Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final tonight, aiming to make history.
The North London side have never won this competition, but are now one win from becoming European champions for the first time. Victory in Budapest would rank as Arsenal’s greatest European night, eclipsing even these memorable matches.
We’ve remembered five of Arsenal’s best-ever Champions League wins.
Inter Milan 1-5 Arsenal – November 25th, 2003
Arsenal’s 2003/04 campaign remains, arguably, the most historic in club history after winning the Premier League without defeat. The club’s ‘Invincibles’ fell short in Europe, but not before a ruthless destruction of Inter Milan.
In arguably the club’s best-ever European performance on the road, Arsenal took apart an Inter team that contained stars including Fabio Cannavaro, Javier Zanetti, and Christian Vieri.
What made the win even more impressive was that Arsenal needed to win. A tough start to their Champions League campaign was turned around, with Thierry Henry the star of the show.
The Frenchman opened the scoring at San Siro, but Vieri levelled for Inter with a deflected effort. Freddie Ljungberg’s goal restored the visitors’ advantage, before a sensational solo goal from Henry put Arsenal in control. Edu and Robert Pires added gloss to the scoreline of a five-star performance.
Iconic Performances: Thierry Henry’s irresistible display at Inter
Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal – February 21st, 2006
Thierry Henry was again the protagonist as Arsenal became the first English team to win at the Bernabeu.
In the first-ever meeting between the teams, Henry took matters into his own hands to decide the game. The Frenchman picked up the ball in the centre circle, before leaving a trail of white shirts in his wake to score an iconic individual effort.
Real Madrid’s Galacticos had no answer for Arsenal’s very own superstar, who secured the Gunners a place in the quarter-finals.
Arsenal 2-0 Juventus – March 28th, 2006
Juventus awaited in the last eight, a side not short of star quality. Included in the Juventus ranks was Patrick Vieira, who had left Arsenal for Turin the previous summer.
However, in a changing of the guard, 18-year-old Cesc Fabregas helped drive Arsenal to a famous win. The Spaniard swept home an opener after Vieira had conceded possession, and later set up Thierry Henry to score the second against his former side.
A goalless draw in the return booked Arsenal a semi-final place for the first time.
AC Milan 0-2 Arsenal – March 4th, 2008
Having been the first English team to beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, Arsenal later became the first to secure victory over AC Milan at the San Siro.
The reigning European champions were put to the sword in Milan, with Arsenal controlling the contest. Cesc Fabregas fired the Gunners ahead after 84 minutes with a low drive from distance, before the North Londoners scored a second to rubber-stamp the result. Theo Walcott set up Emmanuel Adebayor for a simple finish as a late one-two punch floored the holders.
Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid – April 8th, 2025
Arsenal overcame Real Madrid on a memorable April evening in 2025, with Declan Rice scoring two sublime set-piece efforts.
Rice opened the scoring with a 25-yard free-kick that bent beyond Thibaut Courtois, before scoring an even better second with a fabulous free-kick that flew into the top corner.
Mikel Merino added a third on an unforgettable evening, in which Arsenal took apart the Champions League holders at the Emirates.
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