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26 wins. 12 draws. 0 defeats. That is Arsenal’s record in the 2003-04 Premier League season. To this day, they hold the record for the longest unbeaten run in English football and they remain the only English team to finish a 38-match league season without a loss. Hence, they are the ‘Invincibles’.

Who Can Call Themselves ‘Invincibles’?

Last season Bayer Leverkusen went 51 matches without a loss and fell just short of an unprecedented undefeated treble. Their loss against Atalanta in the Europa League final was undoubtedly heartbreaking, but their undefeated league and cup double is nonetheless historic and impressive. What Xabi Alonso and his team achieved had us thinking; what other clubs have gone undefeated for a whole season and how does it compare? 

AC Milan were the first team to do it in a league season that had at least 30 matches. Fabio Capello led his team to the unprecedented feat in 1991-92, winning 22 of their 34 matches. Milan were dominating Italian football at that time, winning three Serie A titles between 1991 and 1994. Their squad was stacked with stars like Gullit, Van Basten, Maldini, and Rijkard and they made the most of it, going 58 Serie A games without a loss across multiple seasons.

Two decades later, another Italian side managed to go unbeaten in the Serie A. This time it was Juventus, in 2011-12. Antonio Conte’s team accumulated 84 points without a single loss, clinching their first of nine consecutive Serie A titles.

Two other clubs that have gone a whole league season without a loss are Old Firm Derby rivals, Celtic and Rangers. The former achieved the feat under Brendan Rodgers in 2016-17, amid a 69-game unbeaten run, and completed the domestic treble. On the other hand, Rangers went unbeaten in the league under Steven Gerrard in 2020-21 while setting a European record by only conceding 13 times.

That leaves us with Arsenal, the most popular ‘Invincibles’ there are.

How Arsenal Went 49 Matches Undefeated

The Gunners went on a 49-match unbeaten run across multiple seasons, the longest in English football history, but they were not the first ‘Invincibles’. Indeed, Preston North End were the first team to do it in 1888-89. However, it is not talked about as much because it was so long ago, and because there were only 22 league matches at the time. 

As for Arsenal, their run started at the end of the 2002-03 season with a couple of wins against Southampton and Sunderland. The following season, in 2003-04, the Gunners won the Premier League without losing a single game. There were a few close calls, especially the 0-0 draw against Manchester United when Van Nistelrooy missed a penalty in stoppage time. However, Arsenal pushed on to win 26 of their 38 matches and finish on 90 points. Victory was even sweeter for the Gunners when they clinched the Premier League trophy with a 2-2 draw at the home of their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Hence, the chant: ‘We Won the League at Sh*te Heart Lane’. 

Arsenal started the following season like they ended the ‘Invincible’ one, staying undefeated for the first nine matches of the 2004-05 season. But on matchday 10, Manchester United got the better of them and ended their 49-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 scoreline. Nonetheless, the Gunners were awarded a golden Premier League trophy for finishing the season unbeaten and at the same time secured their place in the history books. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ is that they accomplished this feat in the Premier League, the most competitive league in the world.

The ’Invincibles’ were, and still are, the greatest Arsenal team and one of the greatest Premier League teams ever. Arsène Wenger’s side were at the peak of their powers. Everything that the Frenchman had changed in the culture and style of play of the club had flourished. Thierry Henry finished the season with 30 goals, the highest goal-scoring tally of his Premier League career while picking up the Golden Boot and Player of the Year awards. Behind him, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg were at their dazzling best, while Gilberto Silva and Patrick Viera marshalled the midfield. And at the back, Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure formed one of the best partnerships we have seen in the Premier League.

How Would the ‘Invincibles’ Fare in Today’s Premier League? 

There is no way to know how good the ‘Invincibles’ would be in today’s Premier League, but if a comparison had to be made, the easiest way to do it would be to look at the points tally. In the 2003-04 season, Arsenal finished with 90 points, an impressive total regardless of the era or league. However, the top clubs in the Premier League have been so good in recent years that 90 points would only be enough to win the league in four of the last ten seasons. Liverpool, and particularly Manchester City, have set an exceptionally high standard by reaching the high nineties multiple times. Furthermore, Manchester City made history in 2018 when their ‘Centurions’ reached 100 points, a first for the Premier League. Nowadays, anything less than 90 points and you probably fall short, as Arsenal witnessed last season. 

Indeed, today’s Premier League is considerably better than it was 20 years ago. The players, coaches, and staff improve with each passing generation thanks to increasing access to science and technology. Moreover, the ever-increasing influx of cash into the sport makes everything more accessible for clubs, especially the big ones. That being said, who knows what Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ would accomplish with the knowledge and resources available in today’s game.