2006–07 Arsenal F.C. season

Arsenal entered the competition in the third round and faced West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, where striker Aliadière scored twice to secure a 2–0 victory for the visitors.[1] They then travelled to Goodison Park in the fourth round to play Everton. Arsenal won the match 0–1 courtesy of a late Adebayor goal, which came from a corner. For much of the game Everton played with a man disadvantage as striker James McFadden was sent off in the 19th minute for dissent.[2]

Liverpool were Arsenal's opponent in the fifth round. The match, scheduled on 19 December 2006 at Anfield, was postponed by referee Martin Atkinson because of heavy fog.[3] Atkinson's decision infuriated the managers of both clubs, with Rafael Benítez commenting: "There were a lot of people looking forward to the game and it's really difficult to explain."[4] The tie was rescheduled for 9 January 2007 and on the night Arsenal took the lead when Aliadière scored in the 27th minute. Robbie Fowler equalised for Liverpool six minutes later. Later, two goals from Baptista and goal from Alex Song put Arsenal 4–1 ahead at half time. In the second half, Baptista completed his hat-trick; although Steven Gerrard and Sami Hyypiä scored to close the scoreline gap for Liverpool, Baptista added his fourth goal of the match in the 84th minute. The final score was 6–3, Liverpool's heaviest defeat at Anfield in 76 years.[5] In his match report for The Guardian, Taylor praised Arsenal's reserve team and summarised, "The difference between the two teams was immense. Arsenal played with flair and purpose; Liverpool were dishevelled and short of leadership."[6]

Pre-match presentation

Tottenham Hotspur faced Arsenal in the semi-final which was played over two legs. A goal from Dimitar Berbatov gave Tottenham the lead in the 12th minute and they extended their advantage after Baptista inadvertently kicked the ball into his own goal. Baptista, however, made amends in the second half, scoring twice in the space of 13 minutes to level the score at 2–2.[7] The second leg at the Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal dominate proceedings, but only took the lead in the 77th minute when Adebayor scored. Mido equalised for Tottenham, which took the match into extra time because of the away goals rule. Aliadière's goal in the 105th minute restored Arsenal's lead and an own goal scored by Pascal Chimbonda ensured the home team progressed to the final, winning 3–1 after extra time and 5–3 on aggregate.[8]

Arsenal played Chelsea in the final at the Millennium Stadium on 25 February 2007. Wenger continued his policy of naming a young team, which took the lead in the 12th minute when Walcott converted his chance.[9] Chelsea striker Didier Drogba equalised and scored in the 84th minute to earn his side victory. A fracas occurred between the Arsenal and Chelsea players occurred during stoppage time, resulting in Touré and Adebayor getting shown a red card each.[9] Wenger later apologised for his players' conduct, but was charged £2,500 for accusing the linesman of lying in his account of Adebayor's actions.[10][11] Both clubs were fined £100,000 each by The Football Association for their inability to control their players and Eboué was retrospectively charged with violent conduct for striking Wayne Bridge.[12]

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal

24 October 2006 Third round	West Bromwich Albion	0–2	Arsenal	West Bromwich
		Report	Aliadière  34', 49' (pen.)	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 21,566 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Everton v Arsenal

8 November 2006 Fourth round	Everton	0–1	Arsenal	Liverpool
		Report	Adebayor  85'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 31,045 Referee: Graham Poll

Liverpool v Arsenal

9 January 2007 Fifth round	Liverpool	3–6	Arsenal	Liverpool
	Fowler  33' Gerrard  68' Hyypiä  80'	Report	Aliadière  27' Baptista  40', 45+2', 60', 84' Song  45'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 42,614 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

24 January 2007 Semi-final, first leg	Tottenham Hotspur	2–2	Arsenal	London
	Berbatov  12' Baptista  20' (o.g.)	Report	Baptista  64', 77'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 35,485 Referee: Graham Poll

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

31 January 2007 Semi-final, second leg	Arsenal	3–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 agg.)	Tottenham Hotspur	London
	Adebayor  77' Aliadière  105' Chimbonda  113' (o.g.)	Report	Mido  85'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,872 Referee: Alan Wiley

Arsenal v Chelsea

25 February 2007 Final	Arsenal	1–2	Chelsea	Cardiff
15:00 GMT	Walcott  12'	Report	Drogba  20', 84'	Stadium: Millennium Stadium Attendance: 70,073 Referee: Howard Webb

• 2006–07 in English football
• List of Arsenal F.C. seasons