commissioned a unique gold trophy to commemorate the achievement.
Arsène Wenger was presented the trophy as a parting gift from the club after his last home game as manager on 6 May 2018. In May 2002, Arsenal beat
Manchester United to regain the
Premier League and equal Preston's record of not losing an away match all season. In assessing the team's achievement, Tim Rich of
The Independent wrote: "Invincibles, they called the last team to go through a season unbeaten away from home, although it is a word which belongs far more to the Arsenal side of 2001-02 than it ever could to the Preston team of 1888–89." Arsenal manager
Arsène Wenger wanted his team to push on for more honours and described the defeat of Manchester United as a "shift of power" in English football. The team began the
following season in good stead; a 4–1 win against
Leeds United in September 2002 meant Arsenal broke the domestic record for scoring in consecutive games (47), and away league games without defeat (22). Such was their effective start to the campaign, Wenger reiterated his belief that Arsenal could remain the whole season undefeated: After breaking a Premier League record of 30 matches unbeaten, Arsenal lost to
Everton in October 2002 (the decisive goal was struck in the last minute by
Wayne Rooney, the first at senior level for the player who would go on to become England's record scorer), and failed to win their next three matches in all competitions, representing their worst run of form in 19 years. By March 2003, Arsenal had established themselves as league leaders, but nearest challenger Manchester United overhauled them to win the title. Arsenal finished the season with league wins against Southampton and Sunderland and were later consoled with success in the FA Cup – they beat the former team 1–0 in the
2003 final. Wenger sought to strengthen his team with minor additions: goalkeeper
Jens Lehmann, as well as a number of young players from academies abroad, namely
Gaël Clichy and
Phillipe Senderos. In comparison to their rivals
Chelsea, bankrolled by new owner
Roman Abramovich, and Manchester United, Arsenal's transfer activity was quiet. The financial constraints that came with the
Ashburton Grove stadium project meant Wenger had little income to spend on new players. Once funding was found amidst the season, the club added to its roster, with
José Antonio Reyes arriving in the winter transfer window. In the
2003–04 season, Arsenal regained the Premier League without a single defeat. Over the 38 games played, their league record stood at 26 wins, 12 draws and no defeats. The unbeaten run came close to ending six matches into the campaign
against Manchester United, as striker
Ruud van Nistelrooy missed a penalty in injury time; the match then ended 0–0. At the turn of the calendar year, Arsenal won nine league matches in a row to consolidate first position; they secured their status as champions with a draw against local rivals
Tottenham Hotspur in April 2004. Their form did not continue into the domestic cups; Arsenal exited the semi-final stage of the Football League Cup and the FA Cup to eventual winners
Middlesbrough and
Manchester United, respectively. In Europe, Arsenal lost two of their opening three
UEFA Champions League group stage matches, 3–0 at home to
Internazionale and 2–1 away to
Dynamo Kyiv, but eventually finished top of the group. Arsenal ultimately reached the quarter-final stage of the Champions League, where they were eliminated by
London rivals Chelsea. presented with the trophy at Highbury on the final day of the season. Continuing into the
next season, a special gold version of the Premier League trophy was commissioned to commemorate Arsenal winning the title without a single defeat. In May 2018, this gold trophy was presented to Arsene Wenger as a gift from Arsenal Football Club at Wenger's final home game as manager after 22 years. In addition to their two wins at the end of the
2002–03 FA Premier League, Arsenal beat Middlesbrough in their second league game of 2004–05 to equal
Nottingham Forest's record of 42 league matches unbeaten; the feat was eclipsed with a win at home to
Blackburn Rovers. The run extended to six more matches for a total of 49 league games undefeated, before coming to an end with a
controversial 2–0 defeat to Manchester United.
The Guardian noted that Arsenal never trailed in the last 20 minutes of a game during their unbeaten run.
Formation Of the players from Arsenal's
double-winning side of 1998, only
Patrick Vieira and
Dennis Bergkamp remained as first team players throughout the unbeaten run;
Martin Keown featured briefly, while
Ray Parlour made 25 league appearances. Defenders
Lee Dixon and
Tony Adams had retired from professional football in 2002 and goalkeeper
David Seaman joined Manchester City a year later.
Kolo Touré, signed as a right-back and defensive midfielder, was chosen to play in central defence alongside
Sol Campbell after impressing during pre-season.
Lauren, who had played as a midfielder for
Real Mallorca, was shifted to right-back when he joined Arsenal. Wenger initially replaced left-back
Nigel Winterburn with
Sylvinho, but an injury to the defender allowed
Ashley Cole to take his place as first pick by the
2000–01 season. In midfield
Gilberto Silva partnered Vieira, with
Freddie Ljungberg and
Robert Pires playing either side of them on the wings.
Thierry Henry, signed as
Nicolas Anelka's replacement in 1999, was the team's focal point in attack; he was supported most often by Bergkamp. Although the team were interpreted as one who organised themselves in a
4–4–2, their formation with the ball was closer to a
4–4–1–1. Wenger's tactics emphasised attacking football and relied on movement and interchanging, with full-backs joining in attacks. Journalist
Michael Cox noted that Arsenal's strengths lay on the left side of the pitch, and added that, because the opposition focused on containing Cole, Pires, and Henry, this allowed Lauren and Ljungberg to find space for crosses. Arsenal were also strong on the counter-attack, exemplified in their away performances against Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Matches Premier League ==See also==