1994–95 Arsenal F.C. season

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Arsenal

1994–95 season
Chairman	Peter Hill-Wood
Manager	George Graham (until 21 February) Stewart Houston (caretaker from 21 February)
Stadium	Highbury
Premiership	12th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Quarter–finals
Cup Winners' Cup	Runners-up
European Super Cup	Runners-up
Top goalscorer	League: Wright (18) All: Wright (30)
Average home league attendance	35,330
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 1993–94 1995–96 →

The 1994–95 season was Arsenal Football Club's 69th consecutive season in the top flight of English football. Arsenal finished twelfth in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons). Domestically, Arsenal went out in the third round of the FA Cup to Millwall and in the quarterfinals of the League Cup to Liverpool. Arsenal once again reached the final of the European Cup Winner's Cup but lost 1–2 to Real Zaragoza in extra time. Ian Wright was the club's top scorer.

Arsenal finished 12th in the Premier League, their lowest finish since 1976. Arsenal scored in only one of their first five League matches, fell immediately to mid-table mediocrity and stayed there throughout the whole season.^[1] Only six points stood between Arsenal and the relegation zone; they were 38 points behind the champions, Blackburn Rovers. Arsenal only scored 52 goals, with Ian Wright accounting for more than a third of those.

Arsenal hosted Queens Park Rangers on 31 December 1994. Danish midfielder John Jensen scored the goal for Arsenal in a 3–1 loss. It turned out to be his one and only goal for the club.^[2]

On 18 January 1995 Arsenal were knocked out in the FA Cup in a third round replay by London rivals Millwall. A week earlier Arsenal were also knocked out of the League Cup in the Quarter-final to eventual winners Liverpool, and (as Cup Winners’ Cup holders) also lost the Super Cup Final to AC Milan. In a press conference Paul Merson had admitted an alcohol, cocaine and gambling addiction, and was sent to rehab. Merson eventually made his comeback on 1 February 1995, against AC Milan in the Super Cup at Highbury, coming on as a substitute to an unbelievable reception from the Arsenal fans.^{[3] [4] [5]}

George Graham was sacked on 21 February 1995, and subsequently banned for a year from football by The FA after it was discovered he had accepted an illegal 425,000ドル payment from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge following Arsenal transfers John Jensen and Pål Lydersen in 1992, two of Hauge's clients.^[6] For in his final weeks in charge (in the days before transfer windows had been imposed), Graham bought three new signings - designed, he hoped, to reinvigorate his jaded squad. In came John Hartson, Chris Kiwomya and Dutchman Glenn Helder. Yet between them they made fewer than 100 starts for the club (21 goals) before being quietly offloaded by the club over the next two years.

Graham's assistant Stewart Houston took over as manager until the end of the season. His first match in charge was, in the evening 21 February 1995 the same day Graham was sacked, against Nottingham Forest at Highbury, in a 1–0 victory. Despite winning his first two games in charge, he always seemed to be a stop-gap.^[7] The changeover coincided with a run of 6 defeats in 7 games, leaving Arsenal in danger of being relegated just four years after winning the title and two years after their domestic cup double. However, the team rallied in the final weeks and took 8 points from their final 5 games, securing their Premier League spot.

Arsenal reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final for the second year in succession.

Bröndby and Omonia Nicosia were defeated in the opening rounds of the Cup Winners Cup, before a devastating left footed strike from Ian Wright eliminated French side Auxerre in the Quarter Final.

A pendulous 3-2 win over Sampdoria at Highbury, in which Steve Bould netted twice, set Houston's team up for a nervy second leg at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Roberto Mancini put Sampdoria ahead, before Ian Wright headed home an equaliser. Claudio Bellucci appeared to have broken Arsenal hearts with goals in the 84th and 87th minutes, but Stefan Schwarz's last gasp free kick took the tie to extra time. David Seaman, playing with three broken ribs, was the hero saving three penalties in the shootout, Seaman denied Mihajlović, Jugović and Lombardo's kicks as the Gunners scraped through.^[8]

In Paris at Parc des Princes Real Zaragoza won the final, after former Tottenham Hotspur-player Nayim lobbed Seaman from over 40 yards, in the last seconds of extra time.^{[9] [10]}

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
10	Southampton	42	12	18	12	61	63	−2	54
11	Chelsea	42	13	15	14	50	55	−5	54
12	Arsenal	42	13	12	17	52	49	+3	51
13	Sheffield Wednesday	42	13	12	17	49	57	−8	51
14	West Ham United	42	13	11	18	44	48	−4	50

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
42	13	12	17	52	49	+3	51	6	9	6	27	21	+6	7	3	11	25	28	−3

^[11] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK England ENG David Seaman 2 DF England ENG Lee Dixon 3 DF England ENG Nigel Winterburn 4 MF England ENG Paul Davis 5 DF England ENG Andy Linighan 6 DF England ENG Tony Adams 7 FW England ENG Kevin Campbell 8 FW England ENG Ian Wright 9 FW England ENG Alan Smith 10 MF England ENG Paul Merson 11 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Eddie McGoldrick 12 DF England ENG Steve Bould 13 GK England ENG Vince Bartram 14 DF England ENG Martin Keown 15 MF Sweden SWE Stefan Schwarz 16 FW Wales WAL John Hartson

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF Denmark DEN John Jensen 18 MF England ENG David Hillier 19 MF England ENG Jimmy Carter 21 DF Northern Ireland NIR Steve Morrow 22 MF England ENG Ian Selley 23 MF England ENG Ray Parlour 24 FW Scotland SCO Paul Dickov 25 MF England ENG Mark Flatts 26 GK England ENG Lee Harper 27 DF Scotland SCO Scott Marshall 28 MF England ENG Paul Shaw 29 MF England ENG Stephen Hughes 30 MF England ENG Adrian Clarke 31 FW England ENG Chris Kiwomya 32 MF Netherlands NED Glenn Helder 33 DF England ENG Gavin McGowan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 MF Norway NOR Pål Lydersen (to IK Start)

As of 10 May 1995^[12]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		UEFA Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	England ENG	David Seaman	48	0	31	0	2	0	6	0	9	0
2	DF	England ENG	Lee Dixon	55	1	39	1	2	0	5	0	9	0
3	DF	England ENG	Nigel Winterburn	55	0	39	0	2	0	5	0	9	0
4	MF	England ENG	Paul Davis	6	1	3+1	1	0	0	2	0	0	0
5	DF	England ENG	Andy Linighan	27	2	13+7	2	2	0	2	0	3	0
6	DF	England ENG	Tony Adams	40	4	27	3	0+1	0	4	1	8	0
7	FW	England ENG	Kevin Campbell	33	5	19+4	4	1+1	0	5	1	1+2	0
8	FW	England ENG	Ian Wright	45	30	30+1	18	2	0	3	3	9	9
9	FW	England ENG	Alan Smith	27	4	17+2	2	1	0	3	1	4	1
10	MF	England ENG	Paul Merson	34	7	24	4	0	0	2	1	8	2
11	MF	Republic of Ireland IRL	Eddie McGoldrick	18	0	9+2	0	0	0	3+2	0	1+1	0
12	DF	England ENG	Steve Bould	43	2	30+1	0	1	0	5	0	5+1	2
13	GK	England ENG	Vince Bartram	12	0	11+0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
14	DF	England ENG	Martin Keown	43	1	24+7	1	1+1	0	3+2	0	5	0
15	MF	Sweden SWE	Stefan Schwarz	47	4	34	2	1	0	4	0	8	2
16	FW	Wales WAL	John Hartson	20	8	14+1	7	0	0	0	0	4+1	1
17	MF	Denmark DEN	John Jensen	33	1	24	1	2	0	1+1	0	5	0
18	MF	England ENG	David Hillier	17	0	5+4	0	2	0	2	0	2+2	0
19	MF	England ENG	Jimmy Carter	3	0	2+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	DF	Northern Ireland NIR	Steve Morrow	22	2	11+4	1	1	0	1+1	1	0+4	0
22	MF	England ENG	Ian Selley	17	1	10+3	0	0	0	3	0	1	1
23	MF	England ENG	Ray Parlour	45	0	22+8	0	2	0	5	0	7+1	0
24	FW	Scotland SCO	Paul Dickov	13	3	4+5	0	0	0	2+2	3	0	0
25	MF	England ENG	Mark Flatts	4	0	1+2	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
28	MF	England ENG	Paul Shaw	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	MF	England ENG	Stephen Hughes	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
30	MF	England ENG	Adrian Clarke	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	FW	England ENG	Chris Kiwomya	17	3	5+9	3	0	0	0	0	1+2	0
32	MF	Netherlands NED	Glenn Helder	13	0	12+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	DF	England ENG	Gavin McGowan	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First round

Second round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

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