2001–02 Arsenal F.C. season

Background

In the 2000–01 season, Arsenal finished second in the Premier League for the third consecutive season – this time ten points behind Manchester United. The title race was as good as over by February, when Arsenal lost 6–1 to United at Old Trafford. The season gave priority to cups, with the best chance of ending their three-year wait for a trophy being in the FA Cup; Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals and met Liverpool in the final. Although they dominated most of the match and went a goal up, they succumbed to two late Michael Owen goals and lost 2–1.

Transfers

The cup final defeat prompted manager Arsène Wenger to admit new players would be brought in during the transfer window. To fill the seemingly void left by Emmanuel Petit in the centre of midfield, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was signed from Rangers for £8.5 million. Teenager Francis Jeffers was purchased from Everton in an initial £8 million deal. Junichi Inamoto and Richard Wright were also recruited, with Nelson Vivas and Sylvinho departing the club. After a protracted transfer saga, which involved him questioning Arsenal's ambitions and being linked to a move with Manchester United, midfielder Patrick Vieira remained at the club.

Perhaps the marked signing of the summer was defender Sol Campbell, who moved from rivals Tottenham Hotspur on a Bosman ruling. The player's wage demands seemed to have extinguished Arsenal's chances of signing the player at one point. Campbell was unveiled at a midday news conference on 3 July 2001, which journalists "presumed had been called to announce goalkeeper Richard Wright's arrival from Ipswich." Wenger described Campbell as the "best", adding: "I felt we could not compete on financial basis with the top clubs but we could give him a football challenge."

August–October

Arsenal's league campaign started on 18 August 2001, with an away fixture at Middlesbrough. Thierry Henry scored the opening goal in the 43rd minute, before teammate Ray Parlour was sent off in the second half for a second bookable offence. In spite of the man disadvantage, Arsenal was awarded a late penalty which was converted in by Robert Pirès – it was conceded by Ugo Ehiogu for a trip on Ashley Cole, who subsequently was sent off. Substitute Dennis Bergkamp added two goals in two minutes, in what finished a 4–0 victory. At home to Leeds United, Arsenal conceded within the half-hour after Ian Harte’s "low, left-footed free-kick" beat goalkeeper Seaman. Although Sylvain Wiltord equalised moments after, striker Mark Viduka in the second half collected a pass from Harry Kewell and used his strength to beat Tony Adams and score for the visitors. In spite of an attacking formation change and Leeds going down to nine men, as Danny Mills and Lee Bowyer were dismissed, Arsenal was unable to break down their defence. Goals from Ljungberg, Wiltord, Henry and Kanu against Leicester City moved Arsenal into third place, a point behind joint-leaders Everton and Leeds.

The team could only manage a draw against Chelsea on 8 September 2001, in a game described by The Guardian writer David Lacey as one where "the teams simply battered away at each other until one cracked." Henry scored the winning goal away to newly promoted outfit Fulham; the 3–1 victory moved Arsenal to the top of the league for the first time in the campaign. Against Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal was held to a 1–1 draw after Jeffers goal was cancelled out by Michael Ricketts. A win at Derby County, where Henry scored two goals was followed by an identical scoreline against Southampton at the new St. Mary's Stadium. At home to Blackburn Rovers, midfielder Keith Gillespie gave the visitors the lead, before Pirès equalised and Bergkamp put Arsenal in front. A mistake by Lauren presented David Dunn the chance to shoot "from 25 yards" and score. Henry's controlled effort looked to have been the winner for Arsenal, until a pass by Tugay caused goalkeeper Wright to "race out of his goal" – the loose ball was collected by Dunn who shot into the empty net. Although Wenger was disappointed with the manner of the defeat, he saw some encouragement: "What's positive for everyone is that Manchester United are dropping points as well. But we need to rectify the fact we concede goals at home." October ended with a draw against Sunderland, where notably former Arsenal player Stefan Schwarz equalised for the home side and Patrick Vieira missed a penalty.

November–February

Arsenal's first fixture of November was at home to Charlton Athletic. The team conceded four goals in 20 minutes and blew several chances to "kill the game", in what was the club's biggest home defeat in the league under Wenger. An away trip to local rivals Tottenham Hostpur became magnified with interest, given it marked the return of Campbell following his move to Arsenal. An 81st-minute goal scored by Pirès put Arsenal into the lead, before a lapse by Wright in goal allowed Gus Poyet‘s shot to squirm from his grasp and enter the goalnet. Arsenal then faced league champions Manchester United and in spite of conceding inside 14 minutes through a Paul Scholes’ strike, Ljungberg equalised for them "with a wonderful chipped finish, following Gary Neville's wretched error." Arsenal improved in the second half but scored in unforeseen fashion: United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez passed the ball directly into the feet of Henry, who profited from the error and scored. Five minutes later, Barthez's failure to grasp the ball presented Henry the chance to score his second, which he did. Both Henry and Wenger defended the opposition goalkeeper, with the former, his international teammate saying: "Of course I was happy to score the goals but it was strange. He's my good friend and I feel sorry for him; I would rather have got them another way."

Arsenal beat Ipswich Town on 1 December 2001 to put the club second in the league table. A week later the team played Aston Villa,. Goals from ex-Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson and Steve Stone gave the visitors a deserved lead before Arsenal produced an "enthralling" fight back, capped off by Henry, who scored the winner in stoppage time. The team drew 1–1 at West Ham United and lost more ground at the top of the league table following a comprehensive home defeat to Newcastle United. Arsenal began the Christmas period with a fixture against Liverpool and the team were without Vieira, who was suspended. Striker Michael Owen thought he had scored his 100th goal for Liverpool, which was acrobatically cleared off the line by Cole. Vieira's replacement Giovanni van Bronckhorst was sent off in the 35th minute for a dive but the man disadvantage did not stop Arsenal "catching their opponents on the break". The team scored the first goal of the match – a penalty, converted by Henry minutes before the interval and "uncharacteristic slackness" by Steven Gerrard allowed Pirès to beat his defender and cross the ball from the left-hand side; it was met by Ljungberg, who nipped in at the far post to double Arsenal's lead. Jari Litmanen pulled a goal back for Liverpool but Arsenal hung on to record their first win at Anfield in Wenger's tenure. On Boxing Day Arsenal recorded a win against Chelsea and two days after, earned three points at home to Middlesbrough, courtesy of a headed winner by Cole.

In their first league match of 2002, Arsenal hosted Liverpool at Highbury. The match brought "little but frustration" for the home side as Liverpool scored an equaliser six minutes after Ljungberg gave Arsenal the lead. More ground was lost and the initiative was handed to Manchester United, following a second successive stalemate in the league, this time away to Leeds on 20 January 2002. With results going in Arsenal's favour that midweek however, the club moved second in the table after a 3–1 win against Leicester City. Victory away to Blackburn Rovers, where Oleg Luzhny was sent off in the second half and his defensive partner Campbell "provided the sort of display usually described as sterling", kept Arsenal in-touch of Manchester United.

A Jo Tessem equaliser for Southampton earned the visitors a point against Arsenal on 2 February 2002; in hindsight this proved to be the last time they dropped points in the league season. Wiltord scored the winning goal against Everton and Arsenal moved back to second place, which was obtained by Liverpool, following a 4–1 win at home to Fulham.

March–May

Arsenal recorded a 2–0 win against Newcastle United on 2 March 2002. The opening goal scored by Bergkamp was described as a "really clever goal" by opposition manager Sir Bobby Robson. The move involved the striker receiving a low pass from Pirès and under pressure from his marker Nikos Dabizas, he controlled the ball with one flick and went around before placing the ball into the right-hand corner. Arsenal moved to the top of the table three days after, as they beat Derby County by one goal to nil. They were displaced by Manchester United the following night, albeit with the reigning champions having played a game more. An inspired performance by Pirès against Aston Villa on 17 March 2002 kept a point behind top spot; the win was followed up by a comprehensive defeat of Sunderland, where all three Arsenal goals were scored in the first half.

Henry scored a brace against Charlton Athletic to move Arsenal back to first spot, one clear of Liverpool with a game-in-hand. They then played Tottenham Hotspur on 6 April 2002 and took the lead in the opening half through Ljungberg, via a deflection off goalkeeper Kasey Keller. Teddy Sheringham equalised for Spurs from the penalty spot, before Arsenal was awarded a spot kick when Henry was adjusted to have been fouled by Dean Richards. With Henry receiving treatment and normal penalty takers Edu and Bergkamp substituted, Lauren stepped up to take the responsibility and scored what was the winner. Victory against Ipswich Town and five days later at home against West Ham United, where Ljungberg and Kanu scored meant Arsenal was two wins away from securing the title. The team beat Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium, which mathematically ruled out Liverpool's chances of winning the league and meant Manchester United needed to beat Arsenal the following game to have any chance of retaining it. Ruud van Nistelrooy was surprisingly named on the bench for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, with Arsenal missing Adams and Henry. Having withstood pressure from the home side in the first half, Wiltord scored for Arsenal in the second half, receiving a pass from Ljungberg in the build up. The win secured the double for the second time in four seasons and prompted Wenger to acclaim a "shift of power" in the league. On the final day of the season, Arsenal beat Everton by four goals to three, in a match where defender Lee Dixon and goalkeeping coach Bob Wilson received warm send-offs from the crowd.

Classification

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Results summary

Source:

Results by round

Source:
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

FA Cup

Arsenal entered the FA Cup in the third round, in which they were drawn to play Watford of the First Division. They took the lead in the eighth minute, where good play by Kanu allowed Henry to round goalkeeper Alec Chamberlain and tap the ball into the net. The lead was doubled two minutes later: Kanu again found Henry, who "unselfishly squared the ball to midfielder Freddie Ljungberg for another tap-in." Gifton Noel-Williams moments afterwards halved the lead, when Arsenal failed to deal with a corner; Noel-Williams headed the ball in from a Gary Fisken cross. After squandering numerous chances to increase their lead, Arsenal added a late third and fourth goal from Kanu and Bergkamp before Marcus Gayle scored what was a mere consolation for Watford in stoppage time. Arsenal faced cup holders Liverpool the following round, whom they lost to in the 2001 FA Cup Final. A solitary goal scored by Bergkamp in the 27th minute was enough for Arsenal to progress, in a match layered with controversy: Martin Keown, Bergkamp and Liverpool's Jamie Carragher were sent off in the space of ten minutes – the latter footballer for hurling back a coin at the crowd. Against Gillingham in the fifth round, Arsenal twice had their lead cancelled out, before Adams, making his long-awaited return, scored the match-winning goal.

Arsenal played league challengers Newcastle United in the sixth round, on 9 March 2002. The timing of the game, influenced by the television schedulers, angered Wenger, who threatened to field a weakened side, to prioritise on their Champions League progress: "The BBC have put us in this position of playing at 5.35pm on Saturday night instead of a noon kick-off. I don't know whether Newcastle would have played the game earlier on the Saturday but what can I do about the BBC? I feel it's being very unfair as we are the only side left in all three competitions." It was the second meeting between both teams in a week, and in spite of Arsenal winning the first fixture and scoring the opener in the cup tie, Newcastle found "new reserves of energy and determination" to draw level and created numerous opportunities to win the game outright. With the game ending in a draw, a replay was scheduled two weeks later. Arsenal won 3-0, but more concerningly lost Pirès, who was carried off and subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the season with medial knee ligament damage. An own goal by Middlesbrough's Gianluca Festa, from an Henry free-kick in the semi-finals was enough to send Arsenal to their 15th FA Cup final.

Final

Arsenal contested the final against Chelsea on 4 May 2002. Wenger recalled Seaman in goal from the previous fixture, in place of Wright while Campbell was paired up with Adams in central defence. For Chelsea, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Graeme Le Saux passed late fitness tests and were named in the first team; John Terry filled the substitutes bench, having woken up with a virus. Chelsea threatened early with goal efforts from Le Saux and midfielder Frank Lampard, before Bergkamp fashioned the first real chance of the match – he headed the ball over the top, which caught goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini off his line. In the 70th minute Arsenal took the lead: Adams found Wiltord in space, who in turn passed the ball towards Parlour – he kicked "from just beyond the arc", which flew into the top right corner. Ten minutes after, Ljungberg increased the lead, running from the half-way line and shrung off a late challenge by Terry to curl the ball past Cudicini. The win meant Arsenal completed one half of an expected double; Wenger was pleased with the team's performance, adding: "We were very frustrated last year. We have shown a lot of strength to come back here – beating Liverpool and Newcastle on the way."

Football League Cup

In the third round of the Football League Cup, Arsenal faced Manchester United at Highbury. With both managers making several first team changes to give their younger and fringe players game time, it was Arsenal who came out on top, with Wiltord scoring a hat-trick. A 2–0 win against First Division outfit Grimsby Town, who knocked out competition holders Liverpool in the previous round followed, but Arsenal was eliminated in the fifth round, losing 4–0 to Blackburn Rovers on 11 December 2001. Wenger shrugged off the significance of the defeat and suggested that a spot in Europe, given to the winners of the competition, should instead be allocated to the Premier League: "I would give one more place to the championship because it's more difficult to play in the championship. But, as long as there is a European place at stake, we will play in the competition."

Group stage

Arsenal's qualification into the UEFA Champions League was ensured as league runners-up the previous season. The club were drawn in Group B, along with German opposition Schalke 04, Panathinaikos of Greece and Spain's Mallorca. In the opening match against Mallorca on 11 September 2001, Cole was handed a straight red card, as he was adjudged to have brought down striker Albert Luque in the penalty box. Vicente Engonga scored from the resulting penalty, which proved to be the winning goal, in spite of Wenger making attacking substitutions that threatened to go close. A 3–2 victory against Schalke 04, where Henry scored two goals was followed by a defeat away to Panathinaikos. In the reverse fixture, Arsenal held on to win 2–1 and secured their passage to the second group stage with victory over Mallorca. With nothing to play for, Wenger fielded an understrength Arsenal team against Schalke 04, who "...produced next to nothing in attack, looked poor in defence and were beaten by the time Sylvain Wiltord scored from Ray Parlour's cross."

Second group stage

First half goals scored by Roy Makaay and Diego Tristan inflicted defeat for Arsenal in their opening group game against Deportivo La Coruña. The team responded with a 3–1 win against Italian champions Juventus; Ljungberg's second goal of the match and Arsenal's third involved a "wonderful piece of individual skill" by Bergkamp, as he held off two markers, before twisting and turning to find the Swede. What looked to be a priceless win against Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena as Arsenal for much of the second half were down to ten men, in fact turned into a draw, as Ulf Kirsten scored in stoppage time to cancel out Pirès 56th-minute goal. In spite of winning the reverse fixture, defeat at home to Deportivo La Coruña and away at Juventus meant Arsenal finished third in the group with seven points.

Awards

In recognition of the team's achievement, Wenger was awarded the Barclaycard Manager of the Year, in addition to being named the League Managers Association Manager of the Year. Ljungberg, who scored in five of Arsenal's last eight league matches, as well as the second goal in the cup final, was given the Barclaycard Player of the Year accolade. Pirès was named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, with five votes separating himself from Ruud van Nistelrooy; he said it was "a great honour" to receive the award, adding: "Times have been difficult with my injury, but this has given me something to smile about."

For his goal against Newcastle United, Bergkamp received the Goal of the Season award, as voted by viewers of ITV's The Premiership. Henry earned the Premier League Golden Boot, scoring 24 league goals – one more than van Nistelrooy, while Paul Burgess was named "Premier League Groundsman of the Year".

Player statistics

[R] – Reserve team player [L] – Out on loan [S] – Sold

Source: