Arsenal thought Arsene Wenger was holding them back by the end of his reign, but it wasn’t long before fans were longing for the days of Wengerball again – and you can’t blame them.
When Arsene left the club in 2018, a large portion of the fanbase was glad to see the back of him. Since moving to the Emirates, their club had won three FA cups and nothing else. ‘Fourth place isn’t a trophy,’ the banners would read; ‘Time for change.’
Granted, the trophy haul wasn’t great, but Le Professeur’s later sides were, at their best, absolutely beautiful to watch and at their worst, still bloody great fun at least. Things really weren’t that bad. And here are seven matches from the post-Highbury era that prove it.
AC Milan 0-2 Arsenal, 2008
When Arsenal drew the reigning European champions in the first knockout round of the 2007-08 Champions League, pretty much everybody wrote them off.
AC Milan, featuring the likes of Kaka, Andrea Pirlo and Paulo Maldini, had never lost to English opposition on home soil so, heading to the San Siro after a 0-0 draw in London, they looked almost certain to progress.
Arsenal were the better of the two teams from the off, playing excellent football, but they just couldn’t find a breakthrough. Cesc Fabregas, who put in a stunning performance, came closest when he hit the bar, while Phillip Senderos and Emmanuel Eboue both missed huge chances.
With just five minutes left and the tie looking set to go to extra time, Fabregas again tried his luck from distance, and this time he sent it into the bottom left corner. Emmanuel Adebayor then tapped in a cross from Theo Walcott to secure a win that Wenger’s side fully deserved
⚽️ Cesc Fàbregas 🔥🔥🔥
🗓 #OnThisDay in 2008, Arsenal reached the quarter-finals & became the first English side to beat AC Milan in the San Siro 💪#UCL @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/9q2fzIJYQ8
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 4, 2019
Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal, 2011
In Wenger’s time in charge of Arsenal, he had often struggled in games against other top sides, particularly away from home. And it looked set to be the same old story again when John Terry put Chelsea ahead just before half-time in this match after Robin van Persie cancelled out Frank Lampard’s opener.
But whatever Arsene said to his team in the half-time break worked wonders. Club legend Andre Santos quickly levelled things up again before Theo Walcott gave Arsenal the lead.
In typical Wengerball…
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