Arsenal v Everton

A south-of-the-river newcomer facing a Football League founder; 1904 marked the very first chapter of a rivalry spanning more than a century.

Woolwich Arsenal won promotion to the First Division in 1904, placing them in the same league as Everton for the first time. The two sides met during the 1904-05 season, beginning a fixture that would span more than a century. Arsenal were still based south of the river at the Manor Ground in Plumstead; Everton were already established as one of the founding members of the Football League.

Ninety-three years of visiting sides walked into Highbury before the curtain finally fell.

Arsenal relocated from Plumstead to Highbury in 1913, establishing the ground that would host Everton and every other visiting side for the next 93 years. The move to north London transformed the club's fortunes and its fanbase. Highbury's marble halls and art deco East Stand would become one of English football's most distinctive settings.

Five league titles between 1931 and 1938, shared across the tenures of Chapman and Allison; Arsenal's dominance defined the decade.

The 1930s saw both clubs at the peak of their powers. Arsenal won five league titles between 1931 and 1938 under Herbert Chapman and then George Allison. Everton, led by the prolific Dixie Dean, claimed the title in 1931-32 and the FA Cup in 1933. Matches between the two were genuine clashes of the era's heavyweights, regularly drawing enormous crowds to both Highbury and Goodison Park.

Five days after Wembley, they sealed the league at White Hart Lane; the Double was done.

On 27 March 1971, Arsenal faced Everton in the FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. Charlie George and Ray Kennedy scored in a 2-1 victory that sent Arsenal to Wembley. Bertie Mee's side went on to beat Liverpool in the final and clinch the league title five days later at White Hart Lane, completing only the second Double of the twentieth century. Everton, the reigning champions, were denied a shot at retaining the Cup.

Everton owned the mid-1980s; Graham's Arsenal quietly dismantled that empire from the south.

The mid-1980s belonged to Everton. Howard Kendall's side won the league in 1984-85 and 1986-87, with the European Cup Winners' Cup sandwiched in between. Arsenal, under George Graham from 1986, were rebuilding. The fixture took on a new edge as Graham's disciplined, counter-attacking side began to challenge Everton's supremacy. By the end of the decade, the balance of power had shifted decisively south.

A 4-0 dismantling of Everton at Highbury; a Double season in full, glorious flight.

Arsène Wenger's revolution reached its first crescendo in 1997-98. Arsenal won the Premier League and FA Cup Double, with a 4-0 victory over Everton at Highbury in March 1998 typifying the free-flowing football Wenger had introduced. Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp and a young Nicolas Anelka terrorised defences all season. It was the start of a period of sustained Arsenal dominance in this fixture.

After 93 years at Highbury, Arsenal's new 60,260-seat home rewrote what a matchday could be.

Arsenal left Highbury after 93 years and moved to the 60,260-capacity Emirates Stadium in Ashburton Grove. The new ground hosted its first Premier League match in August 2006. The increased capacity and modern hospitality facilities transformed the matchday experience, though some supporters mourned the intimacy of Highbury. Everton's visits to the Emirates have continued the long tradition, now in a setting built for the modern era.

Four goals, top of the table, and Saka imperious; Arsenal were back, and everyone knew it.

During the 2022-23 season, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal mounted their strongest title challenge in nearly two decades. A 4-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates in March 2023 kept the Gunners at the top of the table, with Bukayo Saka starring. Although Manchester City ultimately pipped Arsenal to the title, the season signalled that the club had returned as genuine contenders after years in the wilderness.

After 133 years at Goodison, Everton's move to Bramley-Moore Dock means this fixture will never look the same again.

The 2024-25 season marks Everton's final campaign at Goodison Park, their home since 1892. The club is set to move to a new 52,888-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on Liverpool's waterfront. Future Arsenal visits to Merseyside will take place in an entirely different setting. At the Emirates, this fixture continues to draw full houses, with Arsenal firmly established among the Premier League's elite under Arteta.