# 2001–02 Liverpool F.C. season

The 2001–2002 season was Liverpool Football Club's 110th season in existence and their 40th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football.

## Season summary

Having finished the previous season in third place in the Premiership, as well as winning an unprecedented treble of the League, FA and UEFA Cups, hopes were high for Liverpool going into the new season. However, fixture congestion meant that Liverpool could only play six games, taking 12 points to stand in sixth place, before Gérard Houllier was forced to go to hospital after falling ill during a game against Leeds United. It was later discovered that Houllier was suffering from a heart condition and was forced to take a five-month period of convalescence, with assistant manager Phil Thompson stepping up to take over caretaker responsibilities. In spite of this crisis, Liverpool climbed to fourth at the end of October before topping the Premier League table at the end of November, with a two-point lead over second-placed Leeds while holding a game in hand. November also saw the sale of fan favourite striker Robbie Fowler to Leeds.
Liverpool kept their lead until 17 December, when Newcastle United overtook Liverpool at the top by virtue of goals scored (30 vs 25). During the month, French striker Nicolas Anelka was signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain until the end of the campaign as a replacement for Fowler. By the end of December, Liverpool were back to fourth (albeit with the game still in hand and a margin of only two points between them and leaders Arsenal). However, Liverpool failed to take advantage of their extra game and at the end of January were still two points off the top (Manchester United now the league leaders), although they did defeat the Red Devils 1–0 at Old Trafford. This gap increased to four points by the end of February, despite a 4–0 win away to Leeds, but Houllier's return in March coincided with an upturn of form that saw Liverpool reach the Champions League quarter-finals and reclaim top place in the Premiership with five matches left to play, although fellow title challengers Arsenal had two games in hand. Arsenal, in the midst of a twelve-match winning streak, soon overhauled Liverpool and sealed the title with a 2–0 win at Bolton Wanderers. However, on the flip side Arsenal also defeated Manchester United during this winning run, allowing Liverpool to take runners-up spot with a 5–0 home win over Ipswich Town.
The 2001–02 season was the first in which Liverpool had competed in the UEFA Champions League, and their first campaign in Europe's premier club competition (previously the European Cup) since the 1984–85 season. Liverpool topped their group in the first stage, and also progressed through the second group stage, before being knocked out into the quarter-finals by eventual finalists Bayer Leverkusen, 4–3 on aggregate.
During the close season, Houllier turned down the opportunity to sign Anelka, in favour of signing temperamental Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf, following the latter's role in Senegal's World Cup campaign. For the fifth consecutive season, Michael Owen finished the campaign as the Reds' top goalscorer, with 28 goals in all competitions (19 in the league).
| Competition | Result | Top scorer |
| Premier League | 2nd | Michael Owen, 19 |
| Champions League | Quarter-finals | Michael Owen, 5 |
| FA Cup | Fourth round | Michael Owen, 2 |
| League Cup | Third round | Gary McAllister, 1 |
| Charity Shield | Winners | Michael Owen, 1 Gary McAllister, 1 |
| UEFA Super Cup | Winners | Emile Heskey, 1 Michael Owen, 1 John Arne Riise, 1 |
| Overall | | Michael Owen, 28 |

## First-team squad

    Squad at end of 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 |
| 2 | DF | SUI | Stéphane Henchoz |
| 3 | DF | POR | Abel Xavier |
| 4 | DF | FIN | Sami Hyypiä |
| 5 | FW | CZE | Milan Baroš |
| 6 | DF | GER | Markus Babbel |
| 7 | MF | CZE | Vladimír Šmicer |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Emile Heskey |
| 9 | FW | FRA | Nicolas Anelka |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Michael Owen |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Jamie Redknapp (captain) |
| 12 | GK | POL | Jerzy Dudek |
| 13 | MF | ENG | Danny Murphy |
| 15 | MF | CZE | Patrik Berger |
| 16 | MF | GER | Dietmar Hamann |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 17 | MF | ENG | Steven Gerrard |
| 18 | DF | NOR | John Arne Riise |
| 19 | GK | FRA | Pegguy Arphexad |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Nick Barmby |
| 21 | MF | SCO | Gary McAllister |
| 22 | GK | ENG | Chris Kirkland |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Jamie Carragher |
| 24 | MF | FRA | Bernard Diomède |
| 25 | DF | CRO | Igor Bišćan |
| 27 | DF | FRA | Grégory Vignal |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Stephen Wright |
| 30 | DF | FRA | Djimi Traoré |
| 37 | FW | FIN | Jari Litmanen |

### 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 |
| 1 | GK | NED | Sander Westerveld (to Real Sociedad) |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Robbie Fowler (to Leeds United) |
| 31 | DF | NOR | Frode Kippe (to Lillestrøm) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 32 | FW | ENG | John Miles (to Stoke City) |
| 33 | MF | ENG | Alan Navarro (to Tranmere Rovers) |

### 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 |
| 14 | DF | NOR | Vegard Heggem |
| 26 | GK | DEN | Jørgen Nielsen |
| 28 | MF | IRL | Richie Partridge |
| 34 | FW | FIN | Daniel Sjölund |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve McNulty |
| — | DF | ENG | Jon Otsemobor |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Stephen Warnock |
| — | DF | USA | Zak Whitbread |
| — | MF | ENG | Mark Peers |
| — | MF | ENG | Stephen Vaughan |
| — | MF | ENG | John Welsh |
| — | FW | ENG | Neil Mellor |

## Statistics
### Player statistics

    As of 25 May 2002
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | FA Premier League | FA Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Football League Cup | Football League Cup | UEFA Champions League | UEFA Champions League |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 12 | GK | POL | Jerzy Dudek | 49 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | NOR | John Arne Riise | 53 | 6 | 34+3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13+1 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | SUI | Stéphane Henchoz | 54 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Jamie Carragher | 51 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | FIN | Sami Hyypiä | 55 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | CZE | Vladimír Šmicer | 35 | 6 | 13+9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8+3 | 2 |
| 13 | MF | ENG | Danny Murphy | 54 | 8 | 31+5 | 6 | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13+2 | 2 |
| 16 | MF | GER | Dietmar Hamann | 46 | 1 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | ENG | Steven Gerrard | 46 | 8 | 28+2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13+1 | 1 |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Emile Heskey | 54 | 13 | 26+9 | 9 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 16 | 4 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Michael Owen | 41 | 26 | 25+4 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
| 1 | GK | NED | Sander Westerveld | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | SCO | Gary McAllister | 36 | 0 | 14+11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4+6 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | FRA | Nicolas Anelka | 22 | 5 | 13+7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | CZE | Patrik Berger | 30 | 1 | 12+9 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+7 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Stephen Wright | 17 | 1 | 10+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 |
| 3 | DF | POR | Abel Xavier | 15 | 2 | 9+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 37 | FW | FIN | Jari Litmanen | 32 | 7 | 8+13 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4+5 | 3 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Robbie Fowler | 16 | 4 | 8+2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+4 | 1 |
| 25 | MF | CRO | Igor Bišćan | 8 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | FRA | Gregory Vignal | 9 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Nick Barmby | 11 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Jamie Redknapp | 8 | 2 | 2+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+2 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | GER | Markus Babbel | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 19 | GK | FRA | Pegguy Arphexad | 4 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | ENG | Chris Kirkland | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | FW | CZE | Milan Baroš | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | FRA | Bernard Diomède | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | FRA | Djimi Traoré | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | NOR | Frode Kippe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Source:

## Transfers
### In

| # | Pos | Player | From | Fee | Date |
| 18 | DF | John Arne Riise | Monaco | £4,000,000 | 20 June 2001 |
| 5 | FW | Milan Baroš | Baník Ostrava | £3,200,000 | 26 July 2001 |
| 22 | GK | Chris Kirkland | Coventry City | Undisclosed (estimated £6,000,000) | 31 August 2001 |
| 12 | GK | Jerzy Dudek | Feyenoord | £4,850,000 | 31 August 2001 |
| 9 | FW | Nicolas Anelka | Paris Saint-Germain | Loan | 20 December 2001 |
| 3 | DF | Abel Xavier | Everton | £750,000 | 30 January 2002 |

### Out

| # | Pos | Player | To | Fee | Date |
| 3 | DF | Christian Ziege | Tottenham Hotspur | £4,000,000 | 17 July 2001 |
| 9 | FW | Robbie Fowler | Leeds United | £11,000,000 | 29 November 2001 |
| 1 | GK | Sander Westerveld | Real Sociedad | £3,750,000 | 17 December 2001 |
| 21 | MF | Gary McAllister | Coventry City | Free | 14 April 2002 |
| 11 | MF | Jamie Redknapp | Tottenham Hotspur | Free | 16 April 2002 |
| 9 | FW | Nicolas Anelka | Paris Saint-Germain | Loan expired | 12 May 2002 |

## Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers |
| 10 July 2001 | Bayer Leverkusen | A | 3–2 | Owen 41', Heskey 46', Redknapp 87' |
| 16 July 2001 | Singapore XI | A | 2–0 | Heskey 42', Owen 85' |
| 19 July 2001 | Thailand | A | 3–1 | Owen (2) 8', 44', Barmby 64' |
| 26 July 2001 | Valencia | N | 1–0 | Litmanen 84' |
| 28 July 2001 | Ajax | N | 3–1 | Fowler 38' |
| 3 August 2001 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 3–0 | Hyypiä 27', Hamann 32', Fowler 57' |

## Competitions
### Premier League
#### League Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 38 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 79 | 36 | +43 | 87 | Qualification for the Champions League first group stage |
| 2 | Liverpool | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 67 | 30 | +37 | 80 | Qualification for the Champions League first group stage |
| 3 | Manchester United | 38 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 87 | 45 | +42 | 77 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 74 | 52 | +22 | 71 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Leeds United | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 53 | 37 | +16 | 66 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
* ↑ Traoré was born in Saint-Ouen, France, but also qualified to represent Mali internationally and would make his international debut for Mali in 2004.
* ↑ Since Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Chelsea, the losing finalists.

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | L | L | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | L | L | W | D | D | L | D | D | W | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | L | W | W |
| Position | 7 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |

#### Matches

The league fixtures were announced on 21 June 2001.