SM
Newcastle vs. West Ham: 1 day 2 hrs 43 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
AL
Premier League
May 7, 2003 at 3pm UK
 
SL

6-1

Pires (9', 22', 47'), Pennant (16', 19', 26')
FT(HT: 5-1)
Tessem (35')

On this day: Arsenal's 'Invincibles' start unbeaten streak

:Headline: On this day: Arsenal's 'Invincibles' start unbeaten streak: ID:153840: from db_amp
Hat-tricks from Jermaine Pennant and Robert Pires against Southampton send Arsenal on their way to a 49-game unbeaten streak.

When Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest set a record of 42 matches without defeat back in 1978, it was a streak that many expected no English club to ever overcome.

However, from 2003 to 2004, Arsenal, under the management of Arsene Wenger, went seven encounters better before they fell one short of 50 with a defeat away at Manchester United.

Their remarkable achievement started 11 years ago today with the visit of Southampton to Highbury. These two sides were due to meet in the FA Cup final 10 days later and as a result, both managers made alterations to their respective starting lineups in a bid to avoid injuries.

It meant that among the changes, Gunners youngster Jermaine Pennant, who had joined the North Londoners from Notts County for £2m, was handed his full Premier League debut. It would prove to be a memorable outing for the winger.

Within the opening 23 minutes he had found the net on two occasions, as had French international Robert Pires as the hosts set about putting the disappointment of losing the title to Man United behind them.

Then, in the 26th minute, Pennant completed his hat-trick following a swift counter-attack. Thierry Henry was the main creator, threading a pass through for the teenager to fire a low shot out of Paul Jones's reach.

Southampton midfielder Jo Tessem momentarily stemmed the tide when he converted Wayne Bridge's cross from the left flank before the break, but normal service was resumed after the restart.

In the 47th minute, like Pennant, Pires rounded off his trio of goals with the best effort of the evening. Having seen Jones off his line, the winger chipped the visiting goalkeeper with a curling shot from 30 yards out.

The home team continued to dominate proceedings thereafter, but they were unable to add to their six-goal tally. It would turn out that Arsenal would now not be defeated in the Premier League until October 2004.

ARSENAL: Taylor; Toure, Luzhny (Tavlaridis), Stepanovs, Garry; Pennant (Hoyte), Parlour, Van Bronckhorst, Pires (Bergkamp); Kanu, Henry

SOUTHAMPTON: Jones; Telfer, Williams, M Svensson, Bridge; Fernandes (Baird), Prutton, A Svensson (Oakley), Higginbotham, Tessem; K Davies (Beattie)

amp_article__153840 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2014-05-07 10:29:52:
html db last update - 2014-05-07 10:29:52 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .