1930–31 Arsenal F.C. season
# 1930–31 Arsenal F.C. season

The 1930–31 season was Arsenal's 12th consecutive season in the top division of English football. After winning the FA Cup the previous term, they claimed their first Division 1 title this season, finishing seven points clear of Aston Villa. Arsenal failed to retain the FA Cup, losing to Chelsea in the fourth round, but won the Charity Shield against Sheffield Wednesday in October 1930. Arsenal's top scorer in the league was Jack Lambert, who scored 38 league goals and 39 times overall. The club earned 66 points from 42 league matches, with 28 wins, 10 draws and 4 losses. Arsenal started the season well, winning the opening two matches 4–1 away from home, and won the first five league matches, and remained unbeaten for the first nine, before beating league champions Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 in the Charity Shield. They then suffered their first defeat of the season, 4–2, at Derby County, before making up for it with a 5–2 win over challengers Aston Villa nearly a month later. In December Arsenal beat Blackpool 7–1 to finish 1930 on a high. The following month they beat Aston Villa after a replay in the FA Cup third round, though the cup run ended in the next round at Chelsea. Arsenal then claimed their biggest-ever league win at Highbury in a 9-1 annihilation of Grimsby Town, with David Jack hitting four and Jack Lambert grabbing a hat-trick. A 7–2 win at Leicester City and a 6–3 victory over Derby County helped Arsenal in their title charge, but were stopped in their tracks on 14 March in a 5–1 loss at Aston Villa. Nonetheless, a 3–1 win over Liverpool on 18 April ensured Arsenal won the league for the first of thirteen times in their history.

## Results

Arsenal's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |

### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 30 August 1930 | Blackpool | A | 4–1 | 28,723 |
| 1 September 1930 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 4–1 | 20,684 |
| 6 September 1930 | Leeds United | H | 3–1 | 40,828 |
| 10 September 1930 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 3–2 | 20,863 |
| 13 September 1930 | Sunderland | A | 4–1 | 26,525 |
| 15 September 1930 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–2 | 25,572 |
| 20 September 1930 | Leicester City | H | 4–1 | 37,851 |
| 27 September 1930 | Birmingham | A | 4–2 | 31,693 |
| 4 October 1930 | Sheffield United | H | 1–1 | 47,113 |
| 11 October 1930 | Derby County | A | 2–4 | 29,783 |
| 18 October 1930 | Manchester United | A | 2–1 | 23,406 |
| 25 October 1930 | West Ham United | H | 1–1 | 51,918 |
| 1 November 1930 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1–1 | 25,772 |
| 8 November 1930 | Aston Villa | H | 5–2 | 56,417 |
| 15 November 1930 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 2–1 | 43,671 |
| 22 November 1930 | Middlesbrough | H | 5–3 | 32,517 |
| 29 November 1930 | Chelsea | A | 5–1 | 74,667 |
| 13 December 1930 | Liverpool | A | 1–1 | 44,342 |
| 20 December 1930 | Newcastle United | H | 1–2 | 32,212 |
| 25 December 1930 | Manchester City | A | 4–1 | 56,750 |
| 26 December 1930 | Manchester City | H | 3–1 | 17,624 |
| 27 December 1930 | Blackpool | H | 7–1 | 35,113 |
| 17 January 1931 | Sunderland | H | 1–3 | 35,975 |
| 28 January 1931 | Grimsby Town | H | 9–1 | 15,751 |
| 31 January 1931 | Birmingham | H | 1–1 | 30,913 |
| 5 February 1931 | Leicester City | A | 7–2 | 17,416 |
| 7 February 1931 | Sheffield United | A | 1–1 | 49,602 |
| 14 February 1931 | Derby County | H | 6–3 | 34,785 |
| 21 February 1931 | Manchester City | H | 4–1 | 41,510 |
| 28 February 1931 | West Ham United | A | 4–2 | 30,361 |
| 7 March 1931 | Huddersield Town | H | 0–0 | 31,058 |
| 11 March 1931 | Leeds United | A | 2–1 | 12,212 |
| 14 March 1931 | Aston Villa | A | 1–5 | 60,997 |
| 21 March 1931 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2–0 | 47,872 |
| 28 March 1931 | Middlesbrough | A | 5–2 | 23,476 |
| 3 April 1931 | Portsmouth | A | 1–1 | 31,398 |
| 4 April 1931 | Chelsea | H | 2–1 | 53,867 |
| 6 April 1931 | Portsmouth | H | 1–1 | 40,490 |
| 11 April 1931 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–0 | 22,394 |
| 18 April 1931 | Liverpool | H | 3–1 | 39,143 |
| 25 April 1931 | Newcastle United | A | 3–1 | 21,747 |
| 2 May 1931 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 5–0 | 35,406 |

**Final League table**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 42 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 127 | 59 | 2.153 | 66 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 128 | 78 | 1.641 | 59 |
| 3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 102 | 75 | 1.360 | 52 |
| 4 | Portsmouth | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 84 | 67 | 1.254 | 49 |
| 5 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 81 | 65 | 1.246 | 48 |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Relegation |
| 1 | Everton (C, P) | 42 | 28 | 5 | 9 | 121 | 66 | 1.833 | 61 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion (P) | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 83 | 49 | 1.694 | 54 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 88 | 55 | 1.600 | 51 | |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 84 | 67 | 1.254 | 47 | |
| 5 | Port Vale | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 67 | 61 | 1.098 | 47 | |
| 6 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 97 | 66 | 1.470 | 46 | |
| 7 | Preston North End | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 83 | 64 | 1.297 | 45 | |
| 8 | Burnley | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 81 | 77 | 1.052 | 45 | |
| 9 | Southampton | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 74 | 62 | 1.194 | 44 | |
| 10 | Bradford City | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 61 | 63 | 0.968 | 44 | |
| 11 | Stoke City | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 64 | 71 | 0.901 | 44 | |
| 12 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 61 | 72 | 0.847 | 42 | |
| 13 | Bury | 42 | 19 | 3 | 20 | 75 | 82 | 0.915 | 41 | |
| 14 | Millwall | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 71 | 80 | 0.888 | 39 | |
| 15 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 86 | 0.686 | 39 | |
| 16 | Bristol City | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 54 | 82 | 0.659 | 38 | |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 80 | 85 | 0.941 | 37 | |
| 18 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 76 | 84 | 0.905 | 36 | |
| 19 | Barnsley | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 59 | 79 | 0.747 | 35 | |
| 20 | Swansea Town | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 51 | 74 | 0.689 | 34 | |
| 21 | Reading (R) | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 72 | 96 | 0.750 | 30 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 22 | Cardiff City (R) | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 47 | 87 | 0.540 | 25 | Relegation to the Third Division |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R3 | 10 January 1931 | Aston Villa | H | 2–2 | 40,864 |
| R3 R | 14 January 1931 | Aston Villa | A | 3–1 | 73,668 |
| R4 | 24 January 1931 | Chelsea | A | 4–2 | 62,945 |
