By Darren Plant, Reporter (Sports mole)
Arsenal headed into the season on the back of losing key players Robin van Persie and Alex Song respectively.
Arsene Wenger replaced them with the likes of Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla, but it wasn't enough to help the Gunners mount a challenge for the Premier League title.
August
Arsenal would have been optimistic of getting their season off to a winning start against Sunderland, but they were held to a 0-0 draw by the Black Cats.
Their uneventful start continued when they were uninspiring in another goalless stalemate, this time at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke City.
September
The Gunners recorded their first success of the season at the beginning of September, as Santi Cazorla helped them to a 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield.
They proved they had turned the corner in front of goal with a 6-1 thrashing of Southampton, before traveling to France to seal a 2-1 win over Montpellier in the Champions League.
A late Laurent Koscielny goal earned Arsenal a point at Manchester City, but they ended the month with a home defeat to London rivals Chelsea.
October
Arsenal continued to enjoyed mixed fortunes in the Premier League, beating West Ham United 3-1 at Upton Park before losing to Norwich City.
It was a similar occurrence in Europe, as the Gunners fell to a surprise home defeat to Schalke 04 after comfortably seeing off Olympiakos.
The month ended on a positive note, with Arsenal beating Queens Park Rangers thanks to a late Mikel Arteta effort, before a Theo Walcott hat-trick contributed to his side coming out on top in a remarkable 7-5 success over Reading in the Captial One Cup.
November
Wenger's side were failing to overcome their inconsistency in the Premier League, as Robin van Persie returned to haunt his old team in helping Manchester United to a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Draws against Schalke 04 and Fulham failed to ease the pressure on Wenger, but a 5-2 victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur helped ease the tension at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners got back on track in the Champions League after securing their second success over Montpellier after a stunning volley from Lukas Podolski, but successive stalemates against Everton and Aston Villa left Arsenal with just one victory from five league games in November.
December
There were calls for the Arsenal board to sack Arsene Wenger after Swansea sealed a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, and a victory by the same scoreline did little to ease the discontent in North London.
Things got worse for the Frenchman as League Two side Bradford City inflicted a penalty shootout defeat on the Premier League team.
However, that brought a response from the Gunners, who recorded three wins in a row in the Premier League, including a 7-3 win over Newcastle United.
January
Arsenal began 2013 with a 1-1 draw at Southampton, before they were taken to a replay in the FA Cup by Swansea City.
Manchester City and Chelsea earned crucial wins against the Gunners in the Premier League, but they were victorious in edging past Swansea in their FA Cup replay.
January ended on a high, with Brighton & Hove Albion being disposed of in the next round of the FA Cup, and Arsenal securing four points out of six from their league games with West Ham and Liverpool.
Olivier Giroud came out of those encounters with his reputation in England enhanced, after netting five goals in three matches.
February
Arsenal were coming under pressure to deliver in the Premier League with Spurs pushing hard for a Champions League spot, and they responded in February with three narrow victories.
However, success was limited to the league, as Blackburn Rovers secured a famous 1-0 triumph at the Emirates in the FA Cup.
Bayern Munich produced a formidable display in the Champions League, taking a 3-1 lead after the first leg of their tie.
March
March began badly as Tottenham claimed a crucial win to gain a significant advantage in the race for a Champions League spot.
A gutsy performance in Germany saw Arsenal defeat Bayern Munich, but it wasn't enough to avoid being eliminated from the Champions League.
However, important goals from Gervinho helped the Gunners earn consecutive wins over Swansea and Reading to get their domestic campaign back on track.
April
Arsenal had hauled themselves back in contention for a top-four position, and two goals from Tomas Rosicky helped them to another win at West Bromwich Albion.
A further success over Norwich continued the momentum, but the Gunners were held to a goalless draw by Everton three days later.
Wenger's side were looking increasingly confident in defence, and they fought hard to beat Fulham at Craven Cottage after having Giroud dismissed.
The month ended with Arsenal sealing a point off Manchester United, with Van Persie netting a penalty on his return to the Emirates Stadium.
May
Arsenal had moved into pole position in the race for fourth place, and a goal from Walcott after 20 seconds moved the North London side to within touching distance of a Champions League place.
The Gunners then inflicted relegation on Wigan Athletic after a rousing second-half performance, to leave Wenger's side in pole position ahead of rivals Spurs for the final spot in the European Cup.
It all bolied down to the final day of the campaign away at Newcastle United, while Tottenham played host to Sunderland at White Hart Lane.
It was by no means a vintage Arsenal performance, but a volley from French defender Laurent Koscielny was enough for the Gunners to win the match, thus ensuring that they finished ahead of Spurs once again.
It could prove to be an interesting summer at the Emirates, with Wenger having promised to be active in the transfer market.
Arsene Wenger replaced them with the likes of Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla, but it wasn't enough to help the Gunners mount a challenge for the Premier League title.
August
Arsenal would have been optimistic of getting their season off to a winning start against Sunderland, but they were held to a 0-0 draw by the Black Cats.
Their uneventful start continued when they were uninspiring in another goalless stalemate, this time at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke City.
September
The Gunners recorded their first success of the season at the beginning of September, as Santi Cazorla helped them to a 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield.
They proved they had turned the corner in front of goal with a 6-1 thrashing of Southampton, before traveling to France to seal a 2-1 win over Montpellier in the Champions League.
A late Laurent Koscielny goal earned Arsenal a point at Manchester City, but they ended the month with a home defeat to London rivals Chelsea.
October
Arsenal continued to enjoyed mixed fortunes in the Premier League, beating West Ham United 3-1 at Upton Park before losing to Norwich City.
It was a similar occurrence in Europe, as the Gunners fell to a surprise home defeat to Schalke 04 after comfortably seeing off Olympiakos.
The month ended on a positive note, with Arsenal beating Queens Park Rangers thanks to a late Mikel Arteta effort, before a Theo Walcott hat-trick contributed to his side coming out on top in a remarkable 7-5 success over Reading in the Captial One Cup.
November
Wenger's side were failing to overcome their inconsistency in the Premier League, as Robin van Persie returned to haunt his old team in helping Manchester United to a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Draws against Schalke 04 and Fulham failed to ease the pressure on Wenger, but a 5-2 victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur helped ease the tension at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners got back on track in the Champions League after securing their second success over Montpellier after a stunning volley from Lukas Podolski, but successive stalemates against Everton and Aston Villa left Arsenal with just one victory from five league games in November.
December
There were calls for the Arsenal board to sack Arsene Wenger after Swansea sealed a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, and a victory by the same scoreline did little to ease the discontent in North London.
Things got worse for the Frenchman as League Two side Bradford City inflicted a penalty shootout defeat on the Premier League team.
However, that brought a response from the Gunners, who recorded three wins in a row in the Premier League, including a 7-3 win over Newcastle United.
January
Arsenal began 2013 with a 1-1 draw at Southampton, before they were taken to a replay in the FA Cup by Swansea City.
Manchester City and Chelsea earned crucial wins against the Gunners in the Premier League, but they were victorious in edging past Swansea in their FA Cup replay.
January ended on a high, with Brighton & Hove Albion being disposed of in the next round of the FA Cup, and Arsenal securing four points out of six from their league games with West Ham and Liverpool.
Olivier Giroud came out of those encounters with his reputation in England enhanced, after netting five goals in three matches.
February
Arsenal were coming under pressure to deliver in the Premier League with Spurs pushing hard for a Champions League spot, and they responded in February with three narrow victories.
However, success was limited to the league, as Blackburn Rovers secured a famous 1-0 triumph at the Emirates in the FA Cup.
Bayern Munich produced a formidable display in the Champions League, taking a 3-1 lead after the first leg of their tie.
March
March began badly as Tottenham claimed a crucial win to gain a significant advantage in the race for a Champions League spot.
A gutsy performance in Germany saw Arsenal defeat Bayern Munich, but it wasn't enough to avoid being eliminated from the Champions League.
However, important goals from Gervinho helped the Gunners earn consecutive wins over Swansea and Reading to get their domestic campaign back on track.
April
Arsenal had hauled themselves back in contention for a top-four position, and two goals from Tomas Rosicky helped them to another win at West Bromwich Albion.
A further success over Norwich continued the momentum, but the Gunners were held to a goalless draw by Everton three days later.
Wenger's side were looking increasingly confident in defence, and they fought hard to beat Fulham at Craven Cottage after having Giroud dismissed.
The month ended with Arsenal sealing a point off Manchester United, with Van Persie netting a penalty on his return to the Emirates Stadium.
May
Arsenal had moved into pole position in the race for fourth place, and a goal from Walcott after 20 seconds moved the North London side to within touching distance of a Champions League place.
The Gunners then inflicted relegation on Wigan Athletic after a rousing second-half performance, to leave Wenger's side in pole position ahead of rivals Spurs for the final spot in the European Cup.
It all bolied down to the final day of the campaign away at Newcastle United, while Tottenham played host to Sunderland at White Hart Lane.
It was by no means a vintage Arsenal performance, but a volley from French defender Laurent Koscielny was enough for the Gunners to win the match, thus ensuring that they finished ahead of Spurs once again.
It could prove to be an interesting summer at the Emirates, with Wenger having promised to be active in the transfer market.
Culled from: Sports mole.
