2003–04 Manchester City F.C. season

The 2003–04 season was Manchester City Football Club's second consecutive season playing in the Premier League, the top division of English football, and its seventh season since the Premier League was first created with Manchester City as one of its original 22 founding member clubs. Overall, it was the team's 112th season playing in a division of English football, most of which have been spent in the top flight.

Manchester City

2003–04 season
Owner	Publicly traded company
Chairman	John Wardle
Manager	Kevin Keegan
Stadium	City of Manchester Stadium (a.k.a. Eastlands and CoMS)
Premier League	16th
FA Cup	Fifth round
League Cup	Fourth round
UEFA Cup	Second round
Top goalscorer	League: Nicolas Anelka (16) All: Nicolas Anelka (24)
Highest home attendance	47,269 0v0 Chelsea 28 February 2004
Lowest home attendance	29,067 0v0 Sporting Lokeren 24 September 2003
Average home league attendance	46,245 – over 19 PL home games (3rd highest in Premier League)
Home colours Away colours
← 2002–03 2004–05 →

Results summary

All competitions
	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
Home	7	12	5	29.2%
Away	9	6	12	33.3%
Both	16	18	17	31.4%
Premier League
	Wins	Draws	Losses	Win %
Home	5	9	5	26.3%
Away	4	5	10	21.1%
Both	9	14	15	23.7%

Season review

After finishing ninth during the club's final season at 80-year-old Maine Road, Manchester City's debut season at the City of Manchester Stadium was a major disappointment. A ninth-place finish had not been good enough to earn City an opportunity to play in the UEFA Cup but the team was rewarded with that opportunity anyway due to being awarded a "Fair Play" slot in the UEFA Cup competition this season. City reached the second round proper of the competition thanks to aggregate victories against The New Saints and Lokeren, but exited the competition on the away goals rule after two draws against Polish club Groclin.

Having embarked on a new era for the club by signing a host of experienced players in the summer, such as Claudio Reyna and Steve McManaman, to combine with such burgeoning talents coming through from the MCFC youth academy as Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips, City started their season very brightly with three wins in five games, sending them near the top of the table. They were still in the top-half of the table after winning five, drawing three and losing three of their first 11 games, with three notably big wins: a 3–0 opening-game away win at Charlton Athletic, a 4–1 home victory over Aston Villa and a 6–2 thumping of Bolton Wanderers. However, a dreadful 3–0 home defeat against unlikely opponents Leicester City in November started a gradual downturn in form and City then ended up battling against relegation. At one point, City went on a run of winning only one game out of 18 league and cup matches played, sparking media rumours of unrest in the squad.^[1] Survival in the Premier League was not confirmed until City won their 36th game of the league season. That victory meant that City were six points ahead of the relegation places, but the club's survival was effectively confirmed due to it having a far superior goal difference to Leicester, Leeds and Wolves, who were relegated.

Perhaps the most memorable game played by Manchester City during this season was the FA Cup fourth-round replay fixture against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane which featured what many people consider to be one of the most extraordinary comebacks in the history of the competition.^[1][2] City fell three goals behind during the first half, had Nicolas Anelka substituted due to injury and Joey Barton was sent off during half-time for verbally abusing the referee.^[1] Despite having one man less than their opponents during the second half, City came all the way back to win 4–3 and reach the next round.^[1] Rookie Icelandic goalkeeper Árni Arason made a key double save^[1] and Jon Macken scored the winning goal.^[1] In the next round, a Manchester derby at Old Trafford, City lost 4–2 to exit the competition.

Team kit

There was a change in the producer of the team kits for this season, with Reebok replacing the previous season's supplier, Le Coq Sportif. The shirt sponsorship was provided by the financial and legal services group First Advice who had also been the sponsors for the previous season.^[3]

Home

Home (version 2)

Home (version 3)

Away

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ENG David James 2 DF  FRA David Sommeil 3 DF  BEL Daniel Van Buyten (on loan from Marseille) 4 DF  NED Gerard Wiekens 5 DF  FRA Sylvain Distin 8 FW  ENG Robbie Fowler 9 FW  CRC Paulo Wanchope 10 MF  FRA Antoine Sibierski 11 FW  ENG Jon Macken 12 GK  ENG Nicky Weaver 17 DF  CHN Sun Jihai 18 DF  GER Michael Tarnat 19 MF  AUS Danny Tiatto 20 MF  ENG Steve McManaman 22 DF  IRL Richard Dunne

No. Pos. Nation Player 24 MF  ENG Joey Barton 25 GK  ISL Árni Gautur Arason 26 MF  NED Paul Bosvelt 27 DF  DEN Mikkel Bischoff 28 MF  ENG Trevor Sinclair 29 MF  ENG Shaun Wright-Phillips 30 MF  FRA Christian Negouai 32 GK  DEN Kevin Stuhr-Ellegaard 33 GK  DEN Kasper Schmeichel 39 FW  FRA Nicolas Anelka 41 DF  ENG Stephen Jordan 42 MF  IRL Glenn Whelan 43 DF  IRL Paddy McCarthy 44 MF  IRL Willo Flood 45 FW  IRL Stephen Elliott

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ENG David Seaman (retired) 7 FW  ENG Darren Huckerby (to Norwich City) 14 MF  ISR Eyal Berkovic (to Portsmouth) 15 DF  NOR Alfie Haaland (retired)

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF  SCO Paul Ritchie (to Walsall) 25 DF  CMR Lucien Mettomo (to Kaiserslautern) 40 MF  ENG Chris Shuker (to Barnsley)

Historical league performance

Prior to this season, the history of Manchester City's performance in the English football league hierarchy since the creation of the Premier League in 1992 is summarised by the following timeline chart – which commences with the last season (1991–92) of the old Football League First Division (from which the Premier League was formed).

Friendly games

Pre-season

Mansfield v Manchester City

19 July 2003	Mansfield	2–1	Manchester City	Mansfield, England
	Larkin 37' Corden 57'	Sporting Life report	39' Anelka	Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 7,000

Odense v Manchester City

22 July 2003	Odense	1–0	Manchester City	Odense, Denmark
	Miti 75'	Sporting Life report		Stadium: Odense Stadion

Feyenoord v Manchester City

25 July 2003	Feyenoord	1–2	Manchester City	Århus, Denmark
	Lazovic	Sporting Life report	Anelka 88' Wanchope	Stadium: Atletion

Lincoln City v Manchester City

29 July 2003	Lincoln City	2–2	Manchester City	Lincoln, England
	Mayo Bloomer	Sporting Life report	Wanchope Anelka	Stadium: Sincil Bank

Oldham Athletic v Manchester City

2 August 2003	Oldham Athletic	0–6	Manchester City	Oldham, England
		Sporting Life report	23' Anelka Sinclair Fowler Anelka Wright-Phillips Wanchope	Stadium: Boundary Park

Rochdale v Manchester City

4 August 2003	Rochdale	0–4	Manchester City	Rochdale, England
		BBC Sport report	25' Wright-Phillips Anelka Horlock Shuker	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 5,500

First game ever played at CoMS

Manchester City v Barcelona

10 August 2003	Manchester City	2–1	Barcelona	Manchester, England
	Anelka 35' Sinclair 67'	Sporting Life report YouTube video	58' Saviola	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 36,500

Competitive games

Premier League

Main article: 2003–04 FA Premier League

Table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
14	Tottenham Hotspur	38	13	6	19	47	57	−10	45
15	Blackburn Rovers	38	12	8	18	51	59	−8	44
16	Manchester City	38	9	14	15	55	54	+1	41
17	Everton	38	9	12	17	45	57	−12	39
18	Leicester City (R)	38	6	15	17	48	65	−17	33	Relegation to the Football League Championship

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	9	14	15	55	54	+1	41	5	9	5	31	24	+7	4	5	10	24	30	−6

Last updated: 15 May 2004 (end of season).
Source: Premier League results 2003–04

Points breakdown Points at home: 24 Points away from home: 17 Points against "Big Four" teams: 4 Points against promoted teams: 3 6 points: Bolton Wanderers 4 points: Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Charlton Athletic, Everton 3 points: Manchester United, Newcastle United, Southampton 2 points: Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur 1 point: 0Birmingham City, Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, 0Portsmouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 points: Arsenal, Chelsea, Middlesbrough

Biggest & smallest Biggest home wins: 6–2 vs. Bolton Wanderers, 18 October 2003 000000000000000005–1 vs. Everton, 15 May 2004 Biggest home defeat: 0–3 vs. Leicester City, 9 November 2003 Biggest away win: 0–3 vs. Charlton Athletic, 17 August 2003 Biggest away defeat: 3–0 vs. Newcastle United, 22 November 2003 Biggest home attendance: 47,304 vs. Chelsea, 28 February 2004 Smallest home attendance: 44,307 vs. Charlton Athletic, 7 January 2004 Biggest away attendance: 67,645 vs. Manchester United, 13 December 2003 Smallest away attendance: 16,124 vs. Fulham, 20 September 2003

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	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	W	D	W	L	W	D	D	L	W	L	W	L	L	L	D	L	D	L	D	D	L	D	L	D	L	W	L	W	L	D	D	D	D	L	D	W	L	W

Source: 2003–04 Premier League results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Individual match reports

Charlton Athletic v Manchester City

17 August 2003	Charlton Athletic	0–3	Manchester City	London
14:00		Sporting Life report	13' (pen.) Anelka 23' Sibierski 83' Sun	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 25,780 Referee: M. Dean (Wirral)

Manchester City v Portsmouth

23 August 2003	Manchester City	1–1	Portsmouth	Manchester
15:00	Sommeil 90'	Sporting Life report	24' Yakubu	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,287 Referee: M. Messias (N. Yorkshire)

Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City

25 August 2003	Blackburn Rovers	2–3	Manchester City	Blackburn
20:00	Sinclair 44' (o.g.) Amoruso 61'	Sporting Life report	4' Tarnat 59' Barton 87' Anelka	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,361 Referee: A. Wiley (Staffordshire)

Manchester City v Arsenal

31 August 2003	Manchester City	1–2	Arsenal	Manchester
16:05	Lauren 10' (o.g.)	Sporting Life report	48' Wiltord 72' Ljungberg	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,436 Referee: G. Poll (Hertfordshire)

Manchester City v Aston Villa

14 September 2003	Manchester City	4–1	Aston Villa	Manchester
14:00	Anelka 48' (pen.) Tarnat 50' Anelka 68' (pen.) Anelka 83'	Sporting Life report	31' Angel	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,687 Referee: M. Halsey (Lancashire)

Fulham v Manchester City

20 September 2003	Fulham	2–2	Manchester City	London
15:00	Malbranque 73' Saha 79'	Sporting Life report	46' Anelka 90' Wanchope	Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 16,124 Referee: P. Dowd (Staffordshire)

Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur

28 September 2003	Manchester City	0–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Manchester
16:05		Sporting Life report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,842 Referee: N. Barry (N. Lincolnshire)

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City

4 October 2003	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–0	Manchester City	Wolverhampton
15:00	Cameron 75'	Sporting Life report		Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 29,386 Referee: J. Winter (Cleveland)

Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers

18 October 2003	Manchester City	6–2	Bolton Wanderers	Manchester
15:00	Wright-Phillips 27' Distin 48' Wright-Phillips 56' Anelka 58' Wright-Phillips  62' Anelka 72' Reyna 84'	Sporting Life report	25' Nolan 60' Campo	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,101 Referee: S. Bennett (Kent)

Chelsea v Manchester City

25 October 2003	Chelsea	1–0	Manchester City	London
15:00	Hasselbaink 34'	Sporting Life report		Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,040 Referee: P. Dowd (Staffordshire)

Southampton v Manchester City

1 November 2003	Southampton	0–2	Manchester City	Southampton
15:00		Sporting Life report	4' Fowler 85' Wanchope	Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 31,952 Referee: A. Wiley (Staffordshire)

Manchester City v Leicester City

9 November 2003	Manchester City	0–3	Leicester City	Manchester
15:00		Sporting Life report	12' Stewart 53' (pen.) Dickov 58' Bent	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,966 Referee: M. Riley (W. Yorkshire)

Newcastle United v Manchester City

22 November 2003	Newcastle United	3–0	Manchester City	Newcastle
15:00	Ameobi 57' Shearer 77' 85'	Sporting Life report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,159 Referee: N. Barry (N. Lincolnshire)

Manchester City v Middlesbrough

30 November 2003	Manchester City	0–1	Middlesbrough	Manchester
15:00		Sporting Life report	30' (o.g.) Jihai	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,824 Referee: M. Riley (W. Yorkshire)

Everton v Manchester City

7 December 2003	Everton	0–0	Manchester City	Liverpool
14:00		Sporting Life report		Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 37,871 Referee: J. Winter (Cleveland)

Manchester United v Manchester City

13 December 2003	Manchester United	3–1	Manchester City	Manchester
12:30	Scholes 7' van Nistelrooy 34' Scholes 73'	Sporting Life report	52' Wright-Phillips	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 67,645 Referee: M. Halsey (Lancashire)

Manchester City v Leeds United

22 December 2003	Manchester City	1–1	Leeds United	Manchester
20:00	Sibierski 82'	Sporting Life report	24' Viduka	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,126 Referee: G. Barber (Hertfordshire)

Birmingham City v Manchester City

26 December 2003	Birmingham City	2–1	Manchester City	Birmingham
15:00	Kenna 81' Forssell 87'	Sporting Life report	14' Fowler	Stadium: St. Andrews Attendance: 29,520 Referee: U. Rennie (S. Yorkshire)

Manchester City v Liverpool

28 December 2003	Manchester City	2–2	Liverpool	Manchester
15:00	Anelka 30' (pen.) Fowler 90'	Sporting Life report	66' Šmicer 80' Hamann	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,201 Referee: M. Riley (W. Yorkshire)

Manchester City v Charlton Athletic

7 January 2004	Manchester City	1–1	Charlton Athletic	Manchester
19:45	Fowler 39'	Sporting Life report	84' Di Canio	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 44,307 Referee: P. Walton (Northamptonshire)

Portsmouth v Manchester City

10 January 2004	Portsmouth	4–2	Manchester City	Portsmouth
15:00	Stefanovic 19' Yakubu 52' Sheringham 58' Yakubu 77'	Sporting Life report	21' Anelka 45' Sibierski	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,120 Referee: M. Messias (N. Yorkshire)

Manchester City v Blackburn Rovers

17 January 2004	Manchester City	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Manchester
15:00	Anelka 50'	Sporting Life report	55' Flitcroft	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,090 Referee: M. Dean (Wirral)

Arsenal v Manchester City

1 February 2004	Arsenal	2–1	Manchester City	London
16:05	Tarnat 39' (o.g.) Henry 83'	Sporting Life report	89' Anelka	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,103 Referee: A. Wiley (Staffordshire)

Manchester City v Birmingham City

8 February 2004	Manchester City	0–0	Birmingham City	Manchester
14:00		Sporting Life report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,967 Referee: P. Durkin (Dorset)

Liverpool v Manchester City

11 February 2004	Liverpool	2–1	Manchester City	Liverpool
20:00	Owen 3' Gerrard 51'	Sporting Life report	50' Wright-Phillips	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,257 Referee: M. Riley (W. Yorkshire)

Bolton Wanderers v Manchester City

21 February 2004	Bolton Wanderers	1–3	Manchester City	Bolton
15:00	Nolan 22'	Sporting Life report	27' 31' Fowler 50' (o.g.) Charlton	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 27,301 Referee: S. Dunn (Gloucestershire)

Manchester City v Chelsea

28 February 2004	Manchester City	0–1	Chelsea	Manchester
15:00		Sporting Life report	82' Guðjohnsen	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,304 Referee: R. Styles (Hampshire)

Manchester City v Manchester United

14 March 2004	Manchester City	4–1	Manchester United	Manchester
14:00	Fowler 3' Macken 32' Sinclair 73' Wright-Phillips 90'	Sporting Life report YouTube video	35' Scholes	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,284 Referee: S. Bennett (Kent)

Leeds United v Manchester City

22 March 2004	Leeds United	2–1	Manchester City	Leeds
20:00	McPhail 23' Viduka 76' (pen.)	Sporting Life report	44' Anelka	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 36,998 Referee: A. Wiley (Staffordshire)

Manchester City v Fulham

27 March 2004	Manchester City	0–0	Fulham	Manchester
15:00		Sporting Life report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 46,522 Referee: J. Winter (Cleveland)

Aston Villa v Manchester City

4 April 2004	Aston Villa	1–1	Manchester City	Birmingham
14:00	Angel 26'	Sporting Life report	82' Distin	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 37,602 Referee: U. Rennie (S. Yorkshire)

Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers

10 April 2004	Manchester City	3–3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Manchester
15:00	Anelka 25' Sibierski 39' Wright-Phillips 90'	Sporting Life report	13' Kennedy 23' Cort 78' Camara	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,248 Referee: J. Winter (Cleveland)

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

12 April 2004	Tottenham Hotspur	1–1	Manchester City	London
15:00	Defoe 52'	Sporting Life report	25' Anelka	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 35,282 Referee: C. Foy (Merseyside)

Manchester City v Southampton

17 April 2004	Manchester City	1–3	Southampton	Manchester
15:00	Anelka 78'	Sporting Life report	34' Beattie 55' 81' Phillips	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,152 Referee: G. Barber (Hertfordshire)

Leicester City v Manchester City

24 April 2004	Leicester City	1–1	Manchester City	Leicester
15:00	Scowcroft 66'	Sporting Life report	45' Tarnat	Stadium: Walkers Stadium Attendance: 31,457 Referee: A. D'Urso (Essex)

Manchester City v Newcastle United

1 May 2004	Manchester City	1–0	Newcastle United	Manchester
15:00	Wanchope 59'	Sporting Life report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,226 Referee: M. Halsey (Lancashire)

Middlesbrough v Manchester City

8 May 2004	Middlesbrough	2–1	Manchester City	Middlesbrough
15:00	Maccarone 8' Nemeth 32'	Sporting Life report	35' Wanchope	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 34,734 Referee: M. Riley (W. Yorkshire)

Manchester City v Everton

15 May 2004	Manchester City	5–1	Everton	Manchester
15:00	Wanchope 16' 30' Anelka 41' Sibierski 89' Wright-Phillips 90'	Sporting Life report	60' Campbell	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,284 Referee: S. Dunn (Gloucestershire)

UEFA Cup

Manchester City v Total Network Solutions

14 August 2003 Qualifying (1st Leg)	Manchester City	5–0	Total Network Solutions	Manchester, England
	Sinclair 14' Wright-Phillips 51' Sun 60' Sommeil 74' Anelka 87'	Sporting Life report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 34,103 Referee: Alexey Tiumin (Russia)

Total Network Solutions v Manchester City

28 August 2003 Qualifying (2nd Leg)	Total Network Solutions	0–2	Manchester City	Cardiff, Wales
		Sporting Life report	41' Negouai Huckerby	Stadium: Millennium Stadium Referee: Zsolt Szabo (Hungary)

Manchester City v Sporting Lokeren

24 September 2003 Round 1 (1st Leg)	Manchester City	3–2	Sporting Lokeren	Manchester, England
	Sibierski 8' Fowler 77' Anelka 80' (pen.)	Sporting Life report	14' Zoundi 40' Kristinsson	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 29,067 Referee: Grzegorz Gilewski (Poland)

Sporting Lokeren v Manchester City

15 October 2003 Round 1 (2nd Leg)	Sporting Lokeren	0–1	Manchester City	Lokeren, Belgium
		Sporting Life report	19' (pen.) Anelka	Stadium: Daknamstadion Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Damien Ledentu (France)

Manchester City v Groclin Dyskobolia

6 November 2003 Round 2 (1st Leg)	Manchester City	1–1	Groclin Dyskobolia	Manchester, England
	Anelka 6'	Sporting Life report	65' Mila	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 32,506 Referee: G. Kaznaferis (Greece)

Groclin Dyskobolia v Manchester City

27 November 2003 Round 2 (2nd Leg)	Groclin Dyskobolia	0–0	Manchester City	Grodzisk Wielkopolski, Poland
		Sporting Life report		Stadium: Stadion Dyskobolia Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt (Sweden)

Final aggregate score 1–1 with Groclin progressing on away goals rule

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League Cup

Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City

28 October 2003 Round 3	Queens Park Rangers	0–3	Manchester City	London
19:45		Sporting Life report	22' 77' Wright-Phillips 79' Macken	Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 16,773 Referee: S. Dunn (Gloucestershire)

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

3 December 2003 Round 4	Tottenham Hotspur	3–1	Manchester City	London
19:45	Anderton 9' Postiga 30' Kanouté 90'	Sporting Life report	80' Fowler	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 31,727 Referee: P. Durkin (Dorset)

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FA Cup

Manchester City v Leicester City

3 January 2004 Round 3	Manchester City	2–2	Leicester City	Manchester
15:00	Anelka 27' (pen.) 69'	Sporting Life report	4' Dickov 66' Bent	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 30,617 Referee: G. Poll (Hertfordshire)

Leicester City v Manchester City

14 January 2004 Round 3 (replay)	Leicester City	1–3	Manchester City	Leicester
19:45	Ferdinand 73'	Sporting Life report	12' Sibierski 90' Macken 90' Anelka	Stadium: Walkers Stadium Attendance: 18,916 Referee: G. Poll (Hertfordshire)

Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur

25 January 2004 Round 4	Manchester City	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Manchester
13:00	Anelka 11'	Sporting Life report	57' Doherty	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 34,000 Referee: S. Dunn (Gloucestershire)

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

4 February 2004 Round 4 (replay)	Tottenham Hotspur	3–4	Manchester City	London
19:45	King 2' Keane 19' Ziege 43'	Sporting Life report MCFC video	45' Barton 48' Distin 69' Bosvelt 80' Wright-Phillips 90' Macken	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 30,400 Referee: R. Styles (Hampshire)

Manchester United v Manchester City

14 February 2004 Round 5	Manchester United	4–2	Manchester City	Manchester
12:30	Scholes 34' Neville  39' van Nistelrooy 71' Ronaldo 74' van Nistelrooy 80'	Sporting Life report	78' Tarnat 86' Fowler	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 67,228 Referee: J. Winter (Cleveland)

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		UEFA Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK	ENG	David Seaman	26	0	19	0	1	0	1	0	5	0
1	GK	ENG	David James	18	0	17	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
12	GK	ENG	Nicky Weaver	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
25	GK	ISL	Árni Gautur Arason	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
32	GK	DEN	Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard	5	0	2+2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Defenders
2	DF	FRA	David Sommeil	25	2	18	1	2	0	1	0	4	1
3	DF	BEL	Daniel Van Buyten	6	0	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
4	DF	NED	Gerard Wiekens	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
5	DF	FRA	Sylvain Distin	50	3	38	2	5	1	2	0	5	0
17	DF	CHN	Sun Jihai	42	2	29+4	1	3	0	1	0	5	1
18	DF	GER	Michael Tarnat	41	4	32	3	4	1	2	0	3	0
22	DF	IRL	Richard Dunne	40	0	28+1	0	5	0	2	0	3+1	0
27	DF	NED	Mikkel Bischoff	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
41	DF	ENG	Stephen Jordan	2	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Midfielders
6	MF	USA	Claudio Reyna	31	1	19+4	1	3	0	1	0	2+2	0
19	MF	AUS	Danny Tiatto	9	0	1+4	0	0	0	0	0	2+2	0
20	MF	ENG	Steve McManaman	30	0	20+2	0	2+1	0	0+1	0	4	0
24	MF	ENG	Joey Barton	39	1	24+4	1	3+1	0	2	0	2+3	0
26	MF	NED	Paul Bosvelt	35	1	22+3	0	4	1	1	0	4+1	0
28	MF	ENG	Trevor Sinclair	38	2	20+9	1	3+1	0	2	0	3	1
29	MF	ENG	Shaun Wright-Phillips	46	11	32+2	7	3+1	1	2	2	4+2	1
30	MF	FRA	Christian Negouai	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
42	MF	IRL	Glenn Whelan	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
44	MF	IRL	Willo Flood	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Forwards
8	FW	ENG	Robbie Fowler	41	10	23+8	7	4	1	2	1	4	1
9	FW	CRC	Paulo Wanchope	26	6	12+10	6	0	0	0	0	1+3	0
10	FW	FRA	Antoine Sibierski	30	7	18+5	5	3+2	1	0+1	0	1	1
11	FW	ENG	Jon Macken	21	4	7+8	1	1+2	2	0+1	1	1+1	0
39	FW	FRA	Nicolas Anelka	43	24	31+1	16	4	4	2	0	5	4
45	FW	IRL	Stephen Elliott	2	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players transferred out during the season
1	GK	ENG	David Seaman	26	0	19	0	1	0	1	0	5	0
7	FW	ENG	Darren Huckerby	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
14	MF	ISR	Eyal Berkovic	7	0	1+3	0	0	0	0+1	0	2	0

Starting 11

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	MS	Notes
1	GK		David Seaman	26
17	RB		Sun Jihai	38
22	CB		Richard Dunne	38
5	CB		Sylvain Distin	50
18	LB		Michael Tarnat	41
28	RM		Trevor Sinclair	28
24	CM		Joey Barton	31	Steve McManaman had 26 starts
26	CM		Paul Bosvelt	31
29	LM		Shaun Wright-Phillips	41
8	CF		Robbie Fowler	33
39	CF		Nicolas Anelka	42

Goal scorers

All competitions Scorer Goals Nicolas Anelka 24 Shaun Wright-Phillips 11 Robbie Fowler 10 Antoine Sibierski 7 Paulo Wanchope 6 Jon Macken 4 Michael Tarnat Sylvain Distin 3 Sun Jihai 2 Trevor Sinclair David Sommeil Joey Barton 1 Paul Bosvelt Darren Huckerby Christian Negouai Claudio Reyna

Premier League Scorer Goals Nicolas Anelka 16 Robbie Fowler 7 Shaun Wright-Phillips Paulo Wanchope 6 Antoine Sibierski 5 Michael Tarnat 3 Sylvain Distin 2 Joey Barton 1 Sun Jihai Jon Macken Claudio Reyna David Sommeil Trevor Sinclair

UEFA Cup Scorer Goals Nicolas Anelka 4 Robbie Fowler 1 Darren Huckerby Sun Jihai Christian Negouai Shaun Wright-Phillips Antoine Sibierski Trevor Sinclair David Sommeil

League Cup and FA Cup Scorer Goals Nicolas Anelka 4 Jon Macken 3 Shaun Wright-Phillips Robbie Fowler 2 Paul Bosvelt 1 Sylvain Distin Antoine Sibierski Michael Tarnat

Information current as of 15 May 2004 (end of season)

Transfers and loans

Transfers in Date Pos. Player From club Transfer fee 4 June 2003 MF Michael Tarnat Bayern Munich Free[4] 21 June 2003 GK David Seaman Arsenal Free[5] 21 July 2003 MF Trevor Sinclair West Ham United £2.5 million[6] 24 July 2003 MF Paul Bosvelt Feyenoord Undisclosed[7] 2 August 2003 MF Antoine Sibierski Lens £700,000[8] 29 August 2003 MF Claudio Reyna Sunderland £2.5 million[9] 30 August 2003 MF Steve McManaman Real Madrid Free[10] 14 January 2004 GK David James West Ham United £2 million[11] Jan. 2004 GK Árni Gautur Arason Rosenborg Free[12]

Transfers out Exit date Pos. Player To club Transfer fee May 2003 James Almond Released[13] May 2003 Mark Egerton Released[13] May 2003 Philip Gilder Released[13] May 2003 Adam James Released[13] May 2003 Adrian Orr Released[13] May 2003 David Tickle Released[13] May 2003 Ashley Timms Released[13] May 2003 FW Gary Browne Whitby Town Released[13] May 2003 DF Stephen Paisley Longford Town Released[13] 23 May 2003 DF Tyrone Loran Tranmere Rovers Undisclosed[14] 5 June 2003 DF Steve Howey Leicester City £200,000[15][16] 8 July 2003 DF Niclas Jensen Borussia Dortmund £750,000[17] 24 July 2003 GK Brian Murphy Swansea City Free[18] 25 July 2003 DF Alfie Haaland Retired[19] 27 July 2003 MF Ali Benarbia Al-Rayyan Free[20] 1 August 2003 FW Shaun Goater Reading £500,000[21] 14 August 2003 GK Carlo Nash Middlesbrough Nominal[22] 15 August 2003 MF Kevin Horlock West Ham United £300,000[23] 22 August 2003 DF Paul Ritchie Walsall Free[24] 25 August 2003 DF Lucien Mettomo Kaiserslautern £500,000[25] 26 December 2003 FW Darren Huckerby Norwich City £750,000[26][27] 8 January 2004 MF Eyal Berkovic Portsmouth £500,000[28] 15 January 2004 GK David Seaman Retired[29]

Loans in Date from Date to Pos. Player From club 31 Jan 2004 31 May 2004 DF Daniel Van Buyten Olympique de Marseille[30][31]

Loans out Date from Date to Pos. Player To club 3 July 2003 31 May 2004 FW Matias Vuoso Santos Laguna[32] 7 Aug 2003 7 Nov 2003 MF Chris Shuker Rochdale[33][34][35] 10 Sep 2003 12 Dec 3 FW Darren Huckerby Norwich City[36] 29 Sep 2003 30 Oct 2003 MF Glenn Whelan Bury[37] 11 Dec 2003  ??? 2004 MF Chris Shuker Hartlepool United[38] 24 Dec 2003 24 Jan 2004 MF Glenn Whelan Bury[39][40] Jan. 2004 Daniel Bardiello Barnsley 31 Jan 2004 31 May 2004 DF David Sommeil Olympique de Marseille[30] 2 Feb 4 0000Dorryl Profitt Coventry City[41] MF Christian Negouai Sturm Graz 15 Mar 2004 15 Apr 2004 MF Willo Flood Rochdale[42]

References

1. "The greatest comeback ever?". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 February 2004. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
2. "Great FA Cup comebacks of our time". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited. 5 February 2004. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
3. "Man City takes First Advice in £5m shirt deal". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited. 18 April 2002. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
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6. "Sinclair joins Man City". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 July 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
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8. "Man City land Sibierski". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 August 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
9. "Man City sign Reyna". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 August 2003. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
10. "McManaman joins Man City". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 30 August 2003. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
11. "James seals Man City deal". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 January 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
12. "Keegan looks at Arason". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 13 January 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
13. "Premiership ins and outs". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited. 1 September 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
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15. "Foxes move for Howey". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 June 2003. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
16. "City keen to sell". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 16 June 2003. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
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18. "Transfers – July 2003". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 31 July 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
19. "Haaland set to retire". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 July 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
20. "Benarbia heads to Qatar". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 July 2003. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
21. "Reading sign Goater". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 August 2003. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
22. "Nash joins Boro". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 August 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
23. "West Ham sign Horlock". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 15 August 2003. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
24. "Paul Ritchie – Career". soccerbase.com. (Racing Post). Retrieved 5 March 2011.
25. "Mettomo answers Kaiserslautern call". uefa.com. (Union of European Football Associations). 25 August 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
26. "Huckerby's Norwich move back on". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 December 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
27. "Huckerby completes Norwich move". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 December 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
28. "Pompey sign Berkovic". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 January 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
29. "Seaman eyes Gunners post". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 15 January 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
30. "Man City sign Van Buyten". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 31 January 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
31. "City to lose Van Buyten". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
32. "Keegan lets Vuoso go". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 3 July 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
33. "Rochdale bring in Shuker". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 7 August 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
34. "Shuker stays at Rochdale". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 September 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
35. "Shuker shuns Dale extension". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 November 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
36. "Worthington hails Huckerby". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 December 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
37. "Bury bag Whelan". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 September 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
38. "Transfers – December 2003". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 January 2004. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
39. "Bury sign Whelan on loan". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 24 December 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
40. "Shakers extend loan deals". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 February 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
41. "February 2004". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 6 March 2004. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
42. "Rochdale snap up duo". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 15 March 2004. Retrieved 27 February 2011.