Man who almost ended Arsenal’s Invincible season says "I loved it when I scored"

After going 37 matches unbeaten, Arsenal could have been forgiven for thinking their match with Leicester City on the final day of the 2003-04 season amounted to little more than a walk in the park en route to an invincible campaign.

Having already been relegated two games prior, the Foxes had nothing left to play for but pride. Meanwhile the Gunners stood on the brink of history in front of an expectant Highbury crowd.

So when Paul Dickov put Leicester ahead with a delightful headed finish midway through the first-half, there were more than a few anxious faces among the 38,419 fans inside the famous old stadium.

Arsenal, of course, came back to win 2-1 with goals from Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, completing an Invincible season, but Dickov still cherishes the goal that almost stopped history in its tracks.

Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes at the launch of their new season 5-A-Side bet, Dickov said: "The final game of the 2003-04 season really was a surreal atmosphere.

"I was playing for Leicester at the time and we'd already been relegated, so the pressure was pretty much off us.

Are Arsenal's Invincibles the greatest Premier League side ever? Let us know in the comments section

"But, of course, we had to go to Highbury in a season where Arsenal had gone 37 games unbeaten. They were going for that Invincibles tag.

"Regardless of who I was playing against in my career, I was always going to give it my all. It didn't matter that I used to play for Arsenal, or that they were looking to celebrate something historic.

"I always liked the idea of spoiling a party as the underdogs. It was a massive motivator for me.

Dickov added that following Leicester's relegation, the thought of seeing Arsenal celebrating was a motivating factor ahead of the match.

He continued: "The last thing we wanted to see on that day – knowing we were relegated -was another bunch of players celebrating around us."

And what about that goal? It's fair to say he rather enjoyed it.

"I loved it when I scored the opener in that game", he added.

"It was a rare one as well because I never really got many headers in my career, but I was delighted. I nearly fell into the North Stand when I scored though, right into the Arsenal fans.

Don't miss a thing with our football updates!

Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?

Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!

From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox – don't miss a thing.

How do you sign up?

It only takes a matter of seconds.

Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.

And that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top news stories every single morning.

You can find out more information on our email newsletter on this link here.

"That wouldn't have gone down well, because I know loads of fans were thinking 'please don't let it be Dickov that stops us going unbeaten'."

Get your hands on your club's special edition 2021/22 annual. Find out more here.

Source: Read Full Article