The 2003–04 FA Premier League (the FA Barclaycard Premiership) was the 12th season of the Premier League. Arsenal was crowned champions after ending the season without a single defeat—the first team ever to do so in a 38–game league season. Chelsea finished second to Arsenal.
Moment That Happens During The Season. Arsenal Become Invincible. Roman Brought Chelsea. Manchester United won the FA Cup And Brought Ronaldo. Liverpool Sack Houllier. Middlesbrough won the League Cup.
Summary
Having qualified for the Champions League the previous season, Chelsea was bolstered by a £100 million outlay on world-class players, a spree funded by the extensive financial resources of their new owner Roman Abramovich. Manchester United's attack was as strong as ever thanks to free-scoring Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the midfield was weakened following the £25 million pre-season sale of David Beckham to Real Madrid, and the center of defense suffered a more severe setback after Rio Ferdinand was ruled out for the final four months of the season after being found guilty of the "failure or refusal to take a drugs test". The case of Rio Ferdinand started a debate about punishments relating to drug testing in football, with there being differing views on whether the punishment was too harsh or too lenient. Ferdinand's club sought to make direct comparisons with an earlier case of a Manchester City reserve player who had committed a lesser drug testing offence and as a result, escaped with only a fine. The city themselves had just moved from Maine Road to the City of Manchester Stadium
Arsenal, meanwhile, had only signed German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann in the 2003 close season, but French striker Thierry Henry was instrumental in Arsenal's success. Away from the Premier League, Arsène Wenger's team suffered disappointment in the cup competitions; they were knocked out by League Cup eventual winners Middlesbrough in the semi-finals, lost their grip on the FA Cup (which they held for two consecutive seasons) after being defeated by eventual winners Manchester United in the semi-finals, and were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Chelsea 3–2 on aggregate. These blows in the FA Cup and Champions League came within a few days of each other, and it was thought that Arsenal might squander their lead in the Premier League for the second successive season, but Arsenal easily defeated Liverpool only days later.
In the end, Wenger led the North London club to a first undefeated season, solidifying his managerial legacy and longevity to the Arsenal fanbase as they finished the season with 26 wins, 12 draws, 0 defeats, and 90 points.
