"The Invincibles" – Arsenal F.C.'s 2003-04 E.P.L. Extraordinary Unbeaten Streak

Credits: Little Savage

The English Premier League’s Arsenal F.C. Gunners made league history when they went undefeated during the 2003-04 E.P.L. season. Arsenal F.C. also won the Premier League title that year, with a stellar 26 wins and 12 draws record. Notably, Arsenal F.C. failed to score on only four occassions: 0-0 draws with the Birmingham City F.C. Blues, the Newcastle United F.C. Magpies, the Fulham F.C. Cottagers and the Manchester United F.C. Red Devils, respectively. Before the Fulham F.C. match, Arsenal F.C. had scored in 46 consecutive home league matches, stretching back to April 14, 2001 in a 3-0 loss versus the Middlesbrough F.C. Smoggies.

Their streak of unbeaten matches officially began on May 7, 2003 in a 6-1 win versus the Southampton F.C. Saints and ended on October 24, 2004 in a 2-0 loss against Manchester United F.C. Wayne Rooney’s controversial 73′ penalty kick goal sealed the victory for Manchester United F.C. The British press dubbed the controversial, streak-snapping Manchester United F.C. win as the “Battle of the Buffet” due to the physical, rough nature of the match. Arsenal F.C.’s unbeaten streak extended to a record 49 consecutive English Premier League matches, shattering the Nottingham Forest F.C. Tricky Tree’s previous unbeaten matches record of 42 (between November 1977 and November 1978). Arsenal F.C. had actually established a record 30 game unbeaten streak during the 2002-03 E.P.L. season, losing to the Everton F.C. Toffees 2-1 (courtesy of Everton F.C.’s 16-year old Wayne Rooney’s first E.P.L. career goal).

Due to Arsenal F.C.’s exceptional achievements in 2003-04, the British press attributed the nickname “The Invincibles” to the team. Coincidentally, the original “The Invincibles” nickname was given to the 1888-89 Preston North End Lilywhite’s team. That 1888-89 Preston North End team managed by the Englishman William Sudell won the inaugural Football League; completing the season unbeaten in both the league and the F.A. Cup. They also were the first team ever to achieve the “Double” in English professional football.

Arsenal F.C.’s 2003-04 cup campaign, however, was not as spectacular. Arsenal F.C. did well enough to make it to the 2003-2004 F.A. (Football Association Challenge) Cup semi-finals match versus Manchester United F.C.; only to lose 1-0 courtesy of a Paul Scholes (Manchester United F.C.) 32′ goal. Manchester United F.C. eventually defeated the Millwall F.C. Lions in the F.A. Cup finals match that year, 3-0. Similairly, Arsenal F.C. lost in the first leg of the 2003-2004 League (Footall League) Cup semi-finals to the Middlesbrough F.C. Smoggies 1-0 (via the Brazilian Juninho’s 53′ goal).

Arsenal F.C. also lost the second leg to Middlesbrough F.C., 2-1: Zenden scoring a goal (69′) for the winning side, an unfortunate own goal against Arsenal F.C.’s Reyes (85′) and Edu (77′) registering Arsenal F.C.’s lone goal . Middlesbrough F.C. would go on to defeat the Bolton F.C. Wanderers in the League Cup finals match, 2-1; Job (2′) and Zenden (7′ penalty) scoring for the winning side, respectively, and Davies (21′) scoring for Bolton F.C. in the losing effort. Arsenal F.C. also lost in the 2004 U.E.F.A. Champion’s League semi-finals against Chelsea F.C. with an aggregate 3-2 score. The first leg match resulted in a 1-1 tie, with Chelsea F.C.’s Icelandic prodigy Eiður Guðjohnsen scoring a goal (53′) and the French forward/midfielder Robert Pires putting one in the onion bag (59′) for Arsenal F.C. The second leg was won by Chelsea F.C. 2-1, with Chelsea F.C.’s goals coming from Lampard (51′) and Bridge (87′) and Arsenal F.C.’s goal scored by Reyes (extra time 46′), respectively.

Among the main actors of Arsenal F.C.’s “The Invincibles” 2003-04 cast include their legendary French head coach, Arsene Wenger. As a token of gratitude for Wenger’s exemplary 2003-04 unbeaten E.P.L. season, the E.P.L commissioned a unique gold trophy to commemorate the achievement. Wenger was eventually gifted the gold Premier League trophy after his last home game as Arsenal F.C. manager on May 6, 2018. Arsenal F.C.’s youthful star forward Frenchman Thierry Henry shined the brightest during the 2003-04 E.P.L. campaign, leading the league with 39 goals scored in all competitions. Henry also won the European Golden Boot and finished as the runner-up for 2004 F.I.F.A. World Player of the Year award. Other players of notable mention from the record-breaking 2003-04 E.P.L. season included Arsenal F.C.’s superb French defensive midfielder, Patrik Viera and Dutch legendary veteran left-footed striker Dennis Bergkamp. Arsenal F.C.’s German goalkeeper Jan Lehmann and Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg also contributed heavily during the unbeaten streak. Arsenal F.C.’s 2003-04 English Premier League’s unbeaten streak remains as one of the most notable club achievements in organized sports history.

Arsenal F.C. 49 match unbeaten streak consisted of the following matches, spanning three E.P.L. seasons:

Arsenal F.C. 2002/2003 English Premier League Season

Arsenal F.C. 2003/2004 English Premier League Season

Arsenal F.C. 2004/2005 English Premier League Season

Arsenal F.C.’s 49-match unbeaten streak team roster consisted of the following players:

Arsenal F.C. 2003/2004 Unbeaten Streak Highlights

Sources: Arsenal Football Club–https://www.arsenal.com, E.S.P.N.–https://www.espn.com, YouTube–https://www.youtube.com, Wikipedia,–https://www.en.wikipedia.org