Eight in a row: Arteta’s wonderful Wembley record | Feature | News

Mikel Arteta heads to Wembley Stadium this weekend hoping to extend his perfect record at the venue.

Our manager has appeared at the national stadium eight times so far in his Gunners career, four as a player and four as a manager, and we’ve come away as the winning team each time.

Here we take a look back at each of those eight games:

April 12, 2014
FA Cup semi-final
Arsenal 1-1 Wigan Athletic (AET)
Arsenal win 4-2 on penalties

Mikel’s very first trip to Wembley was in 2014, when we made it to the last four of the FA Cup for the first time in five years. Wigan were the holders having defeated Manchester City in the previous year’s final, and they went ahead in the second-half when Jordi Gomez scored from the penalty spot.

There were just eight minutes remaining when Per Mertesacker made amends for giving away that penalty when he grabbed an equaliser to send the game to extra-time, and then a penalty shootout. Mikel was our regular taker at the time, and after Lukasz Fabianski saved Wigan’s first effort, he stepped up to put us ahead. Fabianski then saved again, before Kim Kallstrom, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla all converted to send us through to the final.

May 17, 2014
FA Cup final
Arsenal 3-2 Hull City (AET)

With regular captain Thomas Vermaelen only fit enough for a place on the bench, Mikel took the armband for our first FA Cup final appearance for nine years, and our first at the new Wembley, but it looked to be heading for disaster as underdogs Hull City took a 2-0 lead within eight minutes.

Cazorla brought us back into it with a free-kick before Laurent Koscielny equalised in the second half. Mikel midfield partner Aaron Ramsey struck the winner in extra-time, and the Spaniard went up to lift the trophy alongside Vermaelen, ending our long, long wait for silverware.

August 10, 2014
FA Community Shield
Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City

By now made club captain, Mikel led his side out at Wembley on the opening day of the 2014/15 season, and played the full 90 minutes as we cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over the reigning Premier League champions.

Cazorla opened the scoring on 21 minutes before Ramsey doubled the lead later in the first half. Our 13th Community Shield was secured on the hour mark when player of the match Giroud made it 3-0, and Mikel was the man to climb the steps to collect the silverware and kick-start more celebrations.

August 2, 2015
FA Community Shield
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea

Injury had ruled Mikel out of both the FA Cup semi-final and final wins at the end of the 2014/15 season, but he returned in time to come on as a substitute in the 2015 Community Shield win over Chelsea.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave us the lead midway through the first half, which proved to be the only goal of the game against Jose Mourinho’s Premier League winners. Mikel came on for the final quarter of an hour, his first appearance since the previous November, and just as he had 12 months prior, went up to collect the trophy at full-time.

July 18, 2020
FA Cup semi-final
Arsenal 2-0 Manchester City

Mikel’s next appearance at Wembley for us was as manager, in his very first season in charge. Played in an empty stadium due to the lockdown regulations surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, he was facing the side that he had departed months earlier to become our manager, having been working under Pep Guardiola as part of his coaching team.

Talismanic striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave us the lead when he expertly finished Nicolas Pepe’s cross in the 19th minute, and the Gambian forward made certain of victory 19 minutes from time, racing away before beating Ederson with a cool, composed finish to set up a return visit in the final.

August 1, 2020
FA Cup final
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

The 139th FA Cup final was the first played behind closed doors, as Arteta led the side out alongside Chelsea manager Frank Lampard at Wembley. Christian Pulisic gave the Blues a fifth-minute lead before Aubameyang took centre stage once again. He scored a 28th-minute penalty after he himself was fouled, and then grabbed the winner midway through the second-half, with an excellent finish over Willy Caballero.

It secured a record-extending 14th FA Cup, and meant Arteta lifted silverware in his first season as boss. After the game he said: “I know that there are expectations and this trophy is for the supporters, for them to enjoy and for them to be proud of their club and their support and the players that they always cheer for.”

August 29, 2020
FA Community Shield
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool
(Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties)

Just four weeks after the delayed end to the 2019/20 season, we kicked off the new campaign with the Community Shield against champions Liverpool. It was just Arteta’s 29th game in charge, and his second piece of silverware. Indeed, three of his first 29 matches as a manager were played at Wembley Stadium.

This game was again played behind closed doors, with Aubameyang on target after just 12 minutes. Takumi Minamino equalised with 17 minutes to go though, and the match went straight to penalties. We were successful with all five of our spot kicks, meaning Rhian Brewster’s miss was enough to give us the trophy.

August 6, 2023
FA Community Shield
Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City
(Arsenal win 4-1 on penalties)

Our latest appearance at Wembley Stadium was for the Community Shield against Manchester City in 2023, and we left it late on the day to take it to penalties. In fact it was the 11th minute of injury-time when Leandro Trossard scored a deflected goal, equalising Cole Palmer’s 77th- minute strike.

Martin Odegaard, Trossard, Bukayo Saka and Fabio Vieira all converted from 12 yards in the shootout, while Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri missed for the previous season’s treble-winners. This time Wembley was sold out, meaning Arteta was able to lift silverware as Arsenal manager in front of supporters for the first time.

March 22, 2026
Carabao Cup final
Arsenal v Manchester City

And so to Sunday’s final, and our ninth time appearing in the League Cup final at Wembley. We have won it twice previously, both under George Graham in 1987 and 1993, meaning Arteta is aiming to become only the second Arsenal manager to get his hands on the trophy. He is also hoping to become the first Gunners boss ever to win on each of his first two major finals, and become just the seventh manager in the club’s history to win at least one major honour.

The weekend’s match is the second League Cup final to take place between two non-British managers of the same nationality, after Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel competed for the 2022 honour. It will be Arteta’s 23rd match as a manager in the League Cup, we have won 15, drawn one and lost six of the previous 22, scoring 42 goals and conceding 23.