Thierry Henry levelled from the penalty spot and Patrick Vieira secured the win as Arsenal rounded off an unbeaten Premier League campaign.
Follow Us
Arsenal scripted history on this day May 15 but in the year 2004 when they became the first team in the Premier League to finish the season unbeaten. Arsene Wenger’s side had clinched the title at Tottenham a few weeks earlier. However, they were still unbeaten in the EPL when Leicester City visited Highbury for the final game of the season. Paul Dickov gave the Foxes a shock lead. However, Thierry Henry’s penalty and Patrick Viera’s finish turned the game on its head. The final whistle confirmed Arsenal’s unbeaten status till the end of the season. The Gunners had finished with a win in 26 games out of a total 38 with a total of 12 games drawn.
Arsenal were overall the first team in 115 years in the English top-flight to remain unbeaten. The champions matched the achievement of Preston in 1888/9. They were also known as the Invincibles having played 22 matches and finished unbeaten. Wenger won his third league title as Arsenal manager after 1998 and 2002.
“We are very proud because until you get there, you really can’t believe that it’s possible. It’s a fantastic moment for us. I always had that dream and to fulfil it now is absolutely marvellous,” he said as quoted by CNN.
Henry expressed his pleasure following the triumph stating that people will remember the season.
“I think you saw in the second half that we really wanted to go unbeaten all season and it is something more than amazing. People will remember that the season 2003-04 we were unbeatable,” he added.
Interestingly, Rangers have also completed the club’s first unbeaten top-flight league season since 1899 today. Their domestic campaign started with a narrow victory in Aberdeen before concluding with a triumph against the same opposition. Supporters filled the streets around Ibrox as the trophy was presented inside.
Manager Steven Gerrard insisted that he would not leave the club in favour of a Premier League job. Rangers scored 92 league goals while conceding 13, with 32 wins from 38 Premiership games. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain the same form in the next season.
