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For the list of seasons played by the Arsenal women's team, see List of Arsenal W.F.C. seasons.
A black-and-white team photograph of the Arsenal squad in their third season of existence.
The Royal Arsenal squad of the 1888–89 season

Arsenal Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Holloway, London. The club was formed in Woolwich in 1886 as Dial Square before it was shortly renamed to Royal Arsenal, and then Woolwich Arsenal in 1893. They became the first southern member admitted into the Football League in 1893, having spent their first four seasons solely participating in cup tournaments and friendlies. The club's name was shortened to Arsenal in 1914, a year after moving to Highbury. In spite of finishing fifth in the Second Division in 1915, Arsenal rejoined the First Division at the expense of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur when football resumed after the First World War. Since that time, they have not fallen below the first tier of the English football league system and hold the record for the longest uninterrupted time in the top flight.

In the 1930s, Arsenal were the dominant side of England, winning five league championships and two FA Cups. Their fortunes waned, but the club soon enjoyed infrequent periods of success, including Inter-Cities Fairs Cup triumph and a first league and cup double in the 1970s. During the late 1980s, Arsenal had built a side that threatened Liverpool's league dominance, and performed greatly in cup competitions. The club played an active role in the formation of the Premier League in 1992, won the FA Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994 and two doubles followed in 1998 and 2002. Arsenal made league history in 2003–04 when they became the first team in a 38-game season to go unbeaten. In the 2000s, Arsenal were finalists in both the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League, and have since equalled Real Madrid's record for most consecutive seasons in the latter competition.

As of the end of the 2023–24 season, the club's first team have spent 107 seasons in the top division of English football, and 13 in the second. Their worst league finish to date is 10th in the second tier, their placing at the end of the 1896–97 season. Arsenal's best-ever start to a Premier League season came in 2022–23, when they won nine of their first ten matches. The club's longest period without a competitive honour is 17 years, between the 1953-54 and 1969–70 seasons. Ted Drake holds the record for most competitive goals in a single season for Arsenal; he scored 44 during the 1934–35 campaign. The table details the club's achievements in major competitions, and the top scorers for each season. Records of reserve team and World War II competitions such as the London Combination and the London War Cup are not included.

History

When Arsenal was founded in 1886 by munition workers' from Woolwich, the club resisted the lure of professionalism and remained an amateur side. Success in local cup competitions soon followed, and a tie against Derby County in the FA Cup on 17 January 1891 led to the opposition approaching two of Arsenal's players, in view of offering them professional contracts. Later that year the club resigned its membership of the Kent County and London Football Associations – both amateur governing bodies – and voted to turn professional, a move which attracted criticism from many southern clubs. In 1893, the club received an invitation to join the Football League, which the board accepted. Arsenal played in the Second Division for eleven seasons, while also participating in regional competitions, the Southern Combination and United League. The club won promotion in 1904, and enjoyed strong FA Cup campaigns in the mid-1900s, but the increase of football clubs in the capital and falling attendances at the Manor Ground pushed Arsenal close to bankruptcy by 1910. Sir Henry Norris and William Hall in that year took over Arsenal, and planned to relocate the team to Highbury in order to improve their financial standing. Arsenal were relegated back to the Second Division in 1913, but the move to North London brought about larger attendances than ever before.

A football pitch with "Highbury 1913–2006" emblazoned on the grass: Arsenal played home matches at Highbury between those years.
A valedictory campaign was held at Highbury during 2005–06, to mark Arsenal's final season at the ground.

In 1919, Norris arranged for the club's promotion back to the First Division, in contentious circumstances. With increased financial resources, the club established themselves as a permanent fixture in the division and was better able to spend money on new players. In 1930, Arsenal beat Huddersfield Town to win its first major piece of silverware: the FA Cup. Success continued right throughout the decade, as they won five league championships and a further FA Cup in seven years. Following the Second World War, Arsenal won two more championships and a FA Cup, but their fortunes gradually declined. It was not until 1970 that the club won another trophy – the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a European club competition designed to promote trade fairs. A first league and cup double was completed a year later; by the end of the decade Arsenal added another FA Cup, beating Manchester United in the 1979 final. 1980 saw Arsenal lose two finals in quick succession, defeated by West Ham United in the FA Cup final and then to Valencia in the Cup Winners' Cup on penalties. The club won their first League Cup in 1987, but a year later failed to retain the trophy as outsiders Luton Town beat them in the final. In 1989, Arsenal won their first league championship in 18 years, courtesy of Michael Thomas' last-minute goal against closest challengers Liverpool in the final game of the season. The club did not build on their success, finishing fourth the following season, but regained the title in 1991. As champions, Arsenal were eligible to play in the European Cup, but their time in the competition ended abruptly as they were eliminated in the second round by Benfica.

The growth of commercialism in English football during the late 1980s and early 1990s paved the way for Arsenal and other prominent clubs to seek the possibility of setting up a new top-flight division. Unhappy with how income was distributed to the lower leagues and wanting to exploit television rights, Arsenal and 21 other First Division clubs handed a notice of resignation from the Football League by August 1991. The breakaway division, entitled the Premier League, was administered by The Football Association and received financial backing from Sky Television. Arsenal finished 10th in the inaugural season; the club did well in other competitions, winning a unique FA and League Cup double. They were victorious in the 1994 Cup Winners' Cup Final, and came close to defending the trophy in 1995, before losing to Real Zaragoza.

Arsenal added more league and cup doubles in 1998 and 2002, and in 2004 became the first club in Premier League history to win the title without a single defeat. The side, nicknamed "The Invincibles" remained unbeaten for 49 games, before losing to Manchester United in October 2004. In 2006, Arsenal reached their first UEFA Champions League final but Barcelona scored twice in the second half to win the competition. Later that year, Arsenal moved to the Emirates Stadium which commenced a transitional period. Though the club strengthened their position in the league's "top four" and frequently participated in the Champions League, they struggled to hold on to their best players. In 2011–12, Arsenal made their worst start to a season for 58 years, but a strong finish saw the club overtake rivals Tottenham Hotspur to third position. After nine years without silverware, the club beat Hull City to win the 2014 FA Cup Final and retained the trophy with a dominant display against Aston Villa in 2015, before clinching a record 13th in 2017. Arsenal won their fourteenth FA Cup in 2020, beating Chelsea.

Key

Key to league competitions:

  • Premier League (Prem) – England's top football league, established in 1992
  • Football League First Division (Div 1) – The first tier of English football until the inception of the Premier League in 1992. It was downgraded to the second tier, but remained the highest division of the English Football League until 2004.
  • Football League Second Division (Div 2) – The second tier of English football from its inception until 1992. It was downgraded to third-highest once the Premier League commenced and remained so until 2004.

Key to colours and symbols:

1st or W Winners
2nd or RU Runners-up
3rd Third place
Current Season
↑ Promoted
↓ Relegated
♦ Top scorer in division

Key to league record:

  • Season = The year and article of the season
  • Pos = Final position
  • Pld = Matches played
  • W = Matches won
  • D = Matches drawn
  • L = Matches lost
  • GF = Goals scored
  • GA = Goals against
  • Pts = Points

Key to cup record:

  • En-dash (–) = Arsenal did not participate
  • DNE = The club did not enter cup play
  • QR1 = First qualification round
  • QR2 = Second qualification round, etc.
  • Group = Group stage
  • GS2 = Second group stage
  • R1 = First round
  • R2 = Second round, etc.
  • R32 = Round of 32
  • R16 = Round of 16
  • QF = Quarter-finals
  • SF = Semi-finals
  • RU = Runners-up
  • W = Winners

Seasons

Results of league and cup competitions by season
Season Division Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pos FA Cup League
Cup 		Community
Shield 		Competition Result Player(s) Goals
League Other / Europe Top goalscorer(s)
1886–87 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — n/a —
1887–88 — — — — — — — — — — — — London Senior Cup R2 n/a —
1888–89 — — — — — — — — — — — — London Senior Cup
Kent Senior Cup 		SF
R3 		Peter Connolly 13
1889–90 — — — — — — — — — QR4 — — London Senior Cup
Kent Senior Cup
London Charity Cup
 RU
W
W 		Hope Robertson
Humphrey Barbour 		15
1890–91 — — — — — — — — — R1 — — London Senior Cup
London Charity Cup 		W
SF 		Humphrey Barbour 7
1891–92 — — — — — — — — — R1 — — — — George Davie 1
1892–93 — — — — — — — — — R1 — — — — Charles Booth
James Henderson 		5
1893–94 Div 2 28 12 4 12 52 55 28 9th R1 — — — — James Henderson 19
1894–95 Div 2 30 14 6 10 75 58 34 8th R1 — — — — Peter Mortimer 14
1895–96 Div 2 30 14 4 12 58 42 32 7th R1 — — — — Henry Boyd 13
1896–97 Div 2
United 		30
14 		13
6 		4
3 		13
5 		68
28 		70
34 		30
15 		10th
3rd 		QR5 — — — — Patrick O'Brien 20
1897–98 Div 2
United 		30
16 		16
8 		5
5 		9
3 		69
35 		49
24 		37
21 		5th
3rd 		R1 — — — — Fergus Hunt 16
1898–99 Div 2
United 		34
20 		18
10 		5
4 		11
6 		72
40 		41
30 		31
24 		7th
3rd 		R1 — — — — Fergus Hunt 26
1899–1900 Div 2
S Comb 		34
16 		16
8 		4
1 		14
7 		61
27 		43
22 		36
17 		8th
4th 		QR3 — — — — Ralph Gaudie 17
1900–01 Div 2 34 15 6 13 39 35 36 7th R2 — — — — Ralph Gaudie 8
1901–02 Div 2
Lon Lge 		34
16 		18
2 		6
2 		10
4 		50
9 		26
13 		42
6 		4th
5th 		R1 — — — — Tommy Briercliffe 12
1902–03 Div 2
Lon Lge 		34
10 		20
6 		8
0 		6
4 		66
14 		30
10 		48
12 		3rd
3rd 		R1 — — — — Tim Coleman 22
1903–04 Div 2 ↑
Lon Lge 		34
12 		21
6 		7
2 		6
4 		91
24 		22
19 		49
14 		2nd
3rd 		R2 — — — — Tommy Shanks 25
1904–05 Div 1 34 12 9 13 36 40 33 10th R1 — — — — Charlie Satterthwaite 11
1905–06 Div 1 38 15 7 16 62 64 37 12th SF — — — — Tim Coleman 15
1906–07 Div 1 38 20 4 14 66 59 44 7th SF — — — — Charlie Satterthwaite 19
1907–08 Div 1 38 12 12 14 51 63 36 14th R1 — — — — Peter Kyle 9
1908–09 Div 1 38 14 10 14 52 49 38 6th R2 — — London Challenge Cup SF Thomas Fitchie 10
1909–10 Div 1 38 11 9 18 37 67 31 18th R2 — — London Challenge Cup R2 Charles Lewis 8
1910–11 Div 1 38 13 12 13 41 49 38 10th R2 — — London Challenge Cup R2 Jackie Chalmers 16
1911–12 Div 1 38 15 8 15 55 59 38 10th R1 — — London Challenge Cup R2 Alf Common 19
1912–13 Div 1 ↓ 38 3 12 23 26 74 18 20th R2 — — London Challenge Cup R1 Charles Lewis 4
1913–14 Div 2 38 20 9 9 54 38 49 3rd R1 — — London Challenge Cup SF Pat Flanagan 12
1914–15 Div 2 ↑ 38 19 5 14 69 41 43 5th R2 — — London Challenge Cup RU Harry King 33
1915–19 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — n/a —
1919–20 Div 1 42 15 12 15 56 58 42 10th R2 — — London Challenge Cup R2 Henry White 15
1920–21 Div 1 42 15 14 13 59 63 44 9th R1 — — London Challenge Cup R3 Fred Pagnam 18
1921–22 Div 1 42 15 7 20 47 56 37 17th QF — — London Challenge Cup W Henry White 22
1922–23 Div 1 42 16 10 16 61 62 42 11th R1 — — London Challenge Cup R2 Bob Turnbull 21
1923–24 Div 1 42 12 9 21 40 63 33 19th R2 — — London Challenge Cup W Harry Woods 12
1924–25 Div 1 42 14 5 23 46 58 33 20th R1 — — London Challenge Cup R2 Jimmy Brain 15
1925–26 Div 1 42 22 8 12 87 63 52 2nd QF — — London Challenge Cup RU Jimmy Brain 43
1926–27 Div 1 42 17 9 16 77 86 43 11th RU — — London Challenge Cup R1 Jimmy Brain 34
1927–28 Div 1 42 13 15 14 82 86 41 10th SF — — London Challenge Cup R1 Jimmy Brain 29
1928–29 Div 1 42 16 13 13 77 72 45 9th QF — — London Challenge Cup R1 David Jack 26
1929–30 Div 1 42 14 11 17 78 66 39 14th W — — London Challenge Cup R1 Jack Lambert 23
1930–31 Div 1 42 28 10 4 127 59 66 1st R4 — W London Challenge Cup W Jack Lambert 39
1931–32 Div 1 42 22 10 10 90 48 54 2nd RU — W London Challenge Cup R2 Jack Lambert 26
1932–33 Div 1 42 25 8 9 118 61 58 1st R3 — — London Challenge Cup SF Cliff Bastin 33
1933–34 Div 1 42 25 9 8 75 47 59 1st QF — W London Challenge Cup W Cliff Bastin 15
1934–35 Div 1 42 23 12 7 115 46 58 1st QF — W London Challenge Cup R2 Ted Drake 44 ♦
1935–36 Div 1 42 15 15 12 78 48 45 6th W — RU London Challenge Cup W Ted Drake 27
1936–37 Div 1 42 18 16 8 80 49 52 3rd QF — RU London Challenge Cup RU Ted Drake 27
1937–38 Div 1 42 21 10 11 77 44 52 1st R5 — — London Challenge Cup SF Ted Drake 18
1938–39 Div 1 42 19 9 14 55 41 47 5th R3 — W London Challenge Cup SF Ted Drake 16
1939–45 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — n/a —
1945–46 — — — — — — — — — R3 — — — — Kevin O'Flanagan 11
1946–47 Div 1 42 16 9 17 72 70 41 13th R3 — — London Challenge Cup R1 Reg Lewis 29
1947–48 Div 1 42 23 13 6 81 32 59 1st R3 — — London Challenge Cup R1 Ronnie Rooke 33 ♦
1948–49 Div 1 42 18 13 11 74 44 49 5th R4 — W London Challenge Cup R2 Reg Lewis 18
1949–50 Div 1 42 19 11 12 79 55 49 6th W — — London Challenge Cup R1 Reg Lewis 24
1950–51 Div 1 42 19 9 14 73 56 47 5th R5 — — London Challenge Cup R1 Doug Lishman 17
1951–52 Div 1 42 21 11 10 80 61 53 3rd RU — — London Challenge Cup R1 Doug Lishman 29
1952–53 Div 1 42 21 12 9 97 64 54 1st QF — — London Challenge Cup R2 Doug Lishman 25
1953–54 Div 1 42 15 13 14 75 73 43 12th R4 — W London Challenge Cup W Doug Lishman 20
1954–55 Div 1 42 17 9 16 69 63 43 9th R4 — — London Challenge Cup W Doug Lishman 19
1955–56 Div 1 42 18 10 14 60 61 46 5th QF — — London Challenge Cup SF Derek Tapscott 21
1956–57 Div 1 42 21 8 13 85 69 50 5th QF — — London Challenge Cup
Southern Floodlight Challenge Cup 		SF
SF 		Derek Tapscott 32
1957–58 Div 1 42 16 7 19 73 85 39 12th R3 — — London Challenge Cup
Southern Floodlight Challenge Cup 		W
R1 		David Herd 24
1958–59 Div 1 42 21 8 13 88 68 50 3rd R5 — — London Challenge Cup
Southern Floodlight Challenge Cup 		SF
W 		David Herd 21
1959–60 Div 1 42 15 9 18 68 80 39 13th R3 — — London Challenge Cup
Southern Floodlight Challenge Cup 		R2
SF 		David Herd 14
1960–61 Div 1 42 15 11 16 77 85 41 11th R3 DNE — London Challenge Cup RU David Herd 30
1961–62 Div 1 42 16 11 15 71 72 43 10th R4 DNE — London Challenge Cup W Alan Skirton 23
1962–63 Div 1 42 18 10 14 86 77 46 7th R5 DNE — London Challenge Cup W Joe Baker 31
1963–64 Div 1 42 17 11 14 90 82 45 8th R5 DNE — Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
London Challenge Cup 		R2
R2 		Geoff Strong 31
1964–65 Div 1 42 17 7 18 69 75 41 13th R4 DNE — London Challenge Cup R1 Joe Baker 25
1965–66 Div 1 42 12 13 17 62 75 37 14th R3 DNE — London Challenge Cup RU Joe Baker 13
1966–67 Div 1 42 16 14 12 58 47 46 7th R5 R3 — London Challenge Cup R2 George Graham 12
1967–68 Div 1 42 17 10 15 60 56 44 9th R5 RU — London Challenge Cup R1 George Graham 21
1968–69 Div 1 42 22 12 8 56 27 56 4th R5 RU — London Challenge Cup R1 John Radford 19
1969–70 Div 1 42 12 18 12 51 49 42 12th R3 R3 — Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
London Challenge Cup 		W
R2 		John Radford 19
1970–71 Div 1 42 29 7 6 71 29 65 1st W R4 — Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
London Challenge Cup 		QF
R2 		Ray Kennedy 26
1971–72 Div 1 42 22 8 12 58 40 52 5th RU R4 — European Cup
London Challenge Cup 		QF
R2 		Ray Kennedy 19
1972–73 Div 1 42 23 11 8 57 43 57 2nd SF QF — London Challenge Cup R1 John Radford 19
1973–74 Div 1 42 14 14 14 49 51 42 10th R4 R2 — London Challenge Cup SF Ray Kennedy 13
1974–75 Div 1 42 13 11 18 47 49 37 16th QF R2 — — — Brian Kidd 23
1975–76 Div 1 42 13 10 19 47 53 36 17th R3 R2 — — — Brian Kidd 11
1976–77 Div 1 42 16 11 15 64 59 43 8th R5 QF — — — Malcolm Macdonald 29 ♦
1977–78 Div 1 42 21 10 11 60 37 52 5th RU SF — — — Malcolm Macdonald 26
1978–79 Div 1 42 17 14 11 61 48 48 7th W R2 — UEFA Cup R3 Frank Stapleton 28
1979–80 Div 1 42 18 16 8 52 36 52 4th RU QF RU Cup Winners' Cup RU Alan Sunderland 29
1980–81 Div 1 42 19 15 8 61 45 53 3rd R3 R4 — — — Frank Stapleton 16
1981–82 Div 1 42 20 11 11 48 37 71 5th R3 R4 — UEFA Cup R2 Alan Sunderland 12
1982–83 Div 1 42 16 10 16 58 56 58 10th SF SF — UEFA Cup R1 Tony Woodcock 21
1983–84 Div 1 42 18 9 15 74 60 63 6th R3 R4 — — — Tony Woodcock 23
1984–85 Div 1 42 19 9 14 61 49 66 7th R4 R3 — — — Tony Woodcock 13
1985–86 Div 1 42 20 9 13 49 47 69 7th R5 QF — — — Charlie Nicholas 18
1986–87 Div 1 42 20 10 12 58 35 70 4th QF W — — — Martin Hayes 24
1987–88 Div 1 40 18 12 10 58 39 66 6th QF RU — — — Alan Smith 16
1988–89 Div 1 38 22 10 6 73 36 76 1st R3 R3 — Football League Centenary Trophy W Alan Smith 25 ♦
1989–90 Div 1 38 18 8 12 54 38 62 4th R4 R4 RU — — Alan Smith 13
1990–91 Div 1 38 24 13 1 74 18 83 1st SF R4 — — — Alan Smith 27 ♦
1991–92 Div 1 42 19 15 8 81 46 72 4th R3 R3 W European Cup R2 Ian Wright 26 ♦
1992–93 Prem 42 15 11 16 40 38 56 10th W W — — — Ian Wright 30
1993–94 Prem 42 18 17 7 53 28 71 4th R4 R4 RU Cup Winners' Cup W Ian Wright 35
1994–95 Prem 42 13 12 17 52 49 51 12th R3 QF — Cup Winners' Cup
Super Cup 		RU
RU 		Ian Wright 30
1995–96 Prem 38 17 12 9 49 32 63 5th R3 SF — — — Ian Wright 22
1996–97 Prem 38 19 11 8 62 32 68 3rd R4 R4 — UEFA Cup R1 Ian Wright 30
1997–98 Prem 38 23 9 6 68 33 78 1st W SF — UEFA Cup R1 Dennis Bergkamp 22
1998–99 Prem 38 22 12 4 59 17 78 2nd SF R4 W Champions League Group Nicolas Anelka 19
1999–2000 Prem 38 22 7 9 73 43 73 2nd R4 R4 W Champions League
UEFA Cup 		Group
RU 		Thierry Henry 26
2000–01 Prem 38 20 10 8 63 38 70 2nd RU R3 — Champions League QF Thierry Henry 22
2001–02 Prem 38 26 9 3 79 36 87 1st W QF — Champions League GS2 Thierry Henry 32 ♦
2002–03 Prem 38 23 9 6 85 42 78 2nd W R3 W Champions League GS2 Thierry Henry 32
2003–04 Prem 38 26 12 0 73 26 90 1st SF SF RU Champions League QF Thierry Henry 39 ♦
2004–05 Prem 38 25 8 5 87 36 83 2nd W QF W Champions League R16 Thierry Henry 30 ♦
2005–06 Prem 38 20 7 11 68 31 67 4th R4 SF RU Champions League RU Thierry Henry 33 ♦
2006–07 Prem 38 19 11 8 63 35 68 4th R5 RU — Champions League R16 Robin van Persie 13
2007–08 Prem 38 24 11 3 74 31 83 3rd R5 SF — Champions League QF Emmanuel Adebayor 30
2008–09 Prem 38 20 12 6 68 37 72 4th SF QF — Champions League SF Robin van Persie 20
2009–10 Prem 38 23 6 9 83 41 75 3rd R4 QF — Champions League QF Cesc Fàbregas 19
2010–11 Prem 38 19 11 8 72 43 68 4th QF RU — Champions League R16 Robin van Persie 22
2011–12 Prem 38 21 7 10 74 49 70 3rd R5 QF — Champions League R16 Robin van Persie 37 ♦
2012–13 Prem 38 21 10 7 72 37 73 4th R5 QF — Champions League R16 Theo Walcott 21
2013–14 Prem 38 24 7 7 68 41 79 4th W R4 — Champions League R16 Olivier Giroud 22
2014–15 Prem 38 22 9 7 71 36 75 3rd W R3 W Champions League R16 Alexis Sánchez 25
2015–16 Prem 38 20 11 7 65 36 71 2nd QF R3 W Champions League R16 Olivier Giroud 24
2016–17 Prem 38 23 6 9 77 44 75 5th W QF — Champions League R16 Alexis Sánchez 30
2017–18 Prem 38 19 6 13 74 51 63 6th R3 RU W Europa League SF Alexandre Lacazette 17
2018–19 Prem 38 21 7 10 73 51 70 5th R4 QF — Europa League RU Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 31 ♦
2019–20 Prem 38 14 14 10 56 48 56 8th W R4 — Europa League R32 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 29
2020–21 Prem 38 18 7 13 55 39 61 8th R4 QF W Europa League SF Alexandre Lacazette 17
2021–22 Prem 38 22 3 13 61 48 69 5th R3 SF — — — Bukayo Saka 12
2022–23 Prem 38 26 6 6 88 43 84 2nd R4 R3 — Europa League R16 Gabriel Martinelli
Martin Ødegaard
Bukayo Saka 		15
2023–24 Prem 38 28 5 5 91 29 89 2nd R3 R4 W Champions League QF Bukayo Saka 20

Footnotes

  1. A club located in the southern counties of England. Initially these were amateur clubs, as professionalism in football was not as readily accepted in the south as in the north. In the 1893–94 season, Arsenal (under its former name Woolwich Arsenal) turned professional and became the first southern club admitted to the northern-oriented Football League. The following year saw the creation of the Southern Football League, which was composed of amateur and professional teams. By the 1920–21 season, the top division of the Southern Football League was absorbed by the Football League, to create its third division.
  2. Contrary to what was stated at the time, clubs from Southern England did not boycott Arsenal following their move to professional football, nor were the club expelled from the London or Kent FA.
  3. Despite their status as champions in 1989, Arsenal were barred from participating in the 1989–90 European Cup as UEFA's ban on English teams from playing in European club competitions was in effect. The embargo which began in 1985 as a consequence of Liverpool's role in the Heysel tragedy, was not lifted until April 1990.
  4. The expansion of the FA Cup, from 15 clubs in its inaugural season to currently more than 700 has meant successive changes in the competition's structure. Teams in the top two divisions were made exempt from the qualifying stages and the first two rounds of the Cup in 1925–26. Because of this rounds were renamed; the fifth and sixth qualifying rounds became first and second round proper. Since 1914–15 there have been a total of 14 rounds, in comparison to five in 1871–72.
  5. Other competitions refer to the London Senior Cup, Kent Senior Cup, London Challenge Cup, London Charity Cup and the Football League Centenary Trophy. London Challenge Cup results are sourced to Kelly's first team line-ups (until the 1929–30 season) and Ollier (1995) thereafter. All other results, including the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup which was not administered by UEFA, are sourced to Kelly.
  6. Includes goals scored in the Football League, Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup and Charity/Community Shield. The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and European competitions organised by UEFA are also included, as are several now-defunct leagues and cup competitions: the United League, London League Premier Division, Southern District Combination, London Senior Cup, London Challenge Cup, Kent Senior Cup, London Charity Cup, Southern Floodlight Challenge Cup and commemorative Football League Centenary Trophy. Goals scored are sourced from Ollier (1995) until the 1993–94 season, and Kelly's first team line-ups before and thereafter.
  7. The club was a founding member of the United League in 1896. The league lasted for three seasons before it disbanded.
  8. Arsenal finished with exactly the same league record as Blackburn Rovers.
  9. Although they had finished outside the automatic promotion places in 1914–15, Arsenal were re-elected to the First Division after it expanded in 1919. According to Bernard Joy, Arsenal secured eighteen votes to Tottenham Hotspur's eight. However it has been alleged that Arsenal's promotion, on historical grounds rather than merit, was thanks to underhand actions by Norris, who was chairman of the club at the time; see History of Arsenal F.C. (1886–1966) for further details. These allegations range from political machinations to outright bribery; no firm proof of any wrongdoing has ever been found.
  10. Arsenal were originally awarded sixth place due to an error calculating goal average, which was not corrected until 1975.
  11. No competitive football was played between 1915 and 1919 due to the First World War. Arsenal competed in the London Combination from 1915–16 to 1918–19.
  12. In September 1939 first-class football was suspended due to the Second World War, with the 1939–40 league table voided and regional competitions contested instead.
  13. The FA Cup resumed in 1945, but league football remained regionally structured until the start of the 1946–47 season.
  14. Arsenal were not invited to take part in the 1950 FA Charity Shield despite winning the FA Cup, as the match was held between the England national football team that competed in the 1950 FIFA World Cup and the FA squad that participated in an exhibition tour of Canada during the same summer.
  15. For the first six seasons of the Football League Cup, Arsenal declined to take part as its board preferred the London-centric Floodlit Cup (which became defunct once the new competition was introduced), and were against the League Cup acting as "an interim step towards league re-organisation." Arsenal eventually joined in the 1966–67 season for reasons unspecified; by the 1971–72 season it became mandatory for all Football League clubs to participate.
  16. Arsenal did not participate in the 1971 FA Charity Shield due to a previously arranged pre-season tour that clashed with the event. Leicester City were invited to take part, and beat Cup runners-up Liverpool.
  17. This season saw the introduction of three points for a win instead of two.
  18. Arsenal were deducted two points for their part in a brawl with Manchester United on 20 October 1990.
  19. Ian Wright scored 29 goals in the First Division, five of which for Crystal Palace before his move to Arsenal in September 1991.
  20. Arsenal originally entered the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League, but only came third in the group stage and were knocked out; however, they were granted a consolatory place in the UEFA Cup under the rules of the tournament at the time.
  21. Thierry Henry was the division's top goalscorer with 30 goals, winning the European Golden Shoe in the process.
  22. Joint holder of the European Golden Shoe with Diego Forlán, both of whom scored 25 goals.

References

General

Specific

  1. Soar & Tyler (2011), p. 24.
  2. Tomlinson, Alan (2010). A Dictionary of Sports Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-19-921381-8.
  3. Freeman, Nicholas (2011). 1895: Drama, Disaster and Disgrace in Late Victorian Britain. Edinburgh University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-7486-4056-0.
  4. Joy (1952), p. 9.
  5. Joy (1952), p. 32.
  6. ^ Joy (1952), p. 28.
  7. Ross, James; Heneghan, Michael; Orford, Stuart; Culliton, Eoin (23 June 2016). "English Clubs Divisional Movements 1888-2016". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  8. "Match Pack: Arsenal v Villa". Aston Villa F.C. 26 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  9. "Arsenal – Complete cup finals". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  10. Sanghera, Mandeep (16 September 2015). "Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  11. "S outhampton v Arsenal: Head-to-head stats". BBC Sport. 21 October 2022. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
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