Arsenal, who were four points behind league leaders Manchester United, were deprived of their captain for the remaining six league games of the season; they were subsequently eliminated by Barcelona in the Champions League, and fell out of the league title race.
Arsenal, yang empat poin di belakang pimpinan klasemen Manchester United, yang kehilangan kapten mereka untuk sisa enam pertandingan liga musim ini; mereka kemudian disingkirkan oleh Barcelona di Liga Champions, dan jatuh keluar dari perburuan gelar liga.