Liverpool · Season reference
2001–02
A historical reference entry. Original long-form writing appears in Articles.
- Managers
- Gérard Houllier / Phil ThompsonHoullier remained manager. Thompson took temporary charge while he recovered from heart surgery; Houllier returned to the dugout in March 2002.
- League / division
- Premier League
- League finish
- 2nd
- Top scorer
- Michael Owen · 28 goalsAll competitive first-team matches
- Trophies won
- Charity ShieldEuropean Super Cup
Season overview
Liverpool finished second in the Premier League with 80 points, seven behind Arsenal. They added the Charity Shield and UEFA Super Cup in August, beating Manchester United 2–1 and Bayern Munich 3–2 respectively. These were the fourth and fifth trophies won during calendar year 2001.
Gérard Houllier fell ill during the home match against Leeds on 13 October and underwent heart surgery. Phil Thompson took temporary charge during his recovery. Houllier returned to the dugout for the 2–0 win over Roma on 19 March, which secured a Champions League quarter-final place. Bayer Leverkusen then eliminated Liverpool 4–3 on aggregate.
Michael Owen scored 28 competitive goals and received the European Footballer of the Year award during the season. John Arne Riise and Jerzy Dudek joined, while Robbie Fowler moved to Leeds and Nicolas Anelka arrived on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. Arsenal ended Liverpool’s FA Cup defence in the fourth round; Grimsby Town had already knocked them out of the League Cup.
Domestic cups
- FA Cup
- Fourth round — lost 1–0 away to Arsenal.
- League Cup
- Third round — lost 2–1 at home to Grimsby Town.
Europe
- European Super Cup
- Winners — beat Bayern Munich 3–2.
- European Cup
- Champions League quarter-final — lost 4–3 on aggregate to Bayer Leverkusen.
Other major competitions
- Charity Shield
- Winners — beat Manchester United 2–1.
Key players
- Michael Owen
- Sami Hyypiä
- Stéphane Henchoz
- Emile Heskey
- Danny Murphy
- John Arne Riise
- Jamie Carragher
- Jerzy Dudek
- Dietmar Hamann
- Steven Gerrard
- Gary McAllister
- Jari Litmanen
Transfers
Significant senior moves. Fees are included only where established reliably; summer arrivals are grouped with the campaign they joined.
Transfers in
- John Arne RiiseFrom MonacoPermanent transfer
Joined in June 2001.
- Chris KirklandFrom Coventry CityPermanent transfer
Joined in August 2001.
- Jerzy DudekFrom FeyenoordPermanent transfer
Joined in August 2001.
- Nicolas AnelkaFrom Paris Saint-GermainLoan
Joined on loan in December 2001.
- Milan BarošFrom Baník OstravaPermanent transfer
Joined in December 2001.
- Abel XavierFrom EvertonPermanent transfer
Joined in January 2002.
Transfers out
- Christian ZiegeTo Tottenham HotspurPermanent transfer
Left in July 2001.
- Robbie FowlerTo Leeds UnitedPermanent transfer
Left in November 2001.
- Sander WesterveldTo Real SociedadPermanent transfer
Left in December 2001.
- Jamie RedknappTo Tottenham HotspurFree transfer
Left in April 2002.
- Nicolas AnelkaTo Paris Saint-GermainLoan
Returned at the end of his loan in May 2002.
Important connections
In the History Explorer
Gérard Houllier · 1998–2004Related seasons
2000–01Sources & historical notes
Researched and checked 13 September 2026. These sources support this season’s statistics, transfers and historical account. Key players are an editorial selection.
- RSSSF: 2001-02 final league table Premier League finish, points and goals; gaps and combined home/away totals calculated from the table.
- LFChistory: 2001-02 games Competitive fixtures, dates, results and cup stages; two-leg aggregates and league runs calculated from the full fixture list.
- LFChistory: 2001-02 goalscorers All-competitive scorer totals, including qualifying matches, Shield and Super Cup where played; excluding friendlies and shoot-out kicks.
- LFChistory: 2001-02 transfers Selected senior moves and dates. Summer preparation allocated to the incoming season, with loans distinguished.
- LFChistory: 2001-02 appearances Competitive appearances supporting key-player selections.
- Liverpool FC: Gérard Houllier Sole manager from November 1998; 2001 treble and Champions League qualification, October 2001 illness and Thompson’s temporary charge; league finishes and departure after 2003–04. Its 1999–2000 claim of six final winless games is not used: dated fixtures show five.
- Liverpool FC: Michael Owen Competitive totals of 12 in 1999–2000, 24 in 2000–01 and 28 in each of 2001–02 and 2002–03; two 2001 FA Cup final goals; European Footballer of the Year in calendar 2001.
- Liverpool FC: Houllier returns against Roma Houllier returned to the dugout on 19 March 2002; Liverpool beat Roma 2–0 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
- Liverpool FC: Charity and Community Shield Liverpool beat Manchester United 2–1 in the 2001 Shield.
- Liverpool FC: UEFA Super Cup Liverpool beat Bayern Munich 3–2 in Monaco on 24 August 2001.
Notes on the record
Overview evidence: paragraph 1 — rsssf-league, lfc-shield, lfc-super-cup, lfch-games and lfc-houllier; paragraph 2 — lfc-houllier, lfc-return and lfch-games; paragraph 3 — lfch-scorers, lfc-owen, lfch-transfers and lfch-games.
The existing european-cup identity is retained for the renamed Champions League, with the contemporary name stated in the result and summary. This avoids a duplicate identity for the same competition.
Owen’s total includes qualifying games and both August trophies. The European award concerns calendar 2001 and was received during 2001–02. Houllier’s appointed role is distinguished from Thompson’s temporary cover.
McAllister’s 13 May 2002 Coventry departure is allocated to the incoming 2002–03 campaign. Anelka’s loan ending is retained here to close the same loan spell.