The 10 defining games of Arsène Wenger's Arsenal career

Fixture milestone for one of football's most influential coaches

A look back at the 10 defining games of Arsène Wenger's Arsenal career

At Stamford Bridge against Chelsea this Sunday, March 23, Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger will lead his side out for the 1,000th time, a remarkable achievement in an era where the lifespan of a football manager is increasingly fleeting.

For those associated with the Arsenal, the 17-and-a-half year tenure of the 54-year-old from Strasbourg, France - a stint that makes him the longest serving manager in England still in the game –  has been arguably the most memorable in the club’s history. As well as overseeing the club’s move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium and unearthing some of the Premier League’s most famous talents, Wenger has won 572 of his 999 fixtures at a ratio of 57.26, lifted three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, secured qualification for the Champions League on 17 consecutive occasions and orchestrated a record-breaking 49-game unbeaten run.

What’s more, he’s widely credited for revolutionising attitudes to coaching and implementing a progressive, passing, playing style that’s become synonymous with the Gunners.

As his millennial fixture approaches this weekend, we look back at the 10 most significant matches of Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal career.

October 12, 1996: Arsenal 2 – 0 Blackburn

Arriving in England as a relative unknown after spells coaching in France and Japan – prompting local London newspaper the Evening Standard to ask "Arsène Who?" in a headline after his appointment was announced – all eyes were Wenger to deliver in his first game in charge of Arsenal against Blackburn in October 1996.

Deliver he did, beginning his Arsenal epoch with a 2-0 victory, courtesy of goals from striker Ian Wright (second left).

May 3, 1998: Arsenal 4 – 0 Everton

An authoritative 4-0 victory against Everton on the final day of the 1997-98 season handed Wenger and Arsenal their first-ever Premier League title in the Frenchman’s first full season in North London.

The momentum in the title race had swung in the Gunners’ favour after their 1-0 defeat of rivals Manchester United in March 1998 – arguably their best performance of the season. However, the result against Everton signified the culmination of Arsenal’s dominance in the second half of the season, as they overhauled United’s 11-point lead at the top of the table to dethrone the Red Devils.

The result also made history as Wenger - pictured with the Premier League trophy after the game - became the first non-UK first coach to guide a team to the top flight title.

May 16, 1998: Arsenal 2 – 0 Newcastle

Less than two weeks later, Wenger became the first Arsenal manager to secure the domestic double of the league title and the FA Cup for 27 years when he guided the Gunners to victory over Newcastle in the final of the latter in May 2008.

Marc Overmars (pictured) and Nicolas Anelka, continental players brought to the club by Wenger as he looked to establish his own style of football at Highbury, scored the goals that won Arsenal the match.

May 8, 2002: Manchester United 0 – 1 Arsenal

The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United – and managers Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson – was one of the defining features of the Premier League at the turn of the century, making Arsenal’s title-winning 1-0 defeat of United at Old Trafford one of the most important results of the time.

After defeating Chelsea in the FA Cup final four days before, the Gunners – despite missing several key players - secured victory and Wenger’s second double after Sylvain Wiltord tapped in the only goal of the game.

What’s more, having begun to move on the core of Arsenal players that he’d inherited, the squad that won the league title that season – featuring names like Campbell, Pirès, Viera and Henry - was arguably the first to fully encapsulate the style of football commonly associated with Wenger.

Above, Ashley Cole, Patrick Viera and Sol Campbell (L-R) celebrate at Old Trafford.

April 25, 2004: Tottenham 2 - 2 Arsenal

Arsenal’s 2003-04 Premier League campaign is probably the finest ever by any English club, let alone the Gunners themselves, as they finished the season unbeaten - the first English side to do so in 115 years.

The zenith of their season came when they clinched the Premier League title with a 2-2 draw at arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to goals from Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires.

Pictured, Gunners players celebrate in front of the away fans at White Hart Lane.

October 16, 2004: Arsenal 3 – 1 Aston Villa

‘The Invincibles’, as they were later dubbed, continued their run into the following campaign to reach 49 unbeaten games, surpassing the record of 42 set by Nottingham Forrest with defeat of Blackburn Rovers on August 25, 2004.

The 49^th game passed with a 3-1 defeat of Aston Villa in October 2004. Though their streak was ended in their next game by a controversial defeat to old adversaries Manchester United, their record still stands and was voted the greatest moment in Arsenal history by their official website.

May 21, 2005: Arsenal 0 – 0 Manchester United (Arsenal won 5-4 on penalties)

Later that season, with the Arsenal/United rivalry still at its ferocious best, the pair faced each other in the 2005 FA Cup final.

It was a game in which the ill-feeling between the two was manifest: a tense, tough, increasingly ill-disciplined battle on the pitch that was won on penalties by a 10-man Arsenal.

As well as completing the Wenger’s third domestic double, the result’s significance has grown in every year that’s passed since, as it remains the last trophy won by the Frenchman at the helm of the club - a fact that now weighs heavy on everyone at the Emirates Stadium.

Above, captain Patrick Viera - who fired the winning penalty - lifts the trophy alongside Wenger and his teammates.

February 21, 2006: Real Madrid 0 – 1 Arsenal

The major trophy that still eludes Wenger is the Champions League. He came agonizingly close to taking home European football’s biggest prize in 2006, when Arsenal reached the final in Paris.

In their run to the Stade de France, they secured a 1-0 defeat of Real Madrid in the first leg of the first knockout stage at the Bernabéu Stadium.

The victory’s significance stems from the fact that no English side had beaten Los Blancos in Spain before, and is all the more memorable because they arrived in Spain with eight players missing through injury, to face a Madrid side adorned by names like Zidane, Ronaldo and Beckham.

Wenger’s side were unperturbed by their task, however, winning 1-0 through Henry’s second half goal, before winning the tie overall with a goalless draw in the return leg.

May 17, 2006: Barcelona 2 - 1 Arsenal

However, when they reached the final, they were unable to overcome the other side in Spanish football’s great duopoly: Barcelona.

Despite leading in France with 10-men through Sol Campbell’s first half header, they were undone by goals in the second period from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti, blowing the Gunners’ best shot at Champions League glory – a defeat Wenger describes as his most humbling.

Pictured, Wenger cuts a saturnine figure as he watches on in Paris in front of Arsenal supporters.

February 27, 2011: Arsenal 1 – 2 Birmingham

As their wait for a trophy stretched to six years, Wenger and Arsenal were handed the perfect opportunity to end their drought when they reached the final of the League Cup in February 2011.

However, despite entering the game as heavy favourites against Premier League rivals Birmingham (who were eventually relegated), they were denied by a mix-up between goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and defender Laurent Koscielny that allowed Birmingham striker Obafemi Martins to snatch a winning goal in the 89th minute.

Above, Arsenal players are crestfallen as Birmingham celebrate after the final whistle.