Liverpool · Season reference

2002–03

A historical reference entry. Original long-form writing appears in Articles.

Manager: Gérard Houllier
League / division: Premier League
League finish: 5th
Top scorer: Michael Owen · 28 goalsAll competitive first-team matches
Trophies won: League Cup

Season overview

Liverpool won the League Cup but slipped to fifth in the Premier League with 64 points. Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen scored in the 2–0 final victory over Manchester United in Cardiff on 2 March. Liverpool had been unbeaten in their opening 12 league matches, but then went 11 without a league win.

Their Champions League campaign ended in the first group phase, with a 3–3 draw at Basel leaving them third in the group. They continued in the UEFA Cup before Celtic won their quarter-final 3–1 on aggregate. Crystal Palace knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup in a fourth-round replay, winning 2–0 at Anfield.

Owen again finished as leading scorer with 28 competitive goals. Summer arrivals included El Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou, while Gary McAllister, Nick Barmby and Jari Litmanen left. A 2–1 defeat at Chelsea on the final league day left Liverpool three points behind their opponents in fourth place.

Domestic cups

FA Cup: Fourth round — lost 2–0 at home to Crystal Palace in a replay.
League Cup: Winners — beat Manchester United 2–0 in Cardiff.

Europe

European Cup: Champions League first group phase — third in Group B; transferred to the UEFA Cup.
UEFA Cup: Quarter-final — lost 3–1 on aggregate to Celtic.

Other major competitions

Charity Shield: Community Shield runners-up — lost 1–0 to Arsenal.

Key players

Michael Owen
Danny Murphy
Sami Hyypiä
John Arne Riise
Steven Gerrard
Jamie Carragher
Emile Heskey
Djimi Traoré
El Hadji Diouf
Jerzy Dudek
Milan Baroš
Dietmar Hamann

Transfers

Significant senior moves. Fees are included only where established reliably; summer arrivals are grouped with the campaign they joined.

Transfers in

Bruno CheyrouFrom LillePermanent transfer
Joined in May 2002 ahead of the new campaign.
El Hadji DioufFrom LensPermanent transfer
Joined in summer 2002.
Salif DiaoFrom SedanPermanent transfer
Joined in August 2002.

Transfers out

Gary McAllisterTo Coventry CityFree transfer
Left on 13 May 2002 after the previous campaign.
Nick BarmbyTo Leeds UnitedPermanent transfer
Left in August 2002.
Stephen WrightTo SunderlandPermanent transfer
Left in August 2002.
Jari LitmanenTo AjaxFree transfer
Left in August 2002.

Important connections

In the History Explorer

Gérard Houllier · 1998–2004

Related seasons

2001–02

Sources & 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: 2002-03 final league table Premier League finish, points and goals; gaps and combined home/away totals calculated from the table.
LFChistory: 2002-03 games Competitive fixtures, dates, results and cup stages; two-leg aggregates and league runs calculated from the full fixture list.
LFChistory: 2002-03 goalscorers All-competitive scorer totals, including qualifying matches, Shield and Super Cup where played; excluding friendlies and shoot-out kicks.
LFChistory: 2002-03 transfers Selected senior moves and dates. Summer preparation allocated to the incoming season, with loans distinguished.
LFChistory: 2002-03 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: League Cup 2001 final finished 1–1 after extra time, Liverpool winning the shoot-out 5–4; Gerrard and Owen scored in the 2–0 2003 final win over Manchester United.
RSSSF: European competitions 2002–03 Liverpool finished third in Champions League first-phase Group B with eight points and transferred to the UEFA Cup.
LFChistory: 2001–02 transfers McAllister returned to Coventry City on 13 May 2002, allocated to the incoming season.

Notes on the record

Overview evidence: paragraph 1 — rsssf-league, lfc-league-cup and lfch-games; paragraph 2 — rsssf-europe and lfch-games; paragraph 3 — lfch-scorers, lfc-owen, lfch-transfers, lfch-prior-transfers, lfch-games and rsssf-league.

The opening 12-match unbeaten league run and subsequent 11-match winless league run are counted separately from cup fixtures. Cup victories during the latter period mean it must not be described as an all-competition winless run.

The UEFA Cup fifth round was the quarter-final. The renamed Community Shield retains the existing charity-shield identity; its contemporary name appears in the result. Anelka’s loan departure was already recorded with the previous season.