Like a barren old couple, who found joy in celebrating the anniversary of their union, rather than worry about their failure to make babies, Arsenal has become a shadow of the Invincibles they very much adore.
Although the celebration of the former is incredible, in the perspective of their colleagues who didn’t even had the chance to tie the knot with no one, but without the intended fruits of the union, their joy is not complete.
It has been a tough and rough ride since Arsenal became Invincibles. The Invincibles Day was meant to be a bragging right in the faces of the other top teams, but of what relevance is that when their rivals have gone on to achieve far better heights since then.
Arsenal’s Invincibles Unmatch, 20 seasons on – Happy Invincibles Day
Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat at the Vitality stadium in the hands of Amdoni Iraola’s Bournemouth meant no team is left unbeaten in the Premier League this season, and Arsenal will carry their tag as the only club to have gone a 38-game season without a single defeat in the competition’s history.
Just over 20 years ago, Arsene Wenger led the Gunners to the English top-flight title, securing it in a historical fashion having suffered no loss over the course of the league season, a record of 28 wins, and 12 draws.
Since their coronation that year, Arsenal has degraded from the club it used to be. At some point, it went nine years without a trophy — in that period, they lost the Carabo Cup final to Birmingham City in February 2011.
But the final five years of their legendary French manager did provided some consolation, as Arsenal won three Emirates FA Cup titles, including back-to-back in 2014 and 2015 — they also went on to win all three Community Shields.
Under the reign of Mikel Arteta, they’ve added one more FA Cup and two other Community Shield.
Major Days in the Arsenal Advent Calender
- Invincibles Day
- St Totteringham’s Day
Invincibles Day
Invincibles Day is celebrated by Arsenal fans to honor the legendary 2003-04 Premier League season, in which Arsenal went unbeaten, a feat yet unmatched in a 38-game season in the English top division.
Managed by Arsène Wenger, Arsenal’s “Invincibles” won 26 matches and drew 12, accumulating 90 points and finishing 11 points ahead of Chelsea.
This team, led by iconic players like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pirès, combined skill with resilience, overcoming strong rivals to remain undefeated.
This achievement led to a unique honor: a golden Premier League trophy, which remains the only one of its kind, symbolizing their unbroken record.
Each season, “Invincibles Day” is celebrated by fans once no other Premier League team can finish their season unbeaten, and City’s defeat at Bournemouth confirmed the legacy will not be matched this season.
The legacy of Arsenal’s Invincibles goes beyond statistics; it set a benchmark for excellence and tenacity in English football, influencing the club’s identity and inspiring future generations. Invincibles Day is a reminder of their conquest.
Teams with Fewest Defeats in Single Premier League season
- 0 — Arsenal 2003-04
- 1 — Chelsea 2004-05
- 1 — Liverpool 2019-20
- 3 — Manchester United 1998-99
- 3 — Manchester United 1999-00
- 3 — Manchester City 2021-22
- 3 — Manchester City 2023-24
Being the only club to go a season without a loss, Arsenal mark the Invincibles Day, every season, when all the teams in the top-flight have tasted defeat.
St. Totteringham’s Day
Just like Invincibles Day, St. Totteringham’s Day is a celebratory term among Arsenal fans that marks the point in a Premier League season when it becomes mathematically impossible for their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, to finish above them.
This playful tradition began in the early 2000s, coinciding with Arsenal’s dominant years under Arsène Wenger, during which they consistently finished higher than Spurs for 21 straight seasons until 2015-16.
The celebration was named after a fictional “St. Totteringham” and has become an annual milestone for Arsenal fans, especially during their periods of league success.
The term embodies Arsenal’s local bragging rights over Tottenham, though it was less frequent during Tottenham’s recent rise under managers like Mauricio Pochettino, when they finished above Arsenal in the league for several seasons.
In the last couple of years, Arsenal has had a couple more St. Totteringham’s Day to celebrate, but after struggling to fit into the own history, it has come a question if these days are really worth celebrating.
To add more to how fierce the Gunners was in the days, they have a rich reputation of winning the league in the home ground of their toughest rivals, as well as the top teams in the division.
Won the Premier League title in Anfield in 1988-89
Arsenal had gone 18 years without winning the league title in 1988-89 and headed to table toppers Liverpool in the final final weekend, three points and four goals behind in second place.
Liverpool, needing a draw or a defeat by not more than one goal difference to win the title were very confident of their chances, and rightly so for a team that has gone 18 games unbeaten in the competition, winning 15, including each of their last four.
They had won nine straight league games in Anfield and had not been beaten there since a 1-0 loss to Norwich in the previous year.
But after 90 minutes on the day, Arseal was not only victorious but also deprived them of the title, as second-half goals from Alan Smith and Michael Thomas secured a 2-0 win for George Graham’s side.
As a result, Arsenal became the first team to win the league title in Anfield.
Won the Premier League title in Old Trafford in 2001-02
In the 2001-02 campaign, Arsene Wenger’s side traveled to Old Trafford, home of Manchester United for the penultimate matchday of the league season, knowing a win will confirm their status as champions ahead of Liverpool.
They achieved the feat thanks to a Sylvain Wiltord’s second-half lone strike and became the first and only club to win the Premier League title in Old Trafford.
Won the Premier League title in Tottenham’s White Hart Lane in 2003-04
Arsenal kicked off the matchday 34 of their Invincibles season away to Tottenham Hotspur, knowing they only need to avoid a defeat to confirm their status as Premier League champions after Chelsea was held in a goalles draw by Everton earlier in the day.
The visitors took a 2-0 lead in the first-half through French duo of Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires as the party started very early in the home of their bitter North London neighbours.
Arsene Wenger’s team maybe lost their focus after the interval as Spurs came to draw 2-2, but a draw was enough to secure their status as champions, and extend their unbeaten league run to 36. Four league games later, they won the league without losing, and has since then get to celebrate the Invincibles Day.
Limited Buzz Depicits Growth, and Frustration
Since earning their Invincibles status more than 20 years ago, and earning the right to celebrate the Invincibles Day, Arsenal has faced a prolonged trophy drought, many supporters now feel this annual celebration is losing its appeal.
Although during the years they completely hit rock-bottom, these advent days served as consolation for their frustration, as they headed into seasons after seasons with no hope of an awaiting light at the end of the tunnel.
With trophy wins few and far between, especially in the Premier League, the once-proud symbol of invincibility now feels overshadowed by newer, more consistent champions, turning this “Day” into a reminder of Arsenal’s challenges rather than celebration.
This realization is brought about due to their renewed hope of returning to the good old days under the watch of their former captain Mikel Arteta, who has rebuild the club from the shambles it was to a championship hopeful.
Why has Advent Days Become Boring at Arsenal ?
Arsenal have come close to winning the Premier League title in the last two seasons and are heavy favorite in the on-going campaign. A poor start to it has only but added to growing frustration, and making them lose the hype for the Invincibles Day.
A 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United in the early kick-off on Saturday casts more doubt on their credentials this season, with Manchester City and Liverpool looking more likely winners.
Perhaps Pep Guardiola’s side missing the chance to establish a an eight point gap lead over them is now a more genuine reason for celebration than the fact that it was also Invincibles Day, their loss few hours before that would not even make them realise which was worthy.
Happy Invincibles Day ? Oh please!
The success of the “Invincibles” now stands in stark contrast to the club’s current struggles, particularly as modern favourite Manchester City continues to dominate with substantial financial support and frequent trophies.
But at least, Arsenal fans have realised that these days, although worth a shout, should not be the major celebration for a club once regarded as Invincibles, in the biggest league of this world.
Coming weeks will be very tough and they head into it on a run of three winless in the league. With Inter awaiting in Europe and the duo of Chelsea and Manchester United next in the league, time is right to stand up for themselves, or lose ground they will only try to cover later in the campaign.
Invincibles Day has come and gone and even though it was not widely celebrated as it was years ago, the achievement of ’04 will forever be etched in memory, it is now a challenge for the current generation to live up to the standard. And maybe in a few years fans will again have genuine reason to celebrate the Invincibles Day.
Meanwhile from us at Oltsport, since it is that time of the season again, we recognize and celebrate the hero’s of ’04 and say, Happy Invincibles Day, Gooners. Happy Invincibles Day.
Hassan Afolabi
