2008–09 Arsenal F.C. season

The 2008–09 season was Arsenal Football Club's 17th consecutive season in the Premier League and their 83rd consecutive season in the top flight of English football.^[1][2] This season Arsenal participated in the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and the UEFA Champions League. This was the first time since 1986 that Arsenal went four consecutive seasons without winning a trophy.

Arsenal

2008–09 season
Chairman	Peter Hill-Wood
Manager	Arsène Wenger
Stadium	Emirates Stadium
Premier League	4th
FA Cup	Semi-finals
League Cup	Quarter-finals
UEFA Champions League	Semi-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Robin van Persie (11) All: Robin van Persie (20)
Highest home attendance	60,109 (vs. West Ham United, 31 January 2009, Premier League)
Lowest home attendance	55,641 (vs. Hull City, 17 March 2009, FA Cup)
Home colours Away colours
← 2007–08 2009–10 →

Events

• 5 May: Midfielder Mathieu Flamini agrees to a four-year contract with Italian club Milan, meaning he will leave Arsenal on a free transfer on 1 July.^[3]
• 23 May: Physiotherapist Neal Reynolds agrees to join Arsenal from Norwich City.^[4]
• 28 May: Arsenal are granted a work permit for striker Carlos Vela, who spent the 2007–08 season on loan to Osasuna.^[5]
• 3 June: Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann joins VfB Stuttgart on a free transfer.^[6]
• 4 June: Defender Bacary Sagna signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.^[7]
• 9 June: Central defender/defensive midfielder Alex Song agrees to a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.^[8]
• 9 June: Physiotherapist Gary Lewin agrees to leave Arsenal to become full-time Head of Physiotherapy for England on 1 August.^[9]
• 13 June: Midfielder Aaron Ramsey signs for Arsenal from Cardiff City.^[10]
• 20 June: Defender Gaël Clichy signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.^[11]
• 11 July: Attacking midfielder Samir Nasri signs for Arsenal from Marseille.^[12]
• 16 July: Attacking midfielder Alexander Hleb signs for Barcelona from Arsenal.^[13]
• 17 July: Defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva signs for Panathinaikos from Arsenal.^[14]
• 30 July: Arsenal sign midfielder Amaury Bischoff from Werder Bremen.^[15]
• 9 August: Arsenal retains their Amsterdam Tournament Title after drawing 1–1 with Sevilla.^[16]
• 13 August: Arsenal start their European campaign by defeating Twente in the first leg of their 2008–09 UEFA Champions League Third round qualifying round.^[17]
• 16 August: Defender Justin Hoyte signs for Middlesbrough from Arsenal.^[18]
• 18 August: Striker Emmanuel Adebayor signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.^[19]
• 20 August: Arsenal sign Defender Mikaël Silvestre from Manchester United.^[20] Silvestre becomes the first Manchester United player to join Arsenal since Brian Kidd in 1974 .^[21]
• 23 August: Arsenal suffer their first defeat of the season against Fulham by losing 1–0 from a Brede Hangeland goal.^[22]
• 27 August: Arsenal qualify for the group stages of the Champions League by defeating Twente 4–0 at the Emirates Stadium and 6–0 on aggregate.^[23]
• 1 September: Defender Kieran Gibbs signs a new contract with Arsenal.^[24]
• 22 September: Swiss defender Johan Djourou signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.^[25]
• 27 September: Arsenal's second defeat at the Emirates Stadium was a 2–1 loss to Hull City who came back from an Arsenal lead early in the second half.^[26]
• 21 November: Sky Sports News and the BBC report that William Gallas has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy following a verbal outburst against other players, however Arsenal FC refuse to comment.^[27][28]
• 24 November: Arsène Wenger announces that Cesc Fàbregas is the new permanent Arsenal captain, thus confirming reports that William Gallas has been stripped of the captaincy.^[29]
• 23 December: Arsenal captain Cesc Fàbregas is ruled out for 4 months with a ligament injury after colliding with fellow Spaniard Xabi Alonso in a 1–1 draw with Liverpool.^[30]
• 5 January: Midfielder Jack Wilshere signs a professional contract with Arsenal.^[31]
• 3 February: After protracted transfer negotiations, Arsenal announce the signing of Russian international Andrey Arshavin for an undisclosed fee.^[32]
• 8 February: 350 days after suffering a broken leg and open dislocation to his ankle, striker Eduardo is named on the substitutes bench in Arsenal's 0–0 draw against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.^[33]
• 16 February: Striker Eduardo makes his first start in nearly a year in Arsenal's fourth round replay against Cardiff. He scores twice before being substituted in the 67th minute in a 4–0 win.^[34]
• 11 March: Arsenal progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating Roma 7–6 on penalties after the tie was level at 1–1 after two legs.^[35]
• 14 March: Andrey Arshavin scores his first goal for Arsenal in the club's 4–0 Premier League victory over Blackburn Rovers.^[36]
• 18 April: Amid various injuries in defence, Arsenal are knocked out of the FA Cup in a 2–1 defeat to Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in the semi-finals.^[37]
• 21 April: 4 goals from man of the match Andrey Arshavin dents Liverpool's Premier League title hopes. The match at Anfield ends in a 4–4 draw.^[38]
• 5 May: Arsenal are knocked out of the UEFA Champions League, losing 4–1 on aggregate to defending champions, Manchester United.^[39]
• 8 May: Striker Theo Walcott signs a new "long-term" contract with Arsenal.^[40]
• 8 May: Striker Nicklas Bendtner is fined for "unacceptable" behaviour following nightclub disrepute after the Manchester United game. Bendtner apologised for his actions shortly afterward.^[41]

Players

Squad information

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	EU	Since	App	Goals	Ends	Transfer fee	Notes
1	GK		Manuel Almunia	32	EU	2004	125	0	undisclosed[42]	£0.5m
3	DF		Bacary Sagna	26	EU	2007	89	1	2014[43]	£7.5m
5	DF		Kolo Touré (VC)	28	Non-EU	2002 (Winter)	326	14	undisclosed[44]	£0.15m
10	DF		William Gallas	31	EU	2006	109	13	undisclosed[45]	Part exchange with A. Cole+£5m[46]
22	DF		Gaël Clichy	23	EU	2003	187	1	2012[47]	£0.25m
15	MF		Denílson	21	Non-EU	2006	93	5	undisclosed[48]	£3.4m
4	MF		Cesc Fàbregas (captain)	22	EU	2003	231	29	2014[49]	Free
17	DF		Alex Song	21	EU	2005	78	3	undisclosed[50]	£1.0m
8	MF		Samir Nasri	21	EU	2008	44	7	undisclosed[51]	£12m[52]
25	FW		Emmanuel Adebayor	25	Non-EU	2006 (Winter)	142	62	undisclosed[53]	£3m
11	FW		Robin van Persie	25	EU	2004	177	63	2011[54]	£2.75m
26	FW		Nicklas Bendtner	21	EU	2004	93	23	2012[55]	Youth system
27	MF		Emmanuel Eboué	25	Non-EU	2005 (Winter)	147	6	undisclosed[56]	£1.54m
2	MF		Abou Diaby	23	EU	2006 (Winter)	98	10	undisclosed[57]	£2m
14	FW		Theo Walcott	20	EU	2006 (Winter)	106	14	undisclosed[58]	£9.1m
20	DF		Johan Djourou	22	Non-EU	2003	77	0	undisclosed[59]	Youth system
12	FW		Carlos Vela	20	Non-EU	2005	29	6	2010	£0.5m[60]
18	DF		Mikaël Silvestre	31	EU	2008	23	2	2010[61]	£0.75m[61]
16	MF		Aaron Ramsey	18	EU	2008	22	1	undisclosed	£4.8m[62]
40	DF		Kieran Gibbs	19	EU	2007	23	0	undisclosed[63]	Youth system
21	GK		Łukasz Fabiański	24	EU	2007	26	0	undisclosed[64]	£2.0m
23	MF		Andrey Arshavin	27	Non-EU	2009 (Winter)	15	6	2012[65]	£15.0m
19	MF		Jack Wilshere	17	EU	2008	8	1	undisclosed[31]	Youth system
9	FW		Eduardo	26	Non-EU	2007	35	15	2011[66]	£7.5m
28	MF		Amaury Bischoff	22	EU	2008	4	0	undisclosed[67]	Free
24	GK		Vito Mannone	21	EU	2005	1	0	undisclosed[68]	£0.35m
7	MF		Tomáš Rosický	28	EU	2006	61	13	undisclosed[69]	£6.8m

• Last updated: 24 May
• Source: Arsenal FC and footballdatabase.com (for EU passport, country as international player, contract ending and transfer fee)
• Ordered by Starting 11, then appearances in this season.

Transfers

In

#	Position	Player	Transferred from	Fee	Date	Team	Source
16	MF	Aaron Ramsey	Cardiff City	£4,800,000	13 June 2008	First-team	[10]
8	MF	Samir Nasri	Marseille	£12,000,000	11 July 2008	First-team	[12]
28	MF	Amaury Bischoff	Werder Bremen	Free transfer	30 July 2008	First-team	[15]
18	DF	Mikaël Silvestre	Manchester United	£750,000	20 August 2008	First-team	[20]
23	MF	Andrey Arshavin	Zenit Saint Petersburg	£15,000,000	3 February 2009	First-team	[32]

Total spending: £32,550,000

Out

#	Position	Player	Transferred to	Fee	Date	Source
1	GK	Jens Lehmann	VfB Stuttgart	Free transfer (Released)	3 June 2008	[6]
16	MF	Mathieu Flamini	Milan	Free transfer (Released)	1 July 2008	[3]
13	MF	Alexander Hleb	Barcelona	£11,900,000	16 July 2008	[13]
19	MF	Gilberto Silva	Panathinaikos	£1,000,000	17 July 2008	[14]
31	DF	Justin Hoyte	Middlesbrough	£3,000,000	16 August 2008	[18]

Total income: £15,900,000

Loan out

Squad #	Position	Player	Loaned to	Date	Loan expires	Source
	DF	Kerrea Gilbert	Leicester City	11 July 2008	End of the season	[70]
6	DF	Philippe Senderos	Milan	26 July 2008	End of the season	[71]
	MF	Nacer Barazite	Derby County	19 August 2008	End of the season (extended on 31 December 2008)	[72][73]
30	DF	Armand Traoré	Portsmouth	21 August 2008	End of the season	[74]
50	FW	Jay Simpson	West Bromwich Albion	31 December 2008	End of the season	[75]

Overall transfer activity

Spending

£32,550,000

Income

£15,900,000

Net expenditure

£16,650,000

Squad stats

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		Champions League
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	ESP	Manuel Almunia	44	0	32	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
2	MF	FRA	Abou Diaby	36	4	16+8	3	4+1	0	0	0	5+2	1
3	DF	FRA	Bacary Sagna	49	0	34+1	0	5	0	0	0	9	0
4	MF	ESP	Cesc Fàbregas	33	3	22	3	1	0	0	0	10	0
5	DF	CIV	Kolo Touré	41	1	26+3	1	3	0	0	0	9	0
7	MF	CZE	Tomáš Rosický	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	MF	FRA	Samir Nasri	44	7	28+1	6	3+2	0	0	0	10	1
9	FW	CRO	Eduardo	4	3	0	0	2	3	0	0	0+2	0
10	DF	FRA	William Gallas	36	6	23	2	4	1	0	0	9	3
11	FW	NED	Robin van Persie	44	20	24+4	11	4+2	4	0	0	10	5
12	FW	MEX	Carlos Vela	29	6	2+12	1	3+1	1	3	4	2+6	0
14	FW	ENG	Theo Walcott	35	6	16+6	2	2+1	1	0	0	9+1	3
15	MF	BRA	Denílson	51	3	36+1	3	2	0	0	0	11+1	0
16	MF	WAL	Aaron Ramsey	22	1	1+8	0	2+2	0	3	0	4+2	1
17	DM	CMR	Alex Song	48	2	23+8	1	4	0	2	0	8+3	1
18	DF	FRA	Mikaël Silvestre	23	2	12+2	2	2	0	1	0	6	0
19	MF	ENG	Jack Wilshere	8	1	0+1	0	0+2	0	3	1	0+2	0
20	DF	SUI	Johan Djourou	29	0	13+2	0	4	0	2	0	6+2	0
21	GK	POL	Łukasz Fabiański	18	0	5+1	0	6	0	3	0	2+1	0
22	DF	FRA	Gaël Clichy	41	1	30+1	1	0	0	0	0	10	0
23	MF	RUS	Andrey Arshavin	15	6	12	6	2+1	0	0	0	0	0
24	GK	ITA	Vito Mannone	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	FW	TOG	Emmanuel Adebayor	37	16	21+5	10	1+1	0	0	0	8+1	6
26	FW	DEN	Nicklas Bendtner	50	15	17+14	9	3+2	2	2	2	5+7	2
27	DF	CIV	Emmanuel Eboué	44	4	17+11	3	4+1	1	0	0	6+5	0
28	MF	POR	Amaury Bischoff	4	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	0+2	0	0	0
35	MF	FRA	Francis Coquelin [R]	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
39	FW	POR	Rui Fonte [R]	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
40	DF	ENG	Kieran Gibbs	21	0	6+2	0	5+1	0	3	0	3+1	0
41	DF	ENG	Gavin Hoyte [R]	4	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
42	MF	ENG	Henri Lansbury [R]	3	0	0	0	0	0	0+3	0	0	0
43	MF	ESP	Fran Mérida [R]	5	0	0+2	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
47	MF	ENG	Mark Randall [R]	6	0	0+1	0	0	0	3	0	0+2	0
49	DF	ENG	Paul Rodgers [R]	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
50	FW	ENG	Jay Simpson [R] [L]	3	2	0	0	0	0	1+2	2	0	0

Source: Arsenal F.C.

Disciplinary record

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name				Notes
11	FW		v. Persie	9	0	1
25	FW		Adebayor	5	1	0
27	MF		Eboué	3	1	0
22	DF		Clichy	9	0	0
17	DF		Song	8	0	0
8	MF		Nasri	8	0	0
4	MF		Fàbregas	8	0	0
2	MF		Diaby	7	0	0
10	DF		Gallas	5	0	0
3	DF		Sagna	5	0	0
15	MF		Denílson	5	0	0
26	FW		Bendtner	4	0	0
5	DF		Touré	4	0	0
40	DF		Gibbs	2	0	0
20	DF		Djourou	2	0	0
16	MF		Ramsey	2	0	0
23	MF		Arshavin	2	0	0
47	MF		Randall	1	0	0
43	MF		Mérida	1	0	0
12	FW		Vela	1	0	0
18	DF		Silvestre	1	0	0

Last updated: 24 May
Source: Match reports in Competitive matches
Only competitive matches
= Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.

Start formations

Qnt	Formation	Match(es)
51	4–4–2	1–13, 15–29, 31–49, 52–53, 57–58, 61
8	4–2–3–1	14, 50–51, 54–56, 59–60
1	4–4–1–1	30[76]

Last updated: 24 May
Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Only competitive matches.

Club

Coaching staff

This was Arsène Wenger's 13th seasons with Arsenal.

Position	Staff
Manager	Arsène Wenger
Assistant manager	Pat Rice
First team coach	Boro Primorac
Goalkeeping coach	Gerry Peyton
Physiotherapist	Colin Lewin
Fitness coach	Tony Colbert
Chief scout	Steve Rowley
Kit manager	Vic Akers

Source: Arsenal FC

Kit

Supplier: Nike / Sponsor: Fly Emirates

Home

Home alt.

Away

Goalkeeper 1

Goalkeeper alt.

Goalkeeper 2

Goalkeeper 3

Goalkeeper alt.

Goalkeeper alt. 2

Kit information

The completely new set of Arsenal kit was launched.

• Home: The home kit was rather controversial, as Nike ditched the white sleeves that the club was well known for. The shirt has a white wide stripe on each sleeve, flanked by two dark red, narrower stripes. It has a red V-neck collar which is the same colour as the primary shirt colour. The shirt is complemented by white shorts with a dark-red trim, and white socks with a red horizontal stripe. Red socks with white horizontal stripe were used in some away games avoid clash. Arsenal revealed that the kit would be used for two seasons.
• Away: The away kit harps back to the glory days of the late 1980s which gave the strip a modern touch, where the shirts are yellow with navy sleeves and a red trim. The shorts are navy with red trim and the socks are yellow and blue. It featured red trimmings on the side of the strip.
• Keeper: The three goalkeeper kits, which were all based on Nike's new template, which in turn featured one conspicuous swirl on the kit. The main kit was grey, but the second kit was green/navy and the third kit black was available, should they be required.

Other information

The Emirates Stadium is the second largest stadium in the Premier League.

Chairman	Peter Hill-Wood
Ground (capacity and dimensions)	Emirates Stadium (60,432 / 105x68 meters)

Updated to match played 15 June
Source: Arsenal FC and www.footballgroundguide.com

Competitions

Overall

Competition	Started round	Final position / round	First match	Last match
Premier League	—	4	16 August	24 May
Champions League	Third qualifying round	Semi-finals	13 August	5 May
Football League Cup	3rd round	Quarter finals	23 September	2 December
FA Cup	3rd round	Semi-finals	3 January	18 April

Updated to match played 24 May
Source: Competitions

Premier League

Main article: 2008–09 Premier League

Final league table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
2	Liverpool	38	25	11	2	77	27	+50	86	Qualification for the Champions League group stage[a]
3	Chelsea	38	25	8	5	68	24	+44	83
4	Arsenal	38	20	12	6	68	37	+31	72	Qualification for the Champions League play-off round
5	Everton	38	17	12	9	55	37	+18	63	Qualification for the Europa League play-off round[a]
6	Aston Villa	38	17	11	10	54	48	+6	62

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

1. Since both finalists of the FA Cup (Chelsea and Everton) and the League Cup winners (Manchester United) qualified for the European competitions based on their league position, the sixth-placed team (Aston Villa) received a berth in the Europa League play-off round and the seventh-placed team (Fulham) received a berth in the Europa League third qualifying round.

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	12	6	68	37	+31	72	11	5	3	31	16	+15	9	7	3	37	21	+16

Last updated: 24 May.
Source: Premier League

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	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	W	L	W	W	W	L	D	W	W	D	L	W	L	L	W	W	D	D	D	W	W	W	D	D	D	D	D	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	L	D	W
Position	8	14	4	3	1	4	4	4	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Updated to match(es) played on 24 May. Source: Competitive Matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion

16 August 2008 1	Arsenal	1–0	West Bromwich Albion	London
12:45 BST	Nasri 4'	Report		Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,071 Referee: Howard Webb

Fulham v Arsenal

23 August 2008 2	Fulham	1–0	Arsenal	London
17:30 BST	Hangeland 21' Murphy  72' Teymourian  88'	Report		Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 25,276 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Arsenal v Newcastle United

30 August 2008 3	Arsenal	3–0	Newcastle United	London
17:30 BST	Van Persie 18' (pen.), 41' Fàbregas  52' Denílson 59' Nasri  90+2'	Report	28' Coloccini  52' Given	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,067 Referee: Rob Styles

Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal

13 September 2008 4	Blackburn Rovers	0–4	Arsenal	Blackburn
15:00 BST	Warnock  80'	Report	8' Van Persie 45+1', 81' (pen.), 90+2' Adebayor  60' Denílson	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,041 Referee: Mike Dean

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal

20 September 2008 5	Bolton Wanderers	1–3	Arsenal	Bolton
17:30 BST	K. Davies 14',  45+2' Muamba  62'	Report	26' Eboué 27' Bendtner  76' Song 87' Denílson  89' Fàbregas	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 22,694 Referee: Steve Bennett

Arsenal v Hull City

27 September 2008 6	Arsenal	1–2	Hull City	London
17:30 BST	McShane 51' (o.g.) Sagna  76' Gallas  90+4'	Report	45' Ashbee 62' Geovanni 66' Cousin	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,037 Referee: Alan Wiley

Sunderland v Arsenal

4 October 2008 7	Sunderland	1–1	Arsenal	Sunderland
15:00 BST	Whitehead  41' Richardson  65' Yorke  73' Leadbitter 86'	Report	39' Clichy  61' Touré  78' Song  90' Bendtner 90+3' Fàbregas	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 40,199 Referee: Lee Mason

Arsenal v Everton

18 October 2008 8	Arsenal	3–1	Everton	London
15:00 BST	Adebayor  34' Nasri 48' Clichy  59' Van Persie 70' Walcott 90'	Report	9',  87' Osman  30' Lescott  60' Hibbert  65' Pienaar	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,064 Referee: Peter Walton

West Ham United v Arsenal

26 October 2008 9	West Ham United	0–2	Arsenal	London
16:00 BST	Parker  43' Faubert  88' Cole  90+3'	Report	27' Fàbregas  51' Clichy  59' Song 75' (o.g.) Faubert 90+1' Adebayor	Stadium: Upton Park Attendance: 34,802 Referee: Phil Dowd

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotpsur

29 October 2008 10	Arsenal	4–4	Tottenham Hotpsur	London
20:00 BST	Silvestre 37' Gallas 46' Adebayor 64' Van Persie 68' Diaby  89'	Report	13',  57' Bentley  54' Assou-Ekotto  59' Huddlestone 67' Bent  85', 89' Jenas 90+4' Lennon	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,043 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Stoke City v Arsenal

1 November 2008 11	Stoke City	2–1	Arsenal	Stoke-on-Trent
15:00 GMT	Fuller 11' Higginbotham  63' Sidibe  68' Olofinjana 73' Cresswell  90+7'	Report	40' Adebayor  76' Van Persie 90+4' Clichy  90+7' Fàbregas	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 26,704 Referee: Rob Styles

Arsenal v Manchester United

8 November 2008 12	Arsenal	2–1	Manchester United	London
12:45 GMT	Nasri 22', 48' Gallas  27' Sagna  40' Clichy  51'	Report	38' Evra  66' Carrick 90' Rafael	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,106 Referee: Howard Webb

Arsenal v Aston Villa

15 November 2008 13	Arsenal	0–2	Aston Villa	London
15:00 GMT	Denílson  10' Fàbregas  19'	Report	44' Friedel  55' Barry 70' (o.g.) Clichy 80',  81' Agbonlahor  90' Sidwell	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,047 Referee: Mike Riley

Manchester City v Arsenal

22 November 2008 14	Manchester City	3–0	Arsenal	Manchester
15:00 GMT	Ireland 45' Robinho 56' Sturridge 90' (pen.)	Report	87' Song	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 44,878 Referee: Alan Wiley

Chelsea v Arsenal

30 November 2008 15	Chelsea	1–2	Arsenal	London
16:00 GMT	Djourou 31' (o.g.) Terry  61' Ivanović  85'	Report	59', 62' Van Persie	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,760 Referee: Mike Dean

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic

6 December 2008 16	Arsenal	1–0	Wigan Athletic	London
15:00 GMT	Adebayor 16' Van Persie  83'	Report	26' Palacios  63' Figueroa	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,317 Referee: Steve Bennett

Middlesbrough v Arsenal

13 December 2008 17	Middlesbrough	1–1	Arsenal	Middlesbrough
12:45 GMT	Aliadière 29'	Report	17' Adebayor  47' Diaby	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 27,320 Referee: Peter Walton

Arsenal v Liverpool

21 December 2008 18	Arsenal	1–1	Liverpool	London
16:00 GMT	Van Persie 24',  66' Adebayor  38'  62' Sagna  70'	Report	20', 42' Keane  72' Carragher  81' Lucas	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,094 Referee: Howard Webb

Aston Villa v Arsenal

26 December 2008 19	Aston Villa	2–2	Arsenal	Birmingham
17:15 GMT	Barry 65' (pen.) Agbonlahor  72' Reo-Coker  77' Petrov  82' Knight 90+2'	Report	24' Song  36' Touré 40' Denílson 49',  51' Diaby  77' Van Persie	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,585 Referee: Lee Mason

Arsenal v Portsmouth

28 December 2008 20	Arsenal	1–0	Portsmouth	London
14:00 GMT	Gallas 81'	Report	42' Hughes	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,092 Referee: Alan Wiley

Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers

10 January 2009 21	Arsenal	1–0	Bolton Wanderers	London
15:00 GMT	Djourou  80' Bendtner 84' Ramsey  89'	Report	54' Mustapha  74' McCann	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,068 Referee: Chris Foy

Hull City v Arsenal

17 January 2009 22	Hull City	1–3	Arsenal	KC Stadium
17:30 GMT	Cousin 65' Ashbee  81'	Report	30' Adebayor  71' Clichy 82' Nasri 86' Bendtner	Stadium: Kingston-upon-Hull Attendance: 24,924 Referee: Alan Wiley

Everton v Arsenal

28 January 2009 23	Everton	1–1	Arsenal	Liverpool
20:00 GMT	Cahill 61' Arteta  70' Hibbert  77'	Report	27' Diaby  36' Nasri 90+2' Van Persie	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 37,097 Referee: Andre Marriner

Arsenal v West Ham United

31 January 2009 24	Arsenal	0–0	West Ham United	London
15:00 GMT	Diaby  22' Vela  75'	Report	56' Collins  85' Neill	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,109 Referee: Steve Bennett

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

8 February 2009 25	Tottenham Hotspur	0–0	Arsenal	London
13:30 GMT	Modrić  36'	Report	17' Eboué  43' Clichy	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 36,021 Referee: Mike Dean

Arsenal v Sunderland

21 February 2009 26	Arsenal	0–0	Sunderland	London
15:00 GMT	Nasri  39' Clichy  71'	Report	38' Richardson  79' McCartney	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,104 Referee: Alan Wiley

Arsenal v Fulham

28 February 2009 27	Arsenal	0–0	Fulham	London
15:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,102 Referee: Peter Walton

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal

3 March 2009 28	West Bromwich Albion	1–3	Arsenal	West Bromwich
17:30 GMT	Brunt 7' Koren  35' Brunt  43' Méïté  66' Donk  81'	Report	4', 44' Bendtner 38' Touré	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 26,244 Referee: Steve Tanner

Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers

14 March 2009 29	Arsenal	4–0	Blackburn Rovers	London
15:00 GMT	Ooijer 2' (o.g.) Arshavin 65' Eboué 87', 90+1' (pen.)	Report	21' Diouf  35' Mokoena  38' Khizanishvili  76' Ooijer	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,091 Referee: Phil Dowd

Newcastle United v Arsenal

21 March 2009 30	Newcastle United	1–3	Arsenal	Newcastle upon Tyne
17:30 GMT	Martins 58'	Report	52' Gallas 57' Bendtner 64' Diaby 67' Nasri	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 49,972 Referee: Mark Halsey

Arsenal v Manchester City

4 April 2009 31	Arsenal	2–0	Manchester City	London
15:00 BST	Adebayor 8', 49' Touré  36'	Report	21' Dunne  45' Zabaleta  45+1' De Jong	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,097 Referee: Howard Webb

Wigan Athletic v Arsenal

11 April 2009 32	Wigan Athletic	1–4	Arsenal	Wigan, Greater Manchester
15:00 BST	Mido 18' Brown  71' Boyce  86' Bramble  87'	Report	45+4' Gibbs 62' Walcott 71' Silvestre  83' Van Persie  88', 90+2' Song 90' Arshavin	Stadium: JJB Stadium Attendance: 22,954 Referee: Alan Wiley

Liverpool v Arsenal

21 April 2009 33	Liverpool	4–4	Arsenal	Liverpool
20:00 BST	Torres 49', 72' Benayoun 56', 90+3'	Report	36', 67', 70', 90' Arshavin  61' Sagna	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,424 Referee: Howard Webb

Arsenal v Middlesbrough

26 April 2009 34	Arsenal	2–0	Middlesbrough	London
13:30 BST	Fàbregas 26', 67'	Report		Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,089 Referee: Chris Foy

Portsmouth v Arsenal

2 May 2009 35	Portsmouth	0–3	Arsenal	Portsmouth
15:00 BST	Campbell  43' Kanu  65' Pamarot  79' Davis  81'	Report	13', 41' (pen.) Bendtner  21' Arshavin 56' Vela	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,418 Referee: Lee Mason

Arsenal v Chelsea

10 May 2009 36	Arsenal	1–4	Chelsea	London
16:00 BST	Fàbregas  27' Bendtner 70'	Report	28' Alex 39' Anelka 49' (o.g.) Touré 86' Malouda	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,075 Referee: Phil Dowd

Manchester United v Arsenal

16 May 2009 37	Manchester United	0–0	Arsenal	Manchester
12:45 BST		Report	33' Van Persie  45+2' Arshavin  46' Fàbregas  79' Song	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,468 Referee: Mike Dean

Arsenal v Stoke City

24 May 2009 38	Arsenal	4–1	Stoke City	London
16:00 BST	Denílson  4' Beattie 10' (o.g.) Van Persie 16' (pen.), 41' Diaby 18'	Report	31' (pen.) Fuller	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,082 Referee: Martin Atkinson

UEFA Champions League

Main article: 2008–09 UEFA Champions League

Third qualifying round

Main article: 2008–09 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds § Third qualifying round

Twente v Arsenal

13 August 2008 First leg	Twente	0–2	Arsenal	Arnhem, Netherlands
19:45 BST	Janssen  22'	Report	54' Denílson 63' Gallas  67' Van Persie 82' Adebayor	Stadium: Gelredome Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)

Arsenal v Twente

27 August 2008 Second leg	Arsenal	4–0 (6 – 0 agg.)	Twente	London, England
20:05 BST	Nasri 27' Gallas 52' Walcott 66' Clichy  77' Bendtner 89'	Report	25' Wielaert  33' Braafheid  40' Tioté	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,583 Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)

Group stage

Main article: 2008–09 UEFA Champions League group stage § Group G

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Porto	6	4	0	2	9	8	+1	12	Advance to knockout phase
2	Arsenal	6	3	2	1	11	5	+6	11
3	Dynamo Kyiv	6	2	2	2	4	4	0	8	Transfer to UEFA Cup
4	Fenerbahçe	6	0	2	4	4	11	−7	2

Source: RSSSF

Dynamo Kyiv v Arsenal

17 September 2008 1	Dynamo Kyiv	1–1	Arsenal	Kyiv, Ukraine
20:45 CET	Nesmachniy  57' Bangoura 64' (pen.)  71' Vukojević  82' Diakhaté  90'	Report	64' Sagna 88' Gallas	Stadium: Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium Attendance: 16,800 Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain)

Arsenal v Porto

30 September 2008 2	Arsenal	4–0	Porto	London, England
19:45 BST	Van Persie 31', 48' Adebayor 40', 71' (pen.) Clichy  75'	Report	83' Costa	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,623 Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Fenerbahçe v Arsenal

21 October 2008 3	Fenerbahçe	2–5	Arsenal	Istanbul, Turkey
20:45 CET	Silvestre 19' (o.g.) Şahin  29' Lugano  48' Güiza 78' Şentürk  88'	Report	10' Adebayor 11' Walcott  18', 49' Song 22'  22' Diaby 90+4' Ramsey	Stadium: Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Attendance: 42,619 Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden)

Arsenal v Fenerbahçe

5 November 2008 4	Arsenal	0–0	Fenerbahçe	London, England
19:45 GMT	Djourou  22' Van Persie  75'	Report	19' Şahin  47' Lugano  72' Vederson	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,003 Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

Arsenal v Dynamo Kyiv

25 November 2008 5	Arsenal	1–0	Dynamo Kyiv	London, England
19:45 GMT	Van Persie  34' Bendtner 87',  87'	Report	17' Milevskyi  32' Asatiani  50'  89' Aliyev	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,374 Referee: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)

Porto v Arsenal

10 December 2008 6	Porto	2–0	Arsenal	Porto, Portugal
20:45 CET	Alves 39' L. González  51' López 54'	Report	52' Eboué	Stadium: Estádio do Dragão Attendance: 37,602 Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)

Knockout phase

Main article: 2008–09 UEFA Champions League knockout stage

Round of 16

Arsenal v Roma

24 February 2009 First leg	Arsenal	1–0	Roma	London, England
19:45 GMT	Van Persie 37' (pen.) Touré  46' Nasri  65'	Report	13' Mexès  25' Brighi  42' De Rossi	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,003 Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)

Roma v Arsenal

11 March 2009 Second leg	Roma	1–0 (a.e.t.) (1 – 1 agg.) (6 – 7 p)	Arsenal	Rome, Italy
20:45 CET	Juan 9' Pizarro  28' Motta  88'	Report	49' Diaby	Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Attendance: 62,383 Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)
	Penalties
	Pizarro Vučinić Baptista Montella Totti Aquilani Riise Tonetto		Eduardo Van Persie Walcott Nasri Denílson Touré Sagna Diaby

Quarter-finals

Villarreal v Arsenal

7 April 2009 First leg	Villarreal	1–1	Arsenal	Villarreal, Spain
20:45 CET	Senna 10'	Report	39' Song  45' Fàbregas 66',  44'Adebayor  88' Nasri	Stadium: Estadio El Madrigal Attendance: 21,577 Referee: Tom Henning Øvrebø (Norway)

Arsenal v Villarreal

15 April 2009 Second leg	Arsenal	3–0 (4 – 1 agg.)	Villarreal	London, England
19:45 BST	Walcott 10' Silvestre  30' Adebayor 60' Van Persie 69' (pen.)	Report	51' Cani  44'  67' Eguren	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,233 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

Semi-finals

Manchester United v Arsenal

29 April 2009 First leg	Manchester United	1–0	Arsenal	Manchester, England
19:45 BST	O'Shea 18' Tevez  32'	Report		Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 74,733 Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)

Arsenal v Manchester United

5 May 2009 Second leg	Arsenal	1–3 (1 – 4 agg.)	Manchester United	London, England
19:45 BST	Nasri  69' Van Persie 76' (pen.) Adebayor  81' Eboué  86'	Report	8' Park 11', 61' Ronaldo  74' Fletcher	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,867 Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

FA Cup

Main article: 2008–09 FA Cup

Arsenal v Plymouth Argyle

3 January 2009 R3	Arsenal	3–1	Plymouth Argyle	London
15:00 GMT	Van Persie 47', 84' Bendtner 49'  22'	Report	45', 53' Duguid	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,424 Referee: Mike Jones

Cardiff City v Arsenal

25 January 2009 R4	Cardiff City	0–0	Arsenal	Cardiff
13:30 GMT		Report	42' Eboué  90' Van Persie	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 20,079 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Arsenal v Cardiff City

16 February 2009 R4 Replay	Arsenal	4–0	Cardiff City	London
19:45 GMT	Eduardo 20', 60' (pen.) Bendtner 34' Gallas  50' Van Persie 89'	Report		Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 57,237 Referee: Mark Halsey

Arsenal v Burnley

8 March 2009 R5	Arsenal	3–0	Burnley	London
13:30 GMT	Vela 24' Eduardo 51' Eboué 84'	Report	49' K. McDonald	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 57,454 Referee: Chris Foy

Arsenal v Hull City

17 March 2009 R6	Arsenal	2–1	Hull City	London
19:45 GMT	Van Persie 74' Gallas  22', 84' Nasri  90+5'	Report	12' Barmby  46' Halmosi  62' Myhill  66' Dawson  78' France  79' Manucho	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 55,641 Referee: Mike Riley

Arsenal v Chelsea

18 April 2009 Semi-finals	Arsenal	1–2	Chelsea	London
17:15 BST	Walcott 18' Denílson  72' Touré  87'	Report	34' Malouda  38' Ivanović  43' Ballack 84',  85' Drogba	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 88,103 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Football League Cup

Main article: 2008–09 Football League Cup

Arsenal v Sheffield United

23 September 2008 Third round	Arsenal	6–0	Sheffield United	London
19:45 BST	Bendtner 31', 42' Vela 44', 49', 86' Wilshere 57'	Report	62' Halford	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 56,632 Referee: Phil Dowd

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic

11 November 2008 Fourth round	Arsenal	3–0	Wigan Athletic	London
19:45 GMT	Simpson 43', 68' Ramsey  69' Vela 71'	Report		Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,665 Referee: Steve Tanner

Burnley v Arsenal

2 December 2008 Quarter-finals	Burnley	2–0	Arsenal	Burnley
19:45 GMT	McDonald 6', 57'	Report	46' Randall  90' Mérida	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 19,045 Referee: Andre Marriner

Pre-season

Barnet v Arsenal

19 July 2008 Friendly	Barnet	1–2	Arsenal	London
15:00 BST	Gillet 16'	Report	Simpson 64' Barazite 73'	Stadium: Underhill Stadium Attendance: 5,358

Szombathelyi Haladás v Arsenal

22 July 2008 Friendly	Szombathelyi Haladás	1–1	Arsenal	Szombathely, Hungary
18:30 CEST	Kenesei 24'	Report	Walcott 42'	Stadium: Rohonci Street Stadium Attendance: 13,000

Burgenland XI v Arsenal

28 July 2008 Friendly	Burgenland XI	2–10	Arsenal	Burgenland, Austria
18:30 CEST	Foric 73' Martna 90'	Report	Wilshere 1', 65' (pen.) Bendtner 14', 19', 30', 37' Vela 25', 33', 52' Walcott 69'	Stadium: Ritzing Attendance: 3,200

VfB Stuttgart v Arsenal

30 July 2008 Friendly	VfB Stuttgart	1–3	Arsenal	Stuttgart, Germany
20:15 CEST	Baştürk 51'	Report	Vela 58' Bendtner 65' Wilshere 73' Djourou	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Arena

Arsenal v Juventus

2 August 2008 Emirates Cup	Arsenal	0–1	Juventus	London
16:15 BST	Djourou	Report	Trezeguet 38' Chiellini	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Referee: Peter Walton

Arsenal v Real Madrid

3 August 2008 Emirates Cup	Arsenal	1–0	Real Madrid	London
16:15 BST	Adebayor 49' (pen.) Eboué	Report	Guti	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,081 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Huddersfield Town v Arsenal

6 August 2008 Friendly	Huddersfield Town	1–2	Arsenal	Huddersfield
19:00 BST	Berrett 75'	Report	Watt 79' Barazite 87'	Stadium: Galpharm Stadium Attendance: 19,044

Ajax v Arsenal

8 August 2008 Amsterdam Tournament	Ajax	2–3	Arsenal	Amsterdam, Netherlands
21:15 CEST	Suárez 34' Huntelaar 36' Gabri	Report	Adebayor 66', 83' Bendtner 73' Gallas Fàbregas	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Eric Braamhaar

Arsenal v Sevilla

9 August 2008 Amsterdam Tournament	Arsenal	1–1	Sevilla	Amsterdam, Netherlands
19:00 CEST	Vela 4' Senderos Randall	Report	Chevantón 79',	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Referee: Ruud Bossen

Last updated: 9 August
Source: Arsenal FC

See also

• English football portal

• 2008–09 in English football
• List of Arsenal F.C. seasons