Arsenal fell just short of the Premier League title, but it was still an outstanding campaign from Mikel Arteta’s side, and there were plenty of memorable moments over the course of the season.
The Emirates Stadium gave Arsenal an excellent reception after the full-time whistle in the final match of the season, with the Gunners beating Everton, but this was not enough to finish above Manchester City.
Arsenal have made significant progress this season, and the squad have shown that they are capable of competing at the very top level. A first Champions League quarter-final since 2010 was reached, but a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich came as a frustration.
Nevertheless, 2024 saw Arsenal win 16 of 18 league games, and Arsenal Insider writers have now picked out their favourite moments from an enjoyable campaign.
Arsenal proved they could compete with the biggest teams with victory over Liverpool
Serious questions were being asked of Arsenal after they fell to three consecutive defeats in late December and early January, stumbling in the title race and suffering a humiliating exit at the hands of Liverpool in the FA Cup.
With Jurgen Klopp’s side also in the title race, a fixture at the start of February saw Arsenal welcome Liverpool to the Emirates again, and anything other than a win would likely have knocked Arsenal out of the running.
This was the moment Arteta found his winning formula. Kai Havertz began to impress upfront, and Arsenal took an early lead through Bukayo Saka. However, a calamitous own goal on the stroke of half-time raised more concerns that the Gunners simply did not have the mentality to deliver under high pressure.
This all changed in the second half. Arsenal came flying out of the blocks, and Gabriel Martinelli pounced on an error from Alisson and Virgil van Dijk to score.
Arsenal continued to dominate the game, and substitute Leandro Trossard, who was the subject of criticism in the build-up, scored an outstanding solo goal to secure the victory and send the fans into raptures.
On an enjoyable day at the Emirates, Arsenal had beaten a fellow title contender with a deserved win and gained the confidence they needed to then embark on a remarkable run of form for the rest of the season.
David Raya became penalty shootout hero as Arsenal beat Porto in Champions League
Questions were raised over the signing of goalkeeper David Raya, and Arteta’s decision to replace Aaron Ramsdale, but he has since proved his manager was right, and his truly defining moment came in the Champions League.
There have been a lot of highs this season watching Arsenal, yet the best was certainly the penalty shootout win against FC Porto.
Having lost on spot-kicks last year to Sporting Lisbon, it really felt like Arsenal were going to repeat history and go out in Europe to a Portuguese side on penalties. However, we broke the narrative with a fine display in the shootout, with Arsenal progressing to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in 14 years and ending the Round of 16 curse that had hung around our heads for well over a decade.
It was a moment that encapsulated where we are now under Mikel Arteta, and what’s to come in the future from this incredible team.
Arsenal end curse to beat Manchester City
Arsenal produced a host of exciting moments during the 2023/24 season but few would rival Gabriel Martinelli scoring against Manchester City in the 86th minute. The Brazilian secured a 1-0 win via a big deflection off Nathan Ake’s face but it was a huge result for Mikel Arteta.
Manchester City had Arsenal’s number in their previous 12 Premier League encounters and had not lost to the Gunners since December 2015. But Martinelli sent Emirates Stadium wild when the Brazilian received Kai Havertz’s cutback and tried his luck on the edge of the area.
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Even Pep Guardiola came out to praise Martinelli after Arsenal beat his Manchester City side fortuitously 1-0. The Citizens boss admired how the Guarulhos native ‘increased the rhythm’ in the Gunners’ attack. Martinelli was also returning from a hamstring injury as a substitute.
Declan Rice scores first Arsenal goal in late winner against Manchester United
Declan Rice has been a revelation for Arsenal this season, and it did not take him long to truly announce himself in North London. In just his fourth Premier League outing for the Gunners, he opened his account with a late winner against Manchester United.
The scale of his club-record £105 million price tag could have weighed Rice down this season. However, with this strike, he sent the Emirates Stadium into raptures and simultaneously released any pressure that might have built-up around his fee.
Rice has been described as having “Roy of the Rovers DNA,” and Arsenal fans got their first taste of his capacity for heroics in this remarkable moment.