The FA Cup draw pitted us against Portsmouth in the third round, meaning we’ll make our first visit to Fratton Park in five years.
While games between Pompey and us have been scarce since their Premier League heydays during the 2000s, there were plenty of memorable matches between us on the south coast during that time that Gooners of a certain vintage will remember with fondness.
We’ve delved through the archives to find five to look back on:
**March 6, 2004**
**Portsmouth 1-5 Arsenal**
On what was our first visit to Portsmouth in 16 years, we ran rampant to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Pompey had joined us in the top-flight the previous summer, but the gulf between the teams on this day was vast, and we found ourselves 3-0 ahead at the break thanks to goals from Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg and Kolo Toure.
Five minutes after the restart, a clever first-time shot from Henry caught out home goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, and then Ljungberg also completed his brace on 57 minutes with a deflected effort. Teddy Sheringham pulled one back late on, but after the damage had been well and truly dished out.
**May 4, 2004**
**Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal**
Jose Antonio Reyes’ equaliser kept our Invincibles season intact with just two games to go. After Ljungberg had an early goal ruled out for handball, the hosts would score first when Yakubu reacted quickly to squeeze the ball past Jens Lehmann on 29 minutes and put our place in history under threat.
Fortunately, four minutes after the break Henry’s cross was headed out to the edge of the box and January recruit Reyes lashed a left-footed shot past Hislop to score his first Premier League goal. After Henry and Reyes hit the woodwork, late stops from Lehmann denied Yakubu and Dejan Stefanovic to keep the undefeated dream alive.
**May 2, 2009**
**Portsmouth 0-3 Arsenal**
This result secured a Champions League place and stretched our unbeaten league run to 21 games. A mistake by David James saw us get in front when he fumbled Nicklas Bendtner’s header over his goalline on 13 minutes, and then he was beaten by the Dane again from the penalty spot four minutes before half-time.
Carlos Vela lashed home a third on 56 minutes when he fired into the bottom corner, before Noe Pamarot was sent off for bringing Andriy Arshavin when he was through on goal. It was the fifth consecutive away league game in which we netted at least three times, as we finished the campaign with a flourish.
**December 30, 2009**
**Portsmouth 1-4 Arsenal**
Pompey’s day started with a winding-up petition served to them by the taxman, and ended with us inflicting more misery on the rock-bottom club with another convincing win. For the first time ever, an English top-flight game began without a single Englishman on either side, and we found ourselves ahead thanks to goals from Croatian international Eduardo and Frenchman Samir Nasri.
The goal of the game when Aaron Ramsey won possession and blasted past Asmir Begovic from 25 yards on 69 minutes, and while Nadir Belhadj reduced the arrears, the final say went to us when Alex Song headed in an excellent Nasri cross to keep us within touching distance of the league leaders.
**March 2, 2020**
**Portsmouth 0-2 Arsenal**
Our most recent meeting with Pompey came a few months into Mikel Arteta’s time in charge, and his youthful side reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with an assured win. The boss started with six players aged 20 or under, including Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, but it was Sokratis Papastathopoulos who volleyed in just before the break to hand us the lead.
Having created that goal, five minutes into the second half, Reiss Nelson then crossed for Eddie Nketiah prod the ball home from close range to double our lead against the League One side and secure our spot in the last eight, as we edged a step closer to lifting the trophy for the 14th time.
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