# 2015–16 Arsenal F.C. season
The 2015–16 [Arsenal F.C.](https://www.edgepedia.org/arsenal-f-c) season was the club's campaign in the 2015–16 Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup, and [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) under manager [Arsène Wenger](https://www.edgepedia.org/arsene-wenger), in which Arsenal finished second with 71 points, ten behind champions Leicester City, and were eliminated in the Champions League Round of 16 by Barcelona.[1](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/we-were-top-at-christmas-but-beating-liverpool-and-man-city-was-when-we-truly-believed-we-could-win-the-title-danny-simpson-reveals-turning-point-in-leicester-city-premier-league-triumph) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/UCL/2016/2015766_TS.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premier League finish | 2nd of 20, with 71 points from 20 wins, 11 draws, and 7 defeats; 65 goals scored, 36 conceded[3](https://dailyafc.com/results/2015-16/) |
| Gap to the title | Leicester City finished 10 points clear of second-placed Arsenal[1](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/we-were-top-at-christmas-but-beating-liverpool-and-man-city-was-when-we-truly-believed-we-could-win-the-title-danny-simpson-reveals-turning-point-in-leicester-city-premier-league-triumph) |
| League top scorer | Olivier Giroud, 16 league goals[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/18bb7c10/history/Arsenal-Stats-and-History) • [17](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/15118/10283243/arsenal-201516-premier-league-season-review) |
| FA Cup | Holders eliminated in the quarter-finals, losing 1–2 at home to Watford on 13 March 2016[5](https://fbref.com/en/squads/18bb7c10/2015-2016/matchlogs/all_comps/schedule/Arsenal-Scores-and-Fixtures-Tutte-le-competizioni) |
| League Cup | Won 2–1 away at Tottenham in the third round on 23 September 2015[5](https://fbref.com/en/squads/18bb7c10/2015-2016/matchlogs/all_comps/schedule/Arsenal-Scores-and-Fixtures-Tutte-le-competizioni) |
| Champions League | Reached the Round of 16 for an 18th consecutive season; lost 5–1 on aggregate to Barcelona[6](https://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/European/Clubs/Arsenal2015-16.htm) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/UCL/2016/2015766_TS.pdf) |
| Injuries | 44 first-team injuries against 70 the previous season; 1,695 days lost against 2,095[7](https://www.arsenalreport.com/posts/the-season-in-numbers-2015-2016-injury-room-summary-and-analysis) |
| League attendance | Average of 59,992 at the Emirates Stadium[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/18bb7c10/history/Arsenal-Stats-and-History) |
## Premier League campaign
Arsenal entered the season as [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) winners, facing Premier League champions Chelsea in the Community Shield curtain-raiser at Wembley on 2 August 2015.[8](https://www.thefa.com/news/2015/jun/17/2015-16-fixtures-released) Petr Cech had joined from Chelsea over the summer, one of the notable squad moves of the window.[9](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693680) The league season opened with a home defeat to West Ham United, a match in which [Dimitri Payet](https://www.edgepedia.org/dimitri-payet) was influential for the visitors.[9](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693680)
**Title contention.** In late September Arsenal beat Leicester City 5–2 at [King Power Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-power-stadium), ending their unbeaten run, and wins against Manchester City and Manchester United saw the club reach first place as the year ended, even though [Southampton](https://www.edgepedia.org/southampton) embarrassed them 4–0 on 26 December.[9](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693680) A 2–1 win over Manchester City on 21 December had left Arsenal two points behind [Leicester](https://www.edgepedia.org/leicester) and four ahead of City, underlining their standing as title candidates.[10](https://as.com/futbol/2015/12/21/internacional/1450719575_139267.html)
**The run-in.** The challenge faded in the spring. An 18-year-old [Marcus Rashford](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcus-rashford) scored twice on his top-flight debut as Manchester United won 3–2 at [Old Trafford](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-trafford), and Arsenal then lost at home to a Swansea City side under new head coach Francesco Guidolin.[9](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693680) A 0–0 draw with Southampton on 2 February left the club in fourth place in the table at that stage.[11](https://as.com/futbol/2016/02/02/internacional/1454434659_880201.html) Arsenal recovered to overtake Tottenham Hotspur on the final day, as Spurs went winless in their last four matches and Arsenal pipped them to second place.[9](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693680) • [12](https://www.arsenal.com/sites/default/files/documents/Arsenal_Holdings_plc_Annual_Review_201516_0.pdf)
The second-place finish was the club's best league position since 2005, but the 71-point total was Arsenal's lowest since 2012.[13](https://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/2016/05/arsenals-second-place-finish-not-good-enough-for-wenger/) The season as a whole was one of the most unpredictable in Premier League history, with Leicester City going from 5,000–1 outsiders to champions for the first time.[9](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693680)
## Cup competitions
In the League Cup, Arsenal won 2–1 away at [Tottenham](https://www.edgepedia.org/tottenham) in the third round on 23 September 2015, before a 13 March 2016 FA Cup quarter-final at home to Watford ended 1–2 in Watford's favor.[5](https://fbref.com/en/squads/18bb7c10/2015-2016/matchlogs/all_comps/schedule/Arsenal-Scores-and-Fixtures-Tutte-le-competizioni)
## UEFA Champions League
By finishing third in the Premier League in 2014–15, Arsenal qualified for the Champions League for the 18th season in a row.[6](https://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/European/Clubs/Arsenal2015-16.htm) The group stage included a 2–3 home defeat to Olympiacos on 29 September 2015, one of the most noted defeats by an English club in the competition that season; Arsenal recovered to squeeze through in second place via a 3–0 win in Piraeus.[14](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/10-most-shocking-defeats-english-clubs-champions-league)
In the first leg at the [Emirates Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/emirates-stadium) on 23 February 2016, [Lionel Messi](https://www.edgepedia.org/lionel-messi) scored in the 71st minute and again from the penalty spot in the 83rd to give Barcelona a 2–0 win; Arsenal managed 29 percent possession and one shot on target in the match.[2](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/UCL/2016/2015766_TS.pdf) Messi scored again late in the return leg in Barcelona on 16 March, which finished 3–1 and sealed a 5–1 aggregate victory for the Spanish side.[15](https://as.com/futbol/2016/03/16/champions/1458127918_351875.html) • [5](https://fbref.com/en/squads/18bb7c10/2015-2016/matchlogs/all_comps/schedule/Arsenal-Scores-and-Fixtures-Tutte-le-competizioni)
## Injuries and fitness
Arsenal's injury record improved markedly compared with the previous two seasons. The club sustained 44 injuries in 2015–16 against 70 in 2014–15, a 38 percent reduction, with similar figures of 69 injuries recorded in 2013–14. Days lost to injury fell from 2,095 to 1,695, a 19 percent improvement, and injuries sustained at the Emirates Stadium dropped by 18 percent, from more than a third of all injuries to less than a fifth. The average length of an injury nevertheless worsened by 22 percent, rising from 29 to 37 days lost per injury.[7](https://www.arsenalreport.com/posts/the-season-in-numbers-2015-2016-injury-room-summary-and-analysis)
## Finances
Arsenal became the first club in English football history to surpass £100 million in Premier League-related earnings, receiving £100.9 million (about 132.4 million euros) for the 2015–16 season. The total included £23.6 million for finishing second, £21.5 million in facility fees tied to 27 live televised matches, the highest number of any club that season against 15 for champions Leicester, and nearly £55 million in domestic and overseas television and commercial rights payments.[16](https://as.com/futbol/2016/05/24/internacional/1464108935_465143.html)
## References
1. [Danny Simpson reveals turning point in Leicester City Premier League triumph, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/we-were-top-at-christmas-but-beating-liverpool-and-man-city-was-when-we-truly-believed-we-could-win-the-title-danny-simpson-reveals-turning-point-in-leicester-city-premier-league-triumph)
2. [Team Statistics: Arsenal FC 0–2 FC Barcelona, Round of 16 1st leg, UEFA](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/UCL/2016/2015766_TS.pdf)
3. [Arsenal 2015/16 Results: Every Premier League Match, Score & Record, Daily AFC](https://dailyafc.com/results/2015-16/)
4. [Arsenal Stats, Records and History, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/squads/18bb7c10/history/Arsenal-Stats-and-History)
5. [2015-2016 Arsenal Scores and Fixtures, All Competitions, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/squads/18bb7c10/2015-2016/matchlogs/all_comps/schedule/Arsenal-Scores-and-Fixtures-Tutte-le-competizioni)
6. [Arsenal Champions League results 2015/16, footballsite](https://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/European/Clubs/Arsenal2015-16.htm)
7. [The season in numbers: 2015-2016 Injury Room summary and analysis, Arsenal Report](https://www.arsenalreport.com/posts/the-season-in-numbers-2015-2016-injury-room-summary-and-analysis)
8. [2015-16 football fixtures, The FA](https://www.thefa.com/news/2015/jun/17/2015-16-fixtures-released)
9. [2015/16 Season Review, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693680)
10. [El Arsenal ya es segundo ante un City que sólo apretó al final, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2015/12/21/internacional/1450719575_139267.html)
11. [El Arsenal deja escapar dos puntos por su falta de acierto, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2016/02/02/internacional/1454434659_880201.html)
12. [Statement of accounts and annual report 2015/16, Arsenal Holdings plc](https://www.arsenal.com/sites/default/files/documents/Arsenal_Holdings_plc_Annual_Review_201516_0.pdf)
13. [Arsenal's second place finish not good enough for Wenger, A Different League](https://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/2016/05/arsenals-second-place-finish-not-good-enough-for-wenger/)
14. [10 most shocking defeats for English clubs in the Champions League, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/10-most-shocking-defeats-english-clubs-champions-league)
15. [Barcelona - Arsenal: resultado, mejores momentos, goles, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2016/03/16/champions/1458127918_351875.html)
16. [El Arsenal ganó más de 132,5 millones de euros en la Premier, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2016/05/24/internacional/1464108935_465143.html)
17. [Arsenal 2015/16 Premier League season review](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/15118/10283243/arsenal-201516-premier-league-season-review)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › Club seasons › English Premier League club seasons › 2010s club seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license