1992–93 Arsenal F.C. season

Despite enduring a disappointing league season, finishing 10th in the first ever Premier League, behind unfancied sides like Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal managed to complete a double of the FA Cup and League Cup, defeating Sheffield Wednesday in both finals.

New to the Arsenal squad for 1992–93 season was Denmark's Euro 92 midfield hero John Jensen, who took over in central midfield from Leeds United bound David Rocastle.

The end of the season saw the departure of long-serving Irish defender David O'Leary, who, to date, holds the record for the most appearances for Arsenal.

Arsenal hosted Norwich City at Highbury on the opening weekend of the season.

Arsenal recorded their first league win of the campaign against Liverpool at Anfield; midfielder Ray Parlour created both of the team's goals.[2] This was followed by a 2–0 win at home to Oldham Athletic, where the attendance of 20,796 was Highbury's lowest in over four years, as Highbury's capacity was restricted while the North Bank was being rebuilt.[3]

September was a disappointing month for the Gunners, who won just one out of five league games. But their 1–0 home win over Manchester City on 28 September signaled the start of a six-match winning run which propelled them to the top of the table on 7 November. However, they gained just three points from their next eight games, which included a four-match run of defeats and didn't include a single win, which left Arsenal's title hopes looking dead by the turn of 1993. However, they were still in the Football League Cup, and now had the FA Cup to play for.

George Graham strengthened his tight defence in February 1993 by paying Everton £2 million for Martin Keown, the player he had sold to Aston Villa as a 19-year-old in one of his first actions on becoming Arsenal manager in 1986.

Arsenal finished the season 10th in the Premier League, but had won some silverware on 18 April when they defeated Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 in the Football League Cup final. Steve Morrow, who scored Arsenal's winning goal, broke his arm after being dropped by Tony Adams during the post-match celebrations, ruling him out of the remaining games of the season, including the FA Cup final on 15 May—where Arsenal once again faced Sheffield Wednesday. They were held to a 1–1 draw by their South Yorkshire opponents, but won the replay 2–1 four days later with the winning goal coming from defender Andy Linighan. This secured Arsenal's place in the 1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup.

Remarkably, Arsenal were the lowest-scoring side in the division over the season with 40 goals, slightly less than one per match; this despite having been the leading scorers in the first division in the previous season.

Matches

Arsenal v Norwich City

15 August 1992 1	Arsenal	2 – 4	Norwich City	London
15:00 BST	Bould  28' Campbell  39'		69', 84' Robins  72' Phillips  82' Fox	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 24,030

Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal

18 August 1992 2	Blackburn Rovers	1 – 0	Arsenal	Blackburn
19:45 BST	Shearer  85'			Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 16,454

Liverpool v Arsenal

23 August 1992 3	Liverpool	0 – 2	Arsenal	Liverpool
16:00 BST			53' Limpar  80' Wright	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 34,961

Arsenal v Oldham Athletic

26 August 1992 4	Arsenal	2 – 0	Oldham Athletic	London
19:45 BST	Winterburn  25' Wright  31'			Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 20,796

Arsenal v Sheffield Wednesday

29 August 1992 5	Arsenal	2 – 1	Sheffield Wednesday	London
15:00 BST	Parlour  8' Merson  27'		33' Hirst	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 23,389 Referee: Paul Durkin

Queens Park Rangers v Arsenal

2 September 1992 6	Queens Park Rangers	0 – 0	Arsenal	London
19:45 BST				Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 20,868

Wimbledon v Arsenal

5 September 1992 7	Wimbledon	3 – 2	Arsenal	London
15:00 BST	Sanchez  39' Fashanu  81' Earle  87'		34', 82' Wright	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 12,906 Referee: Keith Burge

Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers

12 September 1992 8	Arsenal	0 – 1	Blackburn Rovers	London
15:00 BST			71' Newell	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 28,643 Referee: Mike Reed

Sheffield United v Arsenal

19 September 1992 9	Sheffield United	1 – 1	Arsenal	Sheffield
15:00 BST	Whitehouse  48'		85' Wright	Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 19,105

Arsenal v Manchester City

28 September 1992 10	Arsenal	1 – 0	Manchester City	London
19:45 BST	Wright  19'			Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 21,504

Arsenal v Chelsea

3 October 1992 11	Arsenal	2 – 1	Chelsea	London
15:00 BST	Merson  10' Wright  85'		78' Wise	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 27,780

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

17 October 1992 12	Nottingham Forest	0 – 1	Arsenal	Nottingham
15:00 BST			37' Smith	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 24,862

Arsenal v Everton

24 October 1992 13	Arsenal	2 – 0	Everton	London
15:00 BST	Wright  5' Limpar  58'			Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 28,052

Crystal Palace v Arsenal

2 November 1992 14	Crystal Palace	1 – 2	Arsenal	London
20:00 GMT	McGoldrick  69'		5' Merson  73' Wright	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 20,287

Arsenal v Coventry City

7 November 1992 15	Arsenal	3 – 0	Coventry City	London
15:00 GMT	Smith  8' Wright  30' Campbell  45'			Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 27,693

Leeds United v Arsenal

21 November 1992 16	Leeds United	3 – 0	Arsenal	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Fairclough  51' Chapman  56' McAllister  87'			Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 30,516

Arsenal v Manchester United

28 November 1992 17	Arsenal	0 – 1	Manchester United	London
15:00 GMT			27' Hughes	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 29,739

Southampton v Arsenal

5 December 1992 18	Southampton	2 – 0	Arsenal	Southampton
15:00 GMT	Maddison  16' Dowie  53'			Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 17,286

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

12 December 1992 19	Tottenham Hotspur	1 – 0	Arsenal	London
15:00 GMT	Allen  21'			Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 33,707

Arsenal v Middlesbrough

19 December 1992 20	Arsenal	1 – 1	Middlesbrough	London
15:00 GMT	Wright  81'		34' Wilkinson	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 23,197 Referee: Stephen Lodge

Arsenal v Ipswich Town

26 December 1992 21	Arsenal	0 – 0	Ipswich Town	London
12:00 GMT				Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 26,198

Aston Villa v Arsenal

28 December 1992 22	Aston Villa	1 – 0	Arsenal	Birmingham
19:30 GMT	Saunders  45'			Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,170 Referee: Martin Bodenham

Arsenal v Sheffield United

9 January 1993 23	Arsenal	1 – 1	Sheffield United	London
15:00 GMT	Hillier  43'		87' Littlejohn	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 23,818 Referee: Gerald Ashby

Manchester City v Arsenal

16 January 1993 24	Manchester City	0 – 1	Arsenal	Manchester
15:00 GMT			79' Merson	Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 25,041 Referee: Keith Burge

Arsenal v Liverpool

31 January 1993 25	Arsenal	0 – 1	Liverpool	London
16:00 GMT			59' Barnes	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 27,580

Arsenal v Wimbledon

10 February 1993 26	Arsenal	0 – 1	Wimbledon	London
19:45 GMT			19' Holdsworth	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 18,253

Oldham Athletic v Arsenal

20 February 1993 27	Oldham Athletic	0 – 1	Arsenal	Oldham
15:00 GMT			50' Linighan	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 12,311

Arsenal v Leeds United

24 February 1993 28	Arsenal	0 – 0	Leeds United	London
19:45 GMT				Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 21,061

Chelsea v Arsenal

1 March 1993 29	Chelsea	1 – 0	Arsenal	London
19:45 GMT	Stuart  81'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 17,725

Norwich City v Arsenal

3 March 1993 30	Norwich City	1 – 1	Arsenal	Norwich
19:45 GMT	Fox  36'		82' Wright	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 19,000

Coventry City v Arsenal

13 March 1993 31	Coventry City	0 – 2	Arsenal	Coventry
15:00 GMT			28' Campbell  29' Wright	Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 15,437

Arsenal v Southampton

20 March 1993 32	Arsenal	4 – 3	Southampton	London
15:00 GMT	Linighan  15' Merson  16' Carter  20', 79'		4' Dowie  30' Adams  50' Le Tissier	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 24,149

Manchester United v Arsenal

24 March 1993 33	Manchester United	0 – 0	Arsenal	Manchester
20:00 GMT				Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 37,301

Middlesbrough v Arsenal

6 April 1993 34	Middlesbrough	1 – 0	Arsenal	Middlesbrough
19:45 BST	Hendrie  32'			Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 12,726

Ipswich v Arsenal

10 April 1993 35	Ipswich	1 – 2	Arsenal	Ipswich
15:00 BST	Wark  27'		2' Smith  87' Merson	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 20,358

Arsenal v Aston Villa

12 April 1993 36	Arsenal	0 – 1	Aston Villa	London
15:00 BST			68' Daley	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 27,125 Referee: Gerald Ashby

Arsenal v Nottingham Forest

21 April 1993 37	Arsenal	1 – 1	Nottingham Forest	London
19:45 BST	Wright  67'		90' Keane	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 19,024 Referee: Martin Bodenham

Everton v Arsenal

1 May 1993 38	Everton	0 – 0	Arsenal	Liverpool
15:00 BST				Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 19,044

Arsenal v Queens Park Rangers

4 May 1993 39	Arsenal	0 – 0	Queens Park Rangers	London
19:45 BST				Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 18,817

Sheffield Wednesday v Arsenal

6 May 1993 40	Sheffield Wednesday	1 – 0	Arsenal	Sheffield
19:45 BST	Bright  19'			Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 23,645

Arsenal v Crystal Palace

8 May 1993 41	Arsenal	3 – 0	Crystal Palace	London
15:00 BST	Wright  9' Dickov  82' Campbell  89'			Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 25,225 Referee: Keith Burge

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

11 May 1993 42	Arsenal	1 – 3	Tottenham Hotspur	London
19:45 BST	Dickov  52'		39' Sheringham  46', 78' Hendry	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 26,393

The Football League Cup is a cup competition open to clubs in the Premier League and Football League. Like the FA Cup it is played on a knockout basis, with the exception of the second round and semi-finals, which are contested over a two-legged tie.

Arsenal entered the competition in the second round, as one of the 22 teams from the Premier League. They were drawn against Millwall; the first leg took place at Highbury on 22 September 1992. In the match Campbell scored in the 78th minute to cancel out Millwall's lead early in the second half.[5] The second leg at The Den was much the same, with both teams playing out for a 1–1 draw. As there were no further goals the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out, which Arsenal won 3–1.[6]

Arsenal v Millwall

22 September 1992 Second round	Arsenal	1 – 1	Millwall	London
	Campbell  78'		52' Roberts	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 20,940

Millwall v Arsenal

7 October 1992 Second round	Millwall	1 – 1	Arsenal	London
	Dixon  25' (o.g.)		17' Campbell	Stadium: The Den Attendance: 18,500

Derby County v Arsenal

28 October 1992 Third round	Derby County	1 – 1	Arsenal	Derby
	Simpson  25' (pen.)		76' Campbell	Stadium: Baseball Ground Attendance: 22,208

Arsenal v Derby County

1 December 1992 Third round replay	Arsenal	2 – 1	Derby County	London
	Wright  7' Campbell  14'		44' (pen.) Pembridge	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 24,587

Scarborough v Arsenal

6 January 1993 Fourth round	Scarborough	0 – 1	Arsenal	Scarborough
			51' Winterburn	Stadium: McCain Stadium Attendance: 6,261

Arsenal v Nottingham Forest

12 January 1993 Fifth round	Arsenal	2 – 0	Nottingham Forest	London
	Wright  55', 78'			Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 25,600

Crystal Palace v Arsenal

7 February 1993 Semi-finals	Crystal Palace	1 – 3	Arsenal	London
	Osborn  54'		Wright  8' (pen.) Smith  22', 66'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 26,508

Arsenal v Crystal Palace

10 March 1993 Semi-finals	Arsenal	2 – 0	Crystal Palace	London
	Linighan  6' Wright  45'			Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 28,584

Arsenal v Sheffield Wednesday

18 April 1993 Final	Arsenal	2 – 1	Sheffield Wednesday	London
	Merson  20' Morrow  68'		Harkes  8'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 74,007

Arsenal used a total of 29 players during the 1992–93 season and there were nine different goalscorers. There were also two squad members who did not make a first-team appearance in the campaign. Adams featured in 52 games and started the most games in the squad. The team scored a total of 72 goals in all competitions. The top goalscorer was Wright, with 30 goals – half of which were scored in the league.

Key

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

Pos.	Nat.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	ENG	David Seaman	39	0	8	0	9	0	56	0
GK	ENG	Alan Miller	3 (1)	0	0	0	0	0	3 (1)	0
DF	ENG	Nigel Winterburn	29	1	8	0	7	1	44	2
DF	ENG	Lee Dixon	29	0	8	0	7	0	44	0
DF	ENG	Tony Adams	33 (2)	0	8	2	9	0	50 (2)	2
DF	ENG	Steve Bould	24	1	1	0	5	0	30	1
DF	ENG	Andy Linighan	19 (2)	2	7	1	4	1	30 (2)	4
DF	IRE	David O'Leary	6 (5)	0	1 (3)	0	2	0	9 (8)	0
DF	ENG	Colin Pates	2 (5)	0	0	0	0	0	2 (5)	0
DF	ENG	Martin Keown	15 (1)	0	0	0	0	0	15 (1)	0
DF	NIR	Steve Morrow	13 (3)	0	2 (2)	0	4 (1)	1	19 (6)	1
DF	NOR	Pål Lydersen	7 (1)	0	0	0	1	0	8 (1)	0
DF	SCO	Scott Marshall	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
DF	ENG	Gavin McGowan	(2)	0	0	0	0	0	(2)	0
MF	ENG	David Hillier	27 (3)	1	4 (1)	0	7 (1)	0	38 (5)	1
MF	SWE	Anders Limpar	12 (11)	2	2	0	4	0	18 (11)	2
MF	ENG	Paul Davis	6	0	2	0	3	0	11	0
MF	ENG	Perry Groves	(1)	0	0	0	0	0	(1)	0
MF	ENG	Ray Parlour	16 (5)	1	4	1	3 (5)	0	23 (6)	2
MF	ENG	Jimmy Carter	11 (5)	2	1	0	1 (1)	0	13 (6)	2
MF	DEN	John Jensen	29 (3)	0	4	0	3	0	36 (3)	0
MF	ENG	Ian Selley	9	0	3	0	1	0	13	0
MF	ENG	Mark Flatts	6 (4)	0	0	0	1	0	7 (4)	0
MF	ENG	Neil Heaney	3 (2)	0	0	0	0	0	3 (2)	0
MF	ENG	Paul Merson	32 (1)	6	8	1	9	1	49 (1)	8
FW	ENG	Ian Wright	30 (1)	15	7	10	8	5	45 (1)	30
FW	ENG	Kevin Campbell	32 (5)	4	4 (3)	1	5 (4)	4	41 (12)	9
FW	ENG	Alan Smith	27 (4)	3	5 (2)	1	7	2	39 (6)	6
FW	SCO	Paul Dickov	1 (2)	2	0	0	0	0	1 (2)	2

Source: [1]

• 1992–93 in English football

General

• "1992–93 calendar and appearances". Arseweb.com. Retrieved 31 July 2014.

Specific