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Arsenal's famous Clock End clock was relocated to the Emirates

Sat, 22/07/2006 The first Game at the Emirates Stadium was the last game not only for an Arsenal legend but a football legend. Arsenal's Dutch master Dennis Bergkamp, who enjoyed a testimonial match in his honour against his first club side Ajax and stars past and present from both teams made it an unforgettable day. Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten were just two greats that made late playing appearances on the pitch to make the occasion more special than it already was (if that was possible) The score was not important but just for the record Klass-Jan Huntelaar scored the first ever goal in the first half at the Emirates but a goal each from Henry and Kanu, both in the second half gave the game a 2-1 score line. The crowd cheered long and hard after the final whistle as DB10 made a  lap of honour and the curtain came down on a glittering career. When Bruce Rioch signed DB10 who would have guessed his Arsenal stats would have read, 11 years, 423 games and 120 goals

The Dutch Master

  Sat, 19/08/2006 ARSENAL PLAY THEIR FIRST EVER PREMIERSHIP LEAGUE GAME at the NEW EMIRATES STADIUM. Aston Villa are the visitors and the first game ends in a 1-1 draw with Gilberto Silva scoring Arsenal's first PREMIERSHIP goal at their new home. 60023 took to their new seats with the vast majority getting a scare in the 54th minute when Olof Melberg rose to head home a Villa corner to put the visitors ahead. With just seven minutes to go, a move involving substitute Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie ended with the ball landing at Gilberto Silva's feet and he smashed home the equaliser on 83. Not the first game win hoped for but not a bad start either.

Gilberto Silva scores Arsenal's first Premiership goal at the Emirates

Wed, 23/08/2006 With a 3-0 Champions League qualifying advantage over Dinamo Zegreb there were only a few minor worries when Eduardo (later to join Arsenal) put the away team in front on 11 minutes. After that Arsenal made and missed many chances and the away team made a few chances as well. On 77 minutes though Arsenal had a free kick around the penalty box, it was taken by Robin van Persie and Freddie Ljungberg headed into the corner of the net to make it 1-1. On 90 minutes, Substitute Theo Walcott crossed low to the unmarked Mathieu Flamini who tucked away the first Arsenal winning goal at the Emirates Stadium as arsenal went through to the competition proper on a comfortable 5-1 agg win

Sat, 26/08/2006 Arsenal lose their first game of the season 1-0 away to Manchester City. Arsenal made and missed so many chances that they only have themselves to blame. The winning goal came from the penalty spot in the 40th minutes when Justin Hoyte pulled down Trevor Sinclair in the penalty area and up stepped Joey Barton to score off the underside of the bar. A hard defeat to take but you have to take your chances to win

Sun 03/09/2006 Saw the first International Friendly at the new Emirates Stadium and what a classic confrontation it was! Brazil versus Argentina. Brazil scored with their first attack when a Robinho pass found Elano through a deflection and he hit his first ever goal for his country in just the 4th minute. On 67 Elano scored his second goal with another great shot, this time Kaka set him up. As the game headed for the final minute Kaka saved the best till last, he picked up the ball in his own half and dodged challenges as he headed to the Argentine box, with just Abbondanzieri to beat in goal, he cooly slipped the ball past him. Final Score Brazil 3-0 Argentina (attendance 59032)

Brazil 3-0 Argentina

Sat, 09/09/2006 Arsenal's second EPL home game at the Emirates and another 1-1 draw like the first game, this time against Middlesbrough. Also Arsenal had to come from behind for the fourth game running played at the Emirates (2 EPL games, Champions League game and Bergkamp's Testimonial !?!) A rare Boro attack in the 21st minutes saw James Morrison swap passes with Yakubu before placing a shot pass Jens Lehmann in the Arsenal goal. After the break Arsenal searched for the equaliser and the game started to go their way on 62 minutes when George Boateng got a second yellow card for a foul on Freddie Ljungberg and was sent off, four minutes later Stuart Downing fouled Emmanuel Eboue in the box and Thierry Henry made no mistake and made the game level, dispite Arsenal's best efforts, that is how the game finished. Another home draw and another 1-1

Wed, 13/09/2006 Arsenal travel to Hamburg in the Champions League and come home with a good 2-1 win after a bit of help from the Germans. On 11 minutes Robin van Persie raced through on goal and was brought down but Hamburg keeper Sascha Kirschstein. He was shown a straight red card and Gilberto Silva scored from the spot to make it 0-1 against the now 10 men. Arsenal doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when Tomas Rosicky hit a 25 yard curler into the top corner. Right at the death Sanogo pulled a goal back, just a minute after he had a goal ruled out for off side. That was the first Arsenal goal conceded in more than 850 Champions League minutes. Final score: Hamburg 1-2 Arsenal

Sun, 17/09/2006 Arsenal's first win of the season and what a place to win, Old Trafford was the venue as Arsenal won 0-1 after Gilberto Silva slipped taking a 13th minute penalty and Tomasz Kuszczak saved easily. Arsenal who had started slowly then had the better of the first half. The second half produced chances at both ends and with a goal less draw looking the likely result when Cesc Fabregas forced Ronaldo into a mistake and the ball found it's way to Emmanuel Adebayor who held off Wes Brown before prodding the ball home with four minutes to go. United still had chances after the goal and Jens Lehmann made some fine saves before the final whistle. A great performance and a great result that few predicted.

So sweet, Adebayor scores the winner at Old Trafford

Sat, 23/09/2006 A historic day as Arsenal win their first Premiership game at the Emirates with a comfortable 3-0 win over Sheffield United. The away team put up a stubborn resistance until Arsenal made the breakthrough in the 64th minute when Henry found Gallas and he volleyed home. On 68 minutes, the unlucky Phil Jagielka sliced a Thierry Henry cross into his own net and on 80, Henry himself found the net with a simple header from a great cross by Emmanuel Eboue. It was a day/result every Gooner had been waiting for and there were plenty of smiles as the crowd headed to the exits with three Emirates points on the board

William Gallas hits Arsenal's first

Tue, 26/09/2006 Champions League night as Arsenal take on Porto from Portugal at the Emirates. On 37 minutes Eboue hit a great cross to the far post and Thierry Henry scored with his head for his 50th European goal. Two minutes after the break, Gallas and Henry combined to feed Alex Hleb who fired home the second. It was fairly plain sailing after that and Arsenal fully deserved their 2-0 win

Sat, 30/09/2006 This game will long be remembered for Robin van Persie's incredible volley in this hard fought 1-2 win against Charlton. The goal was the winning goal and there will not be many if any better winning goals this season. Click here to watch goal!!  Charlton had took the lead on 21, when an off side looking Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink fed Darren Bent who had a simple tap in to make it 1-0. On 32 minutes the game was all square, when Alex Hleb found van Persie at the edge of the penalty area and he drove hard and low to beat Scott Carson in the Charlton goal. Three minutes into the second half came van Persie's screamer. It was three more points for Arsenal but the day belonged to the on fire Robin van Persie

Sat, 14/10/2006 A comfortable afternoons work as Arsenal beat Watford 3-0 in the EPL at the Emirates. The first goal on 32 was a touch fortunate when a Cesc Fabregas free kick was touched back by Emmanuel Adebayor and under pressure Stewart headed past his own keeper. On 43 minutes a long kick by Jens Lehmann in the Gunners goal was again touched on by Adebayor, this time Henry collected and sprinted towards goal before shooting under the diving Foster to give Arsenal a well deserved 2-0 half time lead. On 67 minutes the rolls reversed when Henry set up a simple chance for Adebayor to score. Watford had a few chances late on but could not find a way pass in form Lehmann.

Tue, 17/10/2006 Arsenal lose on a freezing night in Moscow to CSKA 1-0 in the Champions League. The goal came from a blasted free kick by Daniel Carvalho on 24 minutes and proved to be enough on the night. Thierry Henry did score late on but it was ruled out for hand ball but that looked a very harsh decision after watching the replay. This was the end of six straight wins.

Sun, 22/10/2006 Reading away was the setting for an Arsenal footballing master class. It took just 58 seconds for Thierry Henry to score after Cesc Fabregas got to the byline and pulled the ball back to Henry who let fly into the bottom corner of the net. From that moment there was only ever going to be one winner. On 38 minutes a one-two between Hleb and Rosicky ended with Alex Hleb blasting the ball into the roof of the net for a well deserved 0-2 lead. The second half started and it only took four minutes for Arsenal to rip the Reading defence to shreds again. Another one-two this time involving Hleb and Henry saw a ball played back to Hleb who crossed instead of shooting and Robin van Persie had the easiest of chances to make it 0-3. On 69 minutes, Henry played a through ball to Cesc Fabregas and he was brought down by Hahnemann in the Reading goal. Henry made no mistake from the spot to score his second and Arsenal's fourth. The game ended 4-0 to the Arsenal and the truth is that Reading can be well pleased they only conceded four!

Tue, 24/10/2006 It's Carling Cup 3rd round time and a run out for the youngsters against WBA at the Hawthorns. Jeremie Aliadiere scored a rare brace on his first start of the season. On 34 minutes Aliadiere burst in to the penalty area and was tripped by Steve Watson, he got up to take the penalty himself and made no mistake. Half time came and went and just five minutes into the second half it was 0-2. Theo Walcott took a free kick near the right corner flag and found Aliadiere by the near post, he smartly hit an angled volley past WBA keeper Russell Hoult. 0-2 was a very good final score against a more experienced WBA team and puts Arsenal in the 4th round of the Carling Cup.

 Thu, 26/10/2006 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh officially opens The Emirates Stadium but the Queen who is supposed to do the opening is unable to attend with a bad back

Prince Philip, Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry

Sat, 28/10/2006 Back to EPL action and back to the Emirates for the visit of Everton. Tim Cahill stunned the home crowd with a blasted close range opener on 11 minutes from an Everton Corner and the early season curse of conceding the first goal was back. It took Arsenal exactly an hour to draw level, when on 71 minutes, a brilliant curling Robin van Persie free kick beat Tim Howard in goal and drew a huge sigh of relief from the home fans. That was the last of the scoring and both teams had to settle for a point each.

Wed, 01/11/2006 Arsenal play CSKA Moscow in the Champions League at the Emirates. Arsenal dominate the game but miss a number of very good chances, the game ends as the first Arsenal 0-0 of the season.

Sun, 05/11/2006 A short trip to East London in the EPL saw both West Ham and Arsenal go for the win and just when you thought the game was heading for another 0-0 draw, up popped Marlon Harewood at the far post to knock in a low Matthew Etherington cross on 88 minutes and that was that. Arsenal deserved more but you don't always get what you deserve.

Wed, 08/11/2006 Carling Cup 4th round time and a very tricky tie away to Everton. Everton's James McFadden never helped the home sides cause when he was sent off after 19 minutes for something he said to referee Graham Poll after a penalty appeal was turned down. Wenger had changed the entire eleven players that lost to West Ham and this side was more than a match for the home team. On 85 minutes Arsenal were awarded a corner, Mathieu Flamini stepped up to take it and the ball was floated on to the head of a completely unmarked Emmanuel Adebayor who buried the chance into the Everton net to win the game. Arsenal may have had a bit of help with the sending off but they certainly did deserve to go through to the Quarter Finals

Emmanuel Adebay_score

Sun, 12/11/2006 Time for some more EPL action at the Emirates against the "main" team from Merseyside. Arsenal v Liverpool usually has all the ingredients for a good game and this never let anyone down (unless your a scouser) Arsenal won this encounter 3-0 and all three goals came from players that you would not expect to all get on the score sheet during the same game. Mathieu Flamini scored the first on 41, after a Cesc Fabregas cross found him at the near post and the falling Flamini knocked the ball home. On 56 minutes Robin van Persie knocked a forward ball and centre back Kolo Toure was the unlikely man most forward, he recieved the ball and sprinted in on goal before firing past Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal to make it 2-0. On 79 minutes a van Persie corner found the head of Toure's defensive partner William Gallas and that was that! 3-0 was a fair reflection of the game.

Sat, 18/11/2006 Arsenal v Newcastle in the EPL again at the Emirates another 1-1 draw and another game in which the away team scored first. On 29 and against the run of play, Obafemi Martins out jumped Gael Clichy to knock a header to Keiron Dyer, he cut inside Eboue before hitting a nice low shot past the diving Jens Lehmann in goal. Another frustrating afternoon was had by all but in the 70th minute came some relief. Thierry Henry was pulled down by Steven Taylor and Henry stepped up to take the free kick himself and the curled kick hit the underside of the bar before going in. That's how the 10th EPL game at the new Emirates Stadium finished with a record of won 05 and drawn 05

Tue, 21/11/2006 European night at the Emirates, you just cant beat it. Tonights Champions League opponents are Hamburg. Guess what?? within four minutes Arsenal are behind again at home, this time Raphael van der Vaart’s 25 yard dipping shot caused the damage. Arsenal huffed and puffed for the rest of the first half and never caused Hamburg too many problems. On 52 minutes Cesc Fabregas found Robin van Persie out on the right, he headed for goal slotting the ball under keeper Wachter to level the game. Six minutes from time and Arsenal finally took the lead, the ball found it's way to Emmanuel Eboue and his shot from a very accute angle went in off keeper Wachter to give Arsenal a 2-1 lead. The Icing on the cake came in the 89th minute when a pin point cross from young Theo Walcott saw Julio Baptista score his first Arsenal goal with a powerful header to give a full time 3-1 scoreline

Julio Baptista scores his first Arsenal goal

Sat, 25/11/2006 A bad day at the office saw Arsenal get a bit of a thumping in the EPL away to Bolton and to rub salt into the wound, it was ex Gunner striker Nicolas Anelka who was mainly responsible for the damage. Things started to go wrong as early as the eight minute when poor marking from a El-Hadji Diouf near post corner saw Abdoulaye Faye head home the opener. As half time approached Anelka picked up the ball on the left and slipped past Kolo Toure before powering a dipping shot from 25 yards in to the far corner, this was his first Bolton goal. Within a minute on 45 minutes Arsenal pulled a goal back when stand in Captain Gilberto Silva headed home a Theo Walcott cross to give the visitors some hope. After the break Arsenal gave it their best shot but after hitting the woodwork three times, you knew it was not going to be their day. On 76 minutes Anelka ran on to a perfect Campo pass and slotted the ball home to make it 3-1. Arsenal deserved something from this game but came home with nothing

Wed, 29/11/2006 After defeat at Bolton, the last thing Arsenal needed was another defeat at Fulham but that's exactly what happened and another early corner, this time in the 5th minutes when Brian McBride headed home a Claus Jensen corner. 13 minutes later and it was 2-0 to the home side, when another ex Gunner, this time Luis Boa Morte set up Tomasz Radzinski with a low far post cross and he bundled it in before crashing in to the advertising boards and needed lengthy treatment. On 36, Arsenal were back in the game with a trade mark 25 yard free kick from Robin van Persie after Liam Rosenior had fouled Alex Hleb outside the box. Most supporters then expected Arsenal to go on and win the game from there with so much time still to play. The game turned sour for Arsenal though on 66 minutes when Philippe Senderos was sent off for his second yellow card. Arsenal never recovered and for the first time in 40 years, Fulham had managed to beat Arsenal. The 2-1 result was a big blow after the Bolton defeat.

Sat, 02/12/2006 After two bad defeats a tonic was needed by all and the first ever EPL, NORTH LONDON DERBY at the Emirates Stadium could provide such a tonic and sure enough it did. Arsenal overpowered Tottenham Hotspurs and picked up all three points with a 3-0 win. On 20 minutes Emmanuel Adebayor picked up a long ball from Kolo Toure and surged forward through the middle while Spurs were appealling for off side he clinically found the net, replays proved it was a fair goal. On 42 another good move involving Adebayor, Ljungberg and Fabregas saw the ball land at the feet of Tomas Rosicky he was clattered to the ground by Pascal Chimbonda in the box and Gilberto Silva guided the ball past Paul Robinson who guessed the right way for a great 2-0 half time lead. Arsenal controlled the second half and on 72, a long Freddie Ljungberg pass to Robin van Persie saw him also fouled in the penalty area, this time by Jermaine Jenas. Gilberto Silva had another chance to beat the Spurs keeper from 12 yards. This he did with ease sending Robinson the wrong way. A great win over the old enermy is a great way to lift the gloom and this did the trick

Spurs pay the penalty

Wed, 06/12/2006 Champions League time again, this time a trip to Porto. If Arsenal could get a point they would win group G and if Porto got a point they would qualify in second place. The game ended 0-0 and it was fair to say that everyone was happy with that result.

Sun, 10/12/2006 A short hop to West London and Stamford Bridge was next on the cards and an EPL game with Chelsea. Arsenal had injuries and this was never going to be an easy game. Arsenal stood firm and the first half ended goal less. After the break it was all nip and tuck until a 79th minute goal came out of the blue (no pun intended) Mathieu Flamini picked up the ball on the egde of the area from an Alex Hleb return pass and blasted a right foot shot past Hilario in the Chelsea goal and although the keeper got fingers on the ball he could not keep it out. The goal then spured the home team on. On 84, Michael Essien let fly a screamer from 25 yards and it nearly took the back of the net off. Credit where it's due, this was one of the goals of the season. It was all hands to the pump now and Chelsea looked odds on favourites to get all three points. In the dying seconds both Essien and Frank Lampard hit the woodwork for the home side but Arsenal hung on for a well deserved and hard fought point

Wed, 13/12/2006 Midweek EPL action at Wigan was next. A boring goal less first half turned into a more exciting second half but the crowd had to wait until the 88th minute for a goal, the winning goal! the home crowd were NOT happy. A Cesc Fabregas pass to Adebayor and a guided shot past Chris Kirkland in goal was all that was needed for a valuable win and third place in the EPL

Sat, 16/12/2006. EPL action at the Emirates and what action! it was bicycle clip time as unbeaten at their new ground, Arsenal found themselves 0-2 down to un fancied Portsmouth. The last action of the first half saw a Portsmouth free kick by Matt Taylor headed on to the post by David Thompson and the rebound came back to Noe Pamarot who headed back into an empty net. Arsenal had fallen behind at home again but on 47 minutes Arsenal experienced a new Emirates feeling..... being two goals down. A Pompy attack ended with headed clearance by centre back Johan Djourou to the edge of the area the ball was picked up by England u21 star Taylor who lobbed the ball back over Jens Lehmann. The home fans were stunned, really stunned. Luckily the Gunners picked themselves up, had a bit of a brush down and then went to work. Arsene Wenger brought on Emmanuel Adebayor from the bench and on 58 minutes he smashed a goal back from a great Theo Walcott cross. Just two minutes later and the comeback was complete. Amazing scenes as James in goal could only parry out a Kolo Toure long shot, the ball went to Adebayor, he crossed and the ball was headed on to Walcott via Sol Campbell, his cut back was miss hit but still found it's way to Gilberto Silva who knocked a bobbling ball into the far corner to make the game all square again. Arsenal went for the winner but it never came and though they saved their unbeaten home record, the truth was this was two valuable points lost.

Sat, 23/12/2006 EPL Christmas action and an eight goal record breaking thriller at the Emirates. Just as well Arsenal scored SIX of them, in a 6-2 drubbing of Blackburn Rovers. Arsenal even gave them the lead when Shabani Nonda converted a third minute penalty after Kolo Toure brought down ex Gunner David Bentley. (oh no...... the away team first goal curse strikes again) With only 10 on the clock the score was 1-1 after a van Persie corner was headed home by Gilberto Silva, his seventh goal of the season. On 23 Adebayor found Alex Hleb and he slotted a lovely close range shot in to the far corner of the net. Seven minutes later and Adebayor found the advancing Robin van Persie in the box who was then fouled by Lucas Neill. Up popped Adebayor to take the penalty and he sent Brad Friedel the wrong way to give Arsenal a 3-1 half time lead. Blackburn were not done for yet and on 69 minutes Matt Derbyshire headed against the Arsenal bar and penalty scorer Nonda got his second of the afternoon with a delightful overhead kick from the rebound. At 3-2 Arsenal were nervous but three more goals at the death made the score seem easier than the game really was. On 85 van Persie scored the fourth with a nice run and shot, then tapped in the fifth on 88 from a cut back by Cesc Fabregas. Mathieu Flamini then rounded off the Christmas scoring by ramming home number six and putting some festive icing on a very tasty cake.

van driver

Tue, 26/12/2006 Boxing Day EPL action from Vicarage Road Watford as Arsenal just edge a three goal game. On 19 minutes a Tomas Rosicky near post corner was glanced on by Kolo Toure and Gilberto Silva powerfully headed Arsenal into a 0-1 lead. Five minutes later it was 1-1, Hameur Bouazza crossed from the left and the ball deflected off Toure to Tommy Smith who burried the ball from eight yards out. Both teams were looking for the win during the second half and eventually Arsenal found it. On 83, substitute Theo Walcott laid on the ball to Robin van Persie and he cut in from the right unleashing a lovely curling shot that beat Foster in goal and gave Arsenal the victory.

Sat, 30/12/2006 This was a frustrating day, a very very VERY frustrating day. Sheffield United away in the EPL and three points were expected even though Arsenal had plenty of Injury problems. Not only did Arsenal come away with nothing but you could not even put up an argument to say they were unlucky, the truth is for long periods Arsenal were over run by the battling Blades. On 40 Alan Quinn passes to Christian Nade and he races in on goal clipping the ball over Jens Lehmann and into the net. That was the only goal of the game and 2006 finished on a very disappointing note and Arsenal fifth in the EPL.

Tue, 02/01/2007 A new year and an unbeaten January!! First up Charlton at home in the EPL. Returning from Injury, Captain Thierry Henry knocked in a penalty on the half hour after Robin van Persie was fouled in the area and Osei Sankofa was sent off. Just as the half time whistle was about to go, Justin Hoyte played a one-two with Henry before slotting the ball into the far corner for his first Arsenal Goal. On 76, Henry got the better of Diawara in the box and the defender tugged him back for another penalty. This time van Persie made no mistake with his spot kick. Van Persie had a final part to play in injury time when a through ball from Mathieu Flamini found van Persie and he waited for the right moment to chip the ball over Scott Carson and seal Arsenal's 4-0 win. With two saves off the line, two wood works and a Henry goal chalked off, Charlton got off far lighter than they might have done.

Sat, 06/01/2007 3rd round FA Cup day and a very tough draw away to Liverpool. Well on paper it was but not on grass. Tomas Rosicky was the man in form and two first half goals put the Gunners on the "Anfield" Road to vistory. On 37 an exchange of passes between Rosicky and Hleb saw Rosicky hit a first time curler from the edge of the area that found the top corner of the net. As the clock hit 42 minutes, Henry found Rosicky 30 yards out, he beat two defenders before smacking the ball past Jerzy Dudek in the Liverpool goal to double the lead. After the break Liverpool stepped up a gear and Arsenal were on the back foot. On 70, ex Gunner Jermaine Pennant swung in a corner, Lanky Peter Crouch headed on and Dirk Kuyt headed home from just two yards.  Liverpool could now sense the game was far from over but in the 84th minute it was. A brilliant individual goal from Henry sealed the game when he sprinted for a ball he should never have reached but he did out on the left, he turn goalward and raced towards goal before hitting a right foot shot past the keeper and killing the game. 1-3 was a fantastic scoreline but Liverpool never had long to wait to try and get some revenge.

Tue, 09/01/2007 Arsenal were back at Anfield fresh from knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup, this time it was a Carling Cup quarter final game. After the drama of just a few days earlier surly this game could not match it. Well match it it did and will live long in the memory as this Carling Cup classic produced NINE goals with Liverpool conceding SIX in their own back yard. Winning 3-6 after just winning 1-3 was an astonishing cup double by anybodies standard. This incredible night belonged to Arsenal and in particular Julio Baptista who scored four goals after never scoring a domestic goal before (he had scored in the Champions League) Baptista's goals came in the 40, 45, 60 and 84 minutes and he also had a penalty saved by Dudek in the Liverpool goal. Baptista's goals included a 25 yard free kick, a 20 yard shot and two close range efforts. Jeremie Aliadiere opened the scoring on 27 with a tap in at the second attempt and Alex Song scored on 45 from a corner. Liverpool's scorers were Fowler 33, Gerrard 68 and Hyypia on 80. This was the first time in 77 years that Liverpool had let in six goals at home.

Julio Baptista, Arsenal's only FOUR goal League Cup scorer in a single game

Sat, 13/01/2007 EPL action at Blackburn Rovers and with Arsenal down to 10 men with 78 minutes still to go, they produced a performance of true grit and determination to still get all three points after a 0-2 win. Gilberto Silva saw red after only 12 minutes after a tangle with the very "niggly" Robbie Savage, both men should have got a yellow but that was not to be. A forty yard Thierry Henry Free kick on 36 minutes broke the deadlock, he floated the ball in to the box and Kolo Toure got a powerful head on the ball that went in off the post. On 71, Henry and Fabregas combined well out on the left and when Fab returned the ball to Henry, he unleashed a great shot from 20 yards to seal the game and take home another vital three points.

Sun, 21/01/2007 Arsenal v Manchester United, a mouth watering EPL game at the Emirates. United were top of the table 15 points ahead of the Gunners but that was to be cut to a dozen after this 2-1 Arsenal win. A goal less first half saw three second half goals scored with Wayne Roony getting the first by stooping low to head home a pacy Patrice Evra cross on 52 minutes. Arsenal battled away and on 83, Tomas Rosicky crossed, Henry missed the ball but it went all the way to the far post where Robin van Persie tucked away the equaliser. As the clock hit 90, Emmanuel Eboue chucked over another cross, this time Henry did not miss the ball and headed it past Edwin van der Sar to turn the game on it's head. Arsenal were good value for their 2-1 win and this was another confidence boosting result.

Wed, 24/01/2007 Carling Cup Semi Final 1st leg: A trip to White Hart Lane and the Spuds of Tottenham awaited. Indeed not only were they waiting but smiling from ear to ear with a 2-0 lead after only 20 minutes. Spurs Dimitar Berbatov opened the scoring on 12 minutes with a simple header from a Jermaine Defoe cross, if that was not bad enough, four goal hero of the last round Julio Baptista deflected a shot into his own net from a hard low Tom Huddlestone free kick just eight minutes later. Spurs full strength team took a 2-0 advantage against a younger less experienced Arsenal team into the half time break. On 64 minutes that smug Spud smile started to crack as Baptista played a one-two with Theo Walcott before calmly passing the ball past Paul Robinson in the home teams goal. In the 77th minute the smile had been well and truly knocked from their spud faces, or should I say in was transferred to the red and white half of North London as Baptista completed the comeback, Justin Hoyte got to the byline and his deep cross was bundled across the line. The comeback was complete and with the home leg still to come, the spuds had surly blown their chance of getting to the Carling Cup Final.

Sun, 28/01/2007 Next up is Bolton Wanderers at home in the fourth round of the FA Cup. This was like groundhog day, another 1-1 home draw and another game where the away team scores first. Kevin Nolan put the visitors in front on 50 minutes, Kevin Davies fired across goal towards the back post and it found the unmarked Nolan who turned before putting Bolton one up. On 77 minutes A Cesc Fabregas free kick found Toure in the box and his diving header bounced over Jaaskelainen into the net to set up a replay.

Wed, 31/01/2007 Carling Cup Semi Final 2nd leg action against Spurs at the Emirates, with the tie balanced at 2-2 from the first leg. Many thought that when Spurs blew their 2-0 lead in the first encounter it would cost them dear and so it did. The game was closer than expected but two EXTRA TIME goals sealed the victory. Arsenal had thought they had won the game on 77 when Tomas Rosicky's shot was parried by Paul Robinson in the Spurs goal, the ball found it's way back to Rosicky who then played a clever little pass to Emmanuel Adebayor who swept the ball home. Credit to Spurs (but only a little bit) when they were awarded a free kick on 85 minutes, the ball was whipped in by Jermaine Jenas and Egyptian striker Mido out jumped everyone to head the tie level again at 3-3. Thats how the game finished so extra time was needed. The first period was quiet until the very last kick of the half when a Denilson cross was knocked on by Spurs Ricardo Rocha and Jeremie Aliadiere got to the ball first to shot past Robinson. Arsenal made it 3-1 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate when in the 112th minute Adebayor headed a long ball from Toure in to the path of Rosicky, he shot but the ball hit the post, it bounced out, hit Spurs defender Pascal Chimbonda and bounced back over the line. Arsenal were on their way to a League Cup Final in Cardiff (the new Wembly Stadium was still being built) This will be Arsenal's first League Cup Final in 14 years.

Aliadiere makes it 2-1 on the night

Sat, 03/02/2007 Next up Middlesbrough away in the EPL. A goaless first half made way for a two goal second half as both teams shared the points. Philippe Senderos was sent off on 66 for a foul on Yakubu in the area and he got up to beat Jens Lehmann from the spot. On 77 minutes (Arsenal seem to get more than their fair share of goals on 77 minutes) Adebayor rose high in the Boro box to knock down a header to Thierry Henry, who tucked away the point saver from close range. Who would have guessed that this was to be Henry's last ever goal for the club?

Sun, 11/02/2007 Wigan at home was next in the EPL and the away goal curse was back, this has been an amazing first Emirates season for opponents taking the lead. This time is was Danny Landzaat with a stunning near 35 yard curling strike on 35 minutes. On the stroke of half time Emile Heskey should have made it 0-2 but his shot came back off the post after Lehmann got his finger tips on the ball. Wigan were holding firm after the break and an Adebayor goal on 72 minutes was ruled out for off side. Arsenal finally broke through on 81 minutes when Henry fed Mathieu Flamini (off side ?!?!) and his attempted cut back to Henry was turned into his own net by Fitz Hall who was under pressure from Henry. Four minutes later Arsenal were in front and heading AND I MEAN HEADING for all three points. Good work between Emmanuel Adebayor and Julio Baptista saw the former cross the ball from the right for Tomas Rosicky to powerfully head home the winner on 84 minutes.

Wed, 14/02/2007 Tonight it's FA Cup 4th round replay time at Bolton. The game had everything from goals to a sending off, two missed Arsenal penalties, non stop action and extra time thrown in for good measure, this was a classic. Emmanuel Adebayor's deflected shot on 13 minutes gave the visitors a half time lead. The game was flowing from end to end, midway through the second half Arsenal had a chance to double their lead with a penalty when Ben Haim clipped Baptista racing in to the box, Gilberto Silva set himself for the kick, he ran up to the ball and blasted it over the bar, this gave the home team plenty of encouragement. On 85 the game was over............ OR WAS IT???? Adebayor capitalised on Campo's mistake and headed goal wards, with only the keeper to beat he took the ball round the keeper and with an open goal at his mercy managed to miss and hit the post and the ball bounced harmlessly away. Soon after Arsenal were made to pay. 90 minutes had passed and Injury time was in it's last seconds when Bolton won a corner. This was it, make or break, Jaaskelainen was up from his goal to add numbers in attack. Diouf floated the corner to the far post, Campo headed the ball back and Abdoulaye Meite scrambled the ball home from three yards. The crowd went mad, the Bolton players went mad, Arsenal players looked dejected and surly the tie had now swung Bolton's way with extra time now to play. Bolton bossed the first period of extra time and Gilberto headed against his own post. With 13 minutes left, the tie was finally settled, good work from Jeremie Aliadiere saw the ball find Freddie Ljungberg back from a two month lay off, he collected the ball, raced forward and steered a lovely shot into the far corner. After that Ben Haim was sent off for two yellows and Ex Gunner Nicolas Anelka gave away another penalty for a foul on Adebayor, this time Julio Baptista took the penalty and blasted over. With time running out, Adebayor picked up the ball on the break and scored Arsenal's third. This classic encounter will live long in the memory and BOTH teams played their part to the full. Final score Bolton 1-3 Arsenal aet

Sat, 17/02/2007 FA Cup 5th round action this time at home to Blackburn Rovers but in truth there was very little action. Wednesday night's game had taken it's toll and this became Arsenal's first domestic 0-0 draw in 56 games. On another day with a different ref Arsenal could easily of had a penalty or two but this game fizzled out to a very forgettable anti climax after Wednesday's heroics

Tue, 20/02/2007 Big big night of Champions League action as the knock out stage begins. Arsenal are drawn away to Dutch side PSV in the first leg. In all honesty this is a good draw and Arsenal are expected to go through over the two legs but this game goes PSV's way with a 61st minute winner from Edison Mendez with a 25 yard shot that skids across the surface and past Lehmann in goal. A 1-0 defeat is not the end of the World but Arsenal have it all to do in the second leg. This game was Manager Arsene Wenger's 600th in charge

Advantage PSV with a 1-0 lead after the 1st leg

Sun, 25/02/2007 Carling Cup Final day in Wales at the Millennium Stadium. This game was always going to have an edge because Arsenal, Chelsea games always seem to. When the First whistle blew Arsenal were out of the traps in a flash and their younger less experienced team was running Chelsea all over the pitch. On 12 minutes Arsenal got what they deserved when Theo Walcott broke his Arsenal duck to give the Gunners the lead after curling a great shot past Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal. The lead only lasted eight minutes when Didier Drogba got on the end of a lofted Ballack pass, raced forward and cooly put the ball away past Almunia. There was more than a suspicion of off side but nothing was given. The second half will be remembered for three incidents, first Chelsea Captain John Terry nearly getting his head kicked off when stooping for a header, causing seven minutes of injury time and a trip to the hospital unconscious, second Drogba's winning header from a left wing cross by Robben on 84 that they never deserved as Arsenal were the better team on the day and the expected brawl at the end after Jon Obi Mikel's foul on Kolo Toure. Mikel, Toure and Adebayor were all sent off because of the incident right at the death. The game ended 2-1 to Chelsea but the best team on the day lost. Still it was valuable experience for Arsenal's younger players but the Cup would have been the icing on the cake and the rightful reward.

"Cech out my first Arsenal goal"

17 year old Theo Walcott puts Arsenal 1-0 up

Wed, 28/02/2007 FA Cup 5th round replay at Blackburn Rovers saw Arsenal unable to take any of their chances and substitute Benni McCarthy smash home an unstoppable winner with just four minutes to go. Having just lost the Carling Cup Final, being knocked out of the FA Cup was a double blow.

Sat, 03/03/2007 Arsenal v Reading at the big "E" in the EPL was next, this was a strange game simply because Arsenal scored FIRST for a change! Arsenal dominated the first half and had many chances including Cesc Fabregas missing an open unguarded goal after miss kicking a pass from Julio Baptista. Five minutes in to the second half it was 1-0 to the home team after Gael Clichy had his heels clipped by Andre Bikey in the area and up stepped Gilberto Silva from twelve yards to put the Gunners ahead. On 62 Arsenal were two up, Denilson in the centre circle saw Baptista running towards goal and dispatched the ball to him, Baptista received the ball and headed into the area easily shrugging off Graeme Murty to slot the ball past American keeper Marcus Hahnemann. Reading then had three very decent chances but failed to take any. On 87 minutes though Reading won a corner, John Oster took and Ivar Ingimarson knocked the ball on, it then deflected off Fabregas for an own goal. Reading were back in the game. Ex Gunner Steve Sidwell almost levelled at the death but a super near post save from Jens Lehmann gave Arsenal all three points.

Wed, 07/03/2007  Champions League knockout 2nd leg Arsenal v PSV at home. Arsenal were a goal down from the away leg but to be honest I was not that concerned, Arsenal were sure to turn them over at home. Maybe Arsenal was as over confident as me because this was going to turn in to a very black night indeed. Arsenal dominated the game but when half time came, the games was still goal less. On 58 minutes that was to change, Freddie Ljungberg won a corner, Denilson took it, Adebayor won the header and it hit 6ft 3in Centre Back Alex before deflecting in to level the aggregate score. The ground errupted because there could only be one winner now. Well actually that thought was the kiss of death. On 83 Hleb gave a free kick away in the corner, the ball was floated over and own goal scorer Alex easily out jumped everyone to power home the equaliser on the night and the winning goal overall. This result was a shock to the system. Arsenal were out and the "easiest" team we all wanted to draw stuffed us good and proper over the two games.

Wed, 14/03/2007 EPL time at Villa Park, the team that stopped us winning our first ever game at the Emirates, Aston Villa. This as the old saying goes was a game of two halves. Arsenal were on top in the first half when on 10 minutes Julio Baptista's shot hit a surprised Abou Diaby and deflected past Thomas Sorensen in the villa goal, the keeper was completely flat footed and helpless to do anything about it. Arsenal finished the half 0-1 up and well on top. The second half started and battling Villa dominated the second half but could not find a goal on the night. Arsenal still made a few very good chances but Jeremie Aliadiere who had most of them failed to add to the lead. At the end it did not matter, Arsenal had won and was now third in the table.

Sun, 18/03/2007 Back on the Road, this time to Everton's Goodison Park ground for another EPL game. This was a game going nowhere as neither team could break the other side down. The fourth official had just put up his board to show the freezing cold crowd how long left there was to the final whistle. Then Everton won a corner, the kick was taken, the ball found it's way to Andy Johnson eight yards out and he buried a low shot to give Everton the win. With Carlsey hitting the woodwork in the first half and Osman doing the same in the second half for Everton, maybe, just maybe they just about deserved the full three points.

Arsenal are frozen out in the 1-0 defeat at Everton

Sat, 31/03/2007 After dumping Liverpool out of two cups at Anfield this season, it was their turn to give us a bit of a hiding. A 4-1 EPL hiding in fact and 6ft 7in Peter Crouch was the main man responsible. Crouch scored his first ever hat trick with goals on 4, 35 and 81 minutes to seal a well deserved win. His first goal was a near post knock in from a low cross, his second was a header from an Aurelio cross following a quick free kick and the third was smashed home from close range after shrugging off Kolo Toure. Daniel Agger had already made it 3-0 on the hour with a header before Crouch scored the fourth on the day. Arsenal had got a consolation goal on 73 minutes when Cesc Fabregas's corner was knock on by Toure and William Gallas got the final touch to knock the ball over the line. Not the result required and Liverpool now jumped Arsenal in the EPL table to go third

Sat, 07/04/2007 It simply had to happen at some point and today it did. Arsenal against West Ham United at the Emirates with three points at stake. The away goal curse strikes again totally against the run of play when Bobby Zamora latched on to a Lucas Neill chip over the defence in first half injury time, Zamora then lobbed the ball over the advancing Jens Lehmann in the Arsenal goal. This was a lead out of nowhere and for the first time at the big "E" there was no way back. No matter what Arsenal tried in the second half they simply could not score and Robert Green in the West Ham goal had a lot to do with that. So finally the last away team to win Highbury became the first away team to win at the Emirates. No one expected relegation threatened West Ham to be the first winners at the Emirates Stadium and this was just a reminder that anything can and does happen in football

Mon, 09/04/2007 Newcastle, Arsenal on Easter Monday in the EPL. A poor game best forgotten and that's no EGG_aggaration :( the game ended as it started, 0-0

Sat, 14/04/2007 The 14th time, YES THE 14th TIME!, Arsenal had gone a goal behind at home this season. This time to Bolton Wanderers. Ex Gunner Nic Anelka scored a scruffy goal as far as Arsenal were concerned but that wont worry Anelka, Bolton or the visiting away fans. Arsenal failed to deal with a free kick and eventually the ball found the back of the net after just 10 minutes. It only took 20 minutes for the Gunners to level the game on 30, when an Adebayor chip in to the Bolton box caught the defence napping and Tomas Rosicky nipped in to bundle the ball over the line to give a 1-1 half time score. The second half started and if you were 40 seconds late back to your seat you would have missed the winning goal. Gilberto Silva found Cesc Fabregas who ran into the penalty area before knocking the ball past Jaaskelainen in goal. The Bolton defence had been caught cold and there was no way back for them now, they ended the game with 10 men after Campo had been sent off in the 82nd minute.

Tue, 17/04/2007 More EPL action as Arsenal beat Manchester City at the Emirates 3-1. Tomas Rosicky flicked home the first goal on 12, after a good far post cross by Emmanuel Eboue. On 41 it was all square after Lahmann in goal made a hash of a clearance that went straight to Joey Barton, the ball then found its way to Damarcus Beasley on the left and he drove into the penalty area before shooting past Lehmann. Straight after that City could have took the lead but Jens Lehmann made a good save from a Joey Barton shot. On 73 Arsenal took control after a poor defensive clearance from Nedum Onuoha found Cesc Fabregas and he hit a brilliant  long range right foot volley to make it 2-1. Seven minutes later Sub Julio Baptista swept home to make it 3-1 after good work from Alex Hleb out on the left. This result almost guaranteed Champions Leage football next season

Down and out, Julio Baptista makes it 3-1

Sat, 21/04/2007 North London Derby day at White Hart Lane in the EPL and what a cracker of a match it was. Arsenal dominated this game and was "robbed" of all three points in the last few seconds. After Arsenal had dominated the opening 29 minutes, Spurs won a corner, Jermaine Jenas floated it in Michael Dawson headed it on and Robbie Keane headed it home from an unmissable position. Arsenal continued to dominate and hit the woodwork three times before finally getting the most deserved of all equalisers on 64 minutes. Substitute Cesc Fabregas chipped in a far post free kick that was met by Kolo Toure on the volley and his low shot went in off Paul Robinson in the Spurs goal. On 77 minutes another Fabregas free kick found the head of Emmanuel Adebayor and he powerfully head Arsenal in front. This was a fully deserved lead. Ninety minutes was up and so nearly was the four minutes of added injury time when Jermaine Jenas picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and hit a screaming equaliser. The goal was quality but the point gained from this game was simply not deserved. It was a real last second "smash and grab" and Arsenal were the unfortunate victims

Sun, 29/04/2007 Next up was Fulham at home in the EPL. The game was far closer than the 3-1 scoreline suggests but it was another three points for the Gunners. Adebayor got down to the byline before crossing to the back post where Baptista met the cross with his head to put Arsenal one up after only four minutes. Arsenal made and missed loads of chances in the first half but that had been the story of the season in truth. In the second half Fulham kept at it and on 78 minutes were back in the game. Arsenal keeper Lehmann came from his line to punch out a cross but the ball only went to Fulham player Simon Davies, he simply lifted the ball back over the keeper and into the net. On 84 with Fulham looking for the winner, Fabregas picked up the ball and released Adebayor who sprinted clear to score his 12th goal of the season. With just three minutes left, Ex Gunner  Moritz Voltz brought down Alex Hleb in the box and Gilberto Silva scored from the spot to put the game to bed with a final 3-1 scoreline

Sun, 06/05/2007 The very last EPL game at the Emirates in it's very first season. It was also very similar to the first game against Aston Villa. Both games ended 1-1 and the player who scored the first Emirates EPL goal scored the last Emirates EPL goal, Gilberto Silva. This game was a draw with Chelsea though. The game was level and heading for half time when with two minutes to go, Khalid Boulahrouz brought down Julio Baptista in the box for a penalty and was sent off as well, Gilberto Silva calmly put the penalty away. Arsenal started the second half a goal up and a man up but could not push on and paid the price when on 70 minutes Arsenal failed to clear a corner, the ball went out wide to Shaun Wright-Phillips who hit in a hard cross to the near post where Michael Essien got infront of everyone with his head to level the game for the ten men of Chelsea. With time up Emmanuel Eboue had the very last kick of the game and his fierce shot hit the crossbar.

Sun, 13/05/2007 The 38th and final EPL game of the season, Portsmouth away. The game fizzled out to a 0-0 draw because Pompy keeper David James saved a 40th minute penalty taken by Baptista.

Arsenal settled well into their new home and finished the season in a respectable fourth place.

1 Man Utd    P38  W28  D05  L05  GF83  GA27  GD56  Pts89

2 Chelsea    P38  W24  D11  L03  GF64  GA24  GD40  Pts83

 3 Liverpool  P38  W20  D08  L10  GF57  GA27  GD30  Pts68

4 Arsenal    P38  W19  D11  L08  GF63  GA35  GD28  Pts68

 Played 19 Won 12 Draw 06 Lost 01 GF 43 GA 16 GD27 Pts42