Man of the match: Richard Wright (Everton). In 2002–03, all the talk at Goodison Park was about how David Moyes was restoring some pride to the blue half of Merseyside thanks to a seventh-place finish. "This has been a good season for Everton but there's no consoling us. "There are winners and losers," sighed Moyes, dejected in defeat.

It is a sign of the progress made that, while the home players' own circuit of the arena sparked rapturous applause, all that resounded in those on the pitch was a sense of bitter disappointment.

Nothing should detract from what has still been a startling campaign for Everton but this was no way for their season of resurgence to end. Mon 12 May 2003 18.33 EDT First published on Mon 12 May 2003 18.33 EDT. Rooney can now rest, but the Scot faces sleepless nights pondering what might have been.

To compound that with medial ligament damage was insanely cruel. Carlo Ancelotti says Everton will get a true measure of their improvement when the surprise Premier League leaders face champions Liverpool on Saturday.... more » 16.10.2020 15:28 The win - their ninth in 10 games - should have been secured long before the penalty, with Van Nistelrooy clipping the bar and Wright denying Beckham from distance. Cruelly, though perhaps predictably, the Everton revival endured a bitter twist at the last. So, too, have been United since the turn of the year, though their autumn defensive problem briefly flared when Kevin Campbell peeled away from Mikael Silvestre and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to head in Thomas Gravesen's centre after eight minutes. 18-year-old striker Wayne Rooney was England's key player in their run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2004, but fast-growing rumours that he was about to be sold to Manchester United put Everton's top flight future under increasing doubt. 2003-04, however, was quite a different story, as Everton struggled at the wrong end of the Premiership and finished the season one place above the drop zone with 39 points (a tally which in many seasons has seen teams relegated, even under the 38-game format), albeit the abysmal seasons suffered by all of the bottom three clubs meant that Everton rarely looked to be in any serious danger of relegation.

We just didn't have enough to get over the finishing line.". Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. While Manchester United bounced gleefully amid the tickertape, Wayne Rooney trudged off with an ice pack on his knee and a bandage required for a battered ego.

United were at their swashbuckling best here, with only Richard Wright preventing the cricket score their slick passing always threatened, but even so the teenager still emerged from the Everton muddle to spurn a trio of tantalising opportunities. Everton's Record in 2003-04 2002-03 Click here for Appearances and Goals, the Final League Table and Cup Final Details 2004-05 >> Click on the Opposition Team Name to See Line-Ups, etc So inconceivable was the miss that the scoreboard spent the next 10 seconds flashing up "Goal" while Rooney buried his head in Roy Carroll's towel. "He amazed us all with what he achieved last year," said Sir Alex Ferguson, ecstatic at his striker's 44th goal of the season 20 years to the day since he was inspiring Aberdeen to Cup Winners' Cup success over Real Madrid. That set the tone. During the 2003–04 English football season, Everton competed in the Premier League (known as the Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons). In the end, having scored first, Everton succumbed to controversy. Having enjoyed and deserved a top-six place since November, David Moyes' side wake today in seventh, pipped for a Uefa Cup place by Blackburn Rovers. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2003–04_Everton_F.C._season&oldid=963018870, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 June 2020, at 09:34. Parity was only ever one precise finish away and arrived just before the interval, David Beckham dipping a vicious free-kick across Wright and into the far corner. For Rooney in particular this was a perverse finale. Ruud van Nistelrooy lost his footing and crumpled under vague challenge from Stubbs 11 minutes from time and Mike Riley awarded the seventh penalty he has given United this season. After that, though, the new champions were irrepressible.

Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The 17-year-old picked himself up to connect with Gary Naysmith's low centre but poked his shot mystifyingly wide. "We've been beaten by a brilliant free-kick and a soft penalty," growled Moyes. Van Nistelrooy slid in the winner to secure the Golden Boot and score for a club record 10th league game in succession. Share on Facebook; ... Cruelly, though perhaps predictably, the Everton revival endured a bitter twist at the last. "He's been exceptional.". Alan Stubbs' punt was gathered by the striker, turning away from Rio Ferdinand and played onside by the ponderous Blanc, only for Rooney to blaze his volley wide. Squad Everton Season 2003-04 Premier League: Martyn, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo, Hibbert, … During the 2003–04 English football season, Everton competed in the Premier League (known as the Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

All his misses came once the injury had been sustained, Laurent Blanc turned humiliatingly on the halfway line only to trip the youngster as he threatened to burn away into space.