Arsene Wenger once admitted that Arsenal's Invincibles only stayed unbeaten because one of his stars took an infamous dive - even though the player himself insisted 'I am not a cheat'
David Woods and Neil Docking
12:32, 29 Oct 2025
Arsenal's 'Invincibles' streak could have ended as early as September 2003 but for one moment
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Arsenal's 'Invincibles' streak could have ended as early as September 2003 but for one moment(Image: Video Grabs)
Arsenal's last Premier League winners were the legendary 'Invincibles' team who famously went an entire season without losing as they romped to the title.
Mikel Arteta's Gunners are currently leading the English top flight and looking to end the club's 21-year wait to be crowned the champions of England again. But even with their acclaimed defence, the Spanish coach's side have already lost once - a slender 1-0 defeat away at reigning champions Liverpool.
That perhaps shows what an incredible achievement it was by Arsene Wenger's men not to suffer a single loss in the 2003-04 season. The great side registered 26 wins and 12 draws to go through the season undefeated and clinch the title by 11 points. They were awarded a gold trophy - the only team to ever win one - instead of the usual silverware to mark the achievement.
But things could have been very different but for the actions of one of their star men at Highbury on September 13, 2003, when the Gunners earned a controversial 1-1 draw at home to Portsmouth, having been a goal down thanks to an early Teddy Sheringham strike.
Their controversial equaliser came after French winger Robert Pires, who turns 51 today, Wednesday, October 29, tumbled in the box, even though there appeared to be no contact from defender Dejan Stefanovic. Yet referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger holds up his gift of the 2003-04 gold Premier League trophy
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger holds up his gift of the 2003-04 gold Premier League trophy(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Thierry Henry converted the subsequent penalty just before half-time, leaving then Pompey boss Harry Redknapp seething. After the match, Pires insisted: "I did not dive and I am not a cheat. That is not the way I play."
But speaking in 2012, Wenger ended the controversy and admitted Pires had duped the referee while raging about a 3-2 defeat at Swansea, when Nathan Dyer collapsed in the box, earning a penalty for the Swans.
Wenger said: "God knows where it came from. Pires once dived against Portsmouth. For six months it was a story. Dyer dived and nobody said a word. If it doesn’t matter when Dyer dives, why does it matter when Pires dives?"
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Stefanovic also later revealed that Robert Pires had personally apologised for the dive, which helped ensure Arsenal never suffered a defeat that campaign.
Speaking in 2017 in an interview for the book 'Played Up Pompey Too', he said Portsmouth "were on fire" at the start of that season and had taken the game to Arsenal.
He said: "Teddy Sheringham had given us the lead at Highbury then, with half-time approaching, Pires attacked down the left and went down under my challenge inside the box. The referee, Alan Wiley, awarded a penalty, which Thierry Henry converted.
Robert Pires dived to win the penalty
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Robert Pires dived to win the penalty(Image: Video Grabs)
"It wasn’t a foul, I didn't even touch him, he dived over my leg, it's as simple as that. Arsenal were unbeaten through that 2003-04 season as they took the Premier League title, The Invincibles they were christened, but a dive stopped us beating them.
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"After the game, Pires apologised to me: 'That wasn't my decision, it was the referee's, what can I do?'. I accepted that.
"He's a good guy and what happened, happened. You have to look forward to the next game and move on rather than keep analysing that match. That's football.
"On the pitch, you play with emotion and, following the game, players recognise things which occurred, such as a mistake or bad tackle. Most players apologise afterwards - and that's what Pires did."