Though naturally a central midfield player, Murphy often played as a wide midfielder due to the fierce competition for places, most notably from Steven Gerrard and Dietmar Hamann. Murphy's career at Liverpool included a unique cup treble in 2001 (where Liverpool won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup), a Premier League second-place finish in 2002 and a second League Cup in 2003. During the 2001–02 season, when he established himself as a key member of the side, Liverpool's assistant manager Phil Thompson praised Murphy, citing his versatility and describing him as 'probably the most tactically aware player that we have.' Although the 2002–03 season was overall a disappointing one for Liverpool, with the club slumping to fifth in the table after a lengthy winless run in mid-winter, Murphy had a fine individual campaign which saw him score 12 goals and be voted the supporters' player of the season. He also started the 2003 Football League Cup Final as Liverpool defeated Manchester United, having missed the 2001 final due to injury.