2017–18 Arsenal F.C. season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arsenal F.C.
2017–18 season
Arsenal players Sead Kolašinac (left) and Héctor Bellerín celebrating the former's goal against Swansea City in October 2017.
ChairmanSir Chips Keswick
ManagerArsène Wenger
StadiumEmirates Stadium
Premier League6th
FA Community ShieldWinners
FA CupThird round
EFL CupRunners-up
UEFA Europa LeagueSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague:
Alexandre Lacazette (14)

All:
Alexandre Lacazette (17)

The 2017–18 season was Arsenal's 26th in the Premier League and 92nd consecutive season in the top flight of English football.[1][2] The club participated in the Premier League, the FA Cup (as holders), the EFL Cup, the FA Community Shield and the UEFA Europa League.

This was the first season that Arsenal did not participate in the UEFA Champions League since 1997–98. It was the first time they had played in the UEFA Europa League since its rebranding, having last participated in the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup. A relatively poor season saw Arsenal fail to maintain a consistent challenge for Champions League qualification, with their away form being a major factor, only winning four away games in the league all season with 11 defeats, and they were, until the final game of the season, the only team in England's top 4 divisions to not get a point away from home in the 2018 calendar year. A total of 13 defeats were recorded throughout the league campaign, the highest since the 1994–95 season, which resulted in a 6th-place finish. Furthermore, a shock 4–2 defeat at Nottingham Forest meant that Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup third round for the first time since 1996.

Arsenal were runners-up in the League Cup, being defeated 3–0 in the final against Manchester City. Arsenal were close to winning their first European trophy since the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994, but a 2–1 defeat on aggregate against Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals resulted in another season in the Europa League.

The season was the 21st straight and final season under manager Arsène Wenger, who announced his departure from the club on 20 April 2018.[3] This season covered the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.

Background[edit]

Arsenal's announced their first summer signing, Sead Kolašinac, on 6 June 2017. The left-back arrived on a free transfer when his contract at Schalke 04 expired. He was joined by Alexandre Lacazette just under a month later, who joined from Lyon for a reported club-record fee of £46.5 million on 5 July. Arsenal's first January transfer window signing was Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos from PAS Giannina, while acquiring Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a swap-deal with Alexis Sánchez on 22 January 2018. The club then reunited Mkhitaryan with former teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a club-record deal worth £56.0 million on 31 January.

Arsenal released Yaya Sanogo, Stefan O'Connor, Kostas Pileas and Kristopher Da Graca on 9 June 2017. Sanogo's four-year stay only included 11 league appearances for the club, while O'Connor, Pilea and Da Graca never appeared for the first team. Academy product Chris Willock joined Benfica on June 30 upon the expiry of his contract, signing a five-year deal. Kaylen Hinds, another academy product, departed the club on 8 July, joining Wolfsburg for £2.5 million on a three-year deal. Additional reserve players Glen Kamara and Daniel Crowley also departed the club, joining Dundee and Willem II respectively. Wojciech Szczęsny, who amassed over 150 appearances for the club during an eight-year stay, joined Italian champions Juventus for £10.0 million after his two-year loan at Roma expired. Meanwhile, club mainstay Kieran Gibbs departed for West Bromwich Albion for a £7.0 million fee, leaving after recording 230 appearances over 11 seasons. On deadline day, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was in the final year of his contract at the club, transferred to Liverpool for a record sale fee of £35.0 million and Donyell Malen returned to the Netherlands to join PSV Eindhoven. In the January window, Arsenal allowed the departures of many first-team players, including Theo Walcott and Francis Coquelin, who left for combined fees of £32.0 million. Moreover, Alexis Sánchez departed to Manchester United in a swap-deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrive at the Emirates, while also sanctioning the departures of French first-team pair Olivier Giroud and Mathieu Debuchy, while academy product Marcus McGuane joined Barcelona. All in all, 22 players departed the club.

Takuma Asano had his season-long loan at Stuttgart from the previous season extended for an additional year. Marc Bola later joined Bristol Rovers on a season-long loan. About three weeks later, Emiliano Martínez left for Getafe and Stephy Mavididi went to Preston North End. Meanwhile, English full-back pair Carl Jenkinson and Cohen Bramall were loaned to Birmingham City, while reserve player Kelechi Nwakali departed to join Eredivisie outfit VVV-Venlo. On deadline day, fringe players Lucas Pérez and Joel Campbell, who have compiled 34 domestic appearances collectively, joined Spanish outfits Deportivo La Coruña and Real Betis respectively. In January, Stephy Mavididi had his loan cut short from Preston North End and, for the second time, was then loaned out to Charlton Athletic. English duo Tafari Moore and Ben Sheaf were then loaned out to fourth-tier sides Wycombe Wanderers and Stevenage, respectively, while four additional loans were completed on deadline day. Reserve pair Julio Pleguezuelo and Krystian Bielik joined Gimnàstic Tarragona and Walsall, while fringe first-team players Chuba Akpom and Jeff Reine-Adélaïde were also loaned out to conclude Arsenal's transfers for the season.

Review[edit]

July[edit]

Arsenal took a 25-man squad to play in Australia. The squad included seven under-23s, including Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock, plus both new signings Sead Kolašinac and Alexandre Lacazette. The first match was on 13 July, which was a 2–0 win over Sydney FC, where captain Per Mertesacker scored an overhead kick and Lacazette scored a debut goal after coming on as a substitute. Two days later, Arsenal faced a second Sydney side, Western Sydney Wanderers, in front of 83,000 people. Arsenal won 3–1 after first-half goals from Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey and Mohamed Elneny. Arsenal then travelled to China to face Bayern Munich in Shanghai in the International Champions Cup. Alex Iwobi scored an equalizer in the dying seconds of the match, which Arsenal would win on penalties 3–2. The 25-man squad travelled up to Beijing to face Premier League rivals Chelsea. The Blues won rather convincingly, scoring three times. On 29 and 30 July, the Emirates Cup was held. Arsenal, Benfica, RB Leipzig and Sevilla all took part in the tournament, which Arsenal won after a 5–2 win over Benfica, but a 2–1 loss to Sevilla. Over the tournament, Theo Walcott was the top scorer with two goals, both against Benfica. Giroud and Iwobi also scored one each against Benfica, while Lacazette scored one against Sevilla.

August[edit]

Arsenal concluded their pre-season in the Community Shield, the traditional curtain raiser in English football. New signing Alexandre Lacazette hit the post on his competitive debut in a first half that saw Per Mertesacker replaced after a facial injury, with new signing Sead Kolašinac making his competitive debut as Mertesacker's replacement. After an end to the first half that yielded no goals, Chelsea took an early second half lead through Victor Moses, his close-range strike coming from a poorly defended corner. Several saved shots made it appear Arsenal were going to suffer defeat, until a rash challenge by Chelsea winger Pedro saw him sent off. The resulting free-kick was headed in by Kolašinac for a debut goal, and forced a penalty shootout. Arsenal were victorious 4–1 through goals by Theo Walcott, Nacho Monreal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud, with Thibaut Courtois and Álvaro Morata missing penalties in the shootout that introduced the ABBA format. The result secured Arsenal's third FA Community Shield in four seasons.

Arsenal began their Premier League campaign at home to Leicester City, with the Gunners having lost their last two openers, both at home to West Ham and Liverpool. The record looked to be extended when Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki scored for the Foxes after a record equaling 94th-second opener from new signing Lacazette, opening his league debut with his first competitive Arsenal goal with only his second touch of the game. Danny Welbeck drew Arsenal level in the last minute of first-half stoppage time, but Vardy scored a second ten minutes into the second half to put Leicester ahead once more. The Gunners looked set to lose their first match to the Foxes since 1994 when the final ten minutes approached, but a five-minute period of pressure yielded two goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud to make it 4–3, which the Gunners held on to for only their second opening day victory since 2012.

However, Arsenal's form slipped as August began to end. They suffered a 1–0 defeat against Stoke City after a poor defensive performance and a controversially disallowed goal from Alexandre Lacazette. The poor defence form continued as they were crushed 4–0 by Liverpool and failed to register a single shot on target, sending them near the relegation zone, despite the returns of suspended defender Laurent Koscielny and injured forward Alexis Sánchez.

September[edit]

Arsenal began September with a 3–0 win over Bournemouth at home in the Premier League. Danny Welbeck scored either side of Alexandre Lacazette for an emphatic win. Five days on the Gunners would play in the Europa League having failed to secure a place for the usual Champions League. They played at home to German minnows FC Cologne and horrendously conceded a 40-yard goal as an unfortunate consequence of a mistake by second choice goalkeeper David Ospina thus were booed off the pitch at half time. However, Arsenal responded in the second half. Sead Kolašinac volleyed in the equaliser then Alexis Sánchez scored to give the Gunners the lead and Héctor Bellerín added a third as the match ended 3–1 in Arsenal's favor. Moreover, the match saw Jack Wilshere return for his first Gunners appearance in over a year. On 17 September Arsenal resumed the Premier League campaign as they played against champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The match ended 0–0 despite Aaron Ramsey hitting the post and Chelsea defender David Luiz being sent off on 87 minutes. Three days later Arsenal played in the League Cup third round against League One team Doncaster Rovers at the Emirates. Theo Walcott scored the only goal of the match to send the Gunners into the fourth round but it was an unconvincing performance by Arsenal as they only managed a 1–0 win over a third-tier team. On 25 September Arsenal were at home to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. The Gunners won 2–0 with Lacazette scoring both goals. To end September Arsenal played the second Europa League match of this season. They took the trip to Belarus and won 4–2 against BATE Borisov. Walcott scored two before a first Arsenal goal for Rob Holding as well as Olivier Giroud's 100th goal for Arsenal as the Gunners took those three points to England.

October[edit]

On the 1st of October, the Gunners played the 7th league match of the season against newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates. Arsenal won the match 2–0 thanks to goals by Nacho Monreal and Alex Iwobi. Two weeks on following an international break the Gunners were away to Watford. Captain Per Mertesacker gave the Gunners a first-half lead but Watford went on to win 2–1: during the second half Troy Deeney converted a penalty which was controversially given by referee Neil Swarbrick. Then in stoppage time former Manchester United and Everton player Tom Cleverley gave Watford the win. On 19 October Arsenal made the trip to Serbia for the third Europa League match against Red Star Belgrade. The Gunners won 1–0 with Olivier Giroud scoring an exceptional overhead kick. Three days sooner Arsenal went to Goodison Park to face struggling Everton. During the first half the out-of-form Toffees took the lead through a shot by Wayne Rooney just outside the 18-yard box but Arsenal equalised with Monreal's rebounded shot five minutes before the break. In the second half Mesut Özil got his first goal of the season, heading home Alexis Sánchez's cross. Then 15 minutes later Everton's Idrissa Gueye was sent off for two yellow cards, which proved to set up the Merseyside team's capitulation as goals by Alexandre Lacazette and Aaron Ramsey put Arsenal 4–1 up. In stoppage time Oumar Niasse scored to give Everton hope following a mistake by Petr Čech who failed to control a tame back pass by Monreal. But then Sánchez scored the fifth goal for Arsenal in the final minute of stoppage time as the match ended 5–2 to the Gunners. Only two days later Arsenal played in the League Cup fourth round at home to Championship team Norwich City. During the first half Norwich grabbed a shock 1–0 lead as the Gunners were booed off on the half time whistle. However, on 85 minutes youngster Eddie Nketiah went off the bench to score an equalizer for Arsenal — his first goal on his home debut — as the match went to extra time where Nketiah scored once more for Arsenal, heading in a set piece delivery to put them 2–1 up. The match ultimately ended 2–1 to take the Gunners into the fifth round. The final match of this October was in the Premier League at home to Swansea City. The Gunners were embarrassed to be 1–0 down at half time for a second consecutive home match but they went on to win 2–1 with goals by Sead Kolašinac and Ramsey to keep the three points in Arsenal's favor.

November[edit]

The Gunners played the fourth Europa League match at home to Red Star Belgrade on 2 November but they lacked a cutting edge as they drew 0–0. Next they faced league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad in the Premier League. The Gunners were outplayed from the beginning to end: Kevin De Bruyne handed City the lead and a controversial penalty by Sergio Agüero put them 2–0 up. Sub Alexandre Lacazette gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope but then Gabriel Jesus scored a third Manchester City goal to end the match 3–1 to City. On 18 November following the international break, it was North London derby day in the league as the Gunners played at home to Tottenham. Arsenal won the match 2–0 with first half goals by Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sánchez to give the Gunners' first win over Tottenham in the league since 2014. Five days on Arsenal took the trip to Germany as they played the fifth match of the Europa League schedule against Cologne but despite the Gunners' heavy momentum on the back of the North London derby win they suffered a humiliating 1–0 defeat by the Bundesliga bottom team. Three days sooner Arsenal were away to Burnley in the league. Only a stoppage time penalty by Alexis Sánchez would give the Gunners the lead as the match ended 1–0 to Arsenal. The final match of November would see them play newly promoted Huddersfield at home in the Premier League. Mesut Özil produced a dazzling performance as Arsenal won 5–0 with Alexandre Lacazette scoring the opener, Olivier Giroud scoring the second and fifth, Sánchez scoring the third and Özil himself scoring the fourth. The big win meant that Arsenal would have huge momentum going into the next Premier League match to be played in December — a big one at home to Manchester United.

December[edit]

Unfortunately, Arsenal ended up losing 3–1 to Manchester United. Antonio Valencia gave the visitors an early 4th-minute lead then, only 7 minutes later, Jesse Lingard made it 2–0. The Gunners tried to take a goal back before half-time as they dominated much of the first half but United goalkeeper David de Gea produced an outstanding performance to stop them doing this. Alexandre Lacazette hit the bar and just before the break De Gea made a point-blank save to prevent United conceding an own goal. During the second half on 49 minutes the Gunners finally got a goal back as Lacazette made it 2–1 but then, with 27 minutes remaining, Lingard scored a third for United as the Arsenal defense was exposed during a United counterattack. In the 74th minute, Paul Pogba was sent off for a rash challenge but it never proved to change the match as Manchester United won 3–1 and took the three points to Manchester. On 7 December Arsenal bounced back as they hammered BATE Borisov 6–0 in the final Europa League group stage match with goals by Mathieu Debuchy, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Olivier Giroud and Mohamed Elneny as well as an own goal by one of the BATE Borisov players. The Gunners topped the group and would go on to face Swedish team Östersund in the round of 32 of the Europa League which would be held in February. On 10 December Arsenal went to the South Coast to face Southampton in the league but could only manage a 1–1 draw. Three days later the Gunners faced West Ham United away from home in the Premier League but the match yielded no goals. Three more days later the Gunners played against Newcastle United at the Emirates in a third consecutive Premier League match. The match ended 1–0 to Arsenal with Mesut Özil scoring a stunning volley. On 19 December the Gunners played in the fifth round of the League Cup against West Ham at home. Danny Welbeck scored the only goal of the match to send the Gunners into the semi-finals. On 22 December, three days before Christmas, Arsenal faced Liverpool at the Emirates in the Premier League. Philippe Coutinho gave the visitors a first half lead then, 7 minutes into the second half, Mohamed Salah made it 2–0 to Liverpool. However, Arsenal responded in quick fashion as they scored three goals in five minutes. Goals by Alexis Sánchez, Granit Xhaka and Özil turned the match round as they led 3–2 but then on 71 minutes Roberto Firmino scored a third Liverpool goal to equalise. No further goals occurred as the match ended 3–3 with some describing it as the match of the season. On 28 December the Gunners were away to Crystal Palace in the league and earned a hard-fought 3–2 win with Shkodran Mustafi scoring the opener and Sánchez scoring a brace. Arsenal's final match of 2017 was in the Premier League at West Brom. Baggies midfielder James McClean deflected Sánchez's free kick into his own net to give the Gunners a 1–0 lead on 83 minutes but then Arsenal conceded an 89th-minute penalty which was controversially and wrongly given by referee Mike Dean as the match concluded as a 1–1 draw. 2017 ended in disappointment for the Gunners.

January[edit]

The Gunners' first match of the year saw them play at home to Chelsea in the league. The match yielded no goals during the first half but the deadlock was broken by Arsenal 27 minutes before the end. Jack Wilshere put the Gunners into the lead but it lasted only four minutes and Chelsea turned the game round: Eden Hazard scored a penalty and on 84 minutes Marcos Alonso made it 2–1 to Chelsea. It seemed that it was determined for Chelsea to go on and win the match but then in the second minute of stoppage time Arsenal grabbed a late equalizer through Héctor Bellerín. In the dying moments Chelsea nearly bagged a winning goal but Davide Zappacosta hit the woodwork. The match ended 2–2. On 7 January the Gunners began the FA Cup campaign and played in the third round against Nottingham Forest who were troubled and had no manager. Arsenal who were the defending champions of the competition were expected to win this tie comfortably against a team whom they hammered in the League Cup last season but it turned out that the match was a giant killing: Arsenal were humiliated 4–2 by the Championship team and were knocked out of the FA Cup third round for the first time under Arsène Wenger. Three days later the Gunners played in the League Cup semi final first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The match was dull and below par and no goals occurred. On 14 January Arsenal resumed the Premier League campaign at Bournemouth. Bellerín gave the Gunners the lead on 52 minutes but Bournemouth went on to win 2–1: a mistake by Petr Čech enabled former Liverpool player Jordon Ibe to equalize in the 70th minute and only four minutes later Callum Wilson struck the winner. On 20 January the Gunners played the next Premier League match at home to Crystal Palace and won 4–1 with first half goals by Nacho Monreal, Alex Iwobi, Laurent Koscielny and Alexandre Lacazette. Four days on Arsenal faced Chelsea at the Emirates in the second leg of the League Cup semi final. During the first half Eden Hazard gave the visitors the lead but the Gunners equalized with Chelsea defender Antonio Rüdiger diverting Monreal's effort into his own net. Twenty minutes into the second half Granit Xhaka put Arsenal in front and they went on to win 2–1 thus sending the Gunners into the final of the League Cup where they would face Manchester City. On 30 January Arsenal's optimism and enthusiasm were dampened suffering a shock 3–1 defeat at Swansea City in the Premier League – a match which involved a second mistake by Petr Čech of the month. The Czech goalkeeper had failed to keep a clean sheet in seven league matches and was aiming to earn his 200th in the Premier League.

February[edit]

On 3 February the Gunners played in the Premier League at home to Everton — a match where Arsenal handed home debuts and first starts for January signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, both of whom played together previously for Borussia Dortmund. Arsenal won the match 5–1 with Mkhitaryan bagging three assists, Aaron Ramsey scoring a hat-trick and Aubameyang scoring one. It felt like a new beginning for Arsenal with those new signings — and Mesut Özil's new contract — but it never seemed to be different on 9 February: the Gunners faced Tottenham at Wembley in a Premier League North London derby and lost 1–0 thanks to a goal by Harry Kane. Five days on Arsenal would play the first leg of the Europa League round of 32 at Swedish team Östersund where the Gunners prevailed 3–0. The next Arsenal match would be the second leg of the round at the Emirates where Östersund rallied scoring two goals in the first half. One more goal would even the tie but then in the second half Sead Kolašinac sent the Gunners back into the comfort zone making it 4–2 on aggregate. Arsenal progressed into the next round of the Europa League despite the shock 2–1 home defeat by the Swedish underdogs. On 25 February Arsenal returned to Wembley where they would face Manchester City in the League Cup final. The Gunners were horrendously outplayed by the runaway Premier League leaders and lost 3–0. Sergio Agüero handed Manchester City the lead following a big Arsenal defensive error. On 58 minutes skipper Vincent Kompany made it 2–0 to City and David Silva added a third. Following the Arsenal humiliation former Gunner Ian Wright said that it was 'an insipid performance' by Arsenal.

March[edit]

On 1 March Arsenal resumed the Premier League campaign by playing at home to Manchester City. The Gunners failed to avenge the League Cup final defeat and they were beaten 3–0 with first half goals by Bernardo Silva, David Silva and Leroy Sané while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a penalty in the second half. This Arsenal defeat would send City nearer to title triumph and would only inflict more misery on the Gunners and Arsène Wenger. It only got worse for them on 4 March where the Gunners lost 2–1 at Brighton in the Premier League further increasing the pressure on Wenger. However, on 8 March the Gunners responded in the Europa League first leg match where they won 2–0 against A.C. Milan in Italy and three days on they would win 3–0 at home to Watford thanks to goals by Shkodran Mustafi, Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. It was also the match where Petr Čech finally kept his 200th Premier League clean sheet and he had to save Troy Deeney's penalty to ensure this. The Gunners' final match of March was the second leg of the Europa League round at the Emirates. Milan took the lead on 35 minutes but Arsenal went on to win 3–1 with goals by Danny Welbeck and Granit Xhaka with the former scoring a brace. The Gunners won the tie 5–1 on aggregate thus taking them into the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

April[edit]

Arsenal's next league encounter was on 1 April 2018, at home to a struggling Stoke City side seemingly bound for relegation. It took Arsenal 75 minutes to break the deadlock, achieved via Pierre–Emerick Aubameyang's penalty, before his terrific volley made it 2–0 in Arsenal's favor with four minutes remaining. Aubameyang then had the chance to complete his hat–trick with another spot–kick awarded at the death, but Aubameyang permitted Alexandre Lacazette to take, and he duly did as Arsenal ultimately won 3–0.

In the next match, Arsenal played host to Russians CSKA Moscow in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter–final. After going ahead via Aaron Ramsey, CSKA levelled via Aleksandr Golovin’s stunning free kick. Lacazette then netted from the spot before one of the goals of the year from Aaron Ramsey, an ingenious back–heeled volley, coupled with Lacazette's second later in the half, sealed a commanding 4–1 first leg triumph.

In their fifth successive home match in all competitions, Arsenal secured a dramatic 3–2 home win over Southampton. After Irishman Shane Long put the Saints ahead, goals from Aubameyang and Welbeck made it 2–1 to the hosts. However, Charlie Austin's equalizer tier up a grand finale, decided via Welbeck's second of the evening on 81 minutes.

Arsenal then progressed to the semi–finals of the Europa League as late goals from Welbeck and Ramsey saw Arsenal overcome a 2–0 deficit and earn a 2–2 draw in the Russian capital, subsequently winning the tie 6–3 on aggregate.

However, despite the recent upturn in results, goals from Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie saw Lacazette's early goal rendered worthless at St James Park, with Newcastle United recording a 2–1 victory.

With the pressure mounting, Arsène Wenger's departure as Arsenal boss was announced, so ending a 22-year, trophy–laden association with the club. He would take charge for the remainder of the season prior to the announcement of the new boss.

Against West Ham next time hour, Nacho Monreal had his 52nd-minute strike cancelled out by Marko Arnautović, before Ramsey restores Arsenal's lead late on. A brace later from Lacazette saw Arsenal ultimately secure a 4–1 win and duly keep alive their top four hopes.

However, a damaging 1–1 home draw with Spanish club Atlético Madrid saw Arsenal on the back foot following the first leg of the Europa League semi–final. Despite leading against ten men through Alexandre Lacazette's header, Antoine Griezmann pegged back the Gunners late on.

Things worsened next time out, as, despite Henrikh Mkhitaryan scoring on his return to Old Trafford, goals in either half from Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini saw Manchester United earn a 2–1 victory over the struggling Gunners.

May[edit]

Things got worse later in the week, as Diego Costa's first–half strike earned Atlético Madrid a 1–0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano and eliminate Arsenal from the tournament, ending Arsène Wenger's last chance of winning a trophy in his final season at Arsenal.

However, his last home match in charge at least ended positively, with a 5–0 annihilation of Burnley. Pierre–Emerick Aubameyang opened and closed the scoring, with Lacazette, Sead Kolašinac and Alex Iwobi all scoring one goal each.

His penultimate game at the helm ended in a disappointing 3–1 defeat at Leicester City, despite Aubameyang levelling for the ten-man Gunners shortly before the break.

Arsène Wenger's tenure as Arsenal manager ended as it began all the way back in 1996; with an away win and clean sheet. Huddersfield Town was the Frenchman's final opponents, with Aubameyang grabbing his tenth of the season in the 36th minute to seal a 1–0 victory.

Pre-season[edit]

  Win   Draw   Loss

On 9 May 2017, Arsenal announced they would travel to Australia as part of their pre-season schedule and play two matches against Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers.[4] The club also faced Bayern Munich in Shanghai as a part of the International Champions Cup, and Chelsea in Beijing.[5] Arsenal then hosted the 2017 Emirates Cup, and played Benfica and Sevilla as part of the tournament.[6]

Friendlies[edit]

13 July 2017 (2017-07-13) Sydney FC 0–2 Arsenal Sydney, Australia
20:00 AEST (UTC+10)
11:00 BST (UTC+1)
Report
Stadium: ANZ Stadium
Attendance: 80,432
Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)
15 July 2017 (2017-07-15) Western Sydney Wanderers 1–3 Arsenal Sydney, Australia
20:00 AEST (UTC+10)
11:00 BST (UTC+1)
Report
Stadium: ANZ Stadium
Attendance: 83,221
Referee: Jarred Gillett (Australia)

International Champions Cup[edit]

19 July 2017 (2017-07-19) 2017 ICC (Asia) Bayern Munich 1–1
(2–3 p)
Arsenal Shanghai, China
19:20 CST (UTC+8)
12:20 BST (UTC+1)
Report
Stadium: Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai
Attendance: 39,208
Referee: Guan Xing (China)
Penalties
Note: The match was part of the 2017 Audi Football Summit and the 2017 Audi Summer Tour.

FAW Toyota Exhibition[edit]

22 July 2017 (2017-07-22) Arsenal 0–3 Chelsea Beijing, China
19:40 CST (UTC+8)
12:40 BST (UTC+1)
Report
Stadium: Beijing National Stadium
(the Bird's Nest)

Attendance: 55,618
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Emirates Cup[edit]

29 July 2017 (2017-07-29) Arsenal 5–2 Benfica London, England
16:20 BST (UTC+1)
Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 54,538
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
30 July 2017 (2017-07-30) Arsenal 1–2 Sevilla London, England
16:20 BST (UTC+1) Report
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 57,968
Referee: Andre Marriner (England)

Competitions[edit]

Community Shield[edit]

6 August 2017 (2017-08-06) Final Arsenal 1–1
(4–1 p)
Chelsea Wembley, London
14:00 BST Bellerín Yellow card 15'
Kolašinac 82'
Report Azpilicueta Yellow card 13'
Alonso Yellow card 35'
Willian Yellow card 37'
Moses 46'
Pedro Red card 80'
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 83,325
Referee: Bobby Madley
Penalties
Walcott soccer ball with check mark
Monreal soccer ball with check mark
Oxlade-Chamberlain soccer ball with check mark
Giroud soccer ball with check mark
soccer ball with check mark Cahill
soccer ball with red X Courtois
soccer ball with red X Morata

Premier League[edit]

League table[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
4 Liverpool 38 21 12 5 84 38 +46 75 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
5 Chelsea 38 21 7 10 62 38 +24 70 Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a]
6 Arsenal 38 19 6 13 74 51 +23 63
7 Burnley 38 14 12 12 36 39 −3 54 Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round[a]
8 Everton 38 13 10 15 44 58 −14 49
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored. 4) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).[7]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Since the winners of the 2017–18 FA Cup (Chelsea) and the winners of the 2017–18 EFL Cup (Manchester City) both qualified for European competition based on their league positions, the berths awarded to the 5th-placed team (Europa League group stage) and the League Cup winners (Europa League second qualifying round) were passed down the league.


Results summary[edit]

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 19 6 13 74 51  +23 63 15 2 2 54 20  +34 4 4 11 20 31  −11

Last updated: 13 May 2018.
Source: Premier League

Results by matchday[edit]

Matchday1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAAHAHHAAHAHAHHAAHHAAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAA
ResultWLLWDWWLWWLWWWLDDWDWDDLWLWLLLWWWLWLWLW
Position511161112756556644557466666666666666666666
Updated to match(es) played on 13 May 2018. Source: 11v11.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches[edit]

On 14 June 2017, Arsenal's Premier League fixtures were announced, with the first game scheduled at home to Leicester City, and be the sixth season running Arsenal would start their league campaign at home. Also, Arsenal would play in the first Premier League match of the season.[8][9]

11 August 2017 (2017-08-11) 1 Arsenal 4–3 Leicester City Holloway, London
19:45 BST Lacazette 2'
Welbeck 45+2'
Ramsey 83'
Giroud 85'
Report Okazaki 5'
Vardy 29', 56'
Morgan Yellow card 90+4'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,387
Referee: Mike Dean
19 August 2017 (2017-08-19) 2 Stoke City 1–0 Arsenal Stoke-on-Trent
17:30 BST Jesé 47' Report Stadium: bet365 Stadium
Attendance: 29,459
Referee: Andre Marriner
27 August 2017 (2017-08-27) 3 Liverpool 4–0 Arsenal Liverpool
16:00 BST Firmino 17'
Lovren Yellow card 20'
Gomez Yellow card 23'
Mané 40'
Salah 57'
Sturridge 77'
Report Welbeck Yellow card 22'
Xhaka Yellow card 40'
Özil Yellow card 49'
Holding Yellow card 73'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 53,206
Referee: Craig Pawson
9 September 2017 (2017-09-09) 4 Arsenal 3–0 Bournemouth Holloway, London
15:00 BST Welbeck 6', 50'
Lacazette 27'
Report Francis Yellow card 76' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,262
Referee: Anthony Taylor
17 September 2017 (2017-09-17) 5 Chelsea 0–0 Arsenal Fulham, London
13:30 BST Morata Yellow card 65'
David Luiz Red card 87'
Report Elneny Yellow card 84'
Kolašinac Yellow card 90+1'
Bellerín Yellow card 90+3'
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 41,478
Referee: Michael Oliver
25 September 2017 (2017-09-25) 6 Arsenal 2–0 West Bromwich Albion Holloway, London
20:00 BST Lacazette 20', 67' (pen.)
Sánchez Yellow card 44'
Report Evans Yellow card 35'
Dawson Yellow card 49'
Krychowiak Yellow card 56'
Nyom Yellow card 67'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,134
Referee: Robert Madley
1 October 2017 (2017-10-01) 7 Arsenal 2–0 Brighton & Hove Albion Holloway, London
12:00 BST Monreal 16'
Iwobi 56'
Report Groß Yellow card 17'
Duffy Yellow card 39'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,378
Referee: Kevin Friend
14 October 2017 (2017-10-14) 8 Watford 2–1 Arsenal Watford
17:30 BST Kabasele Yellow card 64'
Deeney 71' (pen.)
Cleverley 90+2'
Report Mertesacker 39' Stadium: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 20,384
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
22 October 2017 (2017-10-22) 9 Everton 2–5 Arsenal Liverpool
13:30 BST Rooney 12'
Williams Yellow card 16'
Gueye Yellow card 34' Yellow-red card 68'
Niasse 90+3'
Report Monreal 40'
Özil 53'
Lacazette 74'
Koscielny Yellow card 86'
Ramsey 90'
Sánchez 90+5'
Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 39,189
Referee: Craig Pawson
28 October 2017 (2017-10-28) 10 Arsenal 2–1 Swansea City Holloway, London
15:00 BST Kolašinac 51'
Ramsey 58'
Report Clucas 22' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,493
Referee: Lee Mason
5 November 2017 (2017-11-05) 11 Manchester City 3–1 Arsenal Manchester
14:15 GMT De Bruyne 19'
Agüero 50' (pen.)
Otamendi Yellow card 73'
Gabriel Jesus 74'
Report Monreal Yellow card 49'
Lacazette Yellow card 59', 65'
Koscielny Yellow card 67'
Xhaka Yellow card 75'
Sánchez Yellow card 77'
Özil Yellow card 90+1'
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
Attendance: 54,286
Referee: Michael Oliver
18 November 2017 (2017-11-18) 12 Arsenal 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Holloway, London
12:30 GMT Xhaka Yellow card 32'
Mustafi 36', Yellow card 48'
Sánchez Yellow card 38', 41'
Monreal Yellow card 73'
Report Kane Yellow card 50' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,530
Referee: Mike Dean
26 November 2017 (2017-11-26) 13 Burnley 0–1 Arsenal Burnley
14:00 GMT Defour Yellow card 15'
Brady Yellow card 25'
Report Sánchez 90+2' (pen.) Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 21,722
Referee: Lee Mason
29 November 2017 (2017-11-29) 14 Arsenal 5–0 Huddersfield Town Holloway, London
19:45 GMT Lacazette 3'
Giroud 68', 87'
Sánchez 69'
Özil 72'
Report Mooy Yellow card 60' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,285
Referee: Graham Scott
2 December 2017 (2017-12-02) 15 Arsenal 1–3 Manchester United Holloway, London
17:30 GMT Lacazette 49'
Bellerín Yellow card 72'
Koscielny Yellow card 87'
Sánchez Yellow card 89'
Report Valencia 4'
Lingard 11', 63'
Rojo Yellow card 58'
Pogba Red card 74'
Herrera Yellow card 89'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,547
Referee: Andre Marriner
10 December 2017 (2017-12-10) 16 Southampton 1–1 Arsenal Southampton
12:00 GMT Austin 3'
Stephens Yellow card 82'
Romeu Yellow card 84'
Report Bellerín Yellow card 78'
Giroud 88'
Wilshere Yellow card 90'
Stadium: St Mary's Stadium
Attendance: 31,643
Referee: Bobby Madley
13 December 2017 (2017-12-13) 17 West Ham United 0–0 Arsenal Stratford, London
20:00 GMT Lanzini Yellow card 41'
Reid Yellow card 90+2'
Report Stadium: London Stadium
Attendance: 56,921
Referee: Jonathan Moss
16 December 2017 (2017-12-16) 18 Arsenal 1–0 Newcastle United Holloway, London
15:00 GMT Özil 23'
Monreal Yellow card 86'
Xhaka Yellow card 90+2'
Report Hayden Yellow card 40' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,379
Referee: Stuart Attwell
22 December 2017 (2017-12-22) 19 Arsenal 3–3 Liverpool Holloway, London
19:45 GMT Sánchez 53'
Xhaka 56'
Özil 58'
Iwobi Yellow card 58'
Report Coutinho 26'
Salah 52'
Firmino 71'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,409
Referee: Martin Atkinson
28 December 2017 (2017-12-28) 20 Crystal Palace 2–3 Arsenal Selhurst, London
20:00 GMT Zaha Yellow card 45+2'
Townsend 49'
Tomkins 89'
Report Mustafi 25'
Chambers Yellow card 29'
Sánchez 62', 66'
Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 25,762
Referee: Michael Oliver
31 December 2017 (2017-12-31) 21 West Bromwich Albion 1–1 Arsenal West Bromwich
16:30 GMT Evans Yellow card 34'
Brunt Yellow card 59'
Dawson Yellow card 82'
Rodriguez 89' (pen.)
Report Mustafi Yellow card 58'
McClean 83' (o.g.)
Wilshere Yellow card 88'
Čech Yellow card 90+5'
Stadium: The Hawthorns
Attendance: 26,223
Referee: Mike Dean
3 January 2018 (2018-01-03) 22 Arsenal 2–2 Chelsea Holloway, London
19:45 GMT Wilshere Yellow card 31', 63'
Holding Yellow card 53'
Özil Yellow card 67'
Bellerín 90+2'
Report Fàbregas Yellow card 43'
Hazard 67' (pen.)
Alonso 84'
Courtois Yellow card 89'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,379
Referee: Anthony Taylor
14 January 2018 (2018-01-14) 23 Bournemouth 2–1 Arsenal Boscombe
13:30 GMT Gosling Yellow card 21'
Francis Yellow card 31'
Wilson 70'
Ibe 74'
Report Bellerín 52'
Xhaka Yellow card 56'
Wilshere Yellow card 71'
Stadium: Vitality Stadium
Attendance: 10,836
Referee: Kevin Friend
20 January 2018 (2018-01-20) 24 Arsenal 4–1 Crystal Palace Holloway, London
15:00 GMT Monreal 6'
Iwobi 10'
Koscielny 13'
Lacazette 22'
Report Milivojević 78' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,386
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
30 January 2018 (2018-01-30) 25 Swansea City 3–1 Arsenal Swansea
19:45 GMT Clucas 34', 86'
Ayew 61'
Report Monreal 33'
Elneny Yellow card 54'
Bellerín Yellow card 69'
Özil Yellow card 75'
Stadium: Liberty Stadium
Attendance: 20,819
Referee: Lee Mason
3 February 2018 (2018-02-03) 26 Arsenal 5–1 Everton Holloway, London
17:30 GMT Ramsey 6', 19', 74'
Koscielny 14', Yellow card 24'
Aubameyang 37'
Mustafi Yellow card 50'
Report Calvert-Lewin 64' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,306
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
10 February 2018 (2018-02-10) 27 Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Arsenal Wembley, London
12:30 GMT Kane 49'
Lamela Yellow card 79'
Dier Yellow card 90+5'
Report Mustafi Yellow card 73' Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 83,222
Referee: Anthony Taylor
1 March 2018 (2018-03-01) 28 Arsenal 0–3 Manchester City Holloway, London
19:45 GMT Kolašinac Yellow card 32' Report B. Silva 15'
Otamendi Yellow card 19'
D. Silva 28'
Sané 33'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,420
Referee: Andre Marriner
4 March 2018 (2018-03-04) 29 Brighton & Hove Albion 2–1 Arsenal Falmer
13:30 GMT Dunk 7'
Murray 26', Yellow card 78'
Stephens Yellow card 60'
Schelotto Yellow card 64'
Report Kolašinac Yellow card 28'
Wilshere Yellow card 40'
Aubameyang 43'
Xhaka Yellow card 54'
Stadium: AMEX Stadium
Attendance: 30,620
Referee: Stuart Attwell
11 March 2018 (2018-03-11) 30 Arsenal 3–0 Watford Holloway, London
13:30 GMT Mustafi 8', Yellow card 55'
Aubameyang 59'
Mkhitaryan 77'
Xhaka Yellow card 90'
Report Holebas Yellow card 66' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,131
Referee: Martin Atkinson
1 April 2018 (2018-04-01) 31 Arsenal 3–0 Stoke City Holloway, London
13:30 BST Elneny Yellow card 37'
Aubameyang 75' (pen.), 86'
Lacazette 89' (pen.)
Report Johnson Yellow card 66'
Allen Yellow card 90'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,371
Referee: Craig Pawson
8 April 2018 (2018-04-08) 32 Arsenal 3–2 Southampton Holloway, London
14:15 BST Aubameyang 28'
Welbeck 38', 81'
Bellerín Yellow card 50'
Wilshere Yellow card 90+2'
Elneny Red card 90+3'
Report Long 17'
Austin 73'
Stephens Red card 90+2'
Hoedt Yellow card 90+6'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,374
Referee: Andre Marriner
15 April 2018 (2018-04-15) 33 Newcastle United 2–1 Arsenal Newcastle upon Tyne
13:30 BST Pérez 29'
Ritchie 68'
Slimani Yellow card 90+1'
Report Lacazette 14' Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 52,210
Referee: Anthony Taylor
22 April 2018 (2018-04-22) 34 Arsenal 4–1 West Ham United Holloway, London
13:30 BST Xhaka Yellow card 41'
Monreal 51'
Maitland-Niles Yellow card 62'
Mustafi Yellow card 74'
Ramsey 82'
Lacazette 85', 89'
Report Zabaleta Yellow card 50'
Arnautović 64'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,422
Referee: Lee Mason
29 April 2018 (2018-04-29) 35 Manchester United 2–1 Arsenal Manchester
16:30 BST Pogba 16'
Fellaini 90+1'
Report Xhaka Yellow card 24'
Mkhitaryan 51'
Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 75,035
Referee: Kevin Friend
6 May 2018 (2018-05-06) 36 Arsenal 5–0 Burnley Holloway, London
16:30 BST Aubameyang 14', 75'
Lacazette 45+3'
Kolašinac 54'
Iwobi 64'
Report Tarkowski Yellow card 44' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,540
Referee: Andre Marriner
Note: As the last home game of the season, the match was also part of Arsène Wenger's farewell ceremony (‘Merci Arsène’).[10][11][12][13] The match was also Per Mertesacker's final game at Emirates Stadium.[14]
9 May 2018 (2018-05-09) 37 Leicester City 3–1 Arsenal Leicester
19:45 BST Iheanacho 14'
Vardy 76' (pen.)
Simpson Yellow card 78'
Mahrez Yellow card 85', 90'
Report Mavropanos Red card 15'
Aubameyang 53'
Holding Yellow card 75'
Xhaka Yellow card 77'
Stadium: King Power Stadium
Attendance: 32,095
Referee: Graham Scott
13 May 2018 (2018-05-13) 38 Huddersfield Town 0–1 Arsenal Huddersfield
15:00 BST Jørgensen Yellow card 90+3' Report Aubameyang 38' Stadium: John Smith's Stadium
Attendance: 24,122
Referee: Michael Oliver

FA Cup[edit]

In the FA Cup, Arsenal entered the competition in the third round and were drawn away to Nottingham Forest.[15] Arsenal were knocked out in the third round for the first time since 1996 and therefore the first time under Arsène Wenger.

7 January 2018 (2018-01-07) Third round Nottingham Forest 4–2 Arsenal West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
16:00 GMT
Report
Stadium: The City Ground
Attendance: 27,182
Referee: Jonathan Moss

EFL Cup[edit]

Arsenal entered the competition in the third round and were drawn at home to Doncaster Rovers.[16] The Gunners were drawn at home for the fourth round with Norwich City the confirmed visitors.[17] Arsenal were drawn against West Ham United at home for the quarter-finals.[18] Arsenal drew Chelsea in the semi-finals, with the first leg taking place at Stamford Bridge.[19]

20 September 2017 (2017-09-20) Third round Arsenal 1–0 Doncaster Rovers Holloway
19:45 BST Walcott 25' Report Mason Yellow card 68' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 44,064
Referee: Scott Duncan
24 October 2017 (2017-10-24) Fourth round Arsenal 2–1 (a.e.t.) Norwich City Holloway
19:45 BST Elneny Yellow card 56'
Coquelin Yellow card 68'
Wilshere Yellow card 78'
Nketiah 85', 96'
Akpom Yellow card 88'
Report Murphy 34'
Trybull Yellow card 89'
Husband Yellow card 90'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,444
Referee: Andrew Madley
19 December 2017 (2017-12-19) Quarter-finals
(Fifth round)
Arsenal 1–0 West Ham United Holloway
19:45 GMT Welbeck 42' Report Hart Yellow card 71' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 44,741
Referee: Kevin Friend
10 January 2018 (2018-01-10) Semi-finals – 1st leg Chelsea 0–0 Arsenal Fulham, London
20:00 GMT Kanté Yellow card 79' Report Xhaka Yellow card 51'
Elneny Yellow card 86'
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 40,097
Referee: Martin Atkinson
24 January 2018 (2018-01-24) Semi-finals – 2nd leg Arsenal 2–1
(2–1 agg.)
Chelsea Holloway
20:00 GMT Rüdiger 12' (o.g.)
Xhaka 60'
Monreal Yellow card 66'
Report Hazard 7' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,964
Referee: Michael Oliver
25 February 2018 (2018-02-25) Final Arsenal 0–3 Manchester City Wembley, London
16:30 GMT Bellerín Yellow card 24'
Ramsey Yellow card 32'
Chambers Yellow card 47'
Wilshere Yellow card 88'
Report Agüero 18'
Fernandinho Yellow card 36'
Kompany 58', Yellow card 80'
D. Silva 65'
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 85,671
Referee: Craig Pawson

UEFA Europa League[edit]

On 25 August 2017, the group stages were announced with Arsenal drawn out in Group H alongside BATE Borisov, 1.FC Köln and Red Star Belgrade.[20]

Group stage[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ARS ZVE KLN BATE
1 England Arsenal 6 4 1 1 14 4 +10 13 Advance to knockout phase 0–0 3–1 6–0
2 Serbia Red Star Belgrade 6 2 3 1 3 2 +1 9 0–1 1–0 1–1
3 Germany 1. FC Köln 6 2 0 4 7 8 −1 6 1–0 0–1 5–2
4 Belarus BATE Borisov 6 1 2 3 6 16 −10 5 2–4 0–0 1–0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
14 September 2017 (2017-09-14) 1 Arsenal England 3–1 Germany 1. FC Köln Holloway, London
21:05 BST (UTC+1)[21] Kolašinac 49'
Sánchez 67'
Bellerín 81'
Report Córdoba 10' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,359
Referee: Xavier Estrada Fernández (Spain)
28 September 2017 (2017-09-28) 2 BATE Borisov Belarus 2–4 England Arsenal Barysaw
19:00 CET (UTC+1) Ivanić 28', Yellow card 87'
Drahun Yellow card 48'
Milunović Yellow card 64'
Gordeichuk 67'
Report Walcott 9', 22'
Holding 25'
Giroud 49' (pen.)
Stadium: Borisov Arena
Attendance: 13,100
Referee: Daniel Stefański (Poland)
19 October 2017 (2017-10-19) 3 Red Star Belgrade Serbia 0–1 England Arsenal Dedinje, Belgrade
19:00 CET (UTC+1) Rodić Yellow card 32' Yellow-red card 80'
Boakye Yellow card 60'
Le Tallec Yellow card 63'
Borjan Yellow card 86'
Report Coquelin Yellow card 65'
Giroud 85'
Nelson Yellow card 90+2'
Stadium: Red Star Stadium
Attendance: 50,327
Referee: Benoît Bastien (France)
2 November 2017 (2017-11-02) 4 Arsenal England 0–0 Serbia Red Star Belgrade Holloway, London
21:05 CET (UTC+1) Holding Yellow card 70' Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,285
Referee: Luca Banti (Italy)
23 November 2017 (2017-11-23) 5 1. FC Köln Germany 1–0 England Arsenal Lindenthal, Cologne
19:00 CET (UTC+1) Klünter Yellow card 56'
Guirassy 62' (pen.), Yellow card 88'
Report Debuchy Yellow card 48' Stadium: RheinEnergieStadion
Attendance: 45,300
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (Russia)
7 December 2017 (2017-12-07) 6 Arsenal England 6–0 Belarus BATE Borisov Holloway, London
21:05 CET (UTC+1) Debuchy 11'
Walcott 37'
Wilshere 43'
Palyakow 51' (o.g.)
Giroud 64' (pen.)
Elneny 74'
Report Valadzko Yellow card 17' Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 25,909
Referee: Robert Schörgenhofer (Austria)

Knockout phase[edit]

Round of 32[edit]

The draw was held on 11 December 2017, with Arsenal among the seeded teams (as group winners) drawn against one of the unseeded runners-up, Östersund. The first leg was played away on 15 February 2018, and the second leg was played at home on 22 February 2018.[22]

15 February 2018 (2018-02-15) First leg Östersund Sweden 0–3 England Arsenal Östersund, Sweden
19:00 CET (UTC+1) Report Monreal 13'
Papagiannopoulos 24' (o.g.)
Özil 58'
Stadium: Jämtkraft Arena
Attendance: 7,665
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (Spain)
22 February 2018 (2018-02-22) Second leg Arsenal England 1–2
(4–2 agg.)
Sweden Östersund London, England
21:05 CET (UTC+1) Maitland-Niles Yellow card 44'
Kolašinac 47'
Mkhitaryan Yellow card 88'
Report Aiesh 22'
Sema 23'
Edwards Yellow card 79'
Widgren Yellow card 90+4'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,405
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)
Round of 16[edit]
8 March 2018 (2018-03-08) First leg Milan Italy 0–2 England Arsenal Milan, Italy
19:00 CET (UTC+1) Report Mkhitaryan 15'
Ramsey 45+4', Yellow card 71'
Kolašinac Yellow card 60'
Stadium: San Siro
Attendance: 72,821
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
15 March 2018 (2018-03-15) Second leg Arsenal England 3–1
(5–1 agg.)
Italy Milan London, England
21:05 CET (UTC+1) Welbeck 39' (pen.), 86'
Monreal Yellow card 45+2'
Xhaka 71'
Report Çalhanoğlu 35'
G. Donnarumma Yellow card 39'
Romagnoli Yellow card 42'
Borini Yellow card 42'
Suso Yellow card 61'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,973
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)
Quarter-finals[edit]
5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) First leg Arsenal England 4–1 Russia CSKA Moscow London, England
21:05 CEST (UTC+2)
20:05 BST (UTC+1)
Ramsey 9', 28'
Lacazette 23' (pen.), 35'
Xhaka Yellow card 57'
Bellerín Yellow card 78'
Report Golovin 15'
Dzagoev Yellow card 31'
Musa Yellow card 51'
Shchennikov Yellow card 58'
Akinfeev Yellow card 74'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 58,285
Referee: Pavel Královec (Czech Republic)
12 April 2018 (2018-04-12) Second leg CSKA Moscow Russia 2–2
(3–6 agg.)
England Arsenal Moscow, Russia
22:05 MSK (UTC+3)
20:05 BST (UTC+1)
Chalov 39'
Nababkin 50'
Golovin Yellow card 86'
Report Welbeck 75'
Ramsey 90+2'
Stadium: VEB Arena
Attendance: 29,284
Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany)
Semi-finals[edit]
26 April 2018 (2018-04-26) First leg Arsenal England 1–1 Spain Atlético Madrid London, England
21:05 CEST (UTC+2)
20:05 BST (UTC+1)
Lacazette 61' Report Vrsaljko Yellow card 2' Yellow-red card 10'
Griezmann 82'
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 59,066
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
3 May 2018 (2018-05-03) Second leg Atlético Madrid Spain 1–0
(2–1 agg.)
England Arsenal Madrid, Spain
21:05 CEST (UTC+2)
20:05 BST (UTC+1)
Costa 45+2', Yellow card 78'
Gabi Yellow card 52'
Saúl Yellow card 71'
Report Wilshere Yellow card 42'
Monreal Yellow card 59'
Mustafi Yellow card 78'
Stadium: Wanda Metropolitano
Attendance: 64,196
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)

Post-season[edit]

Arsenal Player of the Season award[edit]

The Player of the Season was awarded to Aaron Ramsey.[23]

Squad statistics[edit]

Key

Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Players with number struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.

No. Pos. Name Premier League FA Cup EFL Cup Europa League Community Shield Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals A yellow rectangular card A red rectangular card
2 DF Mathieu Debuchy 0 0 1 0 2 0 4 1 0 0 7 1 2 0
4 DF Per Mertesacker 4 (2) 1 1 1 1 0 3 0 1 0 10 (2) 2 1 0
6 DF Laurent Koscielny 25 2 0 0 2 0 6 0 0 0 33 2 4 0
7[A] MF Henrikh Mkhitaryan 9 (2) 2 0 0 0 0 5 (1) 1 0 0 14 (3) 3 1 0
MF Alexis Sánchez 17 (2) 7 0 0 1 (1) 0 1 1 0 0 19 (3) 8 4 0
8 MF Aaron Ramsey 21 (3) 7 0 0 1 (1) 0 6 4 0 0 28 (4) 11 2 0
9 FW Alexandre Lacazette 26 (6) 14 0 0 2 0 4 3 1 0 33 (6) 17 1 0
10 MF Jack Wilshere 12 (8) 1 0 0 5 0 12 (1) 1 0 0 29 (9) 2 10 0
11 MF Mesut Özil 24 (2) 4 0 0 2 0 7 1 0 0 33 (2) 5 4 0
12 FW Olivier Giroud 1 (15) 4 0 0 3 0 6 3 0 (1) 0 10 (16) 7 0 0
13 GK David Ospina 4 (1) 0 1 0 5 0 10 0 0 0 20 (1) 0 1 0
14 FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 12 (1) 10 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 (1) 10 0 0
FW Theo Walcott 0 (6) 0 1 0 3 1 5 3 0 (1) 0 9 (7) 4 0 0
15 MF Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0
16 DF Rob Holding 9 (3) 0 1 0 4 0 7 (1) 1 1 0 22 (4) 1 4 0
17 FW Alex Iwobi 22 (4) 3 1 0 3 (2) 0 3 (3) 0 1 0 30 (9) 3 1 0
18 DF Nacho Monreal 26 (2) 5 0 0 2 0 7 1 1 0 36 (2) 5 6 0
20 DF Shkodran Mustafi 25 (2) 3 0 0 3 0 8 0 0 0 36 (2) 3 7 0
21 DF Calum Chambers 10 (2) 0 0 0 4 0 5 (3) 0 0 0 19 (5) 0 2 0
23 FW Danny Welbeck 12 (16) 5 1 1 2 (1) 1 9 (1) 3 1 0 25 (18) 10 2 0
24 DF Héctor Bellerín 34 (1) 2 0 0 3 0 8 1 1 0 46 (1) 3 8 0
27 DF Konstantinos Mavropanos 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1
29 MF Granit Xhaka 37 (1) 1 0 0 3 1 5 (1) 1 1 0 46 (2) 3 12 0
30 MF Ainsley Maitland-Niles 8 (7) 0 1 0 3 0 8 (1) 0 0 0 20 (8) 0 2 0
31 DF Sead Kolašinac 25 (2) 2 0 0 1 (2) 0 2 (3) 2 0 (1) 1 29 (9) 5 4 0
32 FW Chuba Akpom 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 1 0
33 GK Petr Čech 34 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 39 0 1 0
34 MF Francis Coquelin 1 (6) 0 0 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 7 (6) 0 2 0
35 MF Mohamed Elneny 11 (2) 0 1 0 4 (1) 0 9 (3) 1 1 0 26 (6) 1 5 0
43 MF Josh Dasilva 0 0 0 0 0 (3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (3) 0 0 0
54 GK Matt Macey 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
58 MF Marcus McGuane 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 0 0
61 FW Reiss Nelson 2 (1) 0 1 0 2 (1) 0 3 (5) 0 0 (1) 0 8 (8) 0 1 0
62 FW Eddie Nketiah 0 (3) 0 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 2 0 (5) 0 0 0 0 (10) 2 0 0
65 MF Ben Sheaf 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 0 0
69 MF Joe Willock 1 (1) 0 1 0 1 (2) 0 3 (2) 0 0 0 6 (5) 0 0 0
Own goals 1 1 2 4

Sources: [26][27]

Transfers[edit]

For consistency, transfer fees in the tables below are all exclusively sourced from BBC Sport's contemporary report of each transfer. Where the report mentions an initial fee potentially rising to a higher figure depending on contractual clauses being satisfied in the future, only the initial fee is listed in the tables. Arsenal did not sign any players on loan during the season and players who have not made an appearance for the first-team are not included in the tables below. Squad numbers are only listed for players who featured during the season.

Key

Transfers in
No. Pos. Player Previous club Fee Date Ref.
31 DF Sead Kolašinac Germany Schalke 04 Free transfer 1 July 2017[B] [28]
9 FW Alexandre Lacazette France Lyon £46.5m[C] 5 July 2017 [29]
27 DF Konstantinos Mavropanos Greece PAS Giannina Undisclosed 4 January 2018 [30]
7 MF Henrikh Mkhitaryan England Manchester United Swap deal[D] 21 January 2018 [31]
14 FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Germany Borussia Dortmund £56m 31 January 2018 [32]
Transfers out
No. Pos. Player Following club Fee Date Ref.
MF Chris Willock Portugal Benfica Released 30 June 2017[E] [33]
DF Stefan O'Connor England Newcastle United Released 30 June 2017[F] [35]
FW Yaya Sanogo France Toulouse Released 30 June 2017[G]
MF Glen Kamara Scotland Dundee Released 30 June 2017[H] [37]
GK Wojciech Szczęsny Italy Juventus £10m 19 July 2017 [38]
DF Gabriel Paulista Spain Valencia Undisclosed 18 August 2017 [39]
MF Ismaël Bennacer Italy Empoli Undisclosed 21 August 2017 [40]
DF Kieran Gibbs England West Bromwich Albion £5m 29 August 2017 [41]
15 MF Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain England Liverpool £35m 31 August 2017 [42]
34 DF Francis Coquelin Spain Valencia £12m 11 January 2018 [43]
14 FW Theo Walcott England Everton £20m 17 January 2018 [44]
7 MF Alexis Sánchez England Manchester United Swap deal[D] 21 January 2018 [31]
58 MF Marcus McGuane Spain Barcelona Undisclosed 30 January 2018 [45]
2 DF Mathieu Debuchy France Saint-Étienne Released 31 January 2018[I] [46]
12 FW Olivier Giroud England Chelsea £18m 31 January 2018 [47]
Loans out
No. Pos. Player Loaned to Date Loan expired Ref.
GK Emiliano Martínez Spain Getafe 2 August 2017 30 June 2018 [48]
DF Carl Jenkinson England Birmingham City 21 August 2017 [49]
FW Lucas Pérez Spain Deportivo La Coruña 31 August 2017 [50]
FW Joel Campbell Spain Real Betis [51]
65 MF Ben Sheaf England Stevenage 26 January 2018 [52]
DF Krystian Bielik England Walsall 31 January 2018 [53]
MF Jeff Reine-Adélaïde France Angers [54]
32 FW Chuba Akpom Belgium Sint-Truidense [55]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Mkhitaryan could not wear number 7 in the UEFA Europa League as Sánchez previously wore the number in the competition. He instead wore the number 77.[25]
  2. ^ Kolašinac's pre-contract agreement was announced on 6 June 2017, before the season started[28]
  3. ^ Lacazette's transfer also included £6.1 million in additional bonuses[29]
  4. ^ a b Mkhitaryan joined Arsenal in exchange for Sánchez, who joined Manchester United[31]
  5. ^ C.Willock later joined Benfica on 30 June 2017 as a free agent[33]
  6. ^ O'Connor later joined Newcastle United on 6 July 2017 as a free agent[34]
  7. ^ Sanogo later joined Toulouse on 9 July 2017 as a free agent[36]
  8. ^ Kamara later joined Dundee United on 13 July 2017 as a free agent[37]
  9. ^ Debuchy later joined Saint-Etienne on 31 January 2018 as a free agent after Arsenal terminated his contract[46]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ James, Josh (18 June 2013). "All-time Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. ^ Ross, James; Heneghan, Michael; Orford, Stuart; Culliton, Eoin (25 August 2016). "English Clubs Divisional Movements 1888–2016". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Merci Arsène". Arsenal F.C. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Sydney FC v Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Bayern Munich v Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Emirates Cup 2017 line-up confirmed". Arsenal F.C. 26 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Premier League Handbook 2017/18" (PDF). Premier League. 11 August 2017. pp. 103–104. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  8. ^ "We will host Leicester on opening day". Arsenal F.C. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Premier League Scores & Fixtures (August 2017)". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  10. ^ "'It was about sending him off in the right way'". Arsenal F.C. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  11. ^ "'You don't stop the love story – it'll never end'". Arsenal F.C. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  12. ^ "'It was perfect... the boss deserved it'". Arsenal F.C. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  13. ^ "'The boss is a father figure to all of us'". Arsenal F.C. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Per – It was beautiful and very humbling". Arsenal F.C. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  15. ^ "We will face Forest in the Emirates FA Cup". Arsenal F.C. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  16. ^ "We will host Doncaster Rovers in Carabao Cup". Arsenal F.C. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  17. ^ "We will face Norwich in the Carabao Cup". Arsenal F.C. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Arsenal to host West Ham in Carabao Cup last eight". Arsenal F.C. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  19. ^ "Arsenal draw Chelsea in Carabao Cup semi-final". Arsenal F.C. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  20. ^ "Arsenal drawn in Europa League Group H". Arsenal F.C. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  21. ^ "Arsenal v Cologne: kick-off delayed". Arsenal F.C. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  22. ^ "We will face Östersunds FK in the Europa League". Arsenal F.C. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  23. ^ "Player of the Season: Aaron Ramsey". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Arsenal FC, Players from A–Z". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  25. ^ Jones, Mark (8 March 2018). "Why Henrikh Mkhitaryan is wearing No. 77 in Arsenal's Europa League clash with AC Milan". Mirror. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  26. ^ "All Arsenal football club players: 2018". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  27. ^ James, Andrews & Kelly 2018, p. 498.
  28. ^ a b "Arsenal confirm signing of Sead Kolasinac from Schalke on a free transfer". The Guardian. Press Association. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Alexandre Lacazette joins Arsenal for club record £46.5m from Lyon". BBC Sport. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Konstantinos Mavropanos: Arsenal sign Greek centre-back from PAS Giannina". BBC Sport. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  31. ^ a b c Ornstein, David (21 January 2018). "Henrikh Mkhitaryan agrees Arsenal move, Alexis Sanchez set to join Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Arsenal sign Borussia Dortmund striker for £56m". BBC Sport. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Chris Willock joins Benfica". Arsenal F.C. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  34. ^ Easterby, Tom (6 July 2017). "Magpies sign young duo". Newcastle United F.C. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  35. ^ "Club bids farewell to four players". Arsenal F.C. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  36. ^ "Yaya Sanogo nouvel attaquant du TFC" [Yaya Sanogo new TFC striker] (in French). Toulouse FC. 9 July 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Dundee sign up midfielder Glen Kamara after Arsenal release". BBC Sport. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  38. ^ "Wojciech Szczesny: Arsenal goalkeeper signs for Italian champions Juventus". BBC Sport. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  39. ^ "Arsenal's Gabriel Paulista joins Valencia". BBC Sport. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  40. ^ "Ismael Bennacer signs for Empoli". Arsenal F.C. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  41. ^ Ornstein, David (29 August 2017). "Kieran Gibbs: Arsenal defender set to join West Brom for £5m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  42. ^ "Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Liverpool sign Arsenal midfielder for £35m". BBC Sport. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  43. ^ "Francis Coquelin: Valencia sign Arsenal midfielder". BBC Sport. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  44. ^ Ornstein, David (17 January 2018). "Theo Walcott: Everton sign forward from Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  45. ^ "Marcus McGuane: Arsenal midfielder signs for Barcelona". BBC Sport. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  46. ^ a b "Mathieu Debuchy joins Saint-Etienne after Arsenal terminate contract". BBC Sport. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  47. ^ "Olivier Giroud: Chelsea sign Arsenal striker as Michy Batshuayi joins Dortmund". BBC Sport. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  48. ^ Benge, James (2 August 2017). "Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez seals season-long loan move to Getafe". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  49. ^ O'Rourke, Peter (21 August 2017). "Carl Jenkinson, Cohen Bramall join Birmingham on season-long loans". ESPN. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  50. ^ Benge, James (31 August 2017). "Lucas Perez joins Deportivo La Coruna on loan but Arsenal deal does not include obligation to buy". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  51. ^ Bazza, Anis (31 August 2017). "Joel Campbell re-joins Real Betis on loan". Sky Sports. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  52. ^ "Ben Sheaf: Arsenal midfielder joins Stevenage on loan". BBC Sport. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  53. ^ "Walsall sign Krystian Bielik, Jack Fitzwater and Julien Ngoy on loan". BBC Sport. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  54. ^ "Jeff Reine-Adelaide joins Angers on loan from Arsenal". Sky Sports. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  55. ^ Taiwo, Taiye (31 January 2018). "Chuba Akpom joins Sint-Truiden on loan from Arsenal". goal.com. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

Sources[edit]

  • James, Josh; Andrews, Mark; Kelly, Andy (15 October 2018). Arsenal: The Complete Record. Liverpool: deCoubertin Books. ISBN 978-1909245754.