2002/03 Premier League season review
Manchester United won the 2002/03 Premier League with 83 points, five ahead of Arsenal, after trailing them by eight points on 2 March. United went their last 18 league games unbeaten, and the title was settled on 4 May when Arsenal lost 3-2 at home to Leeds.
Ruud van Nistelrooy won the Golden Boot with 25 goals, Thierry Henry was the players' Player of the Year, and a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney scored the goal that ended Arsenal's 30-game unbeaten run. It was also the first season of the official Fantasy Premier League game.
You can replay the season here with a £100m squad picked from 336 players across all 20 clubs, or read on for how it unfolded.
Rio Ferdinand and the summer Leeds began to sell
Arsenal started the season as Double winners, and Manchester United responded by breaking the British transfer record again. Rio Ferdinand joined from Leeds on 22 July 2002 for £29.1m.
For Leeds, the sale was the first sign of trouble. David O'Leary had been sacked in June and replaced by Terry Venables, and by the end of August Robbie Keane had also gone, to Tottenham for £7m. Leeds did bring in Nick Barmby from Liverpool for £2.75m.
Other moves that summer:
- Dwight Yorke left United for Blackburn for £2m.
- Juninho returned to Middlesbrough from Atlético Madrid for £6m, along with Massimo Maccarone and George Boateng.
- Newcastle signed Titus Bramble from Ipswich for £5m.
- Arsenal added Pascal Cygan from Lille.
The promoted clubs were Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City.
How United reeled in Arsenal
Arsenal began the season in record-breaking form. Their winning run reached 14 league games, equalling the top-flight record, and their run of scoring in 55 consecutive league games, a new record, lasted until a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford on 7 December. The first crack had come in October. On 19 October 2002, five days before his 17th birthday, Wayne Rooney scored a last-minute winner for Everton against Arsenal, ending a 30-match unbeaten run and becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the time.
United's own season turned after Christmas. Their last league defeat was a 3-1 loss at Middlesbrough on 26 December. From then on they played 18 league games without losing, winning 15 of them.
Arsenal still led by eight points on 2 March, the same day United lost the League Cup final 2-0 to Liverpool. Then the gap closed:
- 5 March: United beat Leeds 2-1 and the lead was down to five.
- 5 and 12 April: United beat Liverpool 4-0 at Old Trafford and won 6-2 at Newcastle.
- 16 April: United drew 2-2 at Highbury, leaving Arsenal three points behind.
- 26 April: Arsenal led Bolton 2-0 in a game in hand and drew 2-2.
- 3 May: United beat Charlton 4-1.
- 4 May: Arsenal lost 3-2 at home to Leeds, and United were champions.
Van Nistelrooy scored in each of United's last eight league games and finished with 25, one more than Henry, to win the Golden Boot. It was United's eighth Premier League title, and Sir Alex Ferguson was Manager of the Season. David Beckham scored in his final United game, a 2-1 win at Everton on 11 May, before leaving for Real Madrid for £25m.
Arsenal had the consolation of the FA Cup. Robert Pires scored the only goal against Southampton in Cardiff on 17 May, making Arsenal the first club to retain the trophy for 21 years. Henry was named the players' Player of the Year and scored the Goal of the Season.
Newcastle, Chelsea and the rest of the top half
Newcastle finished third on 69 points. Alan Shearer scored 17 league goals, Jermaine Jenas was PFA Young Player of the Year, and in January they signed Jonathan Woodgate from Leeds for £9m.
Behind them:
- Chelsea took fourth and the last Champions League place with 67 points, three ahead of Liverpool. Gianfranco Zola was their top league scorer with 14, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored 11 and Carlo Cudicini won the Golden Glove.
- Liverpool finished fifth but won the League Cup.
- Blackburn were sixth and Everton seventh, with Rooney in his first season.
- Southampton finished eighth and reached the FA Cup final, with James Beattie scoring 23 league goals, third in the scoring chart.
- Manchester City were ninth in their first season after promotion. Nicolas Anelka scored 15, and Robbie Fowler joined from Leeds for £6m in January. City also reached the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play ranking.
Leeds' slide and a record relegation
Leeds finished 15th, 16 months after leading the league on New Year's Day 2002. With debts of about £120m, they sold Woodgate, Keane and Fowler, sacked Venables on 21 March and brought in Peter Reid to keep them up. Mark Viduka still scored 20 league goals, fourth in the division.
At the bottom:
- West Ham went down on 11 May after ten years in the Premier League, with 42 points, the most by any relegated club in the 20-club format. Glenn Roeder had stepped aside through illness in April, and Trevor Brooking took over for the run-in.
- West Bromwich Albion went straight back down with 26 points.
- Sunderland finished with 19 points, four wins and 21 goals, all record lows, and lost 15 games in a row. They had three managers: Peter Reid was sacked in October, Howard Wilkinson in March, and Mick McCarthy finished the season.
Bolton survived in 17th with 44 points, two more than West Ham.
2002/03 Premier League final table
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 74 | 34 | +40 | 83 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 85 | 42 | +43 | 78 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 38 | 21 | 6 | 11 | 63 | 48 | +15 | 69 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 68 | 38 | +30 | 67 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 61 | 41 | +20 | 64 |
| 6 | Blackburn | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 52 | 43 | +9 | 60 |
| 7 | Everton | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 49 | -1 | 59 |
| 8 | Southampton | 38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 43 | 46 | -3 | 52 |
| 9 | Manchester City | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 47 | 54 | -7 | 51 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 51 | 62 | -11 | 50 |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 49 |
| 12 | Charlton | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 45 | 56 | -11 | 49 |
| 13 | Birmingham | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 41 | 49 | -8 | 48 |
| 14 | Fulham | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 41 | 50 | -9 | 48 |
| 15 | Leeds | 38 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 58 | 57 | +1 | 47 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 47 | -5 | 45 |
| 17 | Bolton | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 41 | 51 | -10 | 44 |
| 18 | West Ham | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 42 | 59 | -17 | 42 |
| 19 | West Brom | 38 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 29 | 65 | -36 | 26 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 38 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 21 | 65 | -44 | 19 |
The bottom three were relegated. In the game, every result behind this table plays out as it really happened.
2002/03 top scorers
| Player | Goals | Assists | Our price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruud van Nistelrooy Manchester United | 25 | 4 | £10.5m |
| Thierry Henry Arsenal | 24 | 20 | £11.5m |
| James Beattie Southampton | 23 | 2 | £10.0m |
| Mark Viduka Leeds | 20 | 3 | £9.0m |
| Michael Owen Liverpool | 19 | 5 | £9.5m |
| Alan Shearer Newcastle | 17 | 4 | £9.0m |
| Robert Pirès Arsenal | 14 | 3 | £10.0m |
| Robbie Keane Tottenham Hotspur | 14 | 1 | £7.5m |
| Gianfranco Zola Chelsea | 14 | 7 | £8.5m |
| Harry Kewell Leeds | 14 | 7 | £10.5m |
2002/03 assist leaders
| Player | Assists | Goals | Our price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thierry Henry Arsenal | 20 | 24 | £11.5m |
| Ryan Giggs Manchester United | 10 | 8 | £9.5m |
| Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal | 9 | 4 | £7.0m |
| Eyal Berkovic Manchester City | 8 | 1 | £6.5m |
| David Beckham Manchester United | 8 | 6 | £9.0m |
| Thomas Gravesen Everton | 8 | 1 | £6.5m |
| Geremi Middlesbrough | 8 | 7 | £7.0m |
| Laurent Robert Newcastle | 7 | 5 | £7.5m |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Chelsea | 7 | 11 | £8.0m |
| Gianfranco Zola Chelsea | 7 | 14 | £8.5m |
League goals and assists only. Players who moved clubs mid-season are listed under the club they played most for.
Surprises and disappointments
Seasons to remember
- Wayne Rooney made his Everton debut at 16 in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham on 17 August, two months before his winner against Arsenal.
- James Beattie scored 23 league goals for Southampton, more than anyone except Van Nistelrooy and Henry.
- Diego Forlán scored both of United's goals in a 2-1 win at Anfield on 1 December, three minutes apart.
- Juninho was unfit when he returned to Middlesbrough, but after he came back in January he scored three in ten league games and Boro's form picked up. They finished 11th.
- Newcastle improved from fourth to third, with Shearer and Kieron Dyer both in the PFA Team of the Year.
Seasons to forget
- Arsenal were eight points clear on 2 March and finished five behind.
- Leeds sold their best players and changed manager twice in under a year.
- Sunderland set Premier League records at the time for the fewest points, wins and goals in a season.
- Fulham lost Jean Tigana, who left on 17 April with Chris Coleman taking over as caretaker.
2002/03 in Fantasy Premier League
2002/03 was the first season of the official Fantasy Premier League game. Graeme Haddow won it with 1,940 points, playing as Wee Wullie Winkie FC.
Thierry Henry was the game's top scorer with 271 points, a long way clear of the next forwards, James Beattie (192) and Van Nistelrooy (188). The best scorers in the other positions were Blackburn's Brad Friedel among goalkeepers with 187, Paul Scholes among midfielders with 186 and Liverpool's Sami Hyypiä among defenders with 151.
The PFA Team of the Year
The runners-up dominated the players' Team of the Year. Arsenal had four players in it and the champions only one, Paul Scholes.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Brad Friedel (Blackburn Rovers) |
| Defenders | Stephen Carr (Tottenham Hotspur), Sol Campbell (Arsenal), William Gallas (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Arsenal) |
| Midfielders | Kieron Dyer (Newcastle United), Paul Scholes (Manchester United), Patrick Vieira (Arsenal), Robert Pires (Arsenal) |
| Forwards | Alan Shearer (Newcastle United), Thierry Henry (Arsenal) |
The season's awards
- PFA Players' Player of the Year: Thierry Henry
- PFA Young Player of the Year: Jermaine Jenas
- Premier League Player of the Season: Ruud van Nistelrooy
- Premier League Manager of the Season: Sir Alex Ferguson
- Golden Boot: Ruud van Nistelrooy, 25 goals
- Golden Glove: Carlo Cudicini
- Goal of the Season: Thierry Henry
Most expensive players by position
The premium picks a £100m budget forces you to choose between in 2002/03.
Goalkeepers
- Richard Wright£6.0m
- Fabien Barthez£6.0m
- Carlo Cudicini£6.0m
Defenders
- Geremi£7.0m
- John Arne Riise£6.5m
- Mikaël Silvestre£6.0m
Midfielders
- Paul Scholes£11.5m
- Harry Kewell£10.5m
- Robert Pirès£10.0m
Forwards
- Thierry Henry£11.5m
- Ruud van Nistelrooy£10.5m
- James Beattie£10.0m
2002/03 on Retro Fantasy Football
42 managers have finished a 2002/03 season on our leaderboard (as of October 2026). The best scores so far:
- 2,109 pts
- 2,035 pts
- 2,032 pts
- 2,027 pts
- 2,001 pts
Points follow our scoring rules. Think you can beat them?
2002/03 quick answers
Who won the Premier League in 2002/03? Manchester United, with 83 points, five ahead of Arsenal.
When did United win the 2002/03 title? On 4 May 2003, when Arsenal lost 3-2 at home to Leeds, the day after United beat Charlton 4-1.
Who won the FA Cup in 2002/03? Arsenal, who beat Southampton 1-0 in the final.
Who was relegated in 2002/03? West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland.
Who was the Premier League top scorer in 2002/03? Ruud van Nistelrooy, with 25 league goals.
Who was PFA Player of the Year in 2002/03? Thierry Henry. Jermaine Jenas was Young Player of the Year.
Who won Fantasy Premier League in 2002/03? Graeme Haddow, with 1,940 points, in the game's first season.