Note: If you can find the video to any of the games that don’t have a video, let me know on Twitter or in the comments section
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Arsenal’s great achievement of the ‘Invincible’ is by far one of the best accomplishments in modern day football.
To go undefeated for a run of 10 games today is something that even the best teams in Europe struggle to do, but the magic of the 49 games undefeated was, and still is, something that football fans worldwide will forever call upon when they think of the most prolific achievement in football.
1. Arsenal 6 – 1 Southampton, 7th of May 2003, Highbury.
Pires 8′, 22′, 46, Pennant 15′, 18′, 25′.
Highbury witnessed a sensational performance from an Arsenal team that was by no means their strongest line-up. French winger Robert Pires opened the scoring after just 8 minutes after Ray Parlour’s shot was parried by Telfer, the Southampton goalkeeper, for an easy tap in to give Arsenal a dream start. 7 minutes later, youngster Jermaine Pennant tucked away Arsenal’s second of the day after a lovely, calm, passing move from Arsenal as the Englishman doubled Arsenal’s lead on the 15th minute. Another tap in for Arsenal’s third goal was to come shortly after, but this time it was Pennant who scored again, meaning he was one goal away from a hat-trick after just 18 minutes on the clock and the game seemed to be all but over before it even had chance to get going, or at least for Southampton..
4 minutes later, it was Pires who popped up yet again in front of goal to make it Arsenal 4 – 0 Southampton after very good link-up play with Parlour, Kanu and Henry. It was Thierry Henry who provided the assist for his fellow Frenchman who only needed two touches – one to control and lift it up slightly, the other to stroke the ball with grace into the back of the net, beyond the reach of an already embarrassed Southampton goalkeeper. ‘like a knife through butter’, is how the commentator described Arsenal’s pass and move tactics during the move for their fourth goal, and he was not wrong, as Arsenal swept away Southampton with just a few crisp but simple passes in and around the away teams box.
The 5th Arsenal goal came from an incisive Arsenal breakaway away the Saints’ corner came to nothing, and it was after a piece of sublime, breathtaking skill from Thierry Henry on the half-way line which created space for him to pick out Pennant who scored his hat-trick just 25 minutes in. Thierry picked up the ball on the half way line, ran at the defence ever so slightly, then suddenly stopped. Foot on the ball, using his body to shield the defenders away, then just as quickly as he stopped to create that bit of space, he was off again, picking out a lovely pass to Pennant who topped off the amazing Arsenal counter-attack.
Southampton did however pull a goal back, but it was only a constellation goal as it was 5-1 by the time Tessem scored the goal, too little too late for Southampton. The 6th goal, and by far the pick of the bunch, came from another Arsenal fast paced counter-attack, and as the ball came towards Robert Pires, it clipped a Southampton players heel, letting the ball slightly bobble up off the ground, and Robert, being the genius footballer that he is, saw that Telfer was off his line, so with just one touch of the ball, he had a shot on goal with the aim to chip it over the goalkeeper, and it did exactly that, as the ball breezed over the goalkeeper from around 30 yards or more out, giving Robert Pires his hat-trick for the game.
Pennant and Parlour celebrate against Southampton
2. Sunderland 0 – 4 Arsenal, 12 of May 2003, the Stadium of Light.
Henry 7′, Ljungberg 39′, 78′, 88′.
At the Stadium of Light, after an emphatic win over Southampton, the Arsenal fans were very expectant and demanded a replay of good performances from the team, and that is exactly what happened as Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 victory with Thierry Henry scoring the opening goal with just 7 minutes on the clock thanks to a lovely weighted ball that split open the Sunderland defence from Dennis Bergkamp, just after the Gunners forced an error from Sunderland which gifted Arsenal the ball back. The second goal of the game came from a devastating counter-attack on the 39th minute with Freddie Ljungberg scoring to top off a brilliant, classic Arsenal move.
Just as it looked like Sunderland were getting back into the game with more possession than they had in the first half, Henry shattered the Sunderland defence with a perfectly timed pass into the feet of the patient Ljungberg who calmly lifted the ball over the goalkeeper after taking just two touches before chipping the ball into the net. The most impressive goal of the game was scored by Freddie again, who claimed his hat-trick with lovely feet inside the penalty area to dance around the defenders and slot the ball ever-so calmly past the goalkeeper who was left embarrassed, wondering how the Swedish midfielder managed to slice open the defence so easily.
3. Arsenal 2 – 1 Everton, 16th of August 2003, Highbury.
Henry 35′, Pires 58′.
The introduction of German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann at the start of the 2003-2004 season proved to be a good one as he pulled off some fine saves against Everton on his debut, replacing fan favourite David Seaman. The first goal came from Thierry Henry from the penalty spot as he calmly rolled the ball into the back of the net on the 35rd minute. The game was not as easy as the previous two for Arsenal as they had to dig in at times to gain the advantage over Everton, and that’s exactly what they did on the 58th minute with Pires tapping in from close range after a shot from Patrick Vieira was deflected from long range as well as an Henry shot saved, then again Vieira’s shot was saved from the rebound, but Pires made no mistake from just a few feet out to make it 2-0 to the Gunners with just under an hour played.
One for the ladies..
Arseanl came close a short while after when a free-kick from Ljungberg smacked the crossbar, leaving the Everton and Arsenal players wondering how the shot did not go in. Everton managed to pull a goal back on the 84th minute through Tomasz Radzinski who fired a shot from close range to beat Jens Lehmann in the Arsenal goal as it looked like Everton would claw their way back into the game, but this was not to be, as Le Tie was sent off for Everton with just 3 minutes to go, meaning both teams had 10 men after Sol Campbell was sent off in the 25th minute and the game finished with Arsenal collecting all 3 points.
4. Middlesbrough 0 – 4 Arsenal, 24th of August 2003, Riverside Stadium.
Henry 5′, Gilberto 13′, Wiltord 22′, 60′.
The opening goal of the game came from Thierry Henry on the 5th minute, tapping in a shot from Ljungberg that was palmed out into the path of the French striker. Gilberto Silva, the Brazilian midfielder scored the second goal with a volley from just inside the box after receiving a lovely floated ball over the entire Middlesbrough defence from Robert Pires. A combination of Pires, Henry and Wiltord were to thank for a well worked 3rd goal. A pass from Pires to Henry who ran down the left hand side of the field with quick feet, constantly looking for his teammates, followed by a sweet side foot pass from Thierry into the path of Wiltord who then side footed the ball into the back of the net, beyond the reach of the goalkeeper. Wiltord was again on hand for Arsenal on the 60th minute to finish the scoring after a pass from Campbell, then to the unselfish Swedish midfielder Ljungberg who put the ball on a plate for Wiltord to finish.
5. Arsenal 2 – 0 Aston Villa, 27th of August 2003, Highbury.
Campbell 57′, Henry 90′.
There were several chances for the gunners to open the scoring before Campbell eventually did on the 57th minte, with chances going inches wide of the post as well as smashing the crossbar, but the breakthrough came from a Pires corner, when an Aston Villa player confused his teammates heading the ball backwards towards his own goal for it to then be cleared off the line, only into the path of the patient, strong English defender Sol Campbell. Pressure from Bergkamp forced an error from Aston Villa which, as you’d expect, was capitalised on by the formidable striker Thierry Henry, with Bergkamp taking the plaudits for his work leading up to the goal on the 90th minute.
Sol Campbell and Thierry Henry celebrate the opening goal against Aston Villa
This commentary is not in English*
6. Manchester City 1 – 2 Arsenal, 31st of August 2003, City of Manchester Stadium.
Wiltord 48′, Ljungberg 72′.
A tough task was waiting for Arsenal in more ways than one, as they faced Manchester City and former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman. Arsenal started brightly but an error from Lauren in the first half saw him put the ball in his own net with Jens Lehmann left stranded. The second half was much better for Arsenal as individual performances stepped up after the half time team talk from Arsene Wenger, and it was Wiltord who scored just after half time to make it 1-1, a scoreline that had Manchester City fans doubting whether or not they could hold onto a point. Wiltord, Pires and Ljungberg combined to finish the scoring on the 72nd minute for Arsenal as Ljungberg stroked the ball home after David Seaman saved the initial shot from Robert Pires.
This commentary is not in English*
7. Arsenal 1 – 1 Portsmouth, 13th of September 2003, Highbury.
Henry 40′ (penalty)
An unexpected turn of events saw Arsenal concede the first goal early on in the game yet again for the second game running, this time against a, with respect to Portsmouth, lesser team, with Teddy Sheringham scoring the first goal of the game at Highbury. Arsenal didn’t have to wait long for a response to going behind when Robert Pires linked up several times with Edu on Arsenal’s left to penetrate the defence before Pires was stopped in his tracks inside the penalty area, winning a penalty kick for the North London side. Thierry Henry scored from the spot with a cool, calm finish, but the goal was ruled out and a re-take of the penalty kick was demanded by the referee, but this did not have any affect on Thierry as he placed the ball into the back of the net for the second time, but this time aiming for the right side of the goal, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Could not find the video*
8. Manchester United 0 – 0 Arsenal, 21st of September 2003, Old Trafford.
The ever fiesty affair between Arsenal and Manchester United carried on in this intense goalless draw, but it was by no means a boring game as Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy missed a penalty kick, smashing the ball against the face of the crossbar. Man United also came close when a free-kick from Ryan Giggs scraped the post with Lehmann at full stretch, but Arsenal then threatened to score when Ashley Cole cut inside from the left only to drag his shot just wide of the post. This penalty miss lead to a little scrap with the Arsenal and Manchester United players when Martin Keown ran up to van Nistelrooy and jumped and screamed in his face, making it known that he was not going to live down the miss.
Well, what’s a massive rivalry without a bit of passion?
9. Arsenal 3 – 2 Newcastle United, 26th of September 2003, Highbury.
Henry 18′, 80′ (pen.), Gilberto Silva 67′
After what was a controversial match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, tension was still riding high as Arsenal squared up to Newcastle United at Highbury. Arsenal took the lead through a Thierry Henry tap-in on a rainy, dull evening in London. Arsenal’s night seemed to be looking as dull as the night sky when captain Patrick Vieira was taken off with an injury problem after just 25 minutes which gave Newcastle hope that they might steal a draw or even a win against Arsenal, and just 1 minute after Vieira was taken off, Lauren Robert struck the ball into the back of the net after the Magpies attacked the left hand side of the Arsenal defence, finding gaps in the team.
Later on in the game, in the second half, the home sides mounting pressure on the Newcastle defence paid off as they were gifted a chance through Ljungberg who unfortunately curled his shot from close range just too far wide of the goal as his cheeky chip bounced onto the face of the goal, giving Newcastle chance to catch their breath.
On the 67th minute, Brazilian Gilberto Silva managed to restore Arsenal’s lead after heading in from a swinging Robert Pires free-kick, leaving the Newcastle players looking down and out after their attempts to pin Arsenal to a draw. However, 4 minutes later, Newcastle found a new gear in their locker as they were able to pounce on Arsenal’s lack of concentration and thump home yet another equaliser thanks to Olivier Bernard on the 71st minute.
8 minutes later, a corner from French winger Pires was handballed by in the penalty box by Kieron Dyer, giving Arsenal the chance to again take the lead from the penalty spot, and that is exactly what Thierry Henry did as he very calmly stroked the ball down the throat of the goal, sending Shay Given in goal the wrong way.
10. Liverpool 1 – 2 Arsenal, 4th of October 2003, Anfield.
Hyypia (og) 30′, Piers 67′.
Liverpool got off to a good start thanks to a bit of skill from Michael Owen to evade a challenge from the Arsenal players before getting a shot on goal which was tipped away by Lehmann. Liverpool’s pressure on Arsenal grew as they took the lead on the 13th minute. Liverpool scored again on the 30th minute – in their own net – giving Arsenal the equaliser and lifting the pressure on themselves thanks to an own goal from Hyypia.
Arsenal took the lead in the second half after forcing a mistake in the Liverpool midfield and just seconds later, the ever-impressive French winger Robert Pires scored a beautiful, curling shot from outside the penalty area, leaving Dudek and the Liverpool players standing by watching in awe as the ball glided into the top corner of the net.
11. Arsenal 2 – 1 Chelsea, 18th of October 2003, Highbury.
Edu 5′, Henry 75′.
London rivals Chelsea were on the red and white side of London for a visit to Highbury on a bright, sunny evening as the two faced off in what was an open, free-flowing game with Chelsea trying to force their way through the Arsenal defence stood strong.
Arsenal were awarded a free-kick with just 5 minutes on the clock and as Thierry Henry stood over the ball, he looked sure to try and weave his magic again, but it was Brazilian Edu that stepped up to take it and he fired his shot through the Chelsea wall and into the back of the net.
Hernan Crespo was on hand to give Chelsea an equaliser with a swinging shot from outside the area which left Jens Lehmann rooted to the spot. Arseanl again took the lead late in the second half thanks to the in form Thierry Henry who seized on a mistake from goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini as the ball rolled through his hands and underneath him into the path of the Frenchman to make it 2-1 wit 75 minutes on the clock.
Carlo Cudicini’s woeful mistake that gifted Arsenal the lead –
12. Charlton Athletic 1 – 1 Arsenal, 26th of October 2003, The Valley.
Henry 39′.
Arsenal had to yet again come from behind to gain points as they did against Chelsea, as Di Canio scored from the penalty spot after Robert Pires committed a foul, but looking at the decision again, there was no an awful lot of contact made, but the decision stood and Charlton earned a surprise 1-0 lead in the first half.
A superb bit of individual skill from Thierry Henry gave Arsenal hope of scoring, and as he received the ball from Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, he stepped inside from the left wing to create space for a shot, a shot which rattled the front of the far post, giving Charlton time to breath again. However, the brilliance of Thierry Henry shone through again as he stepped up to take a free-kick just a few yards outside of the penalty area. With 5 men in the Charlton wall, the ball flew over the outside of the wall and curled inside the post with such finesse and precision, leaving everybody in the stadium looking at Henry and thinking, “genius.”
This commentary is not in English*
First 12 – For: 27. Against: 9.
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Part 2 will be coming in the next couple of days, keep an eye out for it.
AvalonAFC 