Much was expected of Arsenal during the 2014-15 campaign after the club splashed out on a host of new players during the summer transfer window.
However, a typically inconsistent season saw the Gunners finish off the pace in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Despite their troubles in the big competitions, a top-three finish and another strong showing in the FA Cup for Arsene Wenger's men should represent some kind of progress.
Here, Sports Mole casts its eye over the season on the red side of North London.
August
Following a summer of spending that saw over £70m shelled out for the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and Danny Welbeck, the Gunners started the season in winning fashion with a 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield before beating Crystal Palace on the opening day of the Premier League campaign thanks to a late Aaron Ramsey strike.
However, they found points hard to come by in their remaining two league fixtures that month as draws with Everton and Leicester City caused early ripples of concern among the Arsenal faithful.
Despite their stuttering domestic start, Wenger's side booked their place in the Champions League group phase with a nervy 1-0 aggregate triumph over Turkish outfit Besiktas.
September
Arsenal made it three consecutive stalemates in the Premier League at the start of September, drawing 2-2 at home to Manchester City. The hosts looked on course for the points with seven minutes remaining, but Martin Demichelis snatched an equaliser for the champions.
With their only previous league victory coming on the opening day of the season, the Gunners finally ended their run of draws midway through the month by easing past Aston Villa 3-0 at Villa Park.
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The first North London derby of the campaign came at the end of September, ending in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates. Nacer Chadli put Spurs into a 54th-minute lead before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's strike 15 minutes from time made sure that the home side were not outdone by their local rivals.
On the European front, a 2-0 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund saw Arsenal lose their opening game in Group D of the Champions League, while there was also an early exit in the League Cup courtesy of a 2-1 defeat to Southampton in the third round.
October
A first Premier League defeat of the season arrived on October 5 as Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Eden Hazard and Diego Costa got the goals for the Blues, who cemented their position at the top of the table with that result.
There were more dropped points later on in the month with a 2-2 draw at Hull City, though the Gunners were fortunate to leave the KC Stadium with a share of the spoils as Welbeck's late goal saw them avoid defeat.
A return to winning ways was made soon after with a narrow 2-0 victory away to Sunderland. Sanchez netted both of the goals at the Stadium of Light as he continued his positive start to life in North London.
There was further joy in the Champions League during October thanks to vital wins over Galatasaray and Anderlecht respectively.
Arsenal thumped the Turks 4-1 at the Emirates as Welbeck proved his worth again by scoring a hat-trick, while late goals from Kieran Gibbs and Lukas Podolski saw the team record a dramatic triumph in Belgium.
November
The penultimate month of 2014 proved to be a mixed one for Arsene Wenger's men as they took six points from a possible 12 in the Premier League, damaging their title charge in the process.
A resounding win over Burnley was followed by defeats at Swansea and Manchester United, though they ended November positively with a slim 1-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion.
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The 'Wenger Out' brigade were in full voice when the Gunners let a three-goal lead slip to draw 3-3 at home to Anderlecht in the Champions League, but they managed to seal their place in the second round of the competition with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
December
The team's inconsistency in the Premier League continued as the year came to a close, with a late 1-0 triumph over Southampton swiftly followed by a 3-2 defeat to old foes Stoke City.
Despite scoring two goals in the second half at the Britannia Stadium, conceding three times during a catastrophic opening 45 minutes meant that the Gunners had to leave the Potteries empty-handed.
The Champions League group phase finished on a triumphant note for Arsenal, winning 4-1 at Galatasaray - a game which will be remembered for Ramsey's sensational long-range goal. However, because of results elsewhere they were forced to settle for second place in Group D behind winners Borussia Dortmund.
December concluded with a four-game unbeaten run in the league, starting with a comfortable 4-1 victory at home to Newcastle United.
From there the Gunners drew 2-2 with Liverpool at Anfield as Martin Skrtel's late header denied them the three points, but they recovered to beat Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United in their remaining two matches.
January
The New Year got off to a disappointing start for the Gunners as they were beaten 2-0 by Southampton, but significant victories over Stoke City and Manchester City were to follow.
Arsenal avenged their December loss to Stoke by seeing off the Potters 3-0 at the Emirates before their title hopes were boosted with a 2-0 win away to Manchester City.
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Santi Cazorla gave the visitors a 24th-minute lead from the penalty spot, while Olivier Giroud sealed the points midway through the second half as the Gunners earned their first triumph at the Etihad Stadium since October 2010 - ending City's 12-match unbeaten run to boot.
The FA Cup also got underway in January and Arsenal began their defence of the trophy with victories over Hull City and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively.
February
The Gunners made it three consecutive wins in the league at the start of February with a 5-0 thumping of strugglers Aston Villa, only to come crashing back down to earth with a 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Mesut Ozil put Arsenal ahead against their nearest and dearest with just 11 minutes on the clock before Harry Kane stole the show with two goals, the second of which came four minutes from time. That result meant that Arsene Wenger's side had taken just one point from a possible six off their rivals.
Losing to Spurs was not necessarily a disaster for Arsenal, though, as they recovered to put together a 10-match unbeaten run in the league.
Their impressive run started with victories over Leicester City and Crystal Palace, while a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough put the holders through to the sixth round of the FA Cup.
Having been draw against Monaco in the last 16 of the Champions League, many were expecting Arsenal to record a comfortable victory over the French side and make it through to the quarter-finals. However, it all went wrong during the first leg as Monaco left the Emirates Stadium with a shock 3-1 win, leaving the Gunners' chances of progressing hanging by a thread.
March
Arsenal's momentum in the league continued in March with four wins out of four matches. The Gunners saw off Everton, Queens Park Rangers, West Ham United and Newcastle United, with the in-form Giroud hitting the target five times across those games.
There was further joy in the FA Cup sixth round as Welbeck came back to haunt former club Manchester United by scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory for Arsenal at Old Trafford.
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Despite such a positive month on domestic soil, their Champions League campaign was ended in cruel fashion against Monaco. Looking to claw back a 3-1 deficit from the first leg, Arsenal earned a 2-0 victory in the principality to make it 3-3 on aggregate. However, that was not enough to stop the Ligue 1 club going through on away goals.
April
The side's strong Premier League form yielded two more wins early on in April as a 4-1 beating of Liverpool was followed up by a narrow but important 1-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor.
Having almost clinched the title, Chelsea arrived at the Emirates on April 26 before leaving with a valuable 0-0 draw. After dominating possession for much of the afternoon, Arsenal were ultimately frustrated by Jose Mourinho's team.
While their slim Premier League title hopes faded, the Gunners sealed their place in a second consecutive FA Cup final by defeating Reading after extra time in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium. With the game looking like it was heading towards penalties, a mistake from goalkeeper Adam Federici saw Sanchez bag the winner.
May
Arsenal's 10-match unbeaten run was shattered at the beginning of May with a 1-0 defeat at home to Swansea City. After dominating the Welsh side for much of the game, Bafetimbi Gomis found the net with five minutes left to hand the Swans the double over the Gunners.
With a battle for third place developing between themselves and Manchester United, Arsene Wenger's side all but sealed a top-three finish at Old Trafford on May 17 as they came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against their old rivals. Ander Herrera put the Red Devils in front before a Tyler Blackett own goal made sure that Arsenal claimed an important point.
The Gunners made it 270 minutes of football at the Emirates Stadium without a goal in their next match as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Sunderland. Despite battering the strugglers for long periods, a resolute Sunderland defence held out to earn their side the point that they needed for Premier League survival.
However, they made up for that goal drought in their final game of the season, thrashing West Bromwich Albion 4-1 thanks to a Theo Walcott hat-trick.
Jack Prescott
