During the 2002–03 English football season, Everton F.C.

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 competed in the FA Premier League

FA Premier League

The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

 (known as the Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

Season summary

After spending the last few seasons struggling against relegation, Everton, revitalised under David Moyes

David Moyes

David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...

, spent the season challenging for European qualification, at one stage going ahead of arch-rivals Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

, who had finished runners-up the previous season. Everton memorably ended Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

's unbeaten run in a match at Goodison Park

Goodison Park

Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

 which saw teenage striker Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...

 score the winner, his debut Premiership goal. Rooney was later nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year

PFA Young Player of the Year

The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...

 award, but lost to Newcastle

Newcastle United F.C.

Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

's Jermaine Jenas

Jermaine Jenas

Jermaine Anthony Jenas is an English footballer who plays for Aston Villa in the Premier League on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. He is of mixed African-Caribbean and English descent.-Nottingham Forest:...

.

The club had less luck in the FA Cup. They were surprising knocked out by Third Division (now League Two) side Shrewsbury Town

Shrewsbury Town F.C.

Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...

 in the third round.

Squad

Left club during season

Starting 11

Only considering Premiership starts

• GK: #1,   Richard Wright
  Richard Wright (footballer)
  Richard Ian Wright is an English professional goalkeeper, currently playing for Ipswich Town, now his third spell with the club having played earlier in the season for the reserves...
  
  , 33
• RB: #28,   Tony Hibbert
  Tony Hibbert
  Anthony James "Tony" Hibbert is an English footballer, who currently plays for Everton. Originally a midfielder, Hibbert now plays at right back.-Club career:...
  
  , 23
• CB: #4,   Alan Stubbs
  Alan Stubbs
  Alan Stubbs is a retired English footballer who played as a centre back. He was forced to retire from professional football due to a troublesome knee injury on the 20 August 2008. The final match of his career was against Doncaster Rovers on 9 August 2008...
  
  , 34
• CB: #5,   David Weir, 27
• LB: #6,   David Unsworth
  David Unsworth
  David Gerald Unsworth is an English former footballer who played in the position of centre-back or left-back, and is currently first team coach at Preston North End....
  
  , 32
• RM: #12,   Li Tie
  Li Tie
  Li Tie is a professional Chinese international footballer who currently plays for Liaoning Whowin F.C. in the Chinese Super League. Starting his career playing for Liaoning F.C. Li would rise to prominence during the 1999 Chinese league season when Liaoning came runners-up within the league...
  
  , 28
• CM: #26,   Lee Carsley
  Lee Carsley
  Lee Kevin Carsley is a former professional footballer who played in the Football League and Premier League for Derby County, Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City, Everton and Birmingham City. Although English by birth, he represented the Republic of Ireland internationally...
  
  , 21
• CM: #16,   Thomas Gravesen
  Thomas Gravesen
  Thomas Gravesen is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has played for teams such as Hamburger SV, Everton F.C., Real Madrid CF and Celtic F.C.....
  
  , 30
• LM: #15,   Gary Naysmith
  Gary Naysmith
  Gary Andrew Naysmith is a Scottish footballer, currently playing for Huddersfield Town in League One and has been capped for the Scotland national team 46 times...
  
  , 24
• CF: #9,   Kevin Campbell
  Kevin Campbell (footballer)
  Kevin Joseph Campbell is an English former football player who played as a striker.-Playing career:Campbell began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1985...
  
  , 31
• CF: #8,   Tomasz Radzinski
  Tomasz Radzinski
  Not to be confused with the Czech footballer Tomáš RosickýTomasz Radzinski is a Canadian association footballer who plays as a striker. He is currently unattached.-Club career:...
  
  , 27