Mid-season report: Arsenal

Having ended a nine-year wait for a trophy by lifting the FA Cup at Wembley in May, there was a sense of positivity surrounding Arsenal heading into the 2014-15 campaign.

The arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona helped with that, but there were still concerns that Arsene Wenger had not sufficiently boosted his defensive and centre-forward options.

Even so, expectations remained high at the Emirates Stadium and here, Sports Mole has reflected on how the first half of the campaign has gone for the Gunners.

August

Fans of the Gunners had waited nine years for a trophy and then all of a sudden two arrived in quick succession as May's FA Cup triumph was backed up by a 3-0 victory over champions Manchester City in the Community Shield.

In terms of the Premier League, Aaron Ramsey struck in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on the opening day of the campaign, before score draws were played out at Everton and Leicester City.

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As far as the Champions League was concerned, summer signing Sanchez started to repay some of the fee that took him to North London when his goal fired them into the group stage of the competition at the expense of Turkish outfit Besiktas.

The biggest surprise of August, though, came on transfer deadline day when Arsenal completed the £16m signing of England international striker Danny Welbeck from rivals Manchester United.

September

Welbeck hit the post on his debut as Arsenal played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Man City at the Emirates Stadium - a game which saw a stunning volley from Sanchez, who was already showing his class.

Determined not to be outdone, Welbeck got himself off the mark next time out as Aston Villa were swept aside 3-0 at Villa Park, with Mesut Ozil also getting his name on the scoresheet.

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The Premier League month was then concluded by a 1-1 home draw in the season's first North London derby. Arsenal were trailing to a 56th-minute Nacer Chadli effort, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain rescued a point for the hosts.

The Gunners have not won the League Cup since 1993 and the wait will continue thanks to Southampton, who returned to the South Coast with a 2-1 victory. It wasn't much better as the Champions League got underway either, with Wenger's men being comfortably beaten 2-0 by 2013 finalists Borussia Dortmund.

October

The curse of the big game returned to haunt Arsenal at the start of October. They took their unbeaten Premier League record to Stamford Bridge, but were routinely defeated 2-0 by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

That was followed by a disappointing 2-2 home draw with Hull City, although it could have been even worse had Welbeck not struck in stoppage time to salvage a share of the spoils.

Welbeck was also the hero in the Champions League, with his hat-trick helping Arsenal to get their first win of the campaign when Turkish side Galatasaray made the trip to the English capital. That was followed by a late 2-1 win in Belgium over Anderlecht.

Sanchez also continued to show that he was worth every penny spent on him when he benefited from two defensive errors to score both goals in Arsenal's 2-0 victory at Sunderland as October drew to a close.

November

Over the course of November's five weekends, the pressure would crank up significantly on Wenger, with some supporters calling for him to stand down with immediate effect.

His cause was not helped by successive 2-1 defeats to Swansea City and Man United, but it was the 3-3 home draw with Anderlecht in the Champions League that truly angered fans. When Oxlade-Chamberlain scored in the 58th minute, the Gunners were 3-0 up, but ended up having to settle for a point.

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There were some lighter moments - such as Calum Chambers scoring his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win over Burnley, while Champions League qualification was secured with a 2-0 success over group leaders Dortmund.

The month concluded with a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, but that did not stop a section of travelling Arsenal fans from unveiling a banner which demanded Wenger's resignation. It read: 'Arsene - Thanks for the memories but it's time to say goodbye.'

December

With the exception of a trip to Stoke City and with the pressure on, December was Arsenal's best month in terms of results.

Sanchez scored in the final minute to record a 1-0 win over Southampton at the Emirates at the start of the month, but then came the trip to the Britannia Stadium. Disastrously, they were 3-0 down at the break and despite a spirited second-half fightback, more criticism was bestowed on Wenger following a 3-2 defeat.

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The return from injury of Olivier Giroud was a welcome boost and next time out the Frenchman lifted some of the gloom as his brace sent Arsenal on their way to a 4-1 triumph over Newcastle United. That was followed by a 2-2 draw away at Liverpool, before fellow Londoners Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United were both defeated 2-1.

In the Champions League, Arsenal finished second, even though they impressively won 4-1 away in Galatasaray - a scoreline that included a stunning effort from distance by Ramsey. However, unlike previous campaigns, Wenger's men avoided one of Europe's big names in the next round, having been paired with his former employers Monaco.

Position at start of 2015: 5th

Star player so far: Alexis Sanchez

Must do better: Per Mertesacker

Where they need to strengthen in January: Defence

Mid-season grade: C

To see Arsenal's remaining fixtures in 2014-15, click here.