The Grail Files
The file on this jersey is still being written
This is the canonical catalog record for the arsenal 1998-99 home jersey. Its grail file, the story of the season it lived through, lands here soon.
10Flat-lay 4:5
On the record
TeamArsenal
Season1998-99
Kit typeHome
ManufacturerNike
SponsorJVC
02The season it lived through
Arsenal 1998-99
Highlights from the season this shirt belongs to, whichever kit was worn on the day.
League 2ndRunners-upUEFA Champions League group stage
Anelka Steps Into Wright's Shoes
Arsenal came into 1998-99 as defending Premier League and FA Cup double winners, but Arsene Wenger's side stumbled out of the gate, taking four draws from their first five league matches. Ian Wright, the club's all-time record scorer, had already left for West Ham that summer, and the vacancy up front fell to Nicolas Anelka, who spent the season establishing himself as Arsenal's central striker.
The Nineteen-Game Unbeaten Run
A December defeat to Aston Villa proved to be a turning point: Arsenal went 19 league matches unbeaten afterward, a run that included a 6-1 demolition of Middlesbrough and a 5-1 win over Wimbledon and briefly carried them to the top of the table in April. Nwankwo Kanu arrived from Inter Milan in January and added a new dimension to the attack. But a costly defeat to Leeds United derailed the title bid, and Arsenal finished runners-up to Manchester United's treble-winning side by a single point, 78 to 79.
The Sheffield United Throw-In
The FA Cup run produced one of the strangest episodes in the competition's history. In the fifth round against Sheffield United on 13 February 1999, Kanu collected a throw-in that had been returned toward the goalkeeper under football's unwritten sporting convention (the ball had gone out so an injured United player could receive treatment) and crossed for Marc Overmars to score the winner. Wenger, recognising the injustice, offered Sheffield United manager Steve Bruce a replay; the FA ratified it, and Arsenal won the rematch 2-1 at Highbury on 23 February.
The Semi-Final Slips Away
Arsenal advanced to the semi-final against Manchester United, where the first match finished level and the replay was decided by Ryan Giggs' celebrated extra-time solo goal in the 109th minute.
A Near Miss on Every Front
Arsenal also made their first appearance in the rebranded Champions League, drawn in a group with Lens, Dynamo Kyiv and Panathinaikos. A single win, three draws and two defeats left them third, and they were eliminated at the group stage. The season closed as a near miss on every front, but it confirmed Anelka as a genuine star and set up the Arsenal-United rivalry that would define the Premier League's next several seasons.
Memorable matches
- Arsenal 3-0 Manchester Unitedsource
A statement opening-day win at Highbury against the reigning league champions set the tone for a title challenge that went down to the final weekend.
- Arsenal 1-2 Manchester Unitedsource
Ryan Giggs scored a solo extra-time goal that ended Arsenal's FA Cup run; widely regarded as one of the greatest goals in the competition's history.
Star players
Verified against en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, arsenal.com, goal.com, en.wikipedia.org.
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