Arsenal finishing above Tottenham in the Premier League used to be as regular an annual occurrence as Christmas Day falling on December 25th or PSG capitulating in the UEFA Champions League, but since 2017, things have been different in north London.
May 15th 2016 marks the last time Arsenal have finished above Tottenham in the English top-flight, with Spurs since taking the throne as the best side in north London despite still failing to win any silverware from their 2008 League Cup triumph.
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Yet as things stand, Arsenal could finish above Antonio Conte’s side this campaign, with the Gunners currently leading Tottenham in the Premier League standings, with a fourth-place finish well on the table for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Indeed, Arsenal’s last top-four finish and the last time they placed higher than Tottenham in the league all fell on the same day, where Spurs infamously lost 5-1 to an already-relegated Newcastle United to allow Arsenal to finish second in the league and dooming Spurs to a third-place finish in what was a two-horse race for the title.
But who started for Arsenal that day? Here at HITC Sport, we take a look at the XI that secured Arsene Wenger’s side a 4-0 win against Aston Villa as well as their last finish above Tottenham in the Premier League and claimed top-four.
GK – Petr Cech
Arsenal’s only summer signing heading into this season, Petr Cech was viewed by many as a huge improvement for the Gunners in the goalkeeper position, and the former Chelsea star proved just that for the north London side.
Winner of the Premier League Golden Glove award with 16 clean sheets, Cech was a huge reason behind Arsenal’s success in the 2015/16 season, yet the keeper’s form in the following years would drop considerably before his retirement in 2019.
RB – Hector Bellerin
Another Arsenal player who enjoyed a club-best season, Hector Bellerin was simply incredible in the 2015/16 season, with the right-back making it into the PFA Team of the Season and looking set to become a starring player for the Gunners for years to come.
Famed for his pace, Bellerin would lose a crucial part of his game in the 2018/19 season after suffering an ACL injury, yet with the defender recently winning the Copa del Rey with boyhood club Real Betis, the Spaniard’s career at the top is far from over.
CB – Gabriel Paulista
Any Arsenal fans reading this might have even forgotten that Gabriel Paulista played for the Gunners, let alone featured almost 30 times for Wenger’s side during this season in what was the Brazilian’s best campaign in the Premier League.
Now back in Spain with Valencia, Gabriel’s time at Arsenal was mixed, to say the least. Yet the centre-back impressed in the 2015/16 season for the Gunners, with the defender lasting one more year in England before returning to La Liga.
CB – Laurent Koscielny
One of Arsenal’s best performers in the 2015/16 season, Laurent Koscielny was a titan at the back for the Gunners in their second-place finish in the Premier League, with Per Mertesacker regularly pairing the defender.
Whilst Koscielny’s time with Arsenal ended in an unnecessary disaster that has ruined the centre-backs reputation with a good number of fans, there’s no denying that the defender was a unit at the back for the Gunners, and a key reason behind their Champions League finish six years ago.
LB – Nacho Monreal
A regular for Arsenal this season, the 2015/16 campaign was the one that really opened supporters’ eyes to just how good Nacho Monreal was and how important the defender was during this period for the club and Wenger.
Mr. Reliable at left-back and a consistent performer for many years at Arsenal, Monreal remains a cult hero at the Emirates Stadium and one of the best fullbacks to play for the Gunners in the Premier League era.
CM – Santi Cazorla
Only a handful of players can transcend fanbases and become beloved by any supporter regardless of club, and Santi Cazorla is just one of those, with the midfielder starting against Villa in what would be his final full season with Arsenal.
The two-footed magician was exceptional for the Gunners, and had it not been for an ankle injury that would take away two years of Cazorla’s career, there’s no telling how successful Arsenal could have been in the following seasons with the playmaker fully fit.
CM – Francis Coquelin
Not many saw Francis Coquelin ever having a career of note at Arsenal, but the winger-turned defensive midfielder arguably formed the best partnership at the club with Cazorla since the days of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva.
A crunching tackler who was the perfect complement for his Spanish teammate, Coquelin’s short-lived partnership with Cazorla was one of the most exciting at Arsenal, and the Frenchman was once again impressive in the Gunners’ final Tottenham-topping season.
RM – Jack Wilshere
It’s pretty incredible that Jack Wilshere started the final game of the season given that the midfielder had spent the majority of the campaign out through injury, yet Wenger saw it fit to give the Hale End graduate the nod against Villa at the Emirates.
A controversial inclusion in England’s Euro 2016 squad a few weeks later, Wilshere is currently plying his trade in Denmark after training with Arsenal for most of the season, with the midfielder hopeful of forging a new career for himself in Scandinavia.
CAM – Mesut Ozil/Mikel Arteta
A really strong case could be made that Arsenal only got six months of the best Mesut Ozil had to show, and that came in this season where the German playmaker bagged an incredible 19 Premier League assists, 16 of which came in the first half of the campaign.
Whilst Ozil was unable to match the league record on the final day, the midfielder did make way for Mikel Arteta in what would be the-then Arsenal captain’s last ever game as a professional, with the current Gunners manager bursting into tears when the full-time whistle blew.
LM – Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez is regarded by many Arsenal fans as one of the best attackers to grace the club in the Emirates era, yet this season was arguably one where had the Chilean been on top form, the Gunners could have won the Premier League title.
A tally of 13 goals in the Premier League and a hamstring injury kept Arsenal just off the pace with Leicester City, and Sanchez didn’t kick into full great until the end of the season, with the forward having his best year yet for the Gunners in the following campaign.
ST – Olivier Giroud
With Sanchez’s goalscoring form not up to par, it was Olivier Giroud who was the leading man for Arsenal this campaign, with the Frenchman bagging 25 goals in all competitions, his best tally since leaving Montpellier in 2013 for Arsenal.
Whilst the striker was often slammed for the chances he missed more than the ones he scored, Giroud was electric this campaign, with the attacker bagging a hat-trick against Villa in a performance that would send Arsenal second and ahead of Tottenham on the final day of the season.
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