2014–15 Arsenal F.C. season

The 2014–15 season was Arsenal's 23rd season in the Premier League and 89th consecutive season in the top flight of English football. The club participated in the Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup, FA Community Shield and the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal finished third in the Premier League and won both the FA Community Shield and the FA Cup.

Arsène Wenger, club manager since 1996, signed several players in the preseason, including Chilean winger Alexis Sánchez from Barcelona, who would be the team's top scorer and win Arsenal Player of the Season. Wenger led the "Gunners" through a turbulent start with player injuries and poor form placing the side as low as eighth in December. In the second half of the season, Arsenal found good form, challenging for the Premier League title with an eight game winning streak in the latter stages. However, following a nil-all draw in April with eventual champions Chelsea, Arsenal all but lost their chances at winning the title. Arsenal repeated their 2014 victory, winning the 2015 FA Cup final 4–0 against Aston Villa; thus becoming the most successful team outright in the FA Cup, with a total of 12 titles.

In the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal finished second in their group behind Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. Arsenal was eliminated on away goals over two legs against the Ligue 1 side Monaco in the round of 16. It was the fifth consecutive season Arsenal left the competition in the round of 16 phase.

Background
The 2014–15 season marked Arsenal's 23rd consecutive year in the Premier League, their 111th season in the English top flight, and their 89th consecutive season in the tier. This season the club extended the record for the longest continuous run in the top flight which began with their promotion in the 1919–20 season. During the previous season, Arsenal finished fourth in the Premier League behind Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool; the club won the FA Cup after defeating Hull City in the final. Additionally, they finished in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League and the fourth round of the Football League Cup. Ahead of the new season, the club announced that playing kits would be manufactured by German sportswear company Puma, after a 20-year association with Nike came to an end. The club also announced an increase in their ticket prices of 3% in line with inflation. Long term manager Arsène Wenger, who joined the club in 1996, extended his contract with the club through May 2017. Arsenal chairman Chips Keswick commentated on how Wenger "has established Arsenal for its exciting playing style around the world", and that he has "no doubt [Arsenal] have an exciting future ahead of [them] with him leading the team".

Summer transfer window
On 26 June 2014, Arsenal announced that 11 players would depart the club on 30 June at the conclusion of their contracts. The list included loanees Kim Källström and Emiliano Viviano, along with players who signed pre-contract agreements: Łukasz Fabiański (Swansea City), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Zak Ansah (Charlton Athletic), Zachari Fagan (Welling United), and Chuks Aneke (Zulte Waregem). The list of players also included Leander Siemann, Nicklas Bendtner, Park Chu-young and Daniel Boateng.

The club transferred a selection of players ahead of the season for undisclosed fees; these players included German midfielder Thomas Eisfeld, Swiss international defender Johan Djourou, and Spanish defender Ignasi Miquel. The club received a £15 million fee from Barcelona for the transfer of Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen, who left after making 110 Premier League appearances for Arsenal. It was also reported that Arsenal received benefits for selling a selection of contractual rights including clauses with Carlos Vela at Real Sociedad, and Cesc Fàbregas at Chelsea.

The club announced the much-anticipated transfer of Chilean forward Alexis Sánchez on 10 July from Barcelona, who joined the club on a long-term contract for a reported transfer fee of £35 million. A week later, French defender Mathieu Debuchy joined the club for an undisclosed fee; he was seen as a direct replacement for the departed Sagna. On 27 July, Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina signed for Arsenal from French club Nice for a reported transfer fee of £3 million, replacing former goalkeeper Fabiański, who had ended his contract.

The club announced the signing of English defender Calum Chambers from Southampton on 28 July; his transfer fee was reported to cost the club £16 million. Wenger admitted that Chambers' transfer fee was a gamble for a young player, but he had faith in the player to demonstrate his versatility whilst at the club. Arsenal's final first-team summer signing was Danny Welbeck, his transfer from Manchester United was reported to have cost Arsenal £16 million.

During the summer transfer window, a variety of players left the club on loan, this included first-team players such as Carl Jenkinson to West Ham United, and Francis Coquelin to Charlton Athletic.

Pre-season
In preparation for their season, Arsenal played Conference South side Boreham Wood at their home stadium Meadow Park. The "Gunners" defeated Boreham Wood 2–0 with players who did not attend the 2014 FIFA World Cup; the team won comfortably with goals from academy players Kristoffer Olsson and Benik Afobe. Arsenal then travelled to Harrison, United States to play the New York Red Bulls. Former Arsenal player Thierry Henry played against his former club as his side defeated Arsenal 1–0, and Bradley Wright-Phillips, the son of former Arsenal player Ian Wright, scored the only goal against a heavily rotated Arsenal side. In August, Arsenal hosted the 2014 Emirates Cup which was an invitational friendly tournament at the Emirates Stadium with Valencia, Benfica and Monaco participating. Arsenal played Benfica first, defeating the Portuguese side 5–1 with four goals from Yaya Sanogo and a volleyed goal from academy player Joel Campbell. Arsenal then played Monaco, losing 1–0 due to a Radamel Falcao goal. Valencia won the Emirates Cup tournament and Arsenal placed second.

Match details

FA Community Shield
Arsenal qualified for the FA Community Shield on virtue of winning the FA Cup during the preceding season; they faced Manchester City, the Premier League champions. In Arsenal's first competitive game of the season, the club defeated Manchester City 3–0 with goals from Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Giroud. Wenger was happy with Arsenal's bright start to the season pointing out after the game that his team exhibited a "complete performance"; he also acknowledged the team's flaws, saying that during the second half "we lost a bit more of the ball than in the first half and our movements were less fluent".

Match details

August–October
Arsenal began their Premier League season at the Emirates Stadium against Crystal Palace on 16 August 2014. The visitors took the lead through Brede Hangeland's header from a corner in the first half, but Arsenal replied with a Laurent Koscielny equaliser and a late stoppage time winner from Ramsey. Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace, who had a player sent off, and gave the club a winning start to their league campaign. The club then went on a three-game winless run with draws against Everton at Goodison Park, Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, and after the international break, Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium. New signing Sánchez scored his first league goal for the club against Leicester City, but the club also lost Giroud and Debuchy to injury during their winless run. Arsenal's misfortune was momentarily suspended after a comprehensive 3–0 away win over Aston Villa, with a first Arsenal league goal for new signing Welbeck, a calm Mesut Özil finish and an own goal from Villa defender Aly Cissokho.

On 27 September, Arsenal faced Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby at the Emirates Stadium. The match ended in a 1–1 draw; Spurs' Nacer Chadli gave his side the lead early in the second half, but Arsenal responded with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's effort against a wrong-footed Tottenham defence with 15 minutes left in the match. After the game, Wenger voiced his frustration at Arsenal's set-piece routines saying that the players did not create enough from these opportunities; Wenger also mentioned that Ramsey and club captain Mikel Arteta sustained muscular injuries, and they would be temporarily unavailable. Arsenal's misfortune continued when they lost 2–0 against rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with the "Blue's" Eden Hazard and Diego Costa on the scoresheet. The loss meant the Wenger had not defeated Chelsea manager José Mourinho after 12 different attempts. Arsenal also lost playmaker Özil to injury during the match and could not play for three months.

With the hope of finding good form, the club played Steve Bruce's Hull City after the international break, where the "Gunners" drew 2–2 with Sánchez and Welbeck netting the goals for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Wenger, frustrated with the result, criticised his players for conceding "too many goals" as a result of a lack of concentration. Arsenal won their final match in October when they defeated Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, capitalising off player mistakes, and the club finished the month in fifth place on the Premier League table.

November–February
A Sánchez brace (two goals) and a first senior goal from Chambers helped Arsenal dispatch Sean Dyche's Burnley 3–0 at home on 1 November. The Chilean took his club goal tally to ten goals during the match, Wenger praised Sánchez after the match by comparing the player to Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez in his post-match interview. Travelling to Wales, Arsenal then lost to Swansea City 2–1, after having a one goal lead courtesy of a tidy Sánchez finish. The club's first home defeat came against Manchester United; the 2–1 loss was Arsenal's first and only consecutive defeat in the Premier League during the season. A Kieran Gibbs own goal and a tidy Wayne Rooney finish meant that Giroud's goal in added time was just a consolation; after the match, Wenger called his side "defensibly naive" and also thought the game was "one way traffic" in United's favour. The defeat was a dent in Arsenal's title hopes, given that Jack Wilshere was also injured after a heavy Paddy McNair challenge. The club ended their month positively with a tight 1–0 away win against West Bromwich Albion, courtesy of a Welbeck header.

On 3 December, Arsenal defeated Southampton 1–0, and three days later lost 3–2 away to Stoke City. During the game against Stoke, new signing Chambers was sent off after receiving a second yellow card and Wenger was again critical of his side, calling Arsenal "soft". With Giroud and Carzorla scoring braces, Arsenal later defeated Newcastle United 4–1 at the Emirates Stadium to recover from their defeat to Stoke City. Arsenal then travelled to Anfield to play a struggling Liverpool side who were placed mid-table; the "Gunners" drew 2–2 with Liverpool with Philippe Coutinho and Martin Škrtel scoring the goals for the "Reds". On Boxing Day, Arsenal defeated Queens Park Rangers 2–1, and later dispatched West Ham United on 28 December to end 2014 with a victory. On 5 January 2015, Arsenal sent Lukas Podolski on loan to Inter Milan for the remainder of the season; Podolski had not started a Premier League game for Arsenal during the season, and had only made four appearances in Arsenal's UEFA Champions League group stage campaign. Arsenal also loaned Yaya Sanogo to Crystal Palace for the remainder of the season, the Frenchman had only made five appearances for Arsenal during the season. To reinforce the squad, the club signed Gabriel Paulista from La Liga side Villarreal for £11.2 million.

In the three games Arsenal played in January, they lost 2–0 to Southampton away, defeated Stoke City 3–0 at the Emirates Stadium, and dispatched Manchester City 2–0 at the City of Manchester Stadium. In the game against Stoke, Sánchez was involved in all three goals, assisting Koscielny's header and scoring the other two; the match also saw Özil appear as a substitute, having returned from injury. Wenger said that Arsenal's performance in their 2–0 win over Manchester City was "exceptional". Cazorla scored the opening goal from a penalty and later set up Giroud's goal from a free-kick; it was Arsenal's first win at Manchester City since October 2010. In February, Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 5–0 at the Emirates Stadium in what would be Arsenal's largest winning margin during the season. The club's good form was interrupted when they lost 2–1 to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane with Harry Kane scoring both goals for Spurs. In Arsenal's final two matches during the month, they defeated Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium, and dispatched Crystal Palace 2–1 at Selhurst Park.

March–May
On 1 March, Arsenal played Everton with Giroud and Tomáš Rosický scoring the goals for the "Gunners" as they won 2–0 at home. January signing Gabriel Paulista also made his first Premier League start during the match. Three days later, Arsenal travelled to Loftus Road to defeat Queens Park Rangers 2–1, with Sánchez ending a run of seven games without scoring. The "Gunners" finished March with a 3–0 home win against West Ham United, and a 2–1 win over Newcastle United; with their victory in Tyneside, Arsenal had won their last six consecutive league games and sat third on the league table, one point behind second-placed Manchester City. Wenger was later voted Premier League Manager of the Month for Arsenal's strong form in March, and Giroud was voted Premier League Player of the Month after he scored five goals in Arsenal's four league matches in the month.

On 4 April, Arsenal convincingly defeated Liverpool 4–1 at home, goals from Héctor Bellerín, Özil, Sánchez and Giroud sealed the victory for the "Gunners"; the win saw Arsenal jump to second place on the league table, but were still seven points behind Chelsea in first place – who had a game in hand. After a 1–0 away win over Burnley, Arsenal were set to play a much-anticipated game against Chelsea on 26 April at home. The match ended in a 0–0 draw and thus ended Arsenal's winning run of eight league games; Chelsea later won the Premier League title after their 1–0 win over Crystal Palace on 3 May.

Having lost out on the league title, Arsenal looked to secure qualification for the Champions League in their final five league matches. With a win over Hull City, a loss against Swansea City, and two draws against Manchester United and Sunderland, a win in their final game against West Bromwich Albion would secure Arsenal third place and Champions League football for the following season. The "Gunners" ended their season positively after they won 4–1 at home with a Walcott hat-trick and a 20-yard finish by Wilshere.

Match details

FA Cup
Arsenal entered the FA Cup as title holders, following their victory over Hull City in the previous edition's final. Their opening tie in January 2015 was a home match against Hull City, a repeat of the previous final; the "Gunners" won 2–0 with a corner set-piece headed in by Per Mertesacker along with a sharp turn and finish from Sánchez. In the following round away against Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal prevailed 3–2 with goals from Walcott, Özil and Rosický helping the club reach the fifth round of the competition.

In the following month, Arsenal defeated Middlesbrough 2–0 at the Emirates Stadium with both goals scored by Giroud; Gabriel Paulista also made his debut for the club during the match. In the quarter-finals played in March, Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford to play Manchester United. An early goal from Arsenal's Nacho Monreal was cancelled out by Rooney's flying header from Angel Di Maria's cross, the Argentine was later sent off following Welbeck's winner against his former club. Following their victory over Manchester United, the title holders were now "huge favourites" to win the competition.

Arsenal played EFL Championship side Reading in the semi-finals in April at Wembley Stadium, Arsenal gained a first half lead through a Sánchez close range finish. However, a Garath McCleary volley equalised the scoreline in the second half taking the match to extra time; in the 11th minute of extra time, Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici dropped Sánchez's late effort which sealed Arsenal's progression to the final. In Arsenal's final match of the season, they faced Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium on 30 May. The "Gunners" comfortably defeated Tim Sherwood's side 4–0 with goals from Walcott, Sánchez, Mertesacker and Giroud. The win marked the club's 12th FA Cup trophy, which made it the most successful team in the competition's history.

Match details

Football League Cup
Arsenal entered the Football League Cup in the third round, receiving a bye in the first and second rounds due to the club's Premier League status and participation in European competition. Arsenal left the competition in the third round following a 2–1 home defeat to Southampton. Despite an early goal from Sánchez, goals from Southampton's Dušan Tadić and Nathaniel Clyne meant that the "Saints" qualified for the following round instead of Arsenal.

Match details

Play-off round
Arsenal qualified for the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League on virtue of finishing fourth in the Premier League the preceding season. The club faced a two-legged tie in August 2014 against Turkish side Beşiktaş; the two clubs played a 0–0 draw in Istanbul during the first leg with Ramsey being sent off after having been cautioned twice. In the second-leg at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal qualified for the group stage after a 1–0 win with Sánchez scoring his first goal for the club and the only goal of the match.

Match details

Group stage
On 29 August, Arsenal were drawn into group D with German side Borussia Dortmund, Belgium side Anderlecht and Turkish side Galatasaray. In Arsenal's first group stage match in September away against Borussia Dortmund, the German side won 2–0 with goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ciro Immobile; academy graduate Bellerín also made his first start for the club. At the start of October, Arsenal returned to the competition with a comprehensive 4–1 home victory over Galatasaray. Welbeck scored his first senior hat-trick against the Turkish side and Szczęsny was sent off after he fouled Burak Yılmaz, conceding a penalty. With David Ospina starting in goal following Szczęsny's suspension, the "Gunners" later travelled to Belgium to defeat Anderlecht 2–1 with two late goals from Gibbs and Podolski, now halfway through the group stage Arsenal were placed second behind Borussia Dortmund. In November, Anderlecht came to a rain-lashed Emirates Stadium and drew 3–3 with Arsenal who had a 3–0 lead; the goals from Arteta, Sánchez and Oxlade-Chamberlain were cancelled out by one goal from Anderlecht's Aleksandar Mitrović and two from Anthony Vanden Borre. Arsenal qualified for the knockout phase after they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2–0 at home with goals from Sanogo and Sánchez; they later wrapped up their group stage campaign finishing second after a comfortable 4–1 away win over Galatasaray in December.

Group D classificationMatch details

Round of 16
On 15 December, Arsenal were drawn against Ligue 1 side Monaco for their round of 16 tie. Arsenal faced the prospect of exiting the tournament at this stage after they were defeated convincingly in February 2015 during the first leg at home; Phil McNulty from BBC Sport characterised Arsenal's performance as incompetent and naive. Despite a consolidation goal from Oxlade-Chamberlain, goals from Geoffrey Kondogbia, Yannick Carrasco and former Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov meant that Monaco had a strong second-leg advantage. Arsenal travelled to the Stade Louis II the following month with the hope of turning the tie around with a two-goal deficit; despite winning the match with an improved performance, the "Gunners" left the competition by the away goals rule having drawn 3–3 on aggregate. Needing to score at least three unanswered goals, Arsenal started strong with Giroud's composed close-range goal in the 36th minute, and they later came close to scoring again before half-time with Welbeck's effort. Ramsey came off the bench to score a late goal in the second half, but the team couldn't score a third despite overwhelming pressure on Monaco's defence. This was the fifth straight season which Arsenal left the Champions League at the round of 16 stage.

Match details

Post season
Following Arsenal's season, Sánchez was voted Arsenal Player of the Season by club supporters; the Chilean scored 25 goals for the "Gunners" in his debut campaign. Sánchez was included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, and was also voted PFA Fans' Player of the Year, FSF Player of the Year, Facebook Premier League Player of the Year, and Kids' Choice UK's Favourite Footballer.

Wilshere's Premier League goal scored against West Bromwich Albion on the final match day was voted BBC Goal of the Season. The online poll was surged with Arsenal supporters from Twitter that voted for Wilshire, who won the award with 34% of votes.

Squad statistics
Key

GK = Goalkeeper

DF = Defender

MF = Midfielder

FW = Forward

= Yellow cards

= Red cards ''Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Players with number struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.'' Sources:

Transfers
For consistency, transfer fees in the tables below are all exclusively sourced from BBC Sport's contemporary report of each transfer. Arsenal did not sign any players on loan during the season.