The 2002-2003 season proved to be an unlucky one for the Gunners despite the brilliance of their striker, Thierry Henry. They dominated the league along with Manchester United, however the Gunners lost their way towards the end of the season, most notably losing a league match against a Mark Viduka inspired Leeds United side with few matches remaining. They finished the season off second place as United were crowned league champions. The Gunners were outstanding in the FA Cup and met Southampton in the final, in what proved to be an emotional day for David Seamen and Tony Adams, the Gunners defeated the Saints 1-0.
The 2003-04 season saw Arsenal become a dominant force in English football as they totally dominated the top flight, being crowned champions by the end of the campaign, it was a season which saw the Gunners remain unbeaten through out, winning 26 matches and drawing the other 12 games. Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera were outstanding for Arsenal. Dennis Bergkamp and Freedie Ljungberg were also key members of the Arsenal side. Arsenal were beatable in the League Cup and FA Cup, however it was only after a tremendous run in the competitions that they suffered defeat in the semi finals of both tournament against Middlesbrough and Man United respectively.
Arsenal started the 2004-05 season off in the most emphatic fashion, however after breaking their 49 match unbeaten league run few months into the season after suffering defeat against Manchester United, Arsenal lost their form. Robert Pires was inspirational for the Gunners however they could not find back their magical form in the league and finished the season off in second place, losing the title to Chelsea. The pleasure of Arsenal’s season was reaching the FA Cup final and they met their rivals, Manchester United in the final. Despite United dominating the entire encounter, Arsenal won on penalties, with Ashley Cole scoring the decisive penalty. At the end of the 2004 -2005 season, Arsene Wenger lost both Edu and Patrick Viera and the Gunners were looking for success in the league.
The 2005-06 campaign proved to be the Gunners worst league campaign in 10 years as they lost 11 matches and were fortunate enough to finish the season off in fourth place just above their north London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. The Gunner lost to Wigan in the semi finals of the league cup. They enjoyed a fantastic run in the Champions league and reached the final, for the first time since it was created in 1992. They lost the final 2-1 against Barcelona, with Sol Campbell scoring the goal for Arsenal in a match that Jens Lehmann was sent off. The Arsenal side of the 2005-06 season included players like Francesc Fabregas, Jose Antonio Reyes, Kolo Toure, Gilberto Silva, Robin Van Persie, Aliaksandr Hleb and Denilson Pereira Neves.