenal's symbol since appearing in the first new style magazine matchday programme of season 1949/50. It would appear to have been in the minds of the Gunners hierarchy for at least a year prior to this. In the final matchday programme of the 1947/48 League Championship winning season, 'Marksman' (aka Harry Homer), the programme editor of the day, wrote:

"...my mind seeks an apt quotation with which to close this season which has been such a glorious one for Tom Whittaker, Joe Mercer and all connected with The Gunners. Shall we turn for once to Latin? 'Victoria Concordia Crescit'. Translation: 'Victory grows out of harmony.'"

Two seasons later and Arsenal unveiled its new crest which incorporated Marksman's latin maxim. Tom Whittaker explained in the 1949/50 handbook (which also included the new crest) that the Club had been impressed by Marksman's motto and it had now been officially adopted by the Club. The new crest also featured 'Arsenal' in a gothic style typeface, the westward facing cannon, the Borough of Islington's coat of arms and ermine.

For the past 53 years this crest has remained largely unchanged (6), though at the start of the 2001/02 season it was 'cleaned up' somewhat (7), with a solid yellow replacing the different tones of gold and Victoria Concordia Crescit written in a less ornate typeface.

The Club's identity has thus evolved over the years and in 2002 the decision was made to formulate a new crest (8). It had always been one of the Club's primary objectives to embrace the future and move forward. With a new stadium on the horizon and the Gunners consistently challenging for domestic and European honours, the Club believed that this was the ideal time to introduce a new crest.

Club Information

Greatest 50 Moments

Greatest 50 Moments

	1. 2004 - Arsenal go 49 league games unbeaten			26. 1935 - Arsenal clinch a hat-trick of titles
	2. 1989 - Thomas strike seals title at Anfield			27. 1971 - Kennedy heads title winner at the Lane
	3. 2004 - 'Invincibles' clinch title at Tottenham			28. 1970 - Famous comeback clinches Fairs Cup
	4. 1996 - Wenger is appointed as Arsenal boss			29. 1991 - Graham's Gunners secure title glory
	5: 1971 - Arsenal clinch their first Double			30. 1987 - 'Rocky' stuns Spurs in League Cup
	6: 2002 - Wiltord goal clinches the Double			31. 1978 - Brady classic caps 5-0 win at Spurs
	7. 2006 - Arsenal beat Madrid at the Bernabeu			32. 1980 - Vaessen stuns Juventus in Turin
	8. 2006 - Arsenal move to Emirates Stadium			33. 1993 - Adams clinches Cup win over Spurs
	9: 2005 - Henry becomes Club's record scorer			34. 1919 - Norris negotiates top-flight return
	10. 2003 - Henry inspires 5-1 win over Inter Milan			35. 1987 - Nicholas double wins Littlewoods Cup
	11. 2006 - Lehmann heroics book place in Paris			36. 1930 - Arsenal win their first major trophy
	12. 1979 - Last-gasp Sunderland wins FA Cup			37. 1932 - Local tube station changes to 'Arsenal'
	13. 1998 - Emphatic win seals Wenger's first title			38. 1935 - Ted Drake scores seven in one game
	14. 2005 - Vieira penalty seals FA Cup triumph			39. 1934 - Seven Gunners selected for England
	15. 2006 - Arsenal play in European Cup Final			40. 1945 - Highbury stages first live broadcast
	16. 1886 - 'Royal Arsenal' formed in Woolwich			41. 1953 - Arsenal win title by 0.099 of a goal
	17. 1998 - Wenger completes his first Double			42. 1993 - Last-gasp Linighan clinches FA Cup
	18. 1925 - Herbert Chapman appointed manager			43. 1936 - Highbury's East Stand is opened
	19. 2006 - Henry hits hat-trick in Highbury farewell			44. 1948 - Whittaker leads Arsenal to sixth title
	20. 1994 - Gunners stun Parma in Copenhagen			45. 1992 - Old North Bank gets rousing send-off
	21. 1997 - Bergkamp scores Goal of the Season			46. 1950 - Mercer leads Arsenal to FA Cup win
	22. 1997 - Wright breaks Bastin's goals record			47. 1958 - Busby Babes' last game before Munich
	23. 2002 - Classic strikes seal FA Cup glory			48. 1971 - Storey's penalty keeps Double alive
	24. 1931 - Arsenal win their first league title			49. 1966 - Bertie Mee is appointed as manager
	25. 1913 - Club moves from Woolwich to Highbury			50. 1972 - Arsenal lose to Cruyff's Ajax

Greatest 50 Players

Arsenal's fans have spoken. The final list of 50 players and their individual rankings were determined by tens of thousands of votes from Arsenal fans from across the world. Now it's time to reveal the results. This list of 50 Gunners Greatest Players was determined by tens of thousands of Arsenal fans from across the world. The vote took place on the Club’s official website from May 5-19, 2008. To help prevent multiple voting by a single person, only registered members of Arsenal.com could take part.

50 Greatest Gunners

	1. Thierry Henry			26. Paul Merson
	2. Dennis Bergkamp			27. Alan Smith
	3. Tony Adams			28. Charlie Nicholas
	4. Ian Wright			29. Nicolas Anelka
	5. Patrick Vieira			30. Frank McLintock
	6. Robert Pires			31. Ted Drake
	7. David Seaman			32. Nigel Winterburn
	8. Liam Brady			33. Sylvain Wiltord
	9. Charlie George			34. Danny Clapton
	10. Pat Jennings			35. Sammy Nelson
	11. Freddie Ljungberg			36. Kenny Sansom
	12. Marc Overmars			37. Michael Thomas
	13. Kanu			38. Steve Williams
	14. David O'Leary			39. Bob Wilson
	15. Sol Campbell			40. George Armstrong
	16. David Rocastle			41. George Eastham
	17. Pat Rice			42. George Graham
	18. Cliff Bastin			43. Andy Ducat
	19. Ray Parlour			44. Malcolm Macdonald
	20. Martin Keown			45. Alan Ball
	21. Lee Dixon			46. Alex James
	22. Emmanuel Petit			47. Frank Stapleton
	23. Brian Talbot			48. Tony Woodcock
	24. John Radford			49. David Jack
	25. Ashley Cole			50. Peter Storey

The Arsenal Museum

The spectacular Arsenal museum at Emirates Stadium is now open in the Northern Triangle Building. Arsenal supporters can still expect their favourite exhibitions, including Michael Thomas’ boots from Anfield ’89 and Charlie George’s FA Final Cup shirt from 1971, along with a whole array of newly donated memorabilia.

These include the shirts worn by goal scorers Jon Sammels and Alan Smith in the 1970 Fairs Cup Final and 1994 European Cup Winners Cup Final victories, medals, shirts and caps belonging to David O’Leary, Lee Dixon, Brian Marwood and many others. There is also a customised trophy on display that was presented to the club by the FA Premier League for remaining unbeaten throughout the 2003/04 season.

“Arsenal Football Club has a wonderful history which encompasses time at Woolwich, Highbury... and now Emirates Stadium. The museum offers a chance to take in many exhibits kindly donated by former players who hold a special place in Arsenal’s history,” says Arsenal historian, Iain Cook. The facility also features an impressive Legends Theatre and more than a dozen fully interactive sections based on Arsenal’s proud history such as Championship winning managers, The Invincibles, The Arsenal Spirit and Highbury Stadium.

Former players who attended the museum's unveiling ceremony on October 12 included Kenny Sansom, John Radford, and Paul Davis who along with Bob Wilson, Charlie George, Sammy Nelson and Perry Groves will be leading the Legends Tours operated by the museum.

Prices
Museum tickets can be bought in the Arsenal Box Office window at Drayton Park or through 020 7 619 5000 for £6 (£3 concessions) or as part of a stadium tour.

Museum Opening Times
Monday to Friday: 10am-6pm (last admittance 5pm)
Saturday: 10am-6pm (last admittance 5pm)
Sunday: 10am-5pm (last admittance 4pm)
Matchdays: 10am until half an hour before kick off. The museum will not be open after the match.

From Foundation to the First World War

From Foundation to the First World War
Arsenal Football Club began life when a group of workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory decided to form a football team in late 1886. The Club played under the name of Dial Square. Their first match was a 6-0 victory over Eastern Wanderers, on December 11, 1886. Soon after, the name Royal Arsenal was adopted and the Club continued playing in friendlies and local cup competitions for the next few years.

In 1891 the Club turned professional and changed its name to Woolwich Arsenal, finally joining the Football League in 1893. The Gunners moved to Highbury in 1913, as a Second Division side. Following the First World War Arsenal were voted into the newly expanded First Division, where they have remained ever since.

Chapman and the Glorious Thirties
Herbert Chapman took over at Arsenal in 1925, and in 1930 he guided the Gunners to their first ever trophy — beating Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup Final. The following season Arsenal were champions for the first time. Between 1933 and 1935 the Club won a hattrick of league titles (which has only been achieved by four teams in the top flight). Sadly Chapman died in the middle of the run, by which time he had reached legend status.

George Allison took over and the dominance continued for the rest of the decade, winning one more FA Cup (1936) and another title (1938). During this time Arsenal had some of the game’s greatest players on its books: Alex James, Ted Drake, Cliff Bastin, David Jack, Eddie Hapgood and George Male were just some of the names in what was one of the greatest sides ever to play in the Football League.

Post-War to the First Double
The Second World War stopped Arsenal in their tracks but Tom Whittaker became manager and more success followed. Arsenal were Champions in 1947/48 and 1952/53; FA Cup winners in 1950 and runners-up in 1952. The ‘60s provided little in the way of silverware at Highbury, with two losing appearances in the League Cup Final in 1968 and 1969 being the closest thing to success. Bertie Mee had taken over in the mid-Sixties and Arsenal lifted their first ever European trophy in 1969/70, beating Anderlecht 4-3 over the two legged Fairs Cup Final.

Better was to follow the following season. An Arsenal side containing the likes of Charlie George, George Armstrong, Ray Kennedy and captain Frank McLintock, won the league and FA Cup ‘double’. They clinched the title at White Hart Lane, then beat Liverpool after extra time at Wembley to win the Cup. The side returned to Wembley for three consecutive FA Cup Finals under Terry Neill at the end of the decade — winning the second of them, 3-2 against Manchester United. The game became known as the ‘Five Minute Final’. The Gunners also reached the 1980 Cup Winners’ Cup Final, with a team that included Graham Rix, Frank Stapleton, Pat Rice, David O’Leary and Liam Brady, but lost on penalties to Valencia.

George Graham's Honours
In 1986 George Graham, a member of the 1971 ‘double’ winning team, took over as manager from Don Howe and more glory days followed. He led Arsenal to their first ever League Cup triumph in 1986/87, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the Final. Two years later the Gunners won the League Championship, with a famous last minute goal from Michael Thomas clinching the title with a 2-0 win at Anfield. Another title followed in 1990/91, when the side, including the famous defensive back four, lost just one league game.

More silverware followed. In 1992/93 Arsenal became the first club to win both domestic cups in the same season. Sheffield Wednesday were the beaten side on both occasions. Graham’s era of success was rounded off the following season. A superb run in the European Cup Winners’ Cup ended with a memorable 1-0 win over Parma in the Final in Copenhagen, thanks to Alan Smith’s strike. Arsenal failed to retain the trophy the following season, losing in the 1995 final to Real Zaragoza. By this time George Graham had left the Club. He was succeeded by Bruce Rioch, who was in charge for one season, during which time he signed Dennis Bergkamp.

The Arsène Wenger Era
In 1997/98, Wenger’s first full season at Highbury, Arsenal achieved, for the second time in the Club’s history, the League and FA Cup ‘double’ enabling the Frenchman to pick up the Carling Manager of the Year Award. Dennis Bergkamp was also named Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Player of the Year and PFA Player of the Year. A tremendous season was rounded off perfectly for French Internationals Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira as the Gunners stars played their part in France’s victorious World Cup campaign.

Three consecutive league runners-up medals followed and in 2000 Arsenal appeared in the UEFA Cup Final where they lost on penalties. In 2001 the Club reached the Quarter-Finals of the UEFA Champions League before being knocked out by Valencia. 2001/02 however saw a reversal of fortunes as the Club recorded their third ‘double’ by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup and ending their league campaign with a 13-game unbeaten run and a memorable 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Arsenal remained unbeaten at home for the whole season. For that, Arsène Wenger was named Barclaycard Manager of the Year while Robert Pires was named Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year.

The following season Arsenal narrowly missed out on retaining the title but the Gunners became the first English club in more than 20 years to retain the FA Cup with their 1-0 victory over Southampton at Cardiff. Thierry Henry was voted player of the season by both the PFA and the Football Writers’ Association in a term which saw him join Dennis Bergkamp in the hallowed 100 Club having scored a century of goals for Arsenal. Season 2003/2004 saw Arsenal win back the title in unbeatable fashion managing to go though the entire league season without a single defeat. Finishing 11 points ahead of second-place Chelsea, Arsenal smashed several records on the way to their 13th league title win. Spanish youngster Cesc Fabregas arrived in January and by the end of the season had broken the record for the youngest Arsenal appearance aged 16 years and 177 days.

A Semi-Final defeat in the FA Cup by Manchester United and the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League by Chelsea ended any hope of a remarkable treble. The unbeaten league run continued the following season and in August 2004 Arsenal overtook Nottingham Forest’s record for the longest all-time unbeaten sequence in English league football. The Gunners made it five trophies in four seasons by winning the FA Cup in a penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United.

The 2005/06 campaign was the Club’s last at Highbury and the Final Salute celebrations proved to be a fitting goodbye to the Club’s home of 93 years. Fourth place in the league — and Champions League football — was secured on the last day of the season with a 4-2 win over Wigan Athletic (coupled with Tottenham’s loss at West Ham United). Arsenal’s alltime record at Highbury reads as follows: Played 2,010; Won 1,196; Drawn 475; Lost 339; Goals Scored 4,038; Goals Conceded 1,955.

The highlight of the season was the Club’s amazing journey to the 2005/06 Champions League Final in Paris. A 12- game unbeaten run, including a new competition record for the most amount of consecutive clean sheets (10 in all), saw Arsenal line-up against Barcelona in the Final on May 17 at the Stade de France. Despite having Jens Lehmann sent-off after just 18 minutes, the Gunners scored first through Sol Campbell before, in the second-half, the Spaniards scored two late goals to break the hearts of the travelling Arsenal support.

Into Emirates Stadium
As the Club prepared itself for the move to Emirates Stadium, Gunners captain and record goalscorer, Thierry Henry committed his future to Arsenal before going on to help France reach the World Cup Final in Germany in the summer of 2006. In July, 2006 the Club left Highbury, their stadium of 93 years, and moved to their new home. Ajax provided the opposition in Dennis Bergkamp’s Testimonial as the legendary striker played his last game for the Club in the first ever match at Emirates Stadium.

Emirates Stadium Tours

Follow in the footsteps of your Arsenal heroes by joining the Emirates Stadium Tour and taking a look behind the stunning Emirates Stadium.

On this amazing day out, you will have the opportunity to see all the areas which are crucial to the team on a matchday - from a walk down the players' tunnel to a seat in the first team dressing room. On standard tour, you will also visit the Directors Box and the Press Conference facilites.

Emirates Stadium has quickly established itself as one of the world's most stunning and spectacular sports stadia. Along with state-of-the-art facilities, the Club have incorporated stunning features from our Highbury history and personal touches from inspirational Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger.

Legends Tours

To make the visit to Emirates Stadium truly unforgettable, why not join one of our fantastic Legends Tours? You will be shown around Emirates Stadium with a hero from our glittering Highbury past who will reveal his thoughts on the current team, his playing days and any news from the inner sanctum of Arsenal Football Club. You will also receive a personalised signed photo of the Legend and a limited edition Legends Tour gift.

The Arsenal Legends currently taking tours include:

• 1971 FA Cup hero Charlie George
• Arsenal centurion and Double winner John Radford
• 1979 FA Cup hero Sammy Nelson
• 1970 European Fairs Cup final goal hero Eddie Kelly
• 1987 League Cup winning captain, Kenny Sansom
• 1989 & 1991 League winner, Paul Davis
• Cult hero and 1989 League winner, Perry Groves