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The 2002–03 season was the 105th season of competitive football played by Arsenal. The club retained the FA Cup, a feat last achieved by Tottenham Hotspur in 1982, but finished runners-up to Manchester United in the Premier League. In the UEFA Champions League, defeat to Valencia in the second group stage meant Arsenal exited the competition at the same round for the second successive year. Arsenal began the new campaign as league and cup double winners, and manager Arsène Wenger sought improvement in the Champions League, a competition the club failed in. The retirement of defender Tony Adams meant French midfielder Patrick Vieira was appointed as captain; Pascal Cygan was signed as a replacement in defence. Other recruitments included defensive midfielders Gilberto Silva and Kolo Touré, while goalkeepers Alex Manninger and Richard Wright departed to join Espanyol and Everton respectively. In the league, a 4–1 win against Leeds United in September meant the club broke the record for scoring in consecutive games (47), and away league games without defeat (22). The club began 2003 in first position, but subsequently floundered; a draw to Aston Villa in April allowed Manchester United to move joint top. A further draw at Bolton Wanderers meant the league championship was, mathematically, out of Arsenal's hands and defeat to Leeds a week after ended their chances of retaining the league. Consolation came in retaining the FA Cup; a solitary goal scored by midfielder Robert Pirès was enough to beat Southampton in the 2003 final. 30 different players represented the club in five competitions and there were 17 different goalscorers. Arsenal's top goalscorer was Thierry Henry, who scored 32 goals in 55 appearances. ==Background== Arsenal began the 2001–02 season in good form and a win against Liverpool in December 2001 – having gone down to ten men in the first half, helped them move second in the table. A draw against Southampton on 2 February 2002 started a run of 13 consecutive league wins – a new record, beginning against Everton. Arsenal won the league away to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 8 May 2002; the winning goal was scored by Sylvain Wiltord in the second half. The result meant the team were unbeaten away from home all season, and in scoring four goals against Everton on the final day, became the first team to score in every league match they played. Arsenal completed the double, having beaten Chelsea 2–0 in the 2002 FA Cup Final. Wenger hoped his team's success would begin an era of dominating English football for years to come, citing a "shift of power". He moreover aimed for significant improvement in the Champions League, a competition where the club failed to reach higher than the quarter-finals. Such was Arsenal's impressive form in late summer, Wenger commented that his team could go the entire season undefeated. Arsenal's kit sponsorship with O2 came into action in the 2002–03 season, replacing SEGA Dreamcast. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2002–03 Arsenal F.C. season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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