Arsenal's Gold Trophy - On this day: 22nd August

On 22nd August 2004 Arsenal equalled Nottingham Forest's record sequence of going 42 consecutive league matches unbeaten seeing off Middlesbrough 5-3 at Highbury.

Prior to the kick-off Arsenal were presented with a golden replica of the Premier League trophy as a reward for going the entire 2003/04 campaign unbeaten.

Thierry Henry gave the Gunners a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute after Jose Antonio Reyes picked out the Frenchman with a fantastic cross-field pass. Just before the break though the visitors were level as Joseph-Desire Job equalised two minutes before the interval.

Within ten minutes of the restart goals through Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and a left footed strike by Franck Quedrue which caught Jens Lehmann out of position to put Middlesbrough into a 3-1 appearing to prevent Arsenal equalling Forest's 42-match unbeaten streak.

However, within just 11 minutes Arsenal had taken back control of the game and swept the Teesiders aside. Dennis Bergkamp made it 3-2 in the 54th minute, a minute after Quedrue's strike, then Robert Pires drew Arsenal level.

Jose Antonio Reyes, having played Henry in for the first Arsenal goal, put Arsenal back in the lead with twenty-five minutes to play.

The result, and the unbeaten record were secured late on as Thierry Henry managed to get his second of the game and Arsenal's fifth leaving just a distant memory of the lead Middlesbrough had once held.

Of course Arsenal would go on to set a new English league record by going 49 matches unbeaten before falling to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United.

Also on this day

• 1914: Arsenal beat local rivals Tottenham 5-1 in a series of pre-season friendlies
• 1925: Arsenal played their second pre-season friendly under Herbert Chapman, over 13,000 fans were in attendance as the Chapman era began.
• 1953: In Arsenal's second league game of the season, a 0-0 draw with Huddersfield, Gerry Ward became the youngest player to play in the league aged just 16 years and 321 days old a record held until Jack Wilshere took the honour from him.
• 1959: Mel Charles made his league debut for the club in a 1-0 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
• 1963: Ian Ure signed from Dundee for a fee of £62,000. He went on to make over 160 league appearances scoring just twice.
• 1964: Match of the Day aired for the first time showing highlights of just one game, Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-2 at Anfield.
• 1970: Arsenal played their third game in what was to be a double winning season beaten Manchester United 3-0, the first win of the season.
• 1987: "Champagne" Charlie Nicholas made what was to be his final appearance in the red and white of Arsenal in a 2-0 away defeat to Queens' Park Rangers. Nicholas joined Aberdeen for a fee of £400,000 in January 1988.
• 1998: Arsenal drew their second league game of the 1998/99 season 0-0 away at Anfield to begin a sequence of three straight 0-0 draws following on from the club's 1997/98 double success.
• 1999: Croatian Davor Suker made his Arsenal debut following his move from Real Madrid in a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford to Manchester United. The Croatian icon did not enjoy the best of times at Highbury managing just eight goals from 22 appearances before moving to West Ham on a free after just a year with Arsenal.
• 2002: Sylvan Wiltord rescued a point against West Ham at Upton Park in a 2-2 draw. The stalemate meant Arsenal were unable to set a new English league record of winning 15 consecutive matches.
• 2010: Arsenal followed up their 6-1 opening day win away to Everton at Goodison Park by beating Portsmouth 4-1 at the Emirates as Aaron Ramsey scored his first Arsenal goal.

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