2001–02 Liverpool F.C. season
Liverpool 2001–02 season
Liverpool F.C.’s 110th season and 40th in the top flight. Chairman: David Moores. Manager: Gérard Houllier, with Phil Thompson as caretaker from 13 October to 18 March after Houllier fell ill with a heart condition.
Competition results
- Premier League: 2nd
- FA Cup: Fourth round
- League Cup: Third round
- Champions League: Quarter-finals
- UEFA Super Cup: Winners
- FA Charity Shield: Winners
Season overview
- After the previous season’s treble of the League, FA Cup and UEFA Cup, hopes were high. But early, busy fixtures left Liverpool with just six games and 12 points, sitting sixth.
- Houllier was hospitalised during a league game against Leeds and later diagnosed with a heart condition; Thompson took over as caretaker.
- The team improved, climbing to 4th by the end of October and even leading the Premier League at the end of November with a two-point cushion and a game in hand. Robbie Fowler left for Leeds in November.
- Nicolas Anelka joined on loan in December to help replace Fowler.
- By end December, Liverpool had slipped to 4th; January saw them two points behind Manchester United, whom they beat 1–0 at Old Trafford.
- In February they pushed on with a 4–0 win at Leeds. Houllier returned in March, and Liverpool reached the Champions League quarter-finals and briefly led the league with five games left, though Arsenal eventually won the title.
- Arsenal’s surge meant Liverpool finished as runners-up. A 5–0 win over Ipswich helped secure that position.
- This season was Liverpool’s first in the UEFA Champions League; they topped their group, advanced through the second group stage, and were eliminated by Bayer Leverkusen 4–3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
- In the close season, Houllier declined signing Nicolas Anelka and instead signed El Hadji Diouf after his World Cup form with Senegal.
Top scorer
- Michael Owen: 28 goals in all competitions (19 in the league). Average home league attendance: 41,770.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:24 (CET).