ENGLAND’S BEST, EUROPE’S BEST TOO AS ARSENAL WIN QUADRUPLE
Arsenal were undisputedly England’s best team as the 2006-07 season kicked off. But by the end of the campaign they were Europe’s best too after completing an historic quadruple of FA Women’s Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup (since re-titled Champions League).
“In that season,” said manager Vic Akers as he reflected on the zenith of his highly successful career as the Arsenal boss, “to do what we did was unbelievable – we made history.”
Akers’ team had won the domestic League in each of the previous three seasons, so it was almost a given that they would take the 2006-07 title. And they did so in imperious fashion, winning every single one of their 22 outings and averaging over five goals per game.
It was the first time since the League’s opening season, 1991-92, that the top flight had been won with a 100 per cent record. Doncaster Belles had achieved the feat back then, though it was only a 14-match programme as there were just eight teams involved compared to 2006-07’s 12 sides.
The Gunners shot down all-comers, most unmercifully Fulham with a 14-0 home win in August and then 9-0 away two months later. Striker Lianne Sanderson in particular enjoyed herself, hitting five goals in the first meeting and a hat-trick in the reverse fixture.
It was not such easy going to win the League Cup, a strong Leeds United side offering stern resistance in March’s final before a stoppage time goal brought a 1-0 victory.
There were several tough games in Europe too, most notably against Swedish team Umeå IK in a two-leg final – both legs played in April – that was won 1-0 on aggregate.
The quadruple was completed with a more comfortable FA Cup final victory, 4-1 against Charlton Athletic, in early May. There were still two League games to finish Arsenal’s season, but the title was already won so Akers and his team could celebrate their unprecedented achievement for a British women’s team before ending the campaign with wins against Everton and Leeds.
Everton finished as runners-up to the Gunners, as they had in 2005-06, while at the other end of the table Sunderland and Fulham were the relegated teams.
The second-from-bottom Black Cats had ended in the same position a year earlier, but they were not demoted as the top flight was set to be increased from 10 teams to 12. But there was no reprieve this time, and so down to the Northern Division they went.
The Cottagers had won the League as full-time professionals in 2002-03, but they had since lost the support of their men’s club Fulham FC and, with their best players departed, it was sad but predictable that they would lose their top flight status.
They were just one of several women’s teams that in recent times had been cast aside by men’s clubs, others including Manchester United, Birmingham City and Sunderland. And, worryingly for the women’s game, in the close season coming up another big team was set to get dumped….
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 22 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 10 | 66 | +109 |
| 2 | Everton | 22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 56 | 15 | 52 | +41 |
| 3 | Charlton Athletic | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 63 | 32 | 50 | +31 |
| 4 | Bristol Academy | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 53 | 41 | 40 | +12 |
| 5 | Leeds United | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 50 | 44 | 37 | +6 |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 37 | 36 | 32 | +1 |
| 7 | Birmingham City | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 34 | 29 | 28 | +5 |
| 8 | Chelsea | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 33 | 34 | 28 | -1 |
| 9 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 29 | 54 | 23 | -25 |
| 10 | Cardiff City | 22 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 26 | 64 | 12 | -38 |
| 11 | Sunderland | 22 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 15 | 72 | 11 | -57 |
| 12 | Fulham | 22 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 12 | 96 | 5 | -84 |
FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION RESULTS 2006-07
20/08/2006
Birmingham City 2-0 Sunderland
Blackburn Rovers 0-3 Arsenal
Charlton Athletic 1-2 Everton
Fulham 0-5 Chelsea
27/08/2006
Arsenal 14-0 Fulham
Everton 2-1 Birmingham City
03/09/2006
Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Birmingham City
Bristol Academy 0-6 Arsenal
Charlton Athletic 3-2 Chelsea
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-1 Sunderland
Everton 1-1 Leeds
Fulham 0-5 Cardiff City
17/09/2006
Birmingham City 2-2 Cardiff City
Blackburn Rovers 5-0 Sunderland
Charlton Athletic 3-1 Bristol Academy
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-1 Everton
Fulham 0-1 Leeds
24/09/2006
Blackburn Rovers 4-5 Bristol Academy
Fulham 2-7 Charlton Athletic
01/10/2006
Doncaster Rovers Belles 3-1 Fulham
03/10/2006
Cardiff City 0-3 Bristol Academy
04/10/2006
Chelsea 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Leeds 4-2 Birmingham City
Sunderland 2-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Fulham 0-9 Arsenal
08/10/2006
Cardiff City 7-0 Fulham
15/10/2006
Cardiff City 1-1 Sunderland
22/10/2006
Birmingham City 7-1 Fulham
Cardiff City 0-5 Leeds
Charlton Athletic 0-0 Blackburn Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-5 Bristol Academy
Everton 1-4 Arsenal
Sunderland 0-4 Chelsea
29/10/2006
Arsenal 6-0 Sunderland
Bristol Academy 2-1 Birmingham City
Charlton Athletic 3-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Chelsea 3-0 Cardiff City
Leeds 5-2 Blackburn Rovers
05/11/2006
Bristol Academy 5-1 Sunderland
Cardiff City 0-2 Blackburn Rovers
08/11/2006
Blackburn Rovers 2-3 Everton
Chelsea 2-1 Fulham
Leeds 5-2 Sunderland
09/11/2006
Birmingham City 1-2 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Bristol Academy 3-0 Cardiff City
12/11/2006
Birmingham City 0-4 Everton
Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Cardiff City
Charlton Athletic 5-3 Leeds
Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-1 Chelsea
Fulham 1-5 Bristol Academy
19/11/2006
Sunderland 0-4 Everton
26/11/2006
Bristol Academy 0-2 Everton
Sunderland 2-1 Fulham
03/12/2006
Cardiff City 1-1 Birmingham City
Leeds 2-1 Fulham
Sunderland 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
10/12/2006
Sunderland 2-0 Cardiff City
Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-2 Birmingham City
17/12/2006
Leeds 2-1 Cardiff City
Arsenal 4-0 Blackburn Rovers
Everton 0-1 Charlton Athletic
11/01/2007
Arsenal 1-0 Birmingham City
14/01/2007
Blackburn Rovers 1-3 Chelsea
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-5 Leeds
Sunderland 0-9 Arsenal
21/01/2007
Cardiff City 1-6 Arsenal
04/02/2007
Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Chelsea 1-1 Birmingham City
Fulham 1-0 Sunderland
18/02/2007
Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Leeds
Everton 5-0 Sunderland
25/02/2007
Arsenal 4-0 Cardiff City
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-4 Charlton Athletic
Everton 3-0 Bristol Academy
28/02/2007
Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-4 Arsenal
Everton 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
04/03/2007
Cardiff City 0-3 Everton
Charlton Athletic 8-0 Sunderland
Chelsea 3-1 Doncaster Rovers Belles
11/03/2007
Birmingham City 0-0 Chelsea
Fulham 0-3 Blackburn Rovers
18/03/2007
Sunderland 1-5 Leeds
22/03/2007
Arsenal 4-1 Bristol Academy
25/03/2007
Birmingham City 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Chelsea 0-1 Blackburn Rovers
Everton 2-0 Cardiff City
Leeds 1-8 Arsenal
Sunderland 1-2 Bristol Academy
Fulham 0-1 Doncaster Rovers Belles
29/03/2007
Leeds 1-2 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Arsenal 3-0 Charlton Athletic
01/04/2007
Bristol Academy 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Charlton Athletic 3-0 Birmingham City
Chelsea 2-1 Leeds
Everton 9-0 Fulham
05/04/2007
Charlton Athletic 2-9 Arsenal
08/04/2007
Birmingham City 0-1 Arsenal
Bristol Academy 1-1 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Cardiff City 1-3 Chelsea
Sunderland 1-2 Charlton Athletic
Fulham 0-2 Everton
15/04/2007
Arsenal 7-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Charlton Athletic
Chelsea 0-0 Sunderland
Fulham 0-3 Birmingham City
20/04/2007
Doncaster Rovers Belles 1-3 Blackburn Rovers
22/04/2007
Cardiff City 1-5 Doncaster Rovers Belles
Leeds 0-2 Charlton Athletic
Sunderland 0-3 Birmingham City
24/04/2007
Chelsea 1-5 Arsenal
26/04/2007
Charlton Athletic 1-1 Fulham
29/04/2007
Birmingham City 0-2 Leeds
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Fulham
Bristol Academy 2-1 Chelsea
Cardiff City 0-3 Charlton Athletic
Everton 3-0 Doncaster Rovers Belles
