2021–22 Arsenal F.C. season

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Arsenal
2021–22 season
OwnerKroenke Sports & Entertainment
ManagerMikel Arteta
StadiumEmirates Stadium
Premier League4th
FA CupThird round
EFL CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague:
Emile Smith Rowe (8)

All:
Emile Smith Rowe (9)
Away colours
Third colours

The 2021–22 season is the 136th in the history of Arsenal Football Club. It began on 1 July 2021 and will conclude on 30 June 2022, with competitive matches played between August and May. This is Arsenal's 30th season in the Premier League, their 102nd consecutive season in the top-flight of English football, and their 105th season in the top-flight overall. In addition to the domestic league, Arsenal are also participating in the FA Cup and EFL Cup, but they are not participating in any European competition for the first time since the 1995–96 season.[1][2]

Overview[]

June and July[]

On 24 June, Greek centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos's loan spell at Bundesliga club Stuttgart was extended for another season.[3]

David Luiz playing for Brazil in 2013

On 1 July, Arsenal released several players, of which the only first-team player was Brazilian centre-back David Luiz, who was at the end of his contract; Luiz later joined Brazilian top-flight side Flamengo in September.[4][5] At the same time, Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos and Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan finished their loan spells[6] and returned to Real Madrid and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively, though the latter would join Real Sociedad on 12 July.[7] On 6 July, French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who spent the entirety of the previous season on loan at Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin, was once again loaned out, this time to Ligue 1 club Marseille for the entire Ligue 1 season.[8] Arsenal's first signing of the summer transfer window came on 10 July, with 21-year-old Portuguese left-back Nuno Tavares arriving from Benfica for about £8 million.[9][10]

Arsenal had four players unavailable for pre-season friendlies, as Bernd Leno, Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney, and Granit Xhaka had competed in the Euros, which ended on 11 July. On 13 July, Arsenal began their pre-season tour of Scotland with a 2–1 defeat to Hibernian and former Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Macey, who played the first half. Martin Boyle scored on 21 minutes for the hosts after goalkeeper , on his senior team debut, failed to deal with a back pass from Cédric, before Daniel MacKay doubled their lead 69 minutes in. Four minutes later, saved Nicolas Pépé's penalty, but Emile Smith Rowe scored a tap-in at the back post in the 82nd minute from Héctor Bellerín's pass for the sole Arsenal goal.[11] This was followed by a game four days later against defending Scottish champions Rangers, who were celebrating their 125th anniversary. The game ended 2–2, with Arsenal twice going behind. Leon Balogun's 17th-minute header was followed by a debut goal for Tavares nine minutes later, and Cedric Itten's 75th-minute header was matched by a late strike from Eddie Nketiah through a crowded box.[12]

Between the two Scottish friendlies, it was announced on 15 July that French centre-back William Saliba, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Nice, would join Guendouzi at Marseille on a season-long loan deal.[13] On 19 July, Arsenal made their second signing, bringing in 21-year-old Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht for about £17.2 million.[14][15]

The day after, Arsenal withdrew from the seventh edition of the Florida Cup, citing "a small number of positive COVID-19 tests" among the staff.[16] They had been set to compete with fellow Premier League club Everton, Serie A club Inter Milan, and Colombian top-flight club Millionarios,[17] but they and fellow withdrawals Inter Milan were replaced by Atlético Nacional, also from the Colombian first division, and Liga MX club Pumas UNAM.[18]

In lieu of the Florida Cup matches, Arsenal organised friendlies at their London Colney training ground against two other London sides, Millwall from the EFL Championship on 24 July and newly promoted Premier League side Watford on 28 July, with both matches finishing 4–1 to Arsenal. Calum Chambers opened the scoring against Millwall, tapping in the rebound after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the crossbar. At halftime, Albert Sambi Lokonga came on for his club debut. Alexandre Lacazette headed home the second goal before Nicolas Pépé finished Aubameyang's low cross from 10 yards out for the third goal. Folarin Balogun finished off a move from Lacazette and Willian for the fourth goal late in the game. With a few minutes remaining, Alex Mitchell tapped in Murray Wallace's header from a corner to end the combined clean sheet of academy graduates Arthur Okonkwo and Karl Jakob Hein.[19] In the match against Watford, Eddie Nketiah gave Arsenal the early lead before Philip Zinckernagel drew even after Mohamed Elneny was caught in possession inside the penalty area. In the second half, Ainsley Maitland-Niles won a penalty that was converted by Alexandre Lacazette, which was shortly followed by Kieran Tierney's half-volley, assisted by Emile Smith Rowe. After Lacazette came close to scoring three times, academy graduate Miguel Azeez curled the ball into the top corner for the fourth goal.[20]

Arsenal concluded the month with the announced signing of 23-year-old English centre-back Ben White on 30 July, who joined from fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on a £50 million deal.[21]

August[]

To finish their pre-season, Arsenal participated in the Mind Series pre-season tournament, which supported Mind and other mental health charities, against London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.[22][23] The Gunners started off the month at home at the Emirates Stadium against Chelsea in the first of two matches, with manager Mikel Arteta opting not to start any of the new signings. The visitors opened the scoring in the 26th minute; on the break, Timo Werner passed across to Kai Havertz, who fired into the roof of the net. Later in the first half, Emile Smith Rowe and Hakim Ziyech both hit the post. At halftime, new signing Ben White was substituted on for his Arsenal debut. Early in the second half, a low free kick from Alexandre Lacazette forced a save from Édouard Mendy, while Ziyech was denied by White's goal-line block. Arsenal finally equalised in the 69th minute, with a Nicolas Pépé corner headed down and in by Granit Xhaka. However, Chelsea capitalised on an Arsenal mistake a few minutes later to retake the lead, as an errant pass from Héctor Bellerín past Xhaka fell to Tammy Abraham, who slotted the ball into the bottom corner. With under ten minutes left, Arsenal nearly equalised again. Pépé centred the ball to Joe Willock, whose first-time shot bounced down off the underside of the crossbar. The ball looked to have crossed the goal line, but without the aid of goal-line technology, referee Andre Marriner did not award the goal, and the match ended 2–1 in Chelsea's favour.[24][25]

Willock in 2018

For their last pre-season game, Arsenal played their second Mind Series match, this time away to Tottenham Hotspur on 8 August, with Ben White joining fellow new signing Albert Sambi Lokonga in the starting lineup. Both Son Heung-min and Alexandre Lacazette twice came close to scoring in the first half, while Dele Alli hit the post twice, once on both sides of halftime. Tottenham broke the deadlock in the 79th minute. On the right flank, Serge Aurier outdueled Nicolas Pépé for possession of the ball before playing a one-two with Giovanni Lo Celso. Aurier's cross into the box found Son, who fired to the near post past Leno for the game's solitary goal.[26] By losing both of the matches, Arsenal finished at the bottom of the tournament, while Chelsea beat Tottenham for the inaugural title on goals scored.[27]

After being loaned to fellow Premier League side Newcastle United at the end of last season's winter transfer window, Joe Willock had scored eight goals in 14 league appearances, and manager Steve Bruce was keen on bringing him back.[28] As a result, on 13 August, Arsenal announced the transfer of the academy graduate from the first team to Newcastle United on a six-year deal worth at least £20 million.[29][30]

That same day, Arsenal opened the new Premier League season and headed to the Brentford Community Stadium in west London to take on newly promoted Brentford F.C., who were making their Premier League debut. The Gunners began the season without Alexandre Lacazette and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who were ruled out a few hours prior to kick-off due to illness, while Ben White and Albert Sambi Lokonga made their competitive debuts for the team.[31] Academy graduate Folarin Balogun was also named to the starting lineup for his Premier League debut.[32] Twelve minutes in, Brentford nearly scored as Bryan Mbeumo hit the outside of the right post. Ten minutes later, an initial Brentford attack was cleared by Calum Chambers only as far as Ethan Pinnock in the Brentford offensive half. Pinnock immediately headed the ball to Sergi Canós, who ran into the box, cut inside on Chambers, and fired a low shot in at Bernd Leno's near post for the opening goal of the season. Mbeumo came close again just before halftime, while Kieran Tierney's shot early on was Arsenal's only shot on target in the first half. In the 73rd minute, a long throw-in from substitute Mads Bech Sørensen into the box bounced over Chambers, Toney, and Pablo Marí at the near post, before Christian Nørgaard headed the ball in at the far post. Arsenal were unable to find a consolation goal, as Granit Xhaka missed high and wide, while Emile Smith Rowe and Nicolas Pépé forced saves from David Raya. As a result, Arsenal opened their season with a 2–0 loss to the Premier League debutants.[33][34]

Ødegaard playing for Real Madrid in 2015
Ramsdale playing for Bournemouth in 2020

On 20 August, Arsenal announced two more signings.[35] Norwegian midfielder Martin Ødegaard, who had been on loan at Arsenal from Real Madrid for the second half of last season, joined on a permanent deal worth £34 million.[36] Meanwhile, English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale joined from Sheffield United, which had been relegated from the Premier League last season, in a deal worth up to £30 million.[37]

Arsenal played the home opener of their Premier League campaign on 22 August against cross-town rivals Chelsea. The match was decided by two goals, both of which were scored in the first half. In the 15th minute, Mateo Kovačić picked out an open Reece James on the right side of the box, who then controlled the ball and fired a low cross past Kieran Tierney and a diving Bernd Leno into the centre of the box, where Romelu Lukaku tapped it in from close range on his return to Chelsea. Thirty-four minutes in, James once again received the ball out wide, this time from Mason Mount. As Tierney scrambled to close James down, the latter fired into the opposite side netting to increase Chelsea's lead. Minutes before halftime, referee Paul Tierney dismissed penalty calls after contact between James and Bukayo Saka in the box, with video assistant referee Chris Kavanagh upholding the ruling. In the 77th minute, Lukaku nearly scored again, but his header from Mount's cross was parried onto the underside of the crossbar by Leno. With a second consecutive 2–0 loss to open the season, Arsenal dropped to 19th, just ahead of last-placed Norwich City on goal difference.[38][39]

On 25 August, ahead of their first Carabao Cup match of the season, Arsenal announced that Lucas Torreira would once again go out on loan, this time to Serie A team ACF Fiorentina for the entire 2021–22 season. Torreira had spent the entirety of last season on loan at La Liga team Atlético Madrid, accumulating 26 appearances one goal in all competitions; Atlético Madrid went on to win the league.[40]

Torreira in 2019

Arsenal entered the Carabao Cup in the second round, facing Championship side West Bromwich Albion away at the Hawthorns. Aaron Ramsdale made his debut and started in goal, while Martin Ødegaard made his first start as a full-fledged Arsenal player. With West Brom opting to field a team of mostly backup and academy players, Arsenal dominated the game from start to end and won 6–0. They kicked off the scoring in the 17th minute, as Bukayo Saka's shot was parried away by goalkeeper Alex Palmer into the path of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who converted the rebound. Arsenal added two more goals just before halftime. First, Aubameyang tapped in a Nicolas Pépé shot that ricocheted off the near post. Then, in the first minute of stoppage time, Aubameyang broke through the West Brom defense and faced Palmer one-on-one, but the former's first shot was tipped into the air by the latter. With his second attempt, Aubameyang tried a bicycle kick but misfired, with the ball ending up at Pépé's feet for another tap-in. Five minutes into the second half, Saka played a one-two with Ødegaard before the former fired past Palmer. In the 62nd minute, substitute Ainsley Maitland-Niles passed to Aubameyang on the left flank, who then proceeded to cut inside in the box and curl his shot past Cédric Kipré and Palmer into the far corner to complete the hat-trick, his third as an Arsenal player. Seven minutes later, Pépé chased down a long ball from Rob Holding over the top before hitting a low cross into the box and connecting with substitute Alexandre Lacazette, who beat two West Brom defenders to the ball before firing into the bottom corner.[41][42] With the win, Arsenal advanced to the third round and were drawn against League One team AFC Wimbledon at home.[43]

On 28 August, Arsenal continued their Premier League campaign, facing Manchester City away at the Etihad Stadium. In the seventh minute, Bernd Leno was unable to save İlkay Gündoğan's close-range header from a Gabriel Jesus cross, only managing to punch the ball into the roof of the net. Five minutes later, a low curling cross from Bernardo Silva into the box made its way to Ferran Torres at the back post, who then fired past a diving Leno from close range. Referee Martin Atkinson showed Granit Xhaka a red card for a dangerous tackle on João Cancelo in the 35th minute. With the man advantage, Manchester City added a third goal shortly before halftime, when Jack Grealish managed to find Gabriel Jesus in a congested box for a tap-in. In the 53rd minute, Torres, after receiving a pass from Gabriel Jesus, passed back to Rodri, whose first-time low shot curled around Leno and went in at the post. Manchester City added a fifth goal in the 84th minute as Torres scored his second goal of the game, beating Leno to head in a cross from Riyad Mahrez. With the 5–0 result and their third consecutive loss to open their Premier League campaign, Arsenal dropped to 20th, sitting at the bottom of the table and behind both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Norwich City on goal difference and goals scored.[44][45]

Tomiyasu (foreground) playing for Japan against Iran in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup semi-finals

With the end of the summer transfer window approaching at the end of the month, Arsenal sought to make some final transactions. On 30 August, Willian, who had two years remaining in his contract, left by mutual consent and returned to boyhood club Corinthians in Brazil.[46] On the final day of the transfer window, three first team players were loaned out for the rest of the 2021–22 season: Reiss Nelson joined Feyenoord in the Eredivisie,[47] Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson joined OH Leuven in the Belgian First Division A,[48] and Héctor Bellerín joined Real Betis in La Liga.[49] Meanwhile, the club made one deadline day signing, adding 22-year-old Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu from Serie A side Bologna on a £16 million deal.[50]

September[]

Ahead of the international break, Arsenal held a friendly against Brentford F.C., to whom they had lost their first game of the Premier League campaign. The match was held behind closed doors at the Arsenal Training Centre in London Colney. After neither team scored in the first half, Arsenal began the scoring in the opening minutes of the second half. Gabriel, returning from injury, scored after a Brentford clearance fell to him in the box. At the hour mark, after a foul on Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Alexandre Lacazette scored the ensuing free kick to double Arsenal's lead. Cédric scored twice in the final 15 minutes; he chipped the ball over goalkeeper Álvaro Fernández in the 76th minute before heading in a cross from Nicolas Pépé 13 minutes later to cap off the 4–0 victory and avenge Arsenal's opening day loss.[51][52]

After the international break, Arsenal, sitting at the bottom of the Premier League standings, took on 19th placed Norwich City at home on 11 September. New signing Takehiro Tomiyasu made his debut, starting at right back, while Aaron Ramsdale started over Bernd Leno in goal. Ten minutes in, Kieran Tierney cleared the ball upfield to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who saw Tim Krul off his line and attempted a long shot from over 25 yards away that missed just left of the goal. Arsenal twice came close to scoring later in the first half, with Aubameyang's curling shot saved by Krul from close range and Tomiyasu's first-time volley sailing just over the crossbar, but the match remained scoreless at halftime. In the 66th minute, Bukayo Saka received a pass from substitute Thomas Partey and dribbled past Grant Hanley before playing the ball wide to Nicolas Pépé. Pépé then curled a shot past Krul to the far post, but the shot rebounded off the post back to Pépé, who was immediately tackled by Brandon Williams just as he was about to take his second shot. The ball ricocheted off several players just in front of the goal before falling to Aubameyang for a tap-in. A VAR check confirmed that the goal was onside, thus putting Arsenal into the lead and giving them their first Premier League goal of the season. Arsenal tried to score a second goal to secure the victory, but Krul saved a shot from Emile Smith Rowe in the 86th minute before Pépé shot the rebound wide. The 1–0 win was Arsenal's first of their Premier League campaign, and it elevated them out of the bottom three positions.[53][54]

Aaron Ramsdale kept his place in goal as Arsenal traveled to Turf Moor to play Burnley on 18 September. After Ashley Westwood clipped Bukayo Saka just outside of the penalty arc, Martin Ødegaard scored the ensuing 25-yard free kick into the top corner to the right of Nick Pope in the 30th minute. In the 68th minute, Matěj Vydra chased down Ben White's back pass to Ramsdale before being closed down and tackled in the box by the latter. Referee Anthony Taylor awarded Burnley a penalty, having originally thought that Ramsdale made contact with Vydra before the ball, but Taylor reversed his decision after taking a second look at the incident on the pitchside VAR monitor. Neither team had many other close shots on goal, though Burnley came close to scoring with Dwight McNeil's shot in the 78th minute that missed just wide of the near post. With a second consecutive 1–0 victory, Arsenal improved to 13th.[55][56]

In the midweek match, Arsenal faced EFL League One team AFC Wimbledon on 22 September at home in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Manager Mikel Arteta fielded an almost entirely new starting eleven, with Thomas Partey the only holdover from the squad that started against Burnley and Eddie Nketiah making his season debut. Early in the match, Gabriel Martinelli chased down a through ball from Nketiah and was tackled from behind by Nesta Guinness-Walker, with referee Jarred Gillett awarding a penalty to Arsenal that was converted by Alexandre Lacazette. Later in the first half, Wimbledon goalkeeper Nik Tzanev nearly scored an own goal; while under pressure, he batted a Cédric corner against the crossbar. In the 77th minute, Arsenal added a second goal as Emile Smith Rowe tapped in a short pass from Lacazette, which came after an initial cross from Lacazette to Saka was cut off by Ben Heneghan. About three minutes later, Arsenal added a third goal, with Nketiah finishing off a low cross from Cédric with a backheel flick to the far post. The 3–0 victory advanced Arsenal into the fourth round, in which they were drawn against fellow Premier League side Leeds United.[57][58]

Arteta playing for Arsenal in 2012

The first of two North London derby matches in the Premier League season took place on 25 September, as Arsenal hosted rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium. In the 12th minute, Bukayo Saka centred the ball and Emile Smith Rowe ran in front of Davinson Sánchez to score past Hugo Lloris. Arsenal were on the break 15 minutes later, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang flicked a pass from Kieran Tierney forward for Smith Rowe. After running with the ball, Smith Rowe cut the ball inside for Aubameyang, whose first-time shot bounced past Eric Dier and Lloris for the Gunners' second goal. A third goal came in the 34th minute; after Smith Rowe passed long to an open Saka on the right flank, Harry Kane slid in and tackled the ball from the latter on the edge of the box, but Saka was the quickest to the rebound and curled it in. Early in the second half, referee Craig Pawson decided not to award Arsenal a penalty when Sánchez ran into the back of Gabriel to head away a pass from Aubameyang, a decision upheld by video assistant referee Stuart Attwell. With just over ten minutes to go, Son Heung-min finally scored Tottenham's first goal of the match; after receiving Sergio Reguilón's cross in the box, his first-time shot could not be saved by Aaron Ramsdale, despite the latter getting his left hand to the ball. In stoppage time, Ramsdale made a leaping save on a shot from Lucas Moura headed towards the top corner. Arsenal's first-half goals were enough for the 3–1 victory, their third in a row after losing their first three matches; meanwhile, Tottenham lost their third game in a row after starting off with three wins and topping the league table. As a result, Arsenal moved up to 10th place, tied on points and goal difference with Tottenham in 11th but ahead due to goals scored.[59][60]

After guiding Arsenal to wins in all three of their Premier League matches of the month, manager Mikel Arteta was named as the Premier League Manager of the Month over Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool), Graham Potter (Brighton & Hove Albion), and Dean Smith (Aston Villa). This was Arteta's first Manager of the Month award and the first for an Arsenal manager since Arsène Wenger's October 2015 award.[61][62]

October[]

Arsenal's first match of the month was a Premier League match away to Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on 2 October. Albert Sambi Lokonga stepped in for Granit Xhaka, who had been ruled out for up to three months after suffering a knee injury in the match against Tottenham Hotspur.[63] In the last few minutes of the match, penalty claims from Brighton for a shove on Shane Duffy by Gabriel were dismissed by VAR. Neither team was able to score all game, though Brighton had the majority of possession as well as 21 shots to Arsenal's eight; of these shots, both teams had two on target.[64][65]

During the international break, Arsenal hosted fellow London side Queens Park Rangers F.C. from the EFL Championship for a closed-door friendly match at the London Colney training ground on 6 October. The Gunners won 3–2, although the goal scorers for either team were not made publicly known.[66]

On 18 October, Arsenal took on south London side Crystal Palace, managed by former Arsenal player Patrick Vieira. In the eighth minute, Nicolas Pépé retrieved a long cross from Martin Ødegaard and played a one-two with Takehiro Tomiyasu before curling a shot that was parried by goalkeeper Vicente Guaita to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who beat James McArthur to tap in the rebound. Crystal Palace equalized early in the second half; after Jordan Ayew dispossessed Thomas Partey, Christian Benteke picked up the rebound and fired a low shot past Aaron Ramsdale. On 73 minutes, Crystal Palace was on the break after Conor Gallagher dispossessed Albert Sambi Lokonga; he and Michael Olise exchanged passes while running upfield before Olise passed to Odsonne Édouard, who fired past Ben White and Ramsdale onto the underside of the crossbar to give the visiting team the lead. After Kieran Tierney hit his shot against the crossbar in the 88th minute, Arsenal finally drew even in the fifth minute of stoppage time to extend their unbeaten streak. After his initial cross was headed away by Olise, Pépé's second cross was headed around in the box before falling to White, whose shot was deflected by Guaita into the path of substitute Alexandre Lacazette for a tap-in, and the game ended 2–2.[67][68]

In their second Premier League match at home in four days, 12th-placed Arsenal hosted 13th-placed Aston Villa. Left-back Kieran Tierney missed his first Premier League match of the season due to a bruised right ankle, thus giving Nuno Tavares his first Premier League start.[69] After Thomas Partey hit the crossbar following a Bukayo Saka free kick in the 21st minute, he scored a header off Emile Smith Rowe's corner two minutes later for his first Arsenal goal. In first-half stoppage time, referee Craig Pawson consulted the pitchside VAR monitor for Matt Targett's challenge on Alexandre Lacazette and awarded Arsenal a penalty. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez saved Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's initial shot by diving down to his left, but the rebound fell to Aubameyang for a tap-in. Ten minutes into the second half, Smith Rowe intercepted a pass from John McGinn to Matty Cash, with the ball rebounding to Albert Sambi Lokonga, who passed out wide to Tavares. Tavares's through pass to Aubameyang was then flicked forward to Smith Rowe, who continued his run before eventually firing a shot that deflected off Tyrone Mings and the near post past Martínez. Aston Villa were able to score a consolation goal late in the match when Leon Bailey's run along the edge of the box took the ball into the path of Jacob Ramsey, whose first-time shot found the top corner, but Arsenal hung on for the 3–1 victory.[70][71]

In the midweek match at home against fellow Premier League club Leeds United on 26 October in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, Bernd Leno made his first start in goal since the previous round's match against AFC Wimbledon a month ago. Neither team scored in the first half, but ten minutes into the second half, Calum Chambers was substituted on in place of an injured Ben White before scoring the opening goal 23 seconds later. After Emile Smith Rowe's corner was headed around the box by Eddie Nketiah and Nicolas Pépé, Chambers beat Jack Harrison to the header; referee Andre Marriner confirmed that the ball had crossed the goal line before Illan Meslier could parry the ball away. On 69 minutes, Arsenal doubled their lead when Nketiah intercepted a backwards header from Leeds captain Liam Cooper to Meslier, guided the ball over Meslier, and slotted in the goal from a narrow angle; this was Nketiah's second goal in as many appearances all season.[72][73] The 2–0 result advanced Arsenal to the quarter-finals, in which they were drawn at home against League One team Sunderland.[74]

Arsenal finished the month away to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on 30 October, with the match being decided by two early goals. After Daniel Amartey nearly scored an own goal in the opening minute, Gabriel scored a header, and his first goal of the season, in the fifth minute on a corner from Bukayo Saka, who was making his 100th senior club appearance.[75] In the eighteenth minute, Alexandre Lacazette received a pass from Saka before running into a crowd of Leicester defenders in the box. After Jonny Evans dispossessed Lacazette, Luke Thomas's attempted clearance fell to Emile Smith Rowe, who fired in the second goal. Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsdale made several key saves in a performance that earned him his first Man of the Match as an Arsenal player. Among these was a leaping save near the end of the first half to parry a James Maddison free kick onto the crossbar before Evans's shot from the rebound was cleared off the line by Thomas Partey. The 2–0 victory extended Arsenal's unbeaten streak since the beginning of September to seven matches in the league and nine in all competitions.[76][77]

Arsenal's successful defensive performances led to Aaron Ramsdale being nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month Award, though it was eventually awarded to Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.[78][79]

November[]

On 7 November, Arsenal faced Watford at home. In the seventh minute, Ainsley Maitland-Niles dispossessed Ismaïla Sarr before Alexandre Lacazette's chipped ball was deflected by Ben Foster to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Aubameyang's first touch then took the ball into the path of Bukayo Saka, whose shot went in between Nicolas Nkoulou and a recovering Foster for what seemed to be the opening goal. However, while Saka was in front of Nkoulou, he was also behind of Foster, thus making him offside, and the goal was disallowed. In the 34th minute, referee Kevin Friend awarded Arsenal a penalty after Danny Rose ran into Lacazette, who was trying to control an errant shot from Maitland-Niles. Foster then saved Aubameyang's penalty before recovering the rebound. In the 56th minute, Ben White regained possession of the ball in the Arsenal offensive third and ran forward, evading Juraj Kucka and Joshua King before running into Moussa Sissoko. The ball then fell to Emile Smith Rowe on the edge of the box, who fired into the far corner for what would be the match's only goal, as well as Smith Rowe's third goal in as many Premier League matches. Martin Ødegaard nearly scored a second goal on 73 minutes, but Aubameyang, who had been in an offside position, touched the ball right before it crossed the goal line. In the 89th minute, Kucka, who was already on a yellow card after a foul on Lacazette in the first half, was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Nuno Tavares and was sent off. The 1–0 victory continued Arsenal's rise up the table, as they moved into fifth place.[80][81]

After the international break, Arsenal traveled to Anfield to take on Liverpool on 20 November. After there was contact between Takehiro Tomiyasu and Sadio Mané as the players were challenging for a header, managers Mikel Arteta and Jürgen Klopp engaged in a verbal dispute on the sideline, for which referee Michael Oliver showed a yellow card to both managers. After Mané and Mohamed Salah were both denied by point-blank saves from Aaron Ramsdale earlier in the game, Mané headed a Trent Alexander-Arnold free kick into the ground and away from Ramsdale for the opening goal in the 39th minute. Early in the second half, Diogo Jota added a second goal for Liverpool after intercepting a backwards pass from Nuno Tavares. In the 73rd minute, a fast break by Liverpool was finished off with Mané centering the ball for Salah to finish from close range. Four minutes later, Takumi Minamino, having just been substituted into the match, slotted home Alexander-Arnold's cross at the back post after just 48 seconds on the pitch. The 4–0 defeat ended Arsenal's unbeaten run at eight matches in the league and 10 in all competitions, although they remained in fifth.[82][83]

Arsenal rebounded seven days later against bottom-of-the-table Newcastle United and new manager Eddie Howe, who made his debut in the Newcastle dugout; Howe had missed his first match the previous week in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.[84] Neither team was able to score in the first half. Jonjo Shelvey came closest for Newcastle in the 30th minute, with his shot parried onto the crossbar by Aaron Ramsdale. Shortly before halftime, after Emile Smith Rowe's header was saved by Martin Dúbravka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed from close range and kicked the rebound against the outside of the post. In the 56th minute, Bukayo Saka passed back to Smith Rowe, who passed infield to Nuno Tavares; meanwhile, Saka had continued his run forward, and after receiving the ball from Tavares, he fired a low shot into the far corner past Dúbravka for the opening goal. Eight minutes later, Saka was forced off with an injury and was replaced by Gabriel Martinelli. Less than two minutes after coming on, Martinelli finished off a chipped pass from Takehiro Tomiyasu with a first-time volley to bolster Arsenal's lead. Arsenal maintained their 2–0 lead to win the match and stay in fifth place.[85][86]

December[]

After only three matches in November, Arsenal started the first of their eight matches in December with a midweek fixture at Old Trafford on 2 December away to Manchester United, who were led by caretaker manager Michael Carrick in his last game before interim manager Ralf Rangnick taking over.[87] From a 13th minute corner by Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe scored the opening goal from outside of the box, with the assist from Mohamed Elneny after Harry Maguire's initial clearance. Referee Martin Atkinson was initially hesitant to award the goal, as goalkeeper David de Gea lay injured after having his ankle stepped on by his teammate Fred, but the goal was made official after VAR review. Shortly before halftime, Manchester United equalized after Jadon Sancho passed infield to Fred, who squared the ball for Bruno Fernandes to slot it in past Aaron Ramsdale. In the 52nd minute, the home side took the lead as Cristiano Ronaldo finished off Marcus Rashford's low cross. However, Arsenal equalized less than two minutes later; on the right flank, Gabriel Martinelli received Thomas Partey's through pass before firing a low cross into the box for Ødegaard, whose shot curled in past the reach of de Gea. In the 68th minute, Atkinson initially did not award a penalty to Manchester United after Ødegaard's tackle on Fred, but he reversed his decision after consulting the pitchside VAR monitor. Ronaldo scored again, converting the penalty for his 800th career goal and the decisive goal of the match. Despite the 3–2 defeat, Arsenal remained in fifth place for the fourth consecutive matchweek.[88][89]

Four days later, Arsenal lost their second game in a row after playing away to Everton at Goodison Park, with Granit Xhaka making his return from injury.[90] Minutes before halftime, a free kick from Andros Townsend was headed in by Richarlison, but the goal was disallowed as the latter was found to be offside by VAR. However, in first-half stoppage time, Arsenal scored the opening goal with Martin Ødegaard slotting in a cross from Kieran Tierney with a side-foot volley. In the 56th minute, Richarlison seemed to have scored after receiving a pass from Abdoulaye Doucouré, but he was ruled offside by VAR again. Richarlison was finally able to score in the 80th minute, as he headed in the rebound after a Demarai Gray shot from outside the box hit the crossbar. After Eddie Nketiah missed a close-range header in the 84th minute, Gray scored Everton's second goal of the game in the second of six minutes of stoppage time. Gray's winning strike, which came from a similar location to the one that hit the crossbar, hit off the far post and into the goal, resulting in a 2–1 loss for Arsenal.[91][92]

Aubameyang in 2018

On 11 December, Arsenal returned home to the Emirates Stadium for a match against a depleted Southampton side, who were without several key outfield players and both first-choice goalkeepers, with emergency goalkeeper Willy Caballero starting after signing earlier in the week.[93] Meanwhile, Arsenal themselves started without captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had reportedly been dropped to the bench for a 'disciplinary breach' by manager Mikel Arteta.[94] In the 21st minute, Arsenal scored first after playing out from the back, as a series of passes down the length of the pitch culminated with Bukayo Saka's low cutback being finished off by Alexandre Lacazette. Six minutes later, Arsenal doubled their lead. After Kieran Tierney received Takehiro Tomiyasu's high pass at the back post, his cross was blocked by Tino Livramento; however, Tierney recovered the rebound and headed the ball to Martin Ødegaard, who scored a header for his third goal in as many matches. After Gabriel had a tap-in disallowed for being offside in the 59th minute, he headed in a corner from Gabriel Martinelli three minutes later. Arsenal continued to apply pressure to Southampton in the search of a fourth goal, but both Martinelli and Saka hit the posts with their shots. Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsdale made six saves to secure the clean sheet and a 3–0 win.[95][96]

The day before the home match against West Ham United on 15 December, the club announced that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would be stripped of the club captaincy due to repeated disciplinary breaches and would not be considered for the West Ham match.[97] Manager Mikel Arteta elaborated that the captaincy would be shared among a "'leadership group' of senior players," including Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka, the latter of whom had preceded Aubameyang as captain.[98]

After Alexandre Lacazette had assumed the captaincy role against Southampton, manager Mikel Arteta opted to retain him as captain against West Ham.[99] Three minutes into the second half, Lacazette played a through pass to Gabriel Martinelli, who ran past the West Ham defense and curled in the opening goal. In the 67th minute, Vladimír Coufal, who was already on a yellow card after contact with Kieran Tierney in the 11th minute, was sent off after a second yellow card following a tackle on Lacazette in the box. For the same foul, referee Anthony Taylor awarded Arsenal a penalty, which Lacazette took but was saved by Łukasz Fabiański. On 87 minutes, after Takehiro Tomiyasu dispossessed Saïd Benrahma, Bukayo Saka recovered the ball before passing it near the center line to substitute Emile Smith Rowe, who continued his run and scored a second goal for Arsenal. The 2–0 victory moved Arsenal into the top four for the first time all season.[100][101]

With a rise in positive COVID-19 test results forcing the postponement of the other five matches scheduled for 18 December, Arsenal's match away to an injury-stricken Leeds United at Elland Road was the only remaining Premier League fixture that day.[102] In the 16th minute, after Alexandre Lacazette dispossessed Adam Forshaw in the box, Gabriel Martinelli recovered the loose ball and fired it in first time for the opening goal; this goal was Arsenal's 7,000th scored in the top flight of English football.[103][104] Twelve minutes later, Granit Xhaka intercepted a pass from Stuart Dallas intended for Mateusz Klich near midfield and played a through pass to Martinelli, who scored to double Arsenal's lead. Three minutes from halftime, Bukayo Saka scored the third goal after his shot deflected off Klich's foot and past Illan Meslier. Notably, Arsenal's 11 shots on target in the first half were the most in the first half of all Premier League matches since the 2003–04 season (also the season of the Invincibles), when Opta began recording such statistics. After Ben White's tackle on Joe Gelhardt, referee Andre Marriner awarded Leeds a penalty, which Raphinha converted in the 75th minute. Substitute Emile Smith Rowe capped off the match by finishing off a pass from Martin Ødegaard to give Arsenal a 4–1 win.[105][106]

On 21 December, Arsenal hosted League One side Sunderland in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, with Nicolas Pépé making his 100th appearance for Arsenal. Cédric's corner in the 17th minute was headed towards goal by Rob Holding, only for Lee Burge to parry the ball into the path of Eddie Nketiah, who continued his three-match run of scoring in the EFL Cup and put in the tap-in from close range. In the 27th minute, Pépé received a cutback from Cédric and fired a shot, which was deflected by Callum Doyle into the roof of the net to double Arsenal's lead. However, Sunderland scored four minutes later, as Nathan Broadhead received a through pass from Elliot Embleton and lifted the ball over an onrushing Bernd Leno into the goal. Four minutes into the second half, Nketiah scored his second goal, stepping in front of Doyle to redirect a low cross from Nuno Tavares. In the 58th minute, Nketiah completed his hat trick, beating Tom Flanagan to a pass from Pépé and scoring with a backheel finish. In second half stoppage time, Pépé once again provided the assist, this time to Charlie Patino, who had been substituted on ten minutes prior for his senior team debut and slid the ball in past Burge. The 5–1 result advanced Arsenal to the semi-finals for the first time since the 2017–18 edition, while Nketiah's hat trick made him the joint top goalscorer with Brentford's Marcus Forss on five goals.[107][108]

Arsenal then headed to Carrow Road for a Boxing Day match against Norwich City. Bukayo Saka scored the opening goal in the sixth minute after receiving a pass from Martin Ødegaard and shooting through the legs of Brandon Williams. Arsenal's second goal was also assisted by Ødegaard, as he found Kieran Tierney on the left flank, who ran into the box and fired a low shot across goal just before halftime. In the 67th minute, Saka scored again after receiving a pass from Alexandre Lacazette and beating Williams one-on-one before shooting from the edge of the box. Ozan Kabak tripped Lacazette as the latter was receiving a pass from Emile Smith Rowe, prompting referee Graham Scott to award Arsenal a penalty in the 84th minute, which Lacazette then converted. In second half stoppage time, substitute Nicolas Pépé's pass across the box deflected off Kabak to Smith Rowe, who finished at the back post for his third goal in as many matches, all of which have come as a substitute. The 5–0 win meant that Arsenal ended the year on a four-match win streak,[109][110] as later that day, it was announced that the home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 28 December would be postponed due to a lack of available players in the Wolves squad as a result of numerous injuries and positive COVID-19 test results.[111]

Squad information[]

As of 26 December 2021[112]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Name Nat. Position(s) Date of birth (Age) Year signed Signed from Transfer fee Apps. Goals
Goalkeepers
1 Bernd Leno Germany GK (1992-03-04) 4 March 1992 (age 29) 2018 Germany Bayer Leverkusen £19.3m[113] 123 0
32 Aaron Ramsdale England GK (1998-05-14) 14 May 1998 (age 23) 2021 England Sheffield United £24m[37] 17 0
33 Arthur Okonkwo England GK (2001-09-09) 9 September 2001 (age 20) 2021 England Arsenal Academy N/A[114] 0 0
Defenders
3 Kieran Tierney Scotland LB / LWB (1997-06-05) 5 June 1997 (age 24) 2019 Scotland Celtic £25m[115] 74 4
4 Ben White England CB (1997-10-08) 8 October 1997 (age 24) 2021 England Brighton & Hove Albion £50m[21] 19 0
6 Gabriel Brazil CB (1997-12-19) 19 December 1997 (age 24) 2020 France Lille £23.14m[116] 49 5
16 Rob Holding (4th captain) England CB (1995-09-20) 20 September 1995 (age 26) 2016 England Bolton Wanderers £2m[117] 125 2
17 Cédric Soares Portugal RB / RWB (1991-08-31) 31 August 1991 (age 30) 2020 England Southampton Free[118] 35 1
18 Takehiro Tomiyasu Japan RB / CB (1998-11-05) 5 November 1998 (age 23) 2021 Italy Bologna £16m[50] 15 0
20 Nuno Tavares Portugal LB / RB (2000-01-26) 26 January 2000 (age 21) 2021 Portugal Benfica £6.8m[10] 17 0
21 Calum Chambers England CB / DM / RB (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 (age 26) 2014 England Southampton £16m[119] 121 5
22 Pablo Marí Spain CB (1993-08-31) 31 August 1993 (age 28) 2020 Brazil Flamengo £7.2m[120] 22 1
31 Sead Kolašinac Bosnia and Herzegovina LB / LWB (1993-06-20) 20 June 1993 (age 28) 2017 Germany Schalke 04 Free[121] 117 5
Midfielders
5 Thomas Partey Ghana CM / DM (1993-06-13) 13 June 1993 (age 28) 2020 Spain Atlético Madrid £45m[122] 49 1
8 Martin Ødegaard Norway AM / CM (1998-12-17) 17 December 1998 (age 23) 2021 Spain Real Madrid £34m[36] 39 6
10 Emile Smith Rowe England AM / LM (2000-06-28) 28 June 2000 (age 21) 2016 England Arsenal Academy N/A 65 16
15 Ainsley Maitland-Niles England CM / RB / LWB / RWB (1997-08-29) 29 August 1997 (age 24) 2014 England Arsenal Academy N/A 131 3
23 Albert Sambi Lokonga Belgium CM (1999-10-22) 22 October 1999 (age 22) 2021 Belgium Anderlecht £17.5m[15] 15 0
25 Mohamed Elneny Egypt DM (1992-07-11) 11 July 1992 (age 29) 2016 Switzerland Basel £5m[123] 137 5
34 Granit Xhaka (3rd captain) Switzerland CM / DM (1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 29) 2016 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach £34.5m[124] 231 13
Forwards
7 Bukayo Saka England RW / LW (2001-09-05) 5 September 2001 (age 20) 2016 England Arsenal Academy N/A 109 17
9 Alexandre Lacazette (vice captain) France ST (1991-05-28) 28 May 1991 (age 30) 2017 France Lyon £46.5m[125] 187 70
14 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Gabon ST / LW (1989-06-18) 18 June 1989 (age 32) 2018 Germany Borussia Dortmund £56m[126] 163 92
19 Nicolas Pépé Ivory Coast RW (1995-05-29) 29 May 1995 (age 26) 2019 France Lille £72m[127] 101 26
26 Folarin Balogun England ST (2001-07-03) 3 July 2001 (age 20) 2017 England Arsenal Academy N/A 10 2
30 Eddie Nketiah England ST (1999-05-30) 30 May 1999 (age 22) 2015 England Arsenal Academy N/A 71 18
35 Gabriel Martinelli Brazil LW / ST (2001-06-18) 18 June 2001 (age 20) 2019 Brazil Ituano £6m[128] 64 16
Players on loan
- William Saliba France CB (2001-03-24) 24 March 2001 (age 20) 2019 France Saint-Étienne £27m[129] 0 0
2 Héctor Bellerín Spain RB / RWB (1995-03-19) 19 March 1995 (age 26) 2013 England Arsenal Academy N/A 239 9
11 Lucas Torreira Uruguay DM (1996-02-11) 11 February 1996 (age 25) 2018 Italy Sampdoria £26m[130] 89 4
13 Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson Iceland GK (1995-02-18) 18 February 1995 (age 26) 2020 France Dijon £1.8m[131] 6 0
24 Reiss Nelson England RW (1999-12-10) 10 December 1999 (age 22) 2015 England Arsenal Academy N/A 48 4
27 Konstantinos Mavropanos Greece CB (1997-12-11) 11 December 1997 (age 24) 2018 Greece PAS Giannina £1.8m[132] 8 0
29 Matteo Guendouzi France CM / DM (1999-04-14) 14 April 1999 (age 22) 2018 France Lorient £7m[133] 82 1

Transfers[]

Transfers in[]

Date Position Player From Fee Team Ref.
10 July 2021 DF Portugal Nuno Tavares Portugal Benfica £7.2m First team [10]
19 July 2021 MF Belgium Albert Sambi Lokonga Belgium Anderlecht £15.75m [15]
30 July 2021 FW Denmark Mika Biereth England Fulham Free transfer Academy [134]
DF England Ben White England Brighton & Hove Albion £50m First team [21]
20 August 2021 MF Norway Martin Ødegaard Spain Real Madrid £30m [35][36]
GK England Aaron Ramsdale England Sheffield United £24m [35][37]
31 August 2021 DF Japan Takehiro Tomiyasu Italy Bologna £16m [50]

Transfers out[]

Date Position Player To Fee Team Ref.
21 June 2021 FW England Trae Coyle Switzerland Lausanne-Sport Undisclosed Academy [135]
DF Republic of Ireland Mark McGuinness Wales Cardiff City [136]
DF England Zech Medley Belgium KV Oostende [137]
1 July 2021 MF England Aaron Benn England Watford Free transfer [138]
DF Brazil David Luiz Brazil Flamengo End of contract First team [4][6]
MF England Adebayo Fapetu England Derby County Free transfer Academy [139]
DF England Levi Laing England West Ham United [140]
DF Nigeria Joseph Olowu England Doncaster Rovers [141]
DF England Daniel Oyegoke England Brentford Undisclosed [142]
FW England Luke Plange England Derby County Free transfer [6][143]
MF England Ben Sheaf England Coventry City Undisclosed [144]
DF England Jason Sraha England Barnsley Free transfer [6][145]
7 July 2021 FW England Kieran Petrie Wales Swansea City [146]
10 August 2021 DF England Tolaji Bola England Rotherham United Undisclosed [147]
13 August 2021 MF England Joe Willock England Newcastle United £25m First team [30]
30 August 2021 FW Brazil Willian Brazil Corinthians Free transfer [46]

Loans out[]

Date Position Player To End date Team Ref.
24 June 2021 DF Greece Konstantinos Mavropanos Germany VfB Stuttgart End of season First team [3]
1 July 2021 DF Northern Ireland Daniel Ballard England Millwall Under-23s [148]
5 July 2021 MF England Matt Smith England Doncaster Rovers Under-23s [149]
6 July 2021 MF France Matteo Guendouzi France Marseille First team [8]
15 July 2021 DF France William Saliba [13]
26 July 2021 FW Sweden Nikolaj Möller Germany Viktoria Köln Under-23s [150]
GK North Macedonia Dejan Iliev Slovakia Sereď [151]
29 July 2021 FW England Tyreece John-Jules England Blackpool [152]
2 August 2021 DF England Harry Clarke Scotland Ross County [153]
3 August 2021 GK England Tom Smith England Welling United [154]
10 August 2021 DF England Jordi Osei-Tutu England Nottingham Forest [155]
25 August 2021 MF Uruguay Lucas Torreira Italy Fiorentina First team [40]
30 August 2021 MF England Miguel Azeez England Portsmouth Under-23s [156]
31 August 2021 DF Spain Héctor Bellerín Spain Real Betis First team [49]
DF England Jonathan Dinzeyi England Carlisle United Under-23s [157]
FW England Reiss Nelson Netherlands Feyenoord First team [47]
GK Iceland Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson Belgium OH Leuven [48]

Friendlies[]

On 16 April 2021, Arsenal announced that they would participate in a pre-season fixture against defending Scottish Professional Football League champions Rangers on 17 July at the Ibrox Stadium, in order to celebrate Rangers' 150th anniversary.[158] This forms part of a training camp in Scotland, with another friendly being played against Hibernian four days earlier.[159]

13 July 2021 (2021-07-13) Friendly Hibernian 2–1 Arsenal Edinburgh
18:00 Boyle Goal 21'
Porteous Yellow card 66'
MacKay Goal 69'
Report Pépé Penalty missed 73’
Smith Rowe Goal 82'
Stadium: Easter Road
Referee: Don Robertson (Scotland)
17 July 2021 (2021-07-17) Friendly Rangers 2–2 Arsenal Glasgow
14:00 Balogun Goal 14'
Itten Goal 75'
Report Marí Yellow card 12'
Tavares Goal 23'
Nketiah Goal 83'
Stadium: Ibrox Stadium
Referee: Bobby Madden (Scotland)
24 July 2021 (2021-07-24) Friendly Arsenal 4–1 Millwall London Colney
14:00 Chambers Goal 17'
Lacazette Goal 59'
Pépé Goal 65'
Balogun Goal 73'
Report A. Mitchell Goal 89' Stadium: Arsenal Training Centre
Attendance: 0 (Behind-closed-doors)
28 July 2021 (2021-07-28) Friendly Arsenal 4–1 Watford London Colney
13:00 Nketiah Goal 16'
Lacazette Goal 70' (pen.)
Tierney Goal 77'
Azeez Goal 86'
Report Zinckernagel Goal 34' Stadium: Arsenal Training Centre
Attendance: 0 (Behind-closed-doors)
2 September 2021 (2021-09-02) Friendly Arsenal 4–0 Brentford London Colney
12:00 Gabriel Goal 46'
Lacazette Goal 60'
Cédric Goal 76' Goal 89'
Report Stadium: Arsenal Training Centre
Attendance: 0 (Behind-closed-doors)
6 October 2021 (2021-10-06) Friendly Arsenal 3–2 Queen's Park Rangers London Colney
12:00 Stadium: Arsenal Training Centre
Attendance: 0 (Behind-closed-doors)

Florida Cup[]

Arsenal confirmed they will travel to the United States to compete in the seventh edition of the Florida Cup in Orlando, Florida.[160] On July 20th, Arsenal withdrew from the Cup, citing "a small number of positive COVID tests."[16]

25 July 2021 Florida Cup Arsenal Cancelled Inter Milan Orlando, United States
EDT Stadium: Camping World Stadium
Note: Match cancelled due to Arsenal withdrawing from Florida Cup due to positive COVID tests.[161]
28 July 2021 Florida Cup Arsenal Cancelled Everton or Millonarios Orlando, United States
EDT Stadium: Camping World Stadium
Note: Match cancelled due to Arsenal withdrawing from Florida Cup due to positive COVID-19 tests.[161]

Mind Series[]

A series with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur was confirmed for the start of August 2021, to be called 'The Mind Series'.[22][23]

1 August 2021 Friendly Arsenal 1–2 Chelsea Holloway
15:00 BST Xhaka Goal 69'
Tavares Yellow card 86'
Report Havertz Goal 26'
Kovačić Yellow card 42'
Zappacosta Yellow card 54'
Abraham Goal 72'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Andre Marriner
8 August 2021 Friendly Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Arsenal Tottenham
14:00 BST Alli Yellow card 33'
Skipp Yellow card 45+1'
Reguilón Yellow card 74'
Son Goal 79'
Report Tierney Yellow card 56'
Xhaka Yellow card 57'
Stadium: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Referee: David Coote

Competitions[]

Overview[]

Competition First match Last match Starting round Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
Premier League 13 August 2021 22 May 2022 Matchday 1 19 11 2 6 32 23 +9 057.89
FA Cup 9 January 2022 Third round 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !
EFL Cup 25 August 2021 Second round 4 4 0 0 16 1 +15 100.00
Total 23 15 2 6 48 24 +24 065.22

Last updated: 21 December 2021
Source: Competitions

Premier League[]

League table[]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Liverpool 18 12 5 1 50 15 +35 41 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
3 Chelsea 19 12 5 2 42 13 +29 41
4 Arsenal 19 11 2 6 32 23 +9 35
5 West Ham United 19 9 4 6 34 25 +9 31 Qualification for the Europa League group stage
6 Tottenham Hotspur 17 9 3 5 22 20 +2 30
Updated to match(es) played on 28 December 2021 (3 matches played). Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) If the champions, relegated teams or qualified teams for UEFA competitions cannot be determined by rules 1 to 3, rules 4.1 to 4.3 are applied – 4.1) Points gained in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.2) Away goals scored in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.3) Play-offs[162]

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
19 11 2 6 32 23  +9 35 7 1 1 17 6  +11 4 1 5 15 17  −2

Last updated: 18 December 2021.
Source: Premier League

Results by round[]

Round123456789101112131415161718192021
GroundAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAAHH
ResultLLLWWWDDWWWLWLLWWWWP
Position17192016131011121065555764444
Updated to match(es) played on 26 December 2021. Source: Premier league
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches[]

The league fixtures were announced on 16 June 2021.[163]

13 August 2021 1 Brentford 2–0 Arsenal Brentford
20:00 BST
Report Stadium: Brentford Community Stadium
Attendance: 16,479
Referee: Michael Oliver
Note: Live on Sky Sports
22 August 2021 2 Arsenal 0–2 Chelsea Holloway
16:30 BST
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,729
Referee: Paul Tierney
28 August 2021 3 Manchester City 5–0 Arsenal Manchester
12:30 BST
Report
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
Attendance: 52,276
Referee: Martin Atkinson
11 September 2021 4 Arsenal 1–0 Norwich City Holloway
15:00 BST
  • Aubameyang Goal 66'
  • White Yellow card 88'
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,337
Referee: Michael Oliver
18 September 2021 5 Burnley 0–1 Arsenal Burnley
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 18,072
Referee: Anthony Taylor
26 September 2021 6 Arsenal 3–1 Tottenham Hotspur Holloway
16:30 BST
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,919
Referee: Craig Pawson
2 October 2021 7 Brighton & Hove Albion 0–0 Arsenal Falmer
17:30 BST
Report
Stadium: Falmer Stadium
Attendance: 31,266
Referee: Jonathan Moss
18 October 2021 8 Arsenal 2–2 Crystal Palace Holloway
20:00 BST
  • Aubameyang Goal 8'
  • Saka Yellow card 42'
  • Lacazette Goal 90+5'
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,475
Referee: Mike Dean
22 October 2021 9 Arsenal 3–1 Aston Villa Holloway
20:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,496
Referee: Craig Pawson
30 October 2021 10 Leicester City 0–2 Arsenal Leicester
12:30 BST
Report
Stadium: King Power Stadium
Attendance: 32,209
Referee: Michael Oliver
7 November 2021 11 Arsenal 1–0 Watford Holloway
14:00 GMT
Report
  • King Yellow card 10'
  • Kucka Yellow card 31' Yellow-red card 89'
  • Sissoko Yellow card 54'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,833
Referee: Kevin Friend
20 November 2021 12 Liverpool 4–0 Arsenal Liverpool
17:30 GMT
Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 53,092
Referee: Michael Oliver
27 November 2021 13 Arsenal 2–0 Newcastle United Holloway
12:30 GMT
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,886
Referee: Stuart Attwell
2 December 2021 14 Manchester United 3–2 Arsenal Manchester
20:15 GMT
Report Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 73,123
Referee: Martin Atkinson
6 December 2021 15 Everton 2–1 Arsenal Walton
20:00 GMT
Report
Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 38,906
Referee: Mike Dean
11 December 2021 16 Arsenal 3–0 Southampton Holloway
13:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,653
Referee: Jarred Gillett
15 December 2021 17 Arsenal 2–0 West Ham United Holloway
20:00 GMT
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,777
Referee: Anthony Taylor
18 December 2021 18 Leeds United 1–4 Arsenal Leeds
17:30 GMT
Report
Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 36,166
Referee: Andre Marriner
26 December 2021 19 Norwich City 0–5 Arsenal Norwich
15:00 GMT
Report
Stadium: Carrow Road
Referee: Graham Scott
28 December 2021 20 Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers Holloway
12:30 GMT Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Note: The match was postponed due to a lack of available players in the Wolves squad as a result of numerous injuries and positive COVID-19 test results.[111]
1 January 2022 21 Arsenal v Manchester City Holloway
12:30 GMT Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Referee: Stuart Attwell

FA Cup[]

9 January 2022 Third round Nottingham Forest v Arsenal West Bridgford
17:15 GMT Stadium: City Ground

EFL Cup[]

25 August 2021 Second round West Bromwich Albion 0–6 Arsenal West Bromwich
20:00 BST
Report
Stadium: The Hawthorns
Attendance: 17,016
Referee: David Webb
Assistant referees: Mark Pottage, Andrew Fox
Fourth official: Sam Allison
22 September 2021 Third round Arsenal 3–0 AFC Wimbledon Holloway
19:45 BST
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 56,276
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistant referees: Lee Betts, Constantine Hatzidakis
Fourth official: David Coote
26 October 2021 Fourth round Arsenal 2–0 Leeds United Holloway
19:45 BST
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,126
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant referees: Scott Ledger, Harry Lennard
Fourth official: Andrew Madley
21 December 2021 Quarter-finals Arsenal 5–1 Sunderland Holloway
19:45 GMT
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,027
Referee: Robert Jones
Assistant referees: Derek Eaton, Harry Lennard
Fourth official: John Brooks
6 January 2022 Semi-finals first leg Arsenal v Liverpool Holloway
19:45 GMT Stadium: Emirates Stadium
13 January 2022 Semi-finals second leg Liverpool v Arsenal Liverpool
19:45 GMT Stadium: Anfield

Statistics[]

Appearances and goals[]

Players with no appearances not included in the list.

As of 26 December 2021[164]
No. Pos. Nat. Name Premier League FA Cup EFL Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Germany Bernd Leno 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0
3 DF Scotland Kieran Tierney 13 1 0 0 0 0 13 1
4 DF England Ben White 17 0 0 0 2 0 19 0
5 MF Ghana Thomas Partey 14(1) 1 0 0 1 0 15(1) 1
6 DF Brazil Gabriel 16 2 0 0 0(1) 0 16(1) 2
7 MF England Bukayo Saka 17(2) 5 0 0 1(1) 1 18(3) 6
8 MF Norway Martin Ødegaard 13(4) 4 0 0 2 0 15(4) 4
9 FW France Alexandre Lacazette 9(5) 3 0 0 1(2) 2 10(7) 5
10 MF England Emile Smith Rowe 13(4) 8 0 0 2(1) 1 15(5) 9
14 FW Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 12(2) 4 0 0 1 3 13(2) 7
15 MF England Ainsley Maitland-Niles 2(5) 0 0 0 2(1) 0 4(6) 0
16 DF England Rob Holding 3(1) 0 0 0 4 0 7(1) 0
17 DF Portugal Cédric Soares 2(2) 0 0 0 3 0 5(2) 0
18 DF Japan Takehiro Tomiyasu 15 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
19 FW Ivory Coast Nicolas Pépé 5(4) 0 0 0 3 2 8(4) 2
20 DF Portugal Nuno Tavares 6(6) 0 0 0 3(1) 0 9(7) 0
21 DF England Calum Chambers 2 0 0 0 1(1) 1 3(1) 1
22 DF Spain Pablo Marí 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
23 MF Belgium Albert Sambi Lokonga 9(3) 0 0 0 1(1) 0 10(4) 0
25 MF Egypt Mohamed Elneny 1(5) 0 0 0 3 0 4(5) 0
26 FW England Folarin Balogun 1(1) 0 0 0 1(1) 0 2(2) 0
30 FW England Eddie Nketiah 0(3) 0 0 0 3 5 3(3) 5
31 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina Sead Kolašinac 1(1) 0 0 0 2 0 3(1) 0
32 GK England Aaron Ramsdale 16 0 0 0 1 0 17 0
34 MF Switzerland Granit Xhaka 9 0 0 0 1(1) 0 10(1) 0
35 FW Brazil Gabriel Martinelli 8(4) 4 0 0 2(2) 0 10(6) 4
87 MF England Charlie Patino 0 0 0 0 0(1) 1 0(1) 1
Players on loan but featured this season
24 FW England Reiss Nelson 0(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 0

Goalscorers[]

As of 26 December 2021
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name Premier League FA Cup EFL Cup Total
1 10 MF England Emile Smith Rowe 8 0 1 9
2 14 FW Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 4 0 3 7
3 7 MF England Bukayo Saka 5 0 1 6
4 9 FW France Alexandre Lacazette 3 0 2 5
30 FW England Eddie Nketiah 0 0 5 5
6 8 MF Norway Martin Ødegaard 4 0 0 4
35 FW Brazil Gabriel Martinelli 4 0 0 4
8 6 DF Brazil Gabriel 2 0 0 2
19 FW Ivory Coast Nicolas Pépé 0 0 2 2
10 3 DF Scotland Kieran Tierney 1 0 0 1
5 MF Ghana Thomas Partey 1 0 0 1
21 DF England Calum Chambers 0 0 1 1
87 MF England Charlie Patino 0 0 1 1
Total 32 0 16 48

Assists[]

As of 26 December 2021
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name Premier League FA Cup EFL Cup Total
1 19 FW Ivory Coast Nicolas Pépé 1 0 4 5
2 7 MF England Bukayo Saka 4 0 0 4
8 MF Norway Martin Ødegaard 3 0 1 4
9 FW France Alexandre Lacazette 3 0 1 4
5 3 DF Scotland Kieran Tierney 2 0 0 2
10 MF England Emile Smith Rowe 2 0 0 2
14 FW Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 1 0 1 2
17 DF Portugal Cédric Soares 0 0 2 2
20 DF Portugal Nuno Tavares 1 0 1 2
35 FW Brazil Gabriel Martinelli 2 0 0 2
11 15 MF England Ainsley Maitland-Niles 0 0 1 1
18 DF Japan Takehiro Tomiyasu 1 0 0 1
25 MF Egypt Mohamed Elneny 1 0 0 1
34 MF Switzerland Granit Xhaka 1 0 0 1
Total 22 0 11 33

Disciplinary record[]

As of 26 December 2021
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name Premier League FA Cup EFL Cup Total
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
1 34 MF Switzerland Granit Xhaka 3 1 0 0 0 0 3 1
2 23 MF Belgium Albert Sambi Lokonga 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
3 14 FW Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
4 5 MF Ghana Thomas Partey 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
6 DF Brazil Gabriel 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
7 MF England Bukayo Saka 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
8 MF Norway Martin Ødegaard 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
16 DF England Rob Holding 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
17 DF Portugal Cédric Soares 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
31 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina Sead Kolašinac 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
11 4 DF England Ben White 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
18 DF Japan Takehiro Tomiyasu 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
20 DF Portugal Nuno Tavares 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
22 DF Spain Pablo Marí 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
26 FW England Folarin Balogun 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
32 GK England Aaron Ramsdale 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
35 FW Brazil Gabriel Martinelli 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals 27 1 0 0 4 0 31 1

Clean sheets[]

As of 26 December 2021
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name Premier League FA Cup EFL Cup Total
1 32 GK England Aaron Ramsdale 9 0 1 10
2 1 GK Germany Bernd Leno 0 0 2 2
Total 9 0 3 12

Awards[]

Each award winner was chosen via open-access polls on the club's official website. While the Player of the Month awards only include the men's senior team, the Goal of the Month awards include contenders from both the men's and women's teams.

Arsenal Player of the Month award[]

Month Player Votes Ref
September  Takehiro Tomiyasu (JPN) 51% [165]
October  Aaron Ramsdale (ENG) 60% [166]
November  Aaron Ramsdale (ENG) 42% [167]

Arsenal Goal of the Month award[]

Month Player Competition Opponent Votes Ref
September  Martin Ødegaard (NOR) Premier League Burnley 28% [168]
November  Gabriel Martinelli (BRA) Premier League Newcastle United 51% [169]

Note: The October Goal of the Month award was won by Katie McCabe of the women's team.

See also[]

References[]

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