Arsenal 2003-04: The Invincibles

In the 2002-03 season, Arsène Wenger's Arsenal reached March top of the Premier League with an eight-point lead. But the team faltered in the run-in, and Manchester United, on an 18-match unbeaten run, caught them, overtook them and took the title. That frustration was the starting point for everything that followed. In May 2003, in the final matches of that same season, Arsenal began an unbeaten run that nobody imagined would last so long.

For 2003-04, German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann arrived and ended up playing all 38 league matches. In front of him a rock-solid defence took shape: Lauren and Ashley Cole on the flanks, Sol Campbell and Kolo Touré in the middle. In midfield, captain Patrick Vieira and Brazilian Gilberto Silva provided balance, while Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg arrived from the wings. Up front, Dennis Bergkamp supplied the composure and the perfect pass. That summer two promising youngsters also joined: Cesc Fàbregas and Gaël Clichy.

The standout star was Thierry Henry. The Frenchman scored 30 league goals, won the Golden Boot and was named player of the season. Midway through the campaign, he also passed 100 Premier League goals.

The first big test came on 21 September 2003 at Old Trafford. The match ended 0-0, but it was anything but calm: Patrick Vieira was sent off and, in stoppage time, United had a penalty to win it. Ruud van Nistelrooy smashed it against the crossbar. At the final whistle, several Arsenal players surrounded the Dutch striker, and the Football Association later charged six Arsenal players and two from United. In England it is remembered as the “Battle of Old Trafford”.

As the months went by, the team grew stronger. In January, a 4-1 win over Middlesbrough started a run of nine straight league victories, and in February they won 2-1 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. But April brought the toughest week. On 3 April they lost 1-0 to United in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park, with a goal from Paul Scholes. On 6 April, at Highbury, Chelsea beat them 2-1 and knocked them out of the Champions League: José Antonio Reyes had opened the scoring, but Frank Lampard equalised and Wayne Bridge got the second near the end, after the 1-1 first leg in London.

Three days later, on 9 April, Liverpool came to Highbury. Sami Hyypiä and Michael Owen twice put the visitors ahead. Henry equalised after 31 minutes, Pires levelled on 49 and a minute later Henry scored a solo goal, weaving past opponents before finishing past Jerzy Dudek. On 78 minutes he completed his hat-trick to make it 4-2. With that win, Arsenal put behind them a week in which they had lost two cups.

On 25 April 2004 Arsenal visited Tottenham at White Hart Lane, the home of their great rivals. That same day Chelsea had lost to Newcastle, so a point was enough. Vieira scored after 3 minutes and Pires added a second before half-time. Jamie Redknapp pulled one back and Robbie Keane equalised from the penalty spot at the end, but the 2-2 was enough: Arsenal were crowned champions at their neighbours' ground. Vieira summed it up as “a once-in-a-lifetime achievement”.

There was still the matter of finishing the season unbeaten. On 15 May, at Highbury, Leicester went ahead with a Paul Dickov header. In the second half Henry equalised from the spot and Vieira, from a Bergkamp pass, made it 2-1. The final record was 26 wins and 12 draws, 73 goals scored, 26 conceded, 90 points and an 11-point lead over Chelsea. It was the first time since Preston North End in 1888-89 that a team had won the English top flight without losing. To mark it, a special gold version of the Premier League trophy was commissioned, and the next day there was an open-top bus parade.

The run continued into 2004-05. The 49th match without defeat was a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in October 2004. On 24 October, once again at Old Trafford, United won 2-0 with a Van Nistelrooy penalty and a late Wayne Rooney goal. That brought to an end a run of 49 league matches unbeaten, a record in English football.