August–October
| "We're all fighting for second place now. It was demoralising. They just pass and move, pass and move. You find yourself working for nothing." |
| —Leeds midfielder Olivier Dacourt, 28 September 2002 |
Arsenal began the season with a 2–0 home victory against promoted Birmingham City; goals from Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord extended the club's winning run to fourteen matches – a new top-flight record. A late equaliser by Wiltord in their next match at West Ham United earned Arsenal a point, having trailed 2–0 in the first half. Three days later, a 5–2 win against West Bromwich Albion moved Arsenal to the top of the league table. Although they drew to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, having lost captain Vieira through a sending-off, a win against Manchester City meant Arsenal leapfrogged local rivals Tottenham Hotspur to first position. A 3–0 win at Charlton Athletic on 15 September 2002 pleased Wenger, who indicated after the match the league was theirs to lose: "We know we can win the league. We know we can be stronger. At this stage last season we were not as good as we are now." Striker Kanu scored a stoppage time winner against Bolton Wanderers to win their eleventh successive home game.
At Elland Road, Leeds United hosted Arsenal on 28 September 2002. Goals from Kolo Touré and Henry and a brace from Kanu ensured Arsenal eclipsed Nottingham Forest's record of 22 away league games without defeat and scored in 47 consecutive league matches, breaking Chesterfield Town's achievement. Wenger hailed the performance as "edging nearer to perfection", adding it evoked memories of the Ajax team in the 1970s: "We are playing great, 'Total Football'. Danger comes from everywhere." Leeds manager Terry Venables agreed: "Manchester United have been exceptional for 10 years – but I've not seen anything as good as that." Arsenal began October with a 3–1 win against Sunderland, breaking Manchester United's Premier League record of 30 matches unbeaten. They however suffered their first defeat of the season, against Everton; teenager Wayne Rooney scored from long range in the last minute of the match. Wenger used his post-match press conference to praise the striker: "At that age, Rooney is already a complete footballer. The guy can play. He's the best English under-20 I've seen since I came here ." In spite of dominating their next match against Blackburn Rovers – "27 goal attempts, 14 on target," Arsenal were beaten 2–1; the winning goal was scored by Dwight Yorke in the second half. It was the team's third consecutive defeat in all competitions, their worst run since November 2000, and moved league leaders Liverpool four points clear at the top of the table.
Read more about this topic: 2002–03 Arsenal F.C. Season, Premier League