# 2002–03 Everton F.C. season

The 2002-03 Everton F.C. season was Everton's 11th season in the Premier League (known as the Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons), and their 49th consecutive season in the top division of English football. This meant that they became the first club to play 100 seasons in the top flight.

## Season summary

After spending the last few seasons struggling against relegation, Everton, revitalised under David Moyes, spent the season challenging for European qualification, at one stage going ahead of arch-rivals Liverpool, who had finished runners-up the previous season. Everton memorably ended Arsenal's unbeaten run in a match at Goodison Park which saw teenage striker Wayne Rooney score the winner, his debut Premiership goal. Rooney was later nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, but lost to Newcastle United's Jermaine Jenas.
The club had less luck in the FA Cup. They were surprisingly knocked out by Third Division (now League Two) side Shrewsbury Town in the third round.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 5 | Liverpool | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 61 | 41 | +20 | 64 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 52 | 43 | +9 | 60 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 7 | Everton | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 49 | −1 | 59 | |
| 8 | Southampton | 38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 43 | 46 | −3 | 52 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 9 | Manchester City | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 47 | 54 | −7 | 51 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup qualifying round |
* ↑ Since Liverpool qualified for the UEFA Cup via the league, their place in the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners reverted to the league and was awarded to Blackburn Rovers as the highest-placed team not already qualified for European competitions.
* ↑ Since Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup as FA Cup winners went to Southampton, who were the FA Cup runners-up.
* ↑ Manchester City qualified as the highest-ranked team not already qualified for European competitions of Premiership Fair Play League by The Football Association, the top association among UEFA Fair Play ranking winners.

## Results

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Referee |
| 17 August 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur | Home | 2–2 | Pembridge 37', Radzinski 81' | 40,120 | Barry |
| 24 August 2002 | Sunderland | Away | 1–0 | Campbell 28' | 37,698 | Styles |
| 28 August 2002 | Birmingham City | Home | 1–1 | Cunningham 90' (o.g.) | 37,197 | Wolstenholme |
| 31 August 2002 | Manchester City | Away | 1–3 | Unsworth 31' (pen.) | 34,835 | Knight |
| 11 September 2002 | Southampton | Away | 0–1 | | 29,190 | Bennett |
| 14 September 2002 | Middlesbrough | Home | 2–1 | Campbell 33', 77' | 32,240 | Messias |
| 22 September 2002 | Aston Villa | Away | 2–3 | Radzinski 50', Campbell 65' | 30,023 | Winter |
| 28 September 2002 | Fulham | Home | 2–0 | Gravesen 45', Campbell 45' | 34,371 | Dunn |
| 7 October 2002 | Manchester United | Away | 0–3 | | 67,629 | Riley |
| 19 October 2002 | Arsenal | Home | 2–1 | Radzinski 22', Rooney 90' | 39,038 | Rennie |
| 27 October 2002 | West Ham United | Away | 1–0 | Carsley 70' | 34,117 | Wiley |
| 3 November 2002 | Leeds United | Away | 1–0 | Rooney 80' | 40,161 | Barry |
| 9 November 2002 | Charlton Athletic | Home | 1–0 | Radzinski 31' | 37,621 | Styles |
| 17 November 2002 | Blackburn Rovers | Away | 1–0 | Campbell 19' | 26,496 | Poll |
| 23 November 2002 | West Bromwich Albion | Home | 1–0 | Radzinski 35' | 40,113 | Winter |
| 1 December 2002 | Newcastle United | Away | 1–2 | Campbell 17' | 51,607 | Halsey |
| 7 December 2002 | Chelsea | Home | 1–3 | Naysmith 44' | 39,396 | Wolstenholme |
| 14 December 2002 | Blackburn Rovers | Home | 2–1 | Carsley 12', Rooney 25' | 36,578 | Barber |
| 22 December 2002 | Liverpool | Away | 0–0 | | 44,025 | Poll |
| 26 December 2002 | Birmingham City | Away | 1–1 | Radzinski 45' | 29,505 | Elleray |
| 28 December 2002 | Bolton Wanderers | Home | 0–0 | | 39,480 | Gallagher |
| 1 January 2003 | Manchester City | Home | 2–2 | Watson 6', Radzinski 90' | 40,163 | D'Urso |
| 12 January 2003 | Tottenham Hotspur | Away | 3–4 | McBride 10', Watson 58', Radzinski 74' | 36,070 | Dunn |
| 18 January 2003 | Sunderland | Home | 2–1 | McBride 51', 57' | 37,409 | Dowd |
| 28 January 2003 | Bolton Wanderers | Away | 2–1 | Watson 33', 38' | 25,119 | Styles |
| 1 February 2003 | Leeds United | Home | 2–0 | Unsworth 56' (pen.), Radzinski 68' | 40,153 | Halsey |
| 8 February 2003 | Charlton Athletic | Away | 1–2 | McBride 69' | 26,623 | Winter |
| 22 February 2003 | Southampton | Home | 2–1 | Radzinski 85', 90+2' | 36,569 | Elleray |
| 1 March 2003 | Middlesbrough | Away | 1–1 | Watson 23' | 32,473 | Rennie |
| 15 March 2003 | West Ham United | Home | 0–0 | | 40,158 | Halsey |
| 23 March 2003 | Arsenal | Away | 1–2 | Rooney 56' | 38,042 | Wiley |
| 6 April 2003 | Newcastle United | Home | 2–1 | Rooney 18', Unsworth 65' (pen.) | 40,031 | Barry |
| 12 April 2003 | West Bromwich Albion | Away | 2–1 | Weir 22', Campbell 45' | 27,039 | Bennett |
| 19 April 2003 | Liverpool | Home | 1–2 | Unsworth 58' (pen.) | 40,162 | Durkin |
| 21 April 2003 | Chelsea | Away | 1–4 | Carsley 77' | 40,875 | Riley |
| 26 April 2003 | Aston Villa | Home | 2–1 | Campbell 59', Rooney 90' | 40,167 | Poll |
| 3 May 2003 | Fulham | Away | 0–2 | | 18,385 | Barber |
| 11 May 2003 | Manchester United | Home | 1–2 | Campbell 8' | 40,168 | Riley |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Referee | Ref. |
| Third round | 4 January 2003 | Shrewsbury Town | Away | 1–2 | Alexandersson 60' | 7,800 | Dunn | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Referee |
| Second round | 1 October 2002 | Wrexham | Away | 3–0 | Campbell 25', Rooney 83', 89' | 13,428 | Kaye |
| Third round | 6 November 2002 | Newcastle United | Home | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) | Campbell 11', Watson 85', Unsworth 112' (pen.) | 34,584 | Riley |
| Fourth round | 4 December 2002 | Chelsea | Away | 1–4 | Naysmith 80' | 32,322 | Durkin |

## First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Richard Wright |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Steve Watson |
| 3 | DF | ITA | Alessandro Pistone |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Alan Stubbs |
| 5 | DF | SCO | David Weir |
| 6 | DF | ENG | David Unsworth |
| 7 | MF | SWE | Niclas Alexandersson |
| 8 | FW | CAN | Tomasz Radzinski |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Kevin Campbell |
| 10 | FW | SCO | Duncan Ferguson |
| 11 | MF | WAL | Mark Pembridge |
| 12 | MF | CHN | Li Tie |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Steve Simonsen |
| 15 | DF | SCO | Gary Naysmith |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | MF | DEN | Thomas Gravesen |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Scot Gemmill |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Wayne Rooney |
| 20 | DF | NGA | Joseph Yobo |
| 22 | MF | SWE | Tobias Linderoth |
| 23 | MF | BRA | Juliano Rodrigo (on loan from Botafogo) |
| 26 | MF | IRL | Lee Carsley |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Peter Clarke |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Tony Hibbert |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Kevin McLeod |
| 30 | FW | ENG | Nick Chadwick |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Leon Osman |
| 35 | GK | ENG | Paul Gerrard |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | MF | ISR | Idan Tal (to Rayo Vallecano) |
| 19 | FW | USA | Joe-Max Moore (released) |
| 19 | FW | USA | Brian McBride (on loan from Columbus Crew) |
| 21 | DF | CHN | Li Weifeng (released) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 24 | DF | EGY | Ibrahim Said (on loan from Al-Ahly) |
| 25 | GK | NOR | Espen Baardsen (released) |
| 32 | MF | ENG | Keith Southern (to Blackpool) |
| — | MF | GHA | Alex Nyarko (on loan to Paris Saint-Germain) |

## Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 33 | DF | ENG | George Pilkington |
| 34 | MF | ENG | Sean O'Hanlon |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 37 | GK | SCO | Iain Turner |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | ENG | Richard Wright | 37 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Steve Simonsen | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | GK | ENG | Paul Gerrard | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | ITA | Alessandro Pistone | 17 | 0 | 10+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Alan Stubbs | 38 | 0 | 34+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | SCO | David Weir | 34 | 1 | 27+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | David Unsworth | 37 | 6 | 32+1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 20 | DF | NGA | Joseph Yobo | 26 | 0 | 22+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Peter Clarke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Tony Hibbert | 25 | 0 | 23+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 2 | MF | ENG | Steve Watson | 19 | 6 | 14+4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | SWE | Niclas Alexandersson | 8 | 1 | 4+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | WAL | Mark Pembridge | 22 | 1 | 19+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | CHN | Li Tie | 33 | 0 | 28+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | SCO | Gary Naysmith | 32 | 2 | 24+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 |
| 16 | MF | DEN | Thomas Gravesen | 35 | 1 | 30+3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Scot Gemmill | 19 | 0 | 10+6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | SWE | Tobias Linderoth | 6 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | BRA | Rodrigo Beckham | 4 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | IRL | Lee Carsley | 27 | 3 | 21+3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Kevin McLeod | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | ENG | Nick Chadwick | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Leon Osman | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 8 | FW | CAN | Tomasz Radzinski | 33 | 11 | 27+2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Kevin Campbell | 39 | 12 | 31+5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | FW | SCO | Duncan Ferguson | 8 | 0 | 0+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Wayne Rooney | 37 | 8 | 14+19 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 2 |
| Players transferred out during the season ||||||||||||
| 19 | FW | USA | Brian McBride | 8 | 4 | 7+1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | CHN | Li Weifeng | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | NOR | Espen Baardsen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last updated: 30 May 2003 Source: