Winners of the previous season, Manchester United would battle with Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United for the FA Barclaycard Premiership title.
Newcastle had set the pace at the start of the season and confirmed themselves as genuine title contenders following back-to-back away wins at Arsenal and Leeds.
Leeds had topped the table at Christmas prior to the defeat against Newcastle.
Liverpool who were 11 points clear of Man United, lost form after a late Danny Murphy penalty secured all 3 points for Liverpool against United.
After losing to Tottenham, Liverpool were almost out of the race, with Newcastle and Leeds having also fallen out of contention.
Arsenal having moved within 3 points of a second Premier League title under Arsene Wenger following a win at Bolton meant the title would be decided at Old Trafford.
They went into the game having lifted the FA Cup four days earlier with a 2-0 win over rivals Chelsea.
Only needing a draw to secure the title, Arsenal went to Old Trafford and emerged victorious after Sylvain Wiltord scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win.
Liverpool finished second after ending the season with a 5-0 win over relegated Ipswich Town.
Newly promoted Fulham, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers made it the only time in the history of the Premier League that all 3 newly promoted clubs survived.
Joining Ipswich, who had finished fifth the previous year, were Derby County and Leicester City.
Leicester were playing their final season at 111-year-old Filbert Street before starting life at the new Walkers Stadium.
Manchester City returned to the top flight alongside Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion.
Blackburn Rovers were also victorious in the League Cup.
Graeme Souness' side were 2-1 winners against Tottenham Hotspur.
Final League Table
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 38 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 79 | 36 | 43 | 87 | UEFA Champions League 2002–03 First group stage |
| 2 | Liverpool | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 67 | 30 | 37 | 80 | |
| 3 | Manchester United | 38 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 87 | 45 | 42 | 77 | UEFA Champions League 2002–03 Third qualifying round |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 74 | 52 | 22 | 71 | |
| 5 | Leeds United | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 66 | UEFA Cup 2002–03 First round |
| 6 | Chelsea | 38 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 66 | 38 | 28 | 64 | |
| 7 | West Ham United | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 48 | 57 | −9 | 53 | |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 46 | 47 | −1 | 50 | 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 49 | 53 | −4 | 50 | |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 51 | 4 | 46 | UEFA Cup 2002–03 First round |
| 11 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 45 | |
| 12 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 45 | |
| 13 | Fulham | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 36 | 44 | −8 | 44 | 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup Second round |
| 14 | Charlton Athletic | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 38 | 49 | −11 | 44 | |
| 15 | Everton | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 45 | 57 | −12 | 43 | |
| 16 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 44 | 62 | −18 | 40 | |
| 17 | Sunderland | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 29 | 51 | −22 | 40 | |
| 18 | Ipswich Town | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 41 | 64 | −23 | 36 | Relegation to Football League First Division 2002–03 |
| 19 | Derby County | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 33 | 63 | −30 | 30 | |
| 20 | Leicester City | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 30 | 64 | −34 | 28 |
Top Goalscorers
Games Of The Season Juan Sebastian Veron scores against Tottenham during a 5-3 win: |
Manchester United vs Tottenham - First Half:
Second Half:
Charlton Athletic vs West Ham United:
Source: DSG
