2002–03 FA Premier League
The 2002–03 FA Premier League (known as the FA Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003.
| Season | 2002–03 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 August 2002 – 11 May 2003 |
| Champions | Manchester United 8th Premier League title 15th English title |
| Relegated | West Ham United West Bromwich Albion Sunderland |
| Champions League | Manchester United Arsenal Newcastle United Chelsea |
| UEFA Cup | Southampton Blackburn Rovers Liverpool Manchester City (through UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking) |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 1,000 (2.63 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ruud van Nistelrooy (25 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Brad Friedel (15 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Chelsea 5–0 Manchester City (22 March 2003) Arsenal 6–1 Southampton (7 May 2003) |
| Biggest away win | West Bromwich Albion 0–6 Liverpool (26 April 2003) |
| Highest scoring | Manchester United 5–3 Newcastle United (23 November 2002) Newcastle United 2–6 Manchester United (12 April 2003) |
| Longest winning run | 7 games Liverpool |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 games Manchester United |
| Longest winless run | 20 games Sunderland |
| Longest losing run | 15 games Sunderland |
| Highest attendance | 67,721 Manchester United 4–1 Charlton Athletic (3 May 2003) |
| Lowest attendance | 14,017 Fulham 0–4 Blackburn Rovers (7 April 2003) |
| Total attendance | 13,476,455 |
| Average attendance | 35,464 |
← 2001–02 2003–04 → | |
Manchester United ended the campaign as champions for the eighth time in eleven years – an achievement made all the more remarkable by the fact that defending champions Arsenal had been in the lead by eight points on 2 March. After defeating Birmingham at the start of the season, Arsenal equalled a top-flight record of fourteen straight wins but failed to extend it in their next game at West Ham United, being held to a 2–2 draw. They remained unbeaten for 30 Premier League games, 23 of which were played away, until late October, and scored in a record 55 consecutive league games, beating the previous record of 47 set by Chesterfield during the 1930-31 Third Division North season. This run ended at Old Trafford on 7 December 2002, when Manchester United won 2–0. Arsenal then threw away a priceless lead against Bolton Wanderers and finally surrendered the title with a 3–2 home defeat to Leeds United in their antepenultimate game of the season, a result that also saved Leeds from relegation. Newcastle United and Chelsea were the remaining Champions League qualifiers, at the expense of Liverpool who had to settle for the UEFA Cup; they would be joined in Europe by Blackburn Rovers for a second successive season, along with Southampton who were back in Europe for the first time since 1984.
At the bottom end of the table, West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland were relegated to the Football League First Division; West Ham's 42 points from a 38-game season was a record for a relegated team. Promoted to replace them were 2002–03 Football League First Division champions Portsmouth, runners-up Leicester City, and play-off winner Wolverhampton Wanderers.