November 2003 Results & Match Reports
November was arguably the turning point in Arsenal’s season as the Gunners managed to maintain their fine run of form in the Premier League but more importantly, were able to salvage their Champions League campaign with two fine victories.
Things got off to a fine start following a convincing victory over Leeds United before the Gunners managed to save their Champions League adventure with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev.
Wonderful victories over rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City in the Premier League followed, after which Arsenal probably put in their best performance of the season by beating Inter Milan 5-1 at the San Siro.
A draw against Fulham meant that Arsenal had to surrender their place at the summit of the Premier League table to Chelsea but all in all, it was a brilliant month for Arsene Wenger’s men.
1/11/2003 – Leeds United 1 - 4 Arsenal, Venue – Elland Road
With Chelsea and Manchester United in strong pursuit, Arsenal knew that they could not slip when they squared off against basement side Leeds United at Elland Road.
While matches against sides fighting for their lives at the foot of the table are never easy, Arsenal put in a fine counter attacking performance in the first half to race to a three goal lead through two Thierry Henry strikes as well as a well taken goal from Robert Pires.
Gilberto scored in the second half to continue Arsenal’s domination and while Alan Smith did grab a goal for Leeds on the hour mark, it proved to be no more than a consolation for the home side.
5/11/2003 – Arsenal 1 - 0 Dynamo Kiev, Venue – Highbury (UCL)
While the season had not even reached the halfway point, Arsenal were faced with arguably the most important match of the campaign as they welcomed Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League.
The equation was simple for Arsenal – win or get knocked out of the competition. Having earned only 1 point from their previous three matches in Europe, many felt that even the mighty Gunners would not be able to save themselves.
And for majority of the game, it was certainly looking like Arsenal were heading for the exit as they simply could not find the back of the net despite creating a host of chances against a resilient Dynamo side.
However, just when it looked like all hope had been lost, the unlikeliest of heroes in the form of Ashley Cole popped up to hand the Gunners the winner in the 88th minute, sending the home fans in delirium and keeping Arsenal hanging by a thread in Europe.
8/11/2003 – Arsenal 2 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur, Venue – Highbury
Arsenal did not have too much time to celebrate their win over Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League as they welcomed fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the first North London derby of the season just three days later.
Things did not start off well for the Gunners as Spurs managed to take the lead within the first five minutes of the game through Darren Anderton. While Arsenal did create a host of chances after falling behind, they were thwarted time and again by an inspired Kasey Keller in the Tottenham goal.
Spurs’ resistance was finally broken in the 69th minute though, as Robert Pires tapped the ball home after Keller had made a fine save off of Thierry Henry.
Then a huge slice of luck would hand Arsene Wenger’s men the victory as a Freddie Ljungberg shot in the 80th minute took a huge deflection and looped into the net, giving Keller no chance.
22/11/2003 – Birmingham City 0 – 3 Arsenal, Venue – St. Andrews
Arsenal maintained their fine run of form in the league with a convincing away victory over Birmingham City. It was a match which epitomized the Gunners as a team, as they scored three goals of the highest quality which can be classified as typically Arsenal type goals.
Freddie Ljungberg scored in the fourth minute after being delightfully played in by Henry while Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires sealed the game for the Gunners late on through equally wonderful strikes. The match was a perfect example of how team should play away from home.
25/11/2003 – Inter Milan 1 – 5 Arsenal, Venue – San Siro (UCL)
It was probably one of the finest Champions League performances ever seen as Arsenal simply tore apart Inter Milan 5-1 at the San Siro.
While the win against Dynamo Kiev had kept Arsenal alive in the Champions League, the Gunners had to claim victory against Inter to keep themselves alive in the competition.
Ahead of the game, it certainly looked an improbable task but riding high on confidence from their fine domestic form, Arsenal produced a simply magnificent performance.
Thierry Henry handed Arsenal the lead in the 25th minute but Inter soon hit back through a deflected Christian Vieri strike to send the two teams level at half time. However, no one could have fathomed what would follow in the second half as Arsenal produced a majestic display to find the back of the net on four occasions.
Freddie Ljungberg struck early on after the interval to hand the Gunners the lead and as Inter pushed on for the equalizer, Arsenal ripped apart Inter on the counter through brilliant goals from Henry, Edu and Robert Pires in the space of five frantic minutes to seal a memorable win.
30/11/2003 – Arsenal 0 – 0 Fulham, Venue – Highbury
After thumping Inter Milan in the Champions League, there was a bit of an anti climax in the following game as Arsenal could only labour to a 0-0 draw at home against Fulham.
However, it was not due to Arsenal’s poor performance that they were not able to score but because of the fact that they faced an inspired Edwin van der Sar in the Fulham goal.
The Dutch international produced save after save to deny the Arsenal attackers time and again, and his wonderful performance certainly merited a point for Fulham.
The two dropped points for Arsenal would prove costly as not only did the draw spoil their 100% record in the month of November, but the Gunners would also go on to lose their spot at the top of the Premier League table to Chelsea.
While Thierry Henry was once again sensational for Arsenal throughout the month, Ashley Cole was probably the star man.