Arsenal's Opening Day Triumphs and Disasters: When the Gunners Soared and Stumbled in Premier League Curtain-Raisers
Getting off to a positive start holds crucial significance for Premier League championship hopefuls, with Arsenal being among the clubs anticipated to secure victory in their season opener each year.
As consistent Premier League participants, the Gunners have faced opening day expectations since the 1992–93 campaign. Though they've generally excelled on the first matchday across the last thirty years, their record includes some disappointing results.
Even the iconic Arsène Wenger endured his share of opening fixture disappointments, proving no manager escapes early season setbacks—including present manager Mikel Arteta.
Below is Arsenal's performance history in their Premier League season openers.
Arsenal's Opening Day Record—Premier League
The 2025–26 season marks Arsenal's 122nd league campaign, with the Gunners recording 57 wins, 23 draws and 41 losses across their 121 opening matches. Just 33 of these encounters occurred during the Premier League period, yielding 19 wins, six draws and eight losses.
Their current form under Mikel Arteta has been excellent, achieving four wins from five opening day encounters under the Spanish manager. Except for one surprising loss to Brentford in 2021–22, Arsenal have claimed emphatic victories against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Stalemates were fairly frequent for Arsenal in the Premier League's early years, though the north London club hasn't experienced an opening day draw since a scoreless encounter with Sunderland in 2012–13. Quite remarkably, the Gunners have recorded better average final league positions following opening day draws compared to wins or defeats.
Arsenal's Most Impressive Opening Day Results in the Premier League
Arsenal achieved their most dominant opening day triumph in Premier League history when Wenger's team delivered a remarkable 6–1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park during 2009–10. Cesc Fàbregas contributed a second-half double after the Gunners had established a comfortable three-goal advantage by halftime.
Goodison Park proved favorable for Arsenal five years earlier as they secured an impressive 4–1 triumph over the Toffees to begin the 2004–05 campaign. A stellar foursome of Dennis Bergkamp, José Antonio Reyes, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires found the net that afternoon.
Middlesbrough also conceded four goals to Arsenal on opening day during 2001–02, though they failed to register even a single reply. That triumph helped establish momentum for the Gunners' eventual Premier League championship run.
Arteta's Arsenal secured a comfortable 3–0 victory away to London rivals Fulham in 2020–21 as Willian impressed on his debut against his eventual club. The Brazilian provided two assists while Alexandre Lacazette, Gabriel and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored to guide Arsenal to an easy win.
Arsenal's Most Disappointing Opening Day Results in the Premier League
Arsenal endured a disastrous introduction to the Premier League era, suffering a 4–2 loss to Norwich City in their inaugural competition match. The Gunners held a two-goal lead entering the final stages, but four goals within merely 14 minutes secured a memorable victory for the Canaries at Highbury.
Arsenal compounded their Norwich embarrassment by allowing three consecutive goals to Coventry City on the following season's opening day, with Micky Quinn's treble ensuring another disappointing home loss for the Gunners.
The London club dropped three season openers across four campaigns between 2013 and 2017—all occurring at their home ground. Aston Villa's 3–1 triumph at the Emirates Stadium preceded 2–0 and 4–3 victories for West Ham United and Liverpool respectively.
Among Arsenal's most humiliating opening day experiences occurred under Arteta in the previously mentioned loss to Brentford. The newly-promoted Bees defeated their lackluster opponents 2–0 through strikes from Sergi Canós and Christian Nørgaard—the latter currently representing Arsenal.