2001–02 Leeds United A.F.C. season

Leeds United

2001–02 season
Chairman	Peter Ridsdale
Manager	David O'Leary
Stadium	Elland Road
Premier League	5th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Fourth round
UEFA Cup	Fourth round
Top goalscorer	League: Robbie Fowler Mark Viduka (12 each) All: Mark Viduka (17)
Highest home attendance	40,287 vs. Newcastle United (22 December 2001, Premier League)
Lowest home attendance	33,841 vs. Chelsea (28 November 2001, League Cup)
Average home league attendance	39,460
Home colours Away colours
← 2000–01 2002–03 →

The 2001–02 season saw Leeds United A.F.C. compete in the FA Premier League (known as the Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

Season summary

After reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League and ending the previous season in red hot form much was expected of Leeds, especially with the squad injury-free compared to the start of the previous season. United got off to a good start, including a 2–1 win over Arsenal in the second game of the season, despite being reduced to nine men. By September, back-to-back wins against Charlton and Derby had seen Leeds go top of the Premiership. Leeds also progressed in the UEFA Cup with strikers Robbie Keane and Harry Kewell scoring regularly. Leeds weren't beaten in the league until November, shortly after which manager David O'Leary finally landed prize striker Robbie Fowler from Liverpool for £11 million - O'Leary had tried to buy Fowler two seasons earlier. Over Christmas and the New Year the trial of star players Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate was back under way. Despite this, consecutive wins over Bolton, Southampton and West Ham put Leeds back on top of the league on New Year's Day, with new signing Fowler and fellow striker Mark Viduka scoring often. Just as Bowyer and Woodgate were found not guilty a shock 2–1 loss to Second Division Cardiff, knocking Leeds out of the FA Cup, kickstarted a drop in form. Leeds embarked on a run of nine straight games without a win, including being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Dutch side PSV. United had now fallen out of the title race and although they recovered with a 2–0 win at home to Ipswich, they had lost too much ground at the top of the league and back-to-back losses against Manchester United and Tottenham ended any hope of a top 4 finish. Leeds recovered to win 4 out of their final 5 games but finished a disappointing 5th.

After the season had finished, O'Leary was sacked. He had been in charge at Leeds since October 1998, never finishing outside the Premiership top five (coming 4th, 3rd, 4th, and 5th). Leeds had also played in UEFA Cup and Champions League semi-finals during his tenure. Dispute about the real reason for O'Leary's sacking continues to this day.

Final league table

Results summary

Results by round

Players

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[1]

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 Nigel Martyn 2 DF  IRL Gary Kelly 3 DF  IRL Ian Harte 4 MF  FRA Olivier Dacourt 6 DF  ENG Jonathan Woodgate 7 FW  IRL Robbie Keane 9 FW  AUS Mark Viduka 10 FW  AUS Harry Kewell 11 MF  ENG Lee Bowyer 13 GK  ENG Paul Robinson 16 MF  ENG Jason Wilcox 17 FW  ENG Alan Smith

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 DF  ENG Danny Mills 19 MF  NOR Eirik Bakke 20 MF  ENG Seth Johnson 21 DF  SCO Dominic Matteo 22 DF  ENG Michael Duberry 23 MF  ENG David Batty 25 MF  AUS Jacob Burns 27 FW  ENG Robbie Fowler 28 MF  ENG Jamie McMaster 29 DF  ENG Rio Ferdinand (captain) 32 MF  ENG Harpal Singh 34 DF  ENG Frazer Richardson

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 14 MF  IRL Stephen McPhail (on loan to Millwall) 26 GK  AUS Danny Milosevic (on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers) 27 DF  IRL Alan Maybury (to Hearts)

No. Pos. Nation Player 31 DF  ENG Gareth Evans (to Huddersfield Town) 33 MF  NIR Wesley Boyle (released) — DF  IRL Damian Lynch (to Nottingham Forest)

Reserve squad

The following players did not appear in a first-team squad this 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 5 DF  RSA Lucas Radebe 8 FW  ENG Michael Bridges 24 DF  NZL Danny Hay 35 DF  AUS Shane Cansdell-Sherriff 50 GK  ENG Shaun Allaway — DF  ENG Christopher Kamara — DF  ENG Matthew Kilgallon

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  ENG Tom Newey — MF  ENG Aaron Lennon — MF  IRL Paul Keegan — FW  ENG Craig Farrell — FW  ENG Simon Johnson — FW  WAL Craig Stiens — FW  NIR Michael Ward

Results

Premier League

Leeds United v Southampton

18 August 2001 1	Leeds United	2–0	Southampton	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Bowyer 67' Smith 81'	Report	Lundekvam  90'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,715 Referee: Clive Wilkes

Arsenal v Leeds United

21 August 2001 2	Arsenal	1–2	Leeds United	Islington, London
	Wiltord 32'	Report	Harte 29' Viduka 53' Bowyer  78' Mills  87'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,062 Referee: Jeff Winter

Charlton Athletic v Leeds United

16 September 2001 5	Charlton Athletic	0–2	Leeds United	Greenwich, London
	Stuart  37'	Report	Keane 21' Mills 62'	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 20,451 Referee: Mark Halsey

Leeds United v Derby County

23 September 2001 6	Leeds United	3–0	Derby County	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Bakke 9' Kewell 74', 78'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,155 Referee: Alan Wiley

Ipswich Town v Leeds United

30 September 2001 7	Ipswich Town	1–2	Leeds United	Ipswich, Suffolk
	Stewart 22'	Report	Keane 70' Venus 86' (o.g.)	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 22,643 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Liverpool v Leeds United

13 October 2001 8	Liverpool	1–1	Leeds United	Liverpool, Merseyside
	Murphy 69'	Report	Kewell 27'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,352 Referee: Alan Wiley

Manchester United v Leeds United

27 October 2001 10	Manchester United	1–1	Leeds United	Trafford, Greater Manchester
	Solskjær 89'	Report	Viduka 77'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 67,555 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Leeds United v Tottenham

4 November 2001 11	Leeds United	2–1	Tottenham	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Harte 61' Kewell 82'	Report	Poyet 52'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,203 Referee: Steve Bennett

Sunderland v Leeds United

18 November 2001 12	Sunderland	2–0	Leeds United	Sunderland, Wearside
	Arca 48' Phillips 55'	Report		Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 48,005 Referee: Graham Barber

Leeds United v Aston Villa

25 November 2001 13	Leeds United	1–1	Aston Villa	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Smith 18'  32'	Report	Kachloul 35'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,159 Referee: Neale Barry

Blackburn Rovers v Leeds United

9 December 2001 15	Blackburn Rovers	1–2	Leeds United	Blackburn, Lancashire
	Berg 83'	Report	Kewell 55', 62'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 28,309 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Leeds United v Leicester City

16 December 2001 16	Leeds United	2–2	Leicester City	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Kewell 7' Viduka 58'	Report	Deane 78' Scowcroft 88'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 38,337 Referee: Rob Styles

Leeds United v Everton

19 December 2001 17	Leeds United	3–2	Everton	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Viduka 18' Fowler 26', 70'	Report	Moore 86' Weir 90'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,201 Referee: Peter Jones

Leeds United v Newcastle United

22 December 2001 18	Leeds United	3–4	Newcastle United	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Bowyer 38' Viduka 50' Harte 56'	Report	Bellamy 38' Elliott 59' Shearer 71' (pen.) Solano 90'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,287 Referee: Jeff Winter

Bolton Wanderers v Leeds United

26 December 2001 19	Bolton Wanderers	0–3	Leeds United	Bolton, Greater Manchester
		Report	Fowler 2', 16', 89'	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 27,060 Referee: Alan Wiley

Southampton v Leeds United

29 December 2001 20	Southampton	0–1	Leeds United	Southampton, Hampshire
		Report	Bowyer 89'	Stadium: St. Mary's Stadium Attendance: 31,622 Referee: Mark Halsey

Leeds United v West Ham United

1 January 2002 21	Leeds United	3–0	West Ham United	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Viduka 4', 7' Fowler 50'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,320 Referee: Steve Dunn

Newcastle United v Leeds United

12 January 2002 22	Newcastle United	3–1	Leeds United	Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyneside
	Duberry 44' (o.g.) Dyer 60' Bellamy 87'	Report	Smith 1' Mills  70'	Stadium: St. James' Park Attendance: 52,130 Referee: Graham Barber

Leeds United v Arsenal

20 January 2002 23	Leeds United	1–1	Arsenal	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Fowler 6'	Report	Pires 47'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,143 Referee: Mark Halsey

Chelsea v Leeds United

30 January 2002 24	Chelsea	2–0	Leeds United	Fulham, London
	Guðjohnsen 2' Dalla Bona 31'	Report		Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 40,614 Referee: Steve Bennett

Leeds United v Liverpool

3 February 2002 25	Leeds United	0–4	Liverpool	Leeds, West Yorkshire
		Report	Ferdinand 16' (o.g.) Heskey 61', 63' Owen 90'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,216 Referee: Graham Poll

Middlesbrough v Leeds United

9 February 2002 26	Middlesbrough	2–2	Leeds United	Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
	Ince 51' Windass 88'	Report	Bakke 19' Fowler 54'	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 30,221 Referee: Neale Barry

Everton v Leeds United

3 March 2002 28	Everton	0–0	Leeds United	Liverpool, Merseyside
		Report	Matteo  39'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 33,226 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Leeds United v Ipswich Town

6 March 2002 29	Leeds United	2–0	Ipswich Town	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Fowler 46' Harte 76' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,414 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Leeds United v Blackburn Rovers

17 March 2002 30	Leeds United	3–1	Blackburn Rovers	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Fowler 5', 8' Kewell 71'	Report	Jansen 49'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,857 Referee: Graham Poll

Leicester City v Leeds United

23 March 2002 31	Leicester City	0–2	Leeds United	Leicester, Leicestershire
		Report	Viduka 18' Fowler 31'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 18,976 Referee: Steve Dunn

Leeds United v Manchester United

30 March 2002 32	Leeds United	3–4	Manchester United	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Viduka 20' Harte 62' Bowyer 80'	Report	Scholes 8' Solskjær 37', 39' Giggs 55'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,058 Referee: David Elleray

Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United

1 April 2002 33	Tottenham Hotspur	2–1	Leeds United	Haringey, London
	Iversen 10' Sheringham 29'	Report	Viduka 52'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 35,167 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Leeds United v Sunderland

7 April 2002 34	Leeds United	2–0	Sunderland	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Craddock 8' (o.g.) Keane 83'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,195 Referee: Peter Jones

Aston Villa v Leeds United

13 April 2002 35	Aston Villa	0–1	Leeds United	Birmingham, West Midlands
		Report	Viduka 29'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 40,039 Referee: Barry Knight

Leeds United v Fulham

20 April 2002 36	Leeds United	0–1	Fulham	Leeds, West Yorkshire
		Report	Malbranque 52'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,111 Referee: Rob Styles

Derby County v Leeds United

27 April 2002 37	Derby County	0–1	Leeds United	Derby, Derbyshire
		Report	Bowyer 16'	Stadium: Pride Park Stadium Attendance: 30,075 Referee: Graham Poll

Leeds United v Middlesbrough

11 May 2002 38	Leeds United	1–0	Middlesbrough	Leeds, West Yorkshire
	Smith 63'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,218 Referee: Uriah Rennie

FA Cup

Cardiff City v Leeds United

6 January 2002 3	Cardiff City	2–1	Leeds United	Cardiff
	Kavanagh 21' Young 87'	Report	Viduka 12' Smith	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 22,009 Referee: Andy D'Urso

League Cup

Leicester City v Leeds United

9 October 2001 3	Leicester City	0–6	Leeds United	Leicester, Leicestershire
		Report	Keane 12', 16', 53' Bakke 40' Viduka 56' Kewell 64'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 16,316 Referee: Graham Poll

Leeds United v Chelsea

28 November 2001 4	Leeds United	0–2	Chelsea	Leeds, West Yorkshire
		Report	Guðjohnsen 59', 80'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 33,841 Referee: Jeff Winter

UEFA Cup

Marítimo v Leeds United

20 September 2001 First round First leg	Marítimo	1–0	Leeds United	Funchal, Portugal
	Bruno 34'	Report		Stadium: Estádio dos Barreiros Referee: Jack Van Hulten (Netherlands)

Leeds United v Marítimo

27 September 2001 First round Second leg	Leeds United	3–0	Marítimo	Leeds, England
	Keane 20' Kewell 37' Bakke 62'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Referee: Stefano Faria (Italy)

Leeds United v Troyes

18 October 2001 Second round First leg	Leeds United	4–2	Troyes	Leeds, England
	Viduka 6', 43' Bowyer 23', 46'	Report	Patrice Loko 31', 81' Mehdi Méniri	Stadium: Elland Road Referee: Fernando Carmona Mendez (Spain)

Troyes v Leeds United

1 November 2001 Second round Second leg	Troyes	3–2	Leeds United	Troyes, France
	Amzine 8' Hamed 38' Rothen 58'	Report	Viduka 14' Keane 77'	Stadium: Stade de l'Aube Referee: Massimo De Santis (Italy)

Grasshoppers v Leeds United

22 November 2001 Third round First leg	Grasshoppers	1–2	Leeds United	Zürich, Switzerland
	Chapuisat 18'	Report	Harte 73' Smith 79'	Stadium: Letzigrund Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Lucílio Batista (Portugal)

Leeds United v Grasshoppers

6 December 2001 Third round Second leg	Leeds United	2–2	Grasshoppers	Leeds, England
	Kewell 19' Keane 45'	Report	Núñez 45', 90'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 40,014 Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

Leeds United v PSV Eindhoven

28 February 2002 Fourth round Second leg	Leeds United	0–1	PSV Eindhoven	Leeds, England
		Report	Vennegoor of Hesselink 90'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,755 Referee: Antonio Jesús López Nieto (Spain)

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	Nigel Martyn	49	0	38	0	1	0	2	0	8	0
Defenders
2	DF	IRL	Gary Kelly	25	0	19+1	0	1	0	0+1	0	3	0
3	DF	IRL	Ian Harte	47	6	34+2	5	1	0	2	0	8	1
6	DF	ENG	Jonathan Woodgate	15	0	11+2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
18	DF	ENG	Danny Mills	39	1	28	1	1	0	2	0	8	0
21	DF	SCO	Dominic Matteo	40	0	32	0	0	0	1	0	7	0
22	DF	ENG	Michael Duberry	7	0	3	0	0+1	0	0+2	0	1	0
29	DF	ENG	Rio Ferdinand	41	0	31	0	1	0	2	0	7	0
Midfielders
4	MF	FRA	Olivier Dacourt	25	0	16+1	0	0	0	2	0	6	0
10	MF	AUS	Harry Kewell	35	11	26+1	8	0	0	1	1	7	2
11	MF	ENG	Lee Bowyer	30	7	24+1	5	1	0	1	0	3	2
16	MF	ENG	Jason Wilcox	17	0	4+9	0	0	0	1	0	2+1	0
17	MF	ENG	Alan Smith	31	5	19+4	4	1	0	1+1	0	4+1	1
19	MF	NOR	Eirik Bakke	35	4	20+7	2	0	0	2	1	6	1
20	MF	ENG	Seth Johnson	14	0	12+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	MF	ENG	David Batty	44	0	30+6	0	1	0	1	0	5+1	0
Forwards
7	FW	IRL	Robbie Keane	33	9	16+9	3	0	0	2	3	6	3
9	FW	AUS	Mark Viduka	42	17	33	12	1	1	1	1	7	3
27	FW	ENG	Robbie Fowler	23	12	22	12	1	0	0	0	0	0
Players transferred out during the season
14	MF	IRL	Stephen McPhail	4	0	0+1	0	0	0	0+2	0	0+1	0
27	DF	IRL	Alan Maybury	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Transfers

In

Date	Nat.	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
18 October 2001		Seth Johnson	Derby County	£9,000,000	[2]
29 November 2001		Robbie Fowler	Liverpool	£11,000,000	[3]

Out

Date	Nat.	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
12 June 2001		Warren Feeney	Bournemouth	Free	[citation needed]
14 June 2001		Damian Lynch	Released		[citation needed]
2 July 2001		Kevin Dixon	Barnsley	Free	[citation needed]
12 July 2001		Tony Hackworth	Notts County	£1,200,000	[citation needed]
9 August 2001		Gareth Evans	Huddersfield Town	Free	[citation needed]
12 October 2001		Alan Maybury	Hearts	£150,000	[citation needed]
20 March 2002		Wesley Boyle	Released		[citation needed]
15 May 2002		Danny Hay	Released		[citation needed]

Loaned out

Date	Nat.	Name	To	Ref.
11 September 2001		Harpal Singh	Bury	[citation needed]
5 October 2001		Caleb Folan	Rushden & Diamonds	[citation needed]
30 November 2001		Caleb Folan	Hull City	[citation needed]
7 March 2002		Harpal Singh	Bristol City	[citation needed]
13 March 2002		Stephen McPhail	Millwall	[citation needed]

References