Our 2003/04 Premier League winning team made history when they remained unbeaten for the entire season, and earned the nickname the Invincibles.
It is perhaps the greatest achievement in our illustrious history, but if you’re a new supporter or were too young to witness Arsene Wenger’s star-studded squad in action, here is everything you need to know about them:
What year did Arsenal’s Invincibles win the Premier League?
Our Invincibles side won the Premier League in 2003/04, holding off the challenge of Chelsea who finished second and Manchester United in third. We finished with a record of 28 wins, 12 draws and no defeats.
Why were Arsenal called The Invincibles?
In 2003/04, we managed to remain unbeaten in all 38 matches we played in Premier League, on the way to winning the title. Only one other team have avoided defeat in an English top-flight season, Preston North End in 1888/89, who were the first to be given the Invincibles nickname, although their league season was only 27 matches.
How many matches did our Invincibles go unbeaten?
Our Invincibles managed to go 49 games unbeaten, an English top-flight record. That run spanned three seasons, starting in May 2003 when we beat Southampton 6-1 and Sunderland 4-0 at the end of the 2002/03 season, and ran right through the famed 2003/04 campaign and nine games into 2004/05. Our 49th game was a 3-1 win against Aston Villa in October 2004, before the run ended in a controversial loss to Manchester United.
Who was in the Arsenal Invincibles squad?
20 players received Premier League winner’s medals playing 10 games in the Invincibles season. Jens Lehmann was the goalkeeper who played in every match, while Ashley Cole, Lauren and Gael Clichy were full-backs, while Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure, Pascal Cygan and Martin Keown played at centre-back.
Patrick Vieira, Edu and Gilberto were central midfielders, while Freddie Ljungber, Robert Pires and Ray Parlour played on the wing. The strikers were Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Jose Antonio Reyes, Sylvain Wiltord, Kanu and Jeremie Aliadiere. Two youngsters also made a single appearance - David Bentley and Justin Hoyte.
Who was the manager of the Invincibles?
Arsene Wenger masterminded the successful season, in what was his eighth as our manager. He had said a year previously that his team were capable of remaining unbeaten throughout a campaign, and proved it in 2003/04 when he won his third league title. He would be Arsenal manager for 22 years, departing in 2018 after winning 10 major honours.
Who captained the Invincibles?
Patrick Vieira skippered the Invincibles to glory in 2003/04, when he played in 29 of the 38 matches. The French central midfielder scored three goals that season, all of which came in crucial games - a top-of-the-table clash against Chelsea, the north London derby at Tottenham where we were crowned champions, and the season finale against Leicester City where we finished the season unbeaten.
How many points did the Invincibles get in 2003/04?
The Invincibles racked up 90 points from 38 games during the famous 2003/04 season, thanks to 28 wins and 12 draws. They scored 73 goals and only conceded 26, finishing 11 points ahead of second-placed Chelsea.
Why were the Invincibles so good?
Arsène Wenger built a team to compare with any side in Europe. Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and Patrick Vieira provided steel down the spine of the side, allowing Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp to showcase their creative flair. Thierry Henry was arguably the world’s best striker during this time, while Ashley Cole was perhaps the best left-back of his era. The team was full of spirit and refused to be beaten, highlighted by the fact they never trailed in the final 20 minutes of any of the 49 games they remained unbeaten.
Why is Arsenal’s Invincible achievement so special?
We became the first team in the modern era to remain unbeaten in the English top-flight. We also managed to do it in the Premier League during a 38-game season, battling against Manchester United managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, and a Chelsea team who had spent £110 million the previous summer, an unprecedented sum at the time.
What records did our Invincibles set?
The Invincibles are the only team to complete an undefeated 38-game season in England’s top-flight. They also hold the record for the longest undefeated league run, which consisted of 49 matches between May 2003 and October 2005.
Has anyone come close to matching our Invincibles?
Liverpool went 27 games into the 2019/20 season before losing, which is the closest any team has come to emulating the Invincibles’ feats. Since the 2003/04 season, two teams have lost just one Premier League game in a season - Chelsea in 2004/05, and Liverpool in 2019/20. However the Invincibles remain the only team in history to go all 38 games in an English top-flight campaign unbeaten.
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