| Club: | Liverpool |
| Season: | 2002–03 |
| Manager: | Gérard Houllier |
| Chairman: | David Moores |
| League: | Premier League |
| League Result: | 5th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Fourth round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Winners |
| Cup3: | UEFA Champions League |
| Cup3 Result: | Group stage |
| Cup4: | UEFA Cup |
| Cup4 Result: | Quarter-finals |
| Cup5: | FA Community Shield |
| Cup5 Result: | Runners-up |
| League Topscorer: | Michael Owen (19) |
| Season Topscorer: | Michael Owen (28) |
| Average Attendance: | 42,768 |
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| Prevseason: | 2001–02 |
| Nextseason: | 2003–04 |
The 2002–2003 season was Liverpool Football Club's 111th season in existence and their 41st consecutive season in the top-flight of English football.
Having finished second the previous season, Liverpool had high hopes to win their first league title since 1990. Indeed, they topped the Premier League table after their first 12 games (including a seven-game winning streak), picking up 30 points out of a possible 36, a run which saw them four points clear at the top from reigning champions Arsenal. However, on 9 November 2002, they suffered a surprise 1–0 away defeat at the hands of high-fliers Middlesbrough. This wasn't completely disastrous; it did see their lead cut to one point but three days later, they completed a miserable week after they bowed out of the Champions League after failure to beat Basel. That week's two results started a freefall of 13 matches without victory (including 11 league games) and a dismal run of only two wins in 16 league matches (both away at Southampton and West Ham United) which ended such title hopes. They were, in fact, out of the top 4 altogether never to return after a shock 2–1 defeat at struggling Sunderland. However, their first home league win in four months came in a 2–0 win over Bolton Wanderers on 8 March 2003, starting a more promising run of seven wins in eight league games which almost took the club to Champions League qualification anyway, but defeats at the hands of Manchester City and Chelsea in the final two games of the season buried those hopes. A League Cup win following a 2–0 victory over arch-rivals Manchester United was the sole glorious moment of a disappointing season.[1]
| Competition | Result | Top scorer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 5th | Michael Owen, 19 | |
| Champions League | First group stage | Michael Owen, 4 | |
| UEFA Cup | Quarter-finals | Michael Owen, 3 | |
| FA Cup | Fourth round | Danny Murphy, 1 | |
| League Cup | Winners |  El Hadji Diouf, 3 | |
| Overall | Michael Owen, 28 |
See main article: 2002–03 FA Premier League.
As of end of season[2]
| Pos | Player | From | Fee | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | MF |  Bruno Cheyrou | Lille | £3,700,000 | 16 May 2002[3] | |
| 9 | FW | El Hadji Diouf | Lens | £10,000,000 | 1 June 2002 | |
| – | MF | Alou Diarra | Bayern Munich | Free | 9 July 2002[4] | |
| 39 | GK | Patrice Luzi | AS Monaco | Free | 29 July 2002 | |
| 21 | MF | Salif Diao | Sedan | £4,700,000 | 6 August 2002[5] |
| Pos | Player | To | Fee | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | GK | Jørgen Nielsen | FC Nordsjælland | Free | 1 July 2002 | |
| 20 | MF | Nick Barmby | Leeds United | £3,750,000 | 8 August 2002[6] | |
| 29 | DF | Stephen Wright | Sunderland | £1,500,000 | 15 August 2002[7] | |
| 37 | MF |  Jari Litmanen | Ajax | Free | 30 August 2002[8] |
See main article: 2002–03 UEFA Champions League group stage.
See main article: 2002–03 UEFA Cup final phase.