Arsenal stunned the footballing world by hammering defending champions Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final first-leg – a match the Gunners’ faithful will remember for years to come. Inspired by this superb performance, we wanted to look back at some other Arsenal victories that could be considered among the greatest in the club’s history, in date order.
Liverpool 1 – 2 Arsenal, 8th May 1971 (FA Cup)
Arsenal’s first-ever domestic double was secured following late drama in this FA Cup final. With both teams failing to break the deadlock in normal time, the match at Wembley headed to extra time. Merely two minutes into the additional period Liverpool struck first. The Merseysiders went looking for another but it was the Gunners who fired home next through George Graham. Then, with less than 10 minutes left, Charlie George found the winner and celebrated, famously, by lying flat on the floor.
Liverpool 0 – 2 Arsenal, 26th May 1989 (First Division)
The final day of the 1988/89 First Division season saw leaders Liverpool host Arsenal in a title-deciding match. The Gunners trailed by three points and -4 goal difference, meaning they had to win by at least two goals to steal the title. Liverpool had not lost by a 2+ margin in three years but the Gunners managed to end this run at the perfect time. Alan Smith grabbed the first and in the dying moments of the match, Michael Thomas netted the title-winning goal, leaving the Liverpool players and fans utterly stunned.
Manchester United 0 – 1 Arsenal, 14th March 1998 (Premier League)
Arsenal came into this fixture with defending champions Man Utd trailing by nine points (but with three games in hand). So, a title push was still firmly on the cards but the Gunners needed a result at Old Trafford to give themselves a credible shot. This they got courtesy of a late Marc Overmars strike in the 79th minute, inflicting a rare home defeat on United in the process. Spurred on by this morale-boosting win, the Gunners went on to win a further eight consecutive matches before winning the season by a solitary point.
Inter Milan 1 – 5 Arsenal, 25th November 2003 (Champions League)
Sitting on just for points from as many matches in their Champions League group, Arsenal needed a win against Inter to have any realistic chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Having lost 3-0 to the Italians in the reverse fixture, this seemed a big ask but not only did an injury-struck Gunners win but they won in incredible fashion. A Thierry Henry masterclass, featuring two goals and two assists, saw the visitors run riot at the San Siro against one of the best teams in Europe at the time.
Arsenal 2 – 1 Leicester, 15th May 2004 (Premier League)
A narrow home victory against an already relegated Leicester side seems far from a great win on the face of things. This result, however, meant that the Gunners spent the entirety of the 2003/04 Premier League season unbeaten – the first and only side to have ever achieved the feat. Despite this seeming an easy win on paper though, the almost-‘Invincibles’ were given a scare when Paul Dickov fired the visitors ahead. Second-half goals from Henry and Patrick Vieira put the nerves to bed though and preserved the Gunners’ unspoilt record.
AC Milan 0 – 2 Arsenal, 4th March 2008 (Champions League)
Following a 0-0 draw at home in the first leg, Arsenal needed a score draw or a win to progress against defending European champions AC Milan. The odds were firmly against Arsene Wenger’s side pulling this off but an outstanding display handed them a deserved win. A 30-yard strike from Cesc Fabregas in the 84th minute broke the deadlock while Emmanuel Adebayor added another in injury time. Thanks to this win, Arsenal became the first English team ever to beat AC Milan at the San Siro.
Arsenal 2 – 1 Barcelona, 16th February 2011 (Champions League)
Barcelona have enjoyed many strong squads over the years but they were particularly formidable around this time. In 2011, they secured a third consecutive league title and a second Champions League title in just three years. Despite this, the Gunners managed to go toe-to-toe with the Spanish giants and beat them despite going 1-0 down. It was only one of six defeats the visiting side suffered all season, across competitions. A truly memorable European night for Arsenal but not enough to progress as they went on to lose the second leg 3-1.
Arsenal 5 – 2 Tottenham, 26th February 2012 (Premier League)
This list has to include one of Arsenal’s big wins over their north London rivals and this seems the pick of the bunch. The Gunners started poorly and found themselves 2-0 down after 34 minutes but then the astonishing comeback began. Blowing their neighbours out of the water, they replied with five goals of their own thanks to goals from Sagna, van Persie, Rosicky, and two from Theo Walcott. A valuable comeback win it proved to be too as Arsenal finished the season a mere one point above their local rivals.
Arsenal 3 – 2 Hull City, 17th May 2014 (FA Cup)
With 42 points separating these two teams in the final Premier League table, Arsenal were expected to win this FA Cup final but the match did not follow the script, at least not at first. A stunned Wembley saw Hull race into a 2-0 lead with just eight minutes on the clock. Arsenal regrouped though and quickly halved the deficit through Santi Cazorla before Laurent Koscielny found the equaliser after the break. Arsenal had to wait until extra time to complete the comeback but Aaron Ramsey’s strike proved decisive and put an end to Arsenal’s nine-year trophy drought.
Arsenal 3 – 0 Real Madrid, 8th April 2014 (Champions League)
The Gunners put themselves in a commanding position to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009 with this unexpected result. The win, against the defending European champions, was made all the more memorable by the nature of the goals. The first two came courtesy of Declan Rice free-kicks, truly surprisingly given Rice had previously not scored one in his whole career. The second was a particularly satisfying effort as it powerfully swerved past Thibaut Courtois into the top corner. Mikel Merino added the third minutes after, rounding off a truly memorable evening for Mikel Arteta’s men.