1994–95 Arsenal F.C. season

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 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  ENG David Seaman 2 DF  ENG Lee Dixon 3 DF  ENG Nigel Winterburn 4 MF  ENG Paul Davis 5 DF  ENG Andy Linighan 6 DF  ENG Tony Adams 7 FW  ENG Kevin Campbell 8 FW  ENG Ian Wright 9 FW  ENG Alan Smith 10 MF  ENG Paul Merson 11 MF  IRL Eddie McGoldrick 12 DF  ENG Steve Bould 13 GK  ENG Vince Bartram 14 DF  ENG Martin Keown 15 MF  SWE Stefan Schwarz 16 FW  WAL John Hartson

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  DEN John Jensen 18 MF  ENG David Hillier 19 MF  ENG Jimmy Carter 21 DF  NIR Steve Morrow 22 MF  ENG Ian Selley 23 MF  ENG Ray Parlour 24 FW  SCO Paul Dickov 25 MF  ENG Mark Flatts 26 GK  ENG Lee Harper 27 DF  SCO Scott Marshall 28 MF  ENG Paul Shaw 29 MF  ENG Stephen Hughes 30 MF  ENG Adrian Clarke 31 FW  ENG Chris Kiwomya 32 MF  NED Glenn Helder 33 DF  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  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	ENG	David Seaman	48	0	31	0	2	0	6	0	9	0
2	DF	ENG	Lee Dixon	55	1	39	1	2	0	5	0	9	0
3	DF	ENG	Nigel Winterburn	55	0	39	0	2	0	5	0	9	0
4	MF	ENG	Paul Davis	6	1	3+1	1	0	0	2	0	0	0
5	DF	ENG	Andy Linighan	27	2	13+7	2	2	0	2	0	3	0
6	DF	ENG	Tony Adams	40	4	27	3	0+1	0	4	1	8	0
7	FW	ENG	Kevin Campbell	33	5	19+4	4	1+1	0	5	1	1+2	0
8	FW	ENG	Ian Wright	45	30	30+1	18	2	0	3	3	9	9
9	FW	ENG	Alan Smith	27	4	17+2	2	1	0	3	1	4	1
10	MF	ENG	Paul Merson	34	7	24	4	0	0	2	1	8	2
11	MF	IRL	Eddie McGoldrick	18	0	9+2	0	0	0	3+2	0	1+1	0
12	DF	ENG	Steve Bould	43	2	30+1	0	1	0	5	0	5+1	2
13	GK	ENG	Vince Bartram	12	0	11+0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
14	DF	ENG	Martin Keown	43	1	24+7	1	1+1	0	3+2	0	5	0
15	MF	SWE	Stefan Schwarz	47	4	34	2	1	0	4	0	8	2
16	FW	WAL	John Hartson	20	8	14+1	7	0	0	0	0	4+1	1
17	MF	DEN	John Jensen	33	1	24	1	2	0	1+1	0	5	0
18	MF	ENG	David Hillier	17	0	5+4	0	2	0	2	0	2+2	0
19	MF	ENG	Jimmy Carter	3	0	2+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	DF	NIR	Steve Morrow	22	2	11+4	1	1	0	1+1	1	0+4	0
22	MF	ENG	Ian Selley	17	1	10+3	0	0	0	3	0	1	1
23	MF	ENG	Ray Parlour	45	0	22+8	0	2	0	5	0	7+1	0
24	FW	SCO	Paul Dickov	13	3	4+5	0	0	0	2+2	3	0	0
25	MF	ENG	Mark Flatts	4	0	1+2	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
28	MF	ENG	Paul Shaw	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	MF	ENG	Stephen Hughes	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
30	MF	ENG	Adrian Clarke	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	FW	ENG	Chris Kiwomya	17	3	5+9	3	0	0	0	0	1+2	0
32	MF	NED	Glenn Helder	13	0	12+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	DF	ENG	Gavin McGowan	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First round

Second round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final