Arsenal have been competing at the top of the Premier League table for the past few seasons under the stewardship of Mikel Arteta. They came runners-up in 2022/23 and 2023/24 to Manchester City and look set to be second again in the 2024/25 season but this time to Liverpool. With the Gunners set to miss out again, questions arise as to when they will win the season again.
When was the last time Arsenal won the Premier League?
The last time that Arsenal won the Premier League was over 20 years ago in the 2003/04 season under Arsene Wenger. This season will be remembered for more than just Arsenal winning the league as it was the season of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ where they went the whole season unbeaten.
In the 2002/03 season, Arsenal finished second to Manchester United. They were ahead of their North West rivals for most of the season, but United managed to overhaul the deficit in the last 10 games of the season.
There were injuries to the squad in the latter end of the season and that resulted in poor performances. Arsenal lost to Leeds United on May 4th, 2003, to mathematically concede the title to Manchester United.
This would be the last time Arsenal lost in the league for over a year.
Overall in the 2003/04 season, Wenger’s team won 26 of their 38 games, drawing the other 12 and, in total, went 49 games unbeaten, a record that spanned over three seasons.
Arsenal became only the second club to finish a top-flight campaign unbeaten after Preston North End did the same in 1888/89, but when there were only 22 games. Arsenal’s run of 49 games unbeaten was finally ended in the 2004/05 season by Manchester United in October.
Key players for Arsenal this season included Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Ashley Cole, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva, Kolo Toure, Lauren and Jens Lehmann.
When did Arsenal last win a trophy?
Whilst Arsenal may not have won the Premier League since 2004, Arsenal have won trophies since then, albeit all in one competition. Most recently, Arsenal won the delayed 2020 FA Cup. Arsenal made it to the FA Cup final, beating Leeds United, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield United and Manchester City on the way.
Their 2019/20 FA Cup final opponents were Chelsea, who they had defeated in the exact same fixture in the 2016/17 season. The final was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that it was played on August 1st, 2020, rather than its originally scheduled spot on May 23rd, 2020
Chelsea started the rescheduled final well and went 1-0 up in the 5th minute thanks to Christian Pulisic.
Arsenal, however, rallied and won the game 2-1 in the end, thanks to a double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the first being from the spot.
This is the only trophy that Mikel Arteta has won whilst Arsenal have been under his tutelage. Technically, Arsenal have won a trophy more recently, winning the Community Shield in 2023.
However, the Community Shield is a super cup and acts as the curtain-raiser to the Premier League season rather than being a normally recognised trophy.
When was the last time Arsenal won the Champions League?
Despite winning many trophies in their history, Arsenal have never won the UEFA Champions League in its current or previous forms.
The Champions League, under its current guise, has been around since 1992 after being introduced as the European Cup in 1995.
They have featured in two European Cups - 1971/72 and 1991/92 - and 21 Champions League campaigns.
The best Arsenal have ever done in the Champions League is reach the final, which they did in the 2005/06 season, the last season the club ever had at their old ground, Highbury. The Gunners lost 2-1 in the final to Barcelona after going one up, despite being down to 10 men after Lehmann was sent off in the 18th minute.
Late goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti won the match for the Catalan club and kept Arsenal’s wait for Champions League glory going.