Man Utd leave Romero, Jones, Rojo out of CL squad, Edu: Partey signing part of seven-month plan, CL/EL squads: Ozil, Romero, Rose, Defoe left out, Calvert-Lewin set to start for England vs Wales, Abraham, Sancho, Chilwell in contention for Belgium, Rose, Fernandes out of Spurs' Europa squad, Ozil out of Arsenal's Europa League squad, Mercedes team member tests positive for coronavirus, We would like your feedback, please fill in our survey. [98] Radamel Falcao restored Porto's lead in the second half and the tie finished 2–1 in their favour. Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Barcelona defender Carles Puyol was sent off for a second bookable offence when he fouled Fábregas in the box, and the Arsenal captain converted the penalty awarded by the referee to equalise. [101] Walcott, who Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola described as Arsenal's biggest threat, [102] was named in the first XI for the return leg and set Bendtner up to score. Updated to match played 11 May 2010Source: Arsenal F.C. [84] In the first leg at Celtic Park, Arsenal broke the deadlock when Fábregas' free-kick deflected in off defender William Gallas and past the goal net. [56] Their stay at the top of the table was brief and moved back down to third, after they were held to a goalless stalemate against Aston Villa in the midweek round, while Chelsea beat Birmingham. The match, which saw the visitors lead twice, was played in cold conditions as a result of the "Big Freeze". He's the only player who can change direction at such a pace."[104]. Vermaelen started in 33 league matches. [61][62] Arsenal returned to winning ways in midweek with a narrow victory against Liverpool and then scored twice to beat Sunderland. [57] Arsenal's best chances in the match came in the first half; Fàbregas and Rosicky both had efforts hit the post and crossbar respectively. [103] The joy was short lived as Messi equalised within minutes and he added a further three goals to give Barcelona a 6–3 aggregate win – 4–1 on the night. Eduardo deputised for Van Persie, who injured himself whilst playing for the Netherlands. Arsenal then faced Bolton Wanderers back-to-back; the home fixture was originally called off on 6 January 2010 due to heavy snow. Arsenal used a total of 41 players during the 2009–10 season and there were 20 different goalscorers. [101] Barcelona defender Carles Puyol was sent off for a second bookable offence when he fouled Fábregas in the box, and the Arsenal captain converted the penalty awarded by the referee to equalise. To reinvigorate the side and benefit from Cesc Fàbregas's creativity, manager Arsène Wenger instituted a fluid 4–3–3 formation. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. He is important in the dressing room as well. [81] A strong performance against Liverpool followed in the competition,[82] but Arsenal were knocked out in the quarter-final stage when Manchester City defeated them by three goals. [41] Six different players (Vermaelen, Van Persie, Arshavin, Fàbregas, Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner) scored in the team's 6–2 win. Then it's a crisis; it is like that." [49] "Of course it can always go the other way and you can lose 6–1. At home to league leaders Chelsea on 29 November 2009, Arsenal lost 3–0; striker Didier Drogba scored two goals in either interval of the game. Wenger described the game as an opportunity for Arsenal to prove they were "mentally prepared" to compete in the title race, but his team were outclassed by the visitors which prompted boos from the home support at the final whistle. [35] Adebayor scored against his former club and caused controversy by running towards the Arsenal section and celebrating in front of them. [38][39] Vito Mannone's performance at Craven Cottage was praised; he stood in for the injured Almunia. Camp Nou Attendance: Attendance 95,000. The team moved into second place as a result of a 4–1 win. [67] Wenger was defiant his team could win the title after Arsenal beat West Ham to move top; it was their sixth consecutive league win and victory was ensured when Fàbregas converted a penalty late on. Arsenal's top goalscorer was Fàbregas, who scored 19 goals in 36 appearances. [50] The team returned to winning ways at home to Hull City as Denílson, Eduardo and Diaby got on the scoresheet in a 3–0 victory. Lionel Messi produced a mesmerising master-class to end Arsenal's Champions League dreams and send Barcelona into the semi-finals. [59] Park Ji-sung added a third for United in the second half, before Vermaelen scored late on to make the scoreline 3–1. [78] They came from a goal down to beat their London rivals and progress,[79] but made an exit the following round against Stoke where an understrength side were undone in the final 20 minutes. [94] In the reverse match, staged on matchday four, Fábregas scored twice in Arsenal's 4–1 win which put the club on 10 points in the group. This was the first season the team played in a 4–3–3 formation, utilised for the benefit of Fàbregas. [72] Danny Rose on his debut opened the scoring with a 30-yard volley and Gareth Bale doubled the host’s lead minutes into the second half. It began on 1 July 2009 and concluded on 30 June 2010, with competitive matches played between August and May. [43], Arsenal's first fixture of November was against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium. 7:45pm, Tuesday 6th April 2010. They failed to progress past the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, losing to reigning champions Barcelona in a two-legged tie. "[47], December saw Arsenal win five out of six league matches. The side's continuing sportsmanship was acknowledged at the end of the season with the Barclays Fair Play Award.[105]. [72] Bendtner scored with five minutes remaining of normal time but the game ended 2–1 to Tottenham, leaving Arsenal six points adrift of Chelsea at the top. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny joined Brentford in November 2009 and stayed their for the remainder of the season, while in the January window Jack Wilshere and Philippe Senderos moved to Bolton Wanderers and Everton respectively. Denílson scored the opening goal four minutes before the half-hour and Vermaelen doubled Arsenal’s lead, heading the ball in from a Robin van Persie cross. Of course he is not the youngest but he is in a very good shape. [37] At home, Arsenal responded with a 4–0 win against Wigan Athletic and a single Van Persie’s goal was enough to beat Fulham away in the team’s final match of September. Wenger defended his team selection, pointing out to the media: "We had 10 injuries and a very difficult programme coming up. [69] Arsenal were unable to hold on to their lead against Birmingham as Almunia's error gifted a stoppage-time equaliser, scored by Kevin Phillips. 41 different players represented Arsenal in four competitions and there were 14 different goalscorers. [72], Wenger was so incensed by Arsenal's response against Wigan – conceding three in the final 10 minutes to throw away a 2–0 lead – that he ordered the team bus to drop his players at Wigan railway station and told them to make their way back home.