Today of all days

Arsenal’s history one day at a time

This series takes a look at what was happening to Arsenal and in the world around them on this day at one point in Arsenal’s past.

Arsenal anniversaries 31 October – 6 November

31 October 1925: Arsenal reach the top of the 1st division for the first time ever.

31 October 2009: Cesc scores the ultimate goal against Tottenham

1 November 2003: Leeds 1 Arsenal 4 the video

1 November 2003: Awareness of a special season ahead starts to grow

2 November 1974: Just 3 years on from the double, the crowd has collapsed and discontent spreads

2 November 2013: Beating Liverpool 2-0. The video

3 November 1963: Celebrating Ian Wright on his birthday

3 November 1993 : watch Arsenal get seven in Europe

4 November 2001: The worst half at home in the years of Arsène Wenger’s triumphs

4 November 2009: the Arsenal video. Scoring four in Europe on this day

5 November 1983: Tony Adams made his league début for Arsenal

5 November 2005: Sunderland v Arsenal, the video

6 November 1976: Arsenal were the top London club in the league – at 13th!

6 November 2013: Arsenal win in Dortmund – the video. Arsenal became the first English team to triumph at Dortmund’s with their 14th win in 15 unbeaten away games.

Arsenal anniversaries 24 – 30 October

24 October 1936: The East Stand, Highbury, is opened

24 October 2010: scoring three against Man C – the video

25 October 1969: Sammy Nelson made his debut

25 October 2016: the Ox has fun with the Villa defence

26 October 1863: Arsenal and the start of football

26 October 2003: A forgotten, but staggering Henry goal scored on this day in the unbeaten season

27 October 1919: Tom Whittaker, player, physio, manager, title winner, joined Arsenal from the army.

27 October 2019: Arsenal draw 2-2 with Palace – the video

28 October 1939, Arsenal beat Clapton Orient 6-1, away from home making it 14 goals in the opening two games

28 October 2000: Arsenal beat Man City 5-0 on this day – the video

29 October 1932: Arsenal 8 Leicester 2

29 October 2011: Chelsea 3 Arsenal 5: the video

30 October 2012: The 12 goal match that Arsenal won. The video.

30 October 2012: Reading 5 Arsenal 7 – the story.

Arsenal anniversaries 17 -23 October

17 October 1970: Arsenal hammer Everton 4-0 as things look interesting

18 October 1997. Arsenal were top of the league. But then…

18 October 2015: beating Manchester City 2-0

19 October 1974: when Arsenal and Tottenham were the bottom two in the 1st Division.

19 October 2017, beating Red Star – the video

20 October 1990: Man U 0 Arsenal 1 – Arsenal deducted two points.

20 October 2015: Arsenal beat Bayern 2-0

21 October 1922: Heading for relegation but playing a friendly against Southend.

21 October 2008: Fenerbahce 2 Arsenal 5 – the video

22 October 1949: Arsene Wenger born

22 October 2017: Beating Everton 5-2 away

23 October 1994: Freddie Ljungberg made his debut for Halmstads

23 October 2007: watch Arsenal score seven on this day

Arsenal anniversaries 10 October – 16 October

10 October 1936: Arsenal slip to 17th, proving this was not always the golden era.

10 October 1987: the Arsenal video

11 October 2004: One of the all time magic goals

11 October 1986: Arsenal 3 Watford 1.

12 October 1996: Arsene Wenger takes control of his first match.

12 October 1996: Video of Arsene Wenger’s first match

13 October 1928: Arsenal smashed the world transfer record with the purchase of David Jack

14 October 2006: Henry beats Watford

14 October 1997: Arsenal’s fastest ever sending off

15 October 1932: George Male’s first appearance as a right back v Blackburn.

15 October 2016: Theo gets 2

16 October 2001: Arsenal v Panathinaikos, the video

16 October 1974: for Arsenal it was the worst of times.

Arsenal anniversaries 3 – 9 October

3 October 1925 Arsenal lost 0-7 to Newcastle, and tactics changed

3 October 1995: Ian Wright gets a hattrick – against Hartlepool.

4 October 2015: Arsenal smash Man U on 4 October. The video

4 October 2018: FK Qarabağ Agdam 0 Arsenal 3

5 October 1922: Arsenal summoned to FA headquarters

5 October 1991: Arsenal v Chelsea – the video

6 October 1888: Changing the facts to fit the prejudice

6 October 2012 video: Santi Cazorla scores a brilliant goal

7 October 1920: Arsenal purchase Harold Walden – a music hall star!

8 October 1932: Final appearance of Tom Parker, the club’s firs trophy winning captain

9 October 1926: Arsenal under Chapman slip down to 14th

9 October: beating Sunderland in 1984 (the video)

27 September 2005: Ajax 1 Arsenal 2 (the video)

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Here are the anniversaries

Arsenal anniversaries 26 September – 2 October

26 September 1919: Herbert Chapman banned for life from football.

26 September 2015: Leicester City 2 Arsenal 5, the video

27 September 2005: Arsenal beat Ajax away, the video

28 September 2002. Arsenal beat the record of away games without defeat

28 September 2002: Leeds 1 Arsenal 4 – the game that broke two scoring records at once

29 September 2005: Arsenal beat Watford 2-0, the video

29 September 2007: Arsenal beat West Ham away 0-1 as he says he’d hand £100m back to the club.

30 September 1996: Arsène Wenger formally appointed as Arsenal manager.

30 September 2008: Arsenal 4 Porto 0: the video

1 October 1966: George Graham’s debut for Arsenal

2 October 2004 Henry’s back-heeled goal

2 October 2016. Arsenal beat Burnley. Burnley manager questions referee’s competence. Nothing happens.

26 September 2015: Leicester City 2 Arsenal 5

Arsenal anniversaries 19 September – 25 September

19 September 1937: Geoff Strong was born in Kirkheaton, Northumberland.

19 September: Arsenal thump Sevilla in the Champions League: the video

20 September 2002: Arsène Wenger said, “Arsenal can go unbeaten all season.”

21 September 2003: The Battle of Old Trafford

22 September: the day of four very curious Arsenal games.

23 September 1922: Tottenham 1 Arsenal 2. When swearing was a crime, but hitting a player… well…

23 September: on this day Arsenal beat Tottenham away. The video

24 September 1908: Eddie Hapgood, one of our greatest ever players, born in Bristol

24 September Arsenal beat Forest 5-0.

25 September 1909: Arsenal’s keeper Hugh MacDonald was injured in 3-2 victory over Chelsea.

25 September 2013; beating WBA on penalties

18 September 1976: a tale of strange days past


On 18 September 1976 it was Arsenal 3 Everton 1 with Malcolm Macdonald restored to the team and 34,076 in the crowd.

Everton took the lead following a Ross slip in defence, and then played the “what we have we hold” game, until the fouling and niggling approach got so bad that when Liam Brady was kicked to the ground once too often, everyone surrounded everyone else, which if you come to think of it is quite hard to do.  

The referee, seemingly deciding he had had enough of what the media of the day called “a bit of argy-bargy” just let them get on with it until they all looked around wondering where he was.  He then suggested the game might restart the game of football, and by and large the players agreed.

Arsenal equalised straight after half-time from Brady and took the lead shortly after via Macdonalod with Stapleton belting in the third near the end.

Macdonald made a big fuss after the match when one of the Everton defenders tried to suggest that he (the defender) had scored the second Arsenal goal as an own goal and Macdonald had no right to claim it.  It seemed an awfully curious things to do but the media found it interesting.

Much more to the point was the fact that Arsenal were playing with confidence, poise and style, something utterly missing last year and there was actually some hope for the future.

The top ten at the end of the day read

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Liverpool6501115610
2Manchester City63308359
3Arsenal632110558
4Middlesbrough63214318
5Manchester United623110737
6Bristol City62318537
7Stoke City623156-17
8Aston Villa630313856
9Everton622210736
10Newcastle United61418716