20 years of the FA Premier League - Part 3

2002/03

HAVING ended the previous season empty-handed, Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United were determined for revenge in 2002/03 and they hunted Arsenal down successfully to regain the Premiership title.  It was their eighth success in 11 years.  Despite having broken the British transfer record to sign Rio Ferdinand from Leeds United for £30million; old frailties seemed to be around Ferguson’s team early in the season.  Bolton beat them at Old Trafford for the second successive season, with Leeds and Manchester City (in the last Manchester derby at Maine Road) also inflicting early season defeats.  Meanwhile, Arsenal and Liverpool both started the season in sensational fashion.  Liverpool went 12 games unbeaten at the start of the season, but then endured a miserable run in wintertime.  Gerard Houiller’s side went 11 games without a win, dropped to 7^th and saw their title challenge melt away.  However, Arsenal continued to fly, with Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord and Robert Pires all in great form.  On March 2, they beat Charlton Athletic at Highbury 2-0 to extend their points advantage over Manchester United to eight points.  Gradually, United took bites out of the deficit, until they overhauled them before a Highbury face-off in mid-April.  Ruud Van Nistlerooy swung the Premiership pendulum United’s way with an early goal, but two Henry strikes in the opening moments of the second half turned the game around.  A free header from Ryan Giggs drew the sides level, before Sol Campbell was sent off controversially for an accidental elbow into the face of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.  The game finished 2-2, and injuries and suspensions took their toll on Wenger’s side.  Ten days later, they threw away a 2-0 lead to draw at Bolton and a week later, it was all over.  Marc Viduka’s 87^th minute winner was not only enough for Leeds to win 3-2 at Highbury and ensure Premiership football at Elland Road for another season, but give the title to one of their bitter rivals.  Newcastle United launched a brief title assault, with Sir Bobby Robson’s exciting young side finishing a creditable third.  Chelsea took the final Champions League spot on offer, as Claudio Ranieri penniless side won the £25million showdown with Liverpool on the final day of the season.  Little did we know of the drama and the new investment to enter West London that summer!  The stress of management was also shown as Glenn Roeder collapsed and was taken to hospital after West Ham beat Middlesbrough 1-0 on April 21.  Trevor Brooking took over the reins, but he couldn’t save his beloved club from shock relegation on the final day of the season.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Arsenal 3^rd: Newcastle United, 4^th: Chelsea 5^th: Liverpool, 6^th: Blackburn Rovers, 7^th: Everton, 8^th; Southampton, 9^th: Manchester City, 10^th: Tottenham

RELEGATED: West Ham United, West Brom, Sunderland

BIGGEST WIN: West Brom 0-6 Liverpool (26 April 2003)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Manchester United 5-3 Newcastle United (23 November 2002), Newcastle United 2-6 Manchester United (12 April 2003), West Ham United 3-4 Leeds United (10 November 2002)

SCORERS: Van Nistlerooy (Manchester United) 25, Henry (Arsenal) 24, Beattie (Southampton) 23, Viduka (Leeds) 20, Owen (Liverpool) 19, Shearer (Newcastle) 17, Scholes (Manchester United) 14, Pires (Arsenal) 14, Anelka (Manchester City) 14, Zola (Chelsea) 14, Keane (Leeds & Tottenham) 14, Kewell (Leeds) 14, Sheringham (Tottenham) 12, Hasselbaink (Chelsea) 11, Radzinski (Everton) 11

2003/04

ONE team dominated the 2003/04 season and totally rewrote the football history books.  On Saturday May 15 2004, Arsenal beat Leicester City 2-1 to complete a truly remarkable feat.  Not since Preston North End in 1888 had this happened.  A team had gone unbeaten for an entire league season.  The Gunners record was; P38, W26, D12, L0.  Arsene Wenger had completed total football perfection.  The turning point of their season was an early showdown with Manchester United at Old Trafford.  The match was disappointing, finishing 0-0.  However, it exploded into life in the closing stages.  Already angered by Patrick Vieira’s dismissal, Arsenal were even more incensed when Diego Forlan went down in stoppage time under a Martin Keown challenge.  Ruud Van Nistlerooy, involved in the Vieira scuffle, hit the crossbar from the penalty, and then, all hell broke loose.  Eight players were charged, with six Gunners players getting up to 18 games in total of suspensions.  After that, Arsenal let their football do the talking, rather than the aggression they showed on that awful day.  Whilst the Gunners were achieving record after record, Chelsea began spending money almost as lavishly at Harrods.  Roman Abramovich bought the club from Ken Bates in June and gave the club fortunes to spend in the transfer market.  In came the likes of Wayne Bridge, Claude Makelele, Damien Duff, Glen Johnson and Adrian Mutu and in also came a new force in the Premiership reckoning.  Chelsea topped the table on merit at the end of November and finished second, their best finish in the league since winning in 1955.  Claudio Ranieri’s reward was the sack.  Manchester United finished a distant third in the table, hobbled by Rio Ferdinand’s eight month suspension he received before Christmas for missing a drugs test.  Amongst their shock defeats was a 1-0 loss away to newly promoted Wolves in January.  Both Liverpool and Newcastle United had very inconsistent seasons, although they just about managed to scrap it out for the final Champions League spot.  A run of four wins in a row towards the season’s end meant Liverpool finished in the coveted fourth position, but Gerard Houiller lost his job after an abject campaign which saw his side finish a mammoth 30 points behind the champions.  Many other established clubs had dismal seasons too.  Tottenham sacked Glenn Hoddle in September, were in the bottom three at the turn of the year and only finished 14^th, whilst Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Everton finished in the bottom six after dreadful seasons.  Worse befall Leeds United however.  Champions League semi-finalists three years earlier, Leeds were relegated as their financial mess imploded with more star players being sold and total disarray in the boardroom.  Leicester City and Wolves went straight back down too, but Portsmouth finished a very creditable 13^th in their first season back in the top flight.

CHAMPIONS: Arsenal, 2^nd: Chelsea 3^rd: Manchester United, 4^th: Liverpool 5^th: Newcastle United, 6^th: Aston Villa, 7^th: Charlton Athletic, 8^th; Bolton Wanderers, 9^th: Fulham, 10^th: Birmingham City

RELEGATED: Leicester City, Leeds United, Wolves

BIGGEST WIN: Portsmouth 6-1 Leeds United (8 November 2003)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Manchester City 6-2 Bolton Wanderers (18 October 2003), Tottenham Hotspur 4-4 Leicester City (22 February 2004), Middlesbrough 5-3 Birmingham City (21 March 2004)

SCORERS: Henry (Arsenal) 30, Shearer (Newcastle) 22, Saha (Fulham & Manchester United) 20, Van Nistlerooy (Manchester United) 20, Forssell (Birmingham) 17, Owen (Liverpool) 16, Angel (Aston Villa) 16, Yakubu (Portsmouth) 16, Anelka (Manchester City) 16, Pires (Arsenal) 14, Beattie (Southampton) 14, Keane (Tottenham) 14, Hasselbaink (Chelsea) 12, Ferdinand (Leicester) 12

2004/05

JOSE Mourinho was welcomed into the Premiership and his mission was simple; to deliver Chelsea their first championship in 50 years.  Along the way, he not only mastered the English game, but revolutionised Chelsea’s fortunes.  On Saturday April 30, the inspirational Frank Lampard scored twice to seal a 2-0 win at Bolton and complete Chelsea’s dream.  They became Premiership champions for the first time.  Not only that, but they rewrote the Premiership history books.  Mourinho’s men only conceded 18 goals all season, whilst new goalkeeper Petr Cech broke the record for the number of minutes he kept goal without conceding.  The Blues managed 95 points, won 27 games, which was the most ever in a 38-game season and lost only once (1-0 at Manchester City on October 16).  Blue really was the colour in 2004/05.  Established contenders Arsenal and Manchester United were forced to play second fiddle.  The Red Devils did manage to end Arsenal’s incredible unbeaten run at 49 games, after another bruising encounter between the two teams at Old Trafford ended 2-0 in United’s favour on October 24.  However, it was Arsenal who had the last laugh and finished second, ensuring automatic qualification for the Champions League.  Having sold star striker Wayne Rooney to Manchester United and been relegation favourites in pre-season, Everton defied all the critics to finish an outstanding fourth in the league, despite a humiliating 7-0 defeat at Arsenal towards the season’s end.  It meant that Everton beat Liverpool in the league table for the first time since 1987, although Rafa Benitez did mastermind an incredible Champions League triumph in his first season at the club.  A new manager became the new fashion this season too with Paul Sturrock (Southampton), Sir Bobby Robson (Newcastle), Gary Megson (West Brom) and Jacques Santini (Tottenham) among those to lose their jobs in the first three months of the season.  Graeme Souness was given the task of managing Newcastle, but he couldn’t stop an amazing incident in April, when two of his midfielders, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer started fighting during a match at home to Aston Villa.  Both were sent off and banned and 14^th place was the final outcome.  At the bottom of the table, Norwich City, Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Brom got locked in an intense dogfight all season.  On ‘Survival Sunday,’ Norwich had their fate in their own hands, but lost 6-0 at Fulham and went straight back down.  Harry Redknapp failed to mastermind Southampton’s sorry season and their 27 year stay in the top flight was ended by a 1-2 loss at home to Manchester United.  West Brom beat Portsmouth 2-0 and a late Charlton equaliser from Jonathan Fortune at home to Crystal Palace was enough for the Baggies to stay up.  In doing so, West Brom became the first team ever to stay up in the Premiership, having been bottom of the table on Christmas Day.

CHAMPIONS: Chelsea, 2^nd: Arsenal 3^rd: Manchester United, 4^th: Everton 5^th: Liverpool, 6^th: Bolton Wanderers, 7^th: Middlesbrough, 8^th; Manchester City, 9^th: Tottenham, 10^th: Aston Villa

RELEGATED: Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Southampton

BIGGEST WIN: Arsenal 7-0 Everton (11 May 2005)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Tottenham Hotspur 4-5 Arsenal (13 November 2004), Arsenal 5-3 Middlesbrough (22 August 2004), Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 Everton (1 January 2005)

SCORERS: Henry (Arsenal) 25, Johnson (Crystal Palace) 21, Pires (Arsenal) 14, Lampard (Chelsea) 13, Hasselbaink (Middlesbrough) 13, Defoe (Tottenham) 13, Yakubu (Portsmouth) 13, Gudjohnsen (Chelsea) 12, Cole (Fulham) 12, Crouch (Southampton) 12, Rooney (Manchester United) 11, Cahill (Everton) 11, Fowler (Manchester City) 11, Keane (Tottenham) 11, Earnshaw (West Brom) 11

2005/06

FOR the second successive season, Chelsea totally dominated the Premiership, winning the league by eight points from nearest rivals, Manchester United.  At times, Chelsea had leads in the table as big as 15 points.  They were top of the league from the third week onwards, kept clean sheets in their first six Premiership games and never looked threatened.  They won the league in crowning style, on the penultimate weekend of the season.  Goals from William Gallas, Joe Cole and Ricardo Carvalho spearheaded Chelsea to a 3-0 win over Manchester United, which highlighted the gulfing class between the two sides.  Liverpool had a much better domestic campaign this time around, winning ten games in a row between October and December and achieving a similar run from March to May.  The Anfield club also gave Robbie Fowler an emotional return in January, when he signed from Manchester City.  Four goals in the season run-in earnt him an extra season on Merseyside.  Whilst Fowler continued, Alan Shearer retired at the end of the season.  Sadly, injury forced the decision prematurely three weeks earlier than anticipated, but his final involvement was scoring a penalty at the Stadium of Light against Tyneside rivals Sunderland.  Whilst Newcastle finished seventh in the table, Sunderland had a horrific campaign.  They wound up with 13 points, which for two seasons, was the worst total ever in Premiership history.  The Black Cats only managed three wins all season and sacked Mick McCarthy in March.  After walking out on Portsmouth a year earlier to manage bitter South Coast rivals Southampton, Harry Redknapp returned to Fratton Park, and ‘Harry Houdini’ inspired the club to an incredible run of form that kept them in the Premiership.  They were eight points adrift of safety in March, but two Pedro Mendes strikes against Manchester City were the catalyst for the dramatic upturn in fortunes.  Portsmouth’s revival meant Birmingham City were relegated, just two years after finishing in the top half of the league and West Brom also couldn’t hold onto their Premier League status.  After 93 years at Highbury, time ran out on the glorious stadium as Arsenal got prepared for life at their new home.  Plus, the new 60,000 capacity Emirates Stadium could welcome Champions League football after a dramatic final day.  For much of the season, a disastrous away record meant Arsenal trailed the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and newcomers Wigan Athletic in the table.  They went into the final day a single point behind Tottenham and fell 1-2 behind at home to Wigan on Highbury’s final day.  However, the King of Highbury, Thierry Henry, said farewell in the grand manner.  He scored a hat-trick to complete a 4-2 victory.  Dodgy food chef or not, Tottenham folded at Upton Park, losing 2-1 at West Ham, which meant they were pipped to the final Champions League spot right at the end of the campaign.   

CHAMPIONS: Chelsea, 2^nd: Manchester United 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Arsenal 5^th: Tottenham, 6^th: Blackburn Rovers, 7^th: Newcastle United, 8^th; Bolton Wanderers, 9^th: West Ham United, 10^th: Wigan

RELEGATED: West Brom, Birmingham City, Sunderland

BIGGEST WIN: Arsenal 7-0 Middlesbrough (14 January 2006)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Blackburn Rovers 4-3 Manchester United (2 February 2006), Charlton Athletic 2-5 Manchester City (4 December 2005), Fulham 6-1 West Brom (12 February 2006)

SCORERS: Henry (Arsenal) 27, Van Nistlerooy (Manchester United) 21, Bent (Charlton) 18, Lampard (Chelsea) 16, Rooney (Manchester United) 16, Keane (Tottenham) 16, Harewood (West Ham) 14, Bellamy (Blackburn) 13, Yakubu (Middlesbrough) 13, Drogba (Chelsea) 12, Camara (Wigan) 12, Mido (Tottenham) 11, John (Fulham) 11, Gerrard (Liverpool) 10, Shearer (Newcastle) 10

2006/07

CHELSEA’s two year domination of the Premiership crown ended in 2006/07, as Manchester United became champions once again.  United secured the league title at the beginning of May, with a 1-0 win at Eastlands against goal shy Manchester City.  24 hours later, Khalid Boulahrouz was sent off and Chelsea failed to beat Arsenal at the Emirates, drawing 1-1.  This meant that Jose Mourinho’s team had to gracefully give up the title.  Manchester United were inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, who finally began to show some consistent form at club level, which would make him one of the world’s best footballers in years to come.  Late winners away from home at Fulham and Liverpool on two successive Saturdays in springtime turned out to be very decisive for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team, despite a late slip-up against Portsmouth and a frustrating home draw with Middlesbrough.  Chelsea ended up drawing their last five matches, and tensions clearly were beginning to rise between owner and manager.  Jose Mourinho didn’t seem impressed with Roman Abramovich’s interference in purchasing both Michael Ballack and Andrei Shevchenko.  Neither player made a significant impact at Stamford Bridge.  Key injuries to the likes of John Terry and Petr Cech also had their effects on Chelsea’s season.  Liverpool edged out Arsenal by a single point, but both clubs had inconsistent campaigns.  There seemed to be positive news from Anfield in February, when George Gillett and Tom Hicks completed a deal to buy the club.  Sadly, the promises made by the pair of success and a new stadium were broken and dark days in the long-term faced the Anfield side.  The other big story of the season was West Ham’s controversial signings of Argentine pair Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.  The club had broken Premier League third-party ownership regulations and the clubs fighting around them such as Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic were incensed when the Premier League decided on giving the Hammers a fine rather than a points deduction.  Alan Pardew was sacked in December by the new owners and Mascherano moved away from the controversy to sign for Liverpool.  However, Tevez scored a flurry of late season goals, which ultimately kept the Hammers, now managed by Alan Curbishley, up.  The great escape was completed by a last day victory at Old Trafford, with Tevez scoring the deciding goal again.  Wigan beat Sheffield United 2-1 at Bramwall Lane, which meant their Premiership adventure cruelly ended after one season back in the top flight.  Not only that, the deciding goal came from a David Unsworth penalty.  Unsworth had started the season as a Sheffield United player!  A similar fate of one season in the top flight befell Watford, whilst Charlton Athletic paid the price for sacking two managers and also were relegated. 

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Chelsea 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Arsenal 5^th: Tottenham, 6^th: Everton, 7^th: Bolton Wanderers, 8^th; Reading, 9^th: Portsmouth, 10^th: Blackburn Rovers

RELEGATED: Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, Watford

BIGGEST WIN: Reading 6-0 West Ham United (1 January 2007)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Arsenal 6-2 Blackburn Rovers (23 December 2006), West Ham United 3-4 Tottenham Hotspur (4 March 2007), Blackburn Rovers 4-2 Manchester City (17 September 2006)

SCORERS: Drogba (Chelsea) 20, McCarthy (Blackburn) 18, Ronaldo (Manchester United) 17, Rooney (Manchester United) 14, Viduka (Middlesbrough) 14, Doyle (Reading) 13, Bent (Charlton) 13, Kuyt (Liverpool) 12, Berbatov (Tottenham) 12, Yakubu (Middlesbrough) 12, Lampard (Chelsea) 11, Van Persie (Arsenal) 11, Anelka (Bolton) 11, Zamora (West Ham) 11, Johnson (Everton) 11

Classic Premiership Matches 21-40

In the past 18 seasons, football fans across the globe have been treated to some cracking Premiership matches.  On the eve of the 19th season having begun yesterday, here is a look-back at some classics down the years.

21.           Norwich City                          4-5           Southampton                          Saturday 9^th April 1994

This was a nine-goal thriller at Carrow Road, as Norwich squandered a 3-1 lead to lose the game.  The Saint messiah, Matt Le Tissier scored another hat-trick and a powerful header from centre back, Ken Monkou earned a priceless victory for the Saints, enough to end up seeing the South Coast outfit stay up.

22.           Arsenal                                    2-2           Manchester United                  Wednesday 16^th April 2003

Down the years, Arsenal and Manchester United have served up some controversial and spicy matches, none more so than this championship crunch at Highbury.  The Red Devils made the best start, with top scorer Ruud Van Nistlerooy bursting through to give his side the lead.  A quickfire double from Thierry Henry in the opening exchanges changed the outcome of the game, before a free header by Ryan Giggs made things all square again.  Sol Campbell was red-carded in a bitter and sour end to a heavily-fought game.

23.           Liverpool                                                6-2           Tottenham Hotspur                                Saturday 8^th May 1993

With nothing to fight for either side, the shackles were released in this last match of the campaign.  Both had underachieved and looked set for new managers in the forthcoming season.  There were 2 goals apiece for Liverpool legends, John Barnes and Ian Rush.

24.           Nottingham Forest                 1-8           Manchester United                  Saturday 6^th February 1999

For Manchester United, this was a stroll in the park during their treble winning season.  The deadly combination of Andy Cole & Dwight Yorke struck again with two goals apiece, either side of a tidy Alan Rodgers effort for woeful Forest.  Substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came off the bench to round things off, hitting an incredible 4 goals in 18 minutes.  The Norwegian had written himself into the Premiership record books.

25.           Arsenal                                    4-2           Liverpool                                                Friday 9^th April 2004

Having just been dumped out of the FA Cup and Champions League within four days, the Untouchables from Highbury were under pressure and it continued after the first half against a distant Liverpool side.  Sami Hyypia and Michael Owen both scored in the first half to give Gerard Houiller’s outfit the advantage.  Trailing 2-1 at the interlude, it was a major test of Wenger’s side, but the character building challenge was passed with flying colours by Thierry Henry, who scored a memorable hat-trick, including another special solo effort.  The championship and the unbeaten record were back in total command.

 

26.           West Ham United                   1-1           Manchester United                  Sunday 14^th May 1995

Manchester United visited their bogey side, West Ham needing a win to stand any chance of making it three consecutive Premier League titles.  Behind to an early Michael Hughes volley, United piled the pressure on in the second half and an unmarked header by Brian McClair brought United level.  Chance after chance came, but wasteful finishing from Andy Cole and an outstanding goalkeeping display by Ludek Mikolosko thwarted Alex Ferguson’s side of another championship.

27.           Southampton                          3-2           Arsenal                                    Saturday 19^th May 2001

It was a final farewell to The Dell, one of the oldest grounds in the English game and what a finale.  It was fitting, that the last word should come from the Southampton legend, Matt Le Tissier.  He hit a thunderous half-volley past David Seaman deep in stoppage time to send the home supporters into raptures.  They had finished up in the grand manner.

28.           Everton                                   2-4           Manchester United                  Saturday 28^th April 2007

As ever, Manchester United had not making life easy for Sir Alex Ferguson, and had been falling into the Jose Mourinho and Chelsea trap.  They made a disastrous start in a must win game at Goodison Park, trailing to an Alan Stubbs free-kick and a thunderbolt from Manuel Fernandes.  Their reply was the stuff of champions.  John O’Shea nodded in from a corner, Phil Neville kicked the ball into his own net against his former employees then a cool finish from former Blue hero Wayne Rooney turned the game around.  A super strike from Chris Eagles in the dying stages made the result look more comfortable.  Furthermore, Chelsea had been held at home by Bolton and their stranglehold as English champions had been severely loosened by the men from Manchester.

29.           Chelsea                                    4-4           Aston Villa                              Wednesday 26^th December 2007

This Boxing Day clash saw heavy punches literally thrown and a game full of talking points.  Villa held a 2-0 lead, due to an early double from the unsettled Shaun Maloney.  Back came Chelsea, with a brace for the underperforming Andrei Shevchenko and a lovely team goal, finished by Alex.  Martin Laursen pegged Martin O’Neill’s side level again, only for a Michael Ballack free-kick to put Chelsea back infront again.  Amidst all of this, Zat Knight and Ricardo Carvalho had been dismissed by the referee and Ashley Cole followed them for an early shower when he handled on the line in stoppage time.  Gareth Barry converted the spot kick to force a share of the spoils.

30.           Tottenham Hotspur                                4-4           Leicester City                          Sunday 22^nd February 2004

In 2004, Tottenham were in complete disarray, highlighted further by this exciting share of the spoils with fellow comical defending side, Leicester City.  David Pleat’s side were in total control at half-time, 3-1 to the good but goals from old Spurs boy Les Ferdinand, a rare goal for Ben Thatcher and Marcus Bent turned the game on its head.  The Foxes were to be denied three points though, by Jermain Defoe’s 2^nd strike of the game in the final exchanges.  This was a game for the neutrals to remember.

31.           Arsenal                                    3-2           Manchester United                  Sunday 9^th November 1997

On this day, Arsenal began to genuinely realise they were prolific championship contenders, with a thumping critical victory over their deadly rivals.  The deputy for Dennis Bergkamp, Nicholas Anelka flashed in his debut goal for the Gunners and their lead was doubled by countryman, Patrick Vieira.  Never write United at your peril, proven through a double before half-time from ex-Spurs villain, Teddy Sheringham.  With nine minutes to go, a great header from David Platt aided Arsene Wenger to a first triumph in the Premiership over Alex Ferguson.

32.           Tottenham Hotspur                                6-4           Reading                                   Saturday 29^th December 2007

Christmas may have just finished, but both sets of defenders looked like they had stuffed turkey, opening the door for the positive strikers.  Four goals from Dimitar Berbatov and two strikes from Reading’s Dave Kitson were the pick of the front men whilst Jermain Defoe scored his final goal of his first spell at White Hart Lane.

33.           Newcastle United                    4-3           Leicester City                          Sunday 2^nd February 1997

The entertainers of the Premier League in the mid nineties were undoubtedly Newcastle United and they provided more of the same in this supposed home banker.  An early goal from Robbie Elliot settled the pre-game nerves, but three goals from the Foxes in ten rip-roaring minutes by Matt Elliot, Steve Claridge and Emile Heskey stunned St. James Park into silence.  However, if one man could rescue the Magpies, it was skipper Alan Shearer.  A bullet free-kick, a low drive and a simple tap-in in added on time gave Newcastle a morale-boosting triumph.

34.           Liverpool                                                2-1           Blackburn Rovers                   Sunday 14^th May 1995

Victory at Anfield against the former kings of the English game would seal Blackburn’s first championship in 81 years.  Alan Shearer got Rovers off to the perfect start, with a goal after 20 minutes.  Though Liverpool really wanted Manchester United to not win the championship, they were determined to play their part in a dramatic final day.  John Barnes equalised on the hour mark and then a curling free-kick from Jamie Redknapp in injury time put Liverpool infront.  Seconds later, Blackburn fans were cheering as they heard the news that Manchester United had failed to beat West Ham at Upton Park and the Premiership trophy was heading to a new destination of Ewood Park.

35.           Everton                                   2-3           Aston Villa                              Sunday 7^th December 2008

The most likely sides to break into the big four domination of the Premiership played out a pre-Christmas corker.  In-form Villa scored first, through Steve Sidwell in the first minute.  Joleon Lescott replied against the club he was turned down as a trainee.  A communication mix-up between Phil Jagielka and Tim Howard allowed the feisty Ashley Young to restore Villa’s lead.  In a dramatic final minute, Lescott volleyed home a priceless equaliser, before Young cashed in on naïve defending to slot the ball past Howard and claim an unbelievable victory for Martin O’Neill’s side.  No-one will forget this end-to-end showpiece.

36.           Crystal Palace                        2-2           Southampton                          Saturday 7^th May 2005

At Selhurst Park, a dramatic penultimate weekend of the season left the tightest relegation battle in Premiership history totally undecided.  On a see-saw afternoon, the game was deadlocked at 1-1 when a clash involving Peter Crouch and Gonzalo Sorondo saw both men dismissed.  Then, when injury-prone Nicola Ventola converted his first strike for the Eagles, Southampton, were on the brink.  Then in injury time, Danny Higginbotham scored a dramatic leveller and for the first time ever, all three relegation places would only be settled on the last day.

37.           Blackburn Rovers                   3-4           Leeds United                           Sunday 14^th September 1997

For two defensively minded teams, the first 33 minutes were absolutely fabulous as both seem to find attacking football quite attractive on this spring afternoon.  George Graham’s outfit took a 2-0 lead against the early Premier League pacesetters through a bundled effort from Rod Wallace & a charging header by Robert Molenaar.  Ten minutes later, Blackburn levelled the contest up through a super shot by Kevin Gallacher and Chris Sutton’s penalty.  Back came the Yorkshire club, with Wallace scoring again before Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink squared David Hopkin up for what turned out to be the decisive goal.  Martin Dahlin battled hard for his goal moments afterwards and after half-time, the managers had calmed the players down and the second half petered out.  However, this match will be remembered for a stone classical first half.

 38.          Wigan Athletic                        3-2           Arsenal                                    Sunday 19^th April 2010

Arsenal was romping away with the match at the DW stadium and with ten minutes left, led 2-0, courtesy of goals from Theo Walcott and Mikael Silvestre.  Cue an astonishing turnaround from Wigan, which well and truly finished off Arsenal’s title chances.  Ben Watson scrambled in from close range, and then Titus Bramble pounced on a horrible blunder from the inconsistent Gunners goalie, Lukas Fabianski.  With Arsenal on the ropes, Charles N’Zogbia floored them in the dying stages, to complete one of the most amazing comebacks the Premiership has ever seen.  Bedlam at the DW, as Wigan confirmed another season in the top flight.

39.           Middlesbrough                        3-3           Liverpool                                                Saturday 17^th August 1996

The opening day headlines in 1996 were taken deservedly so by David Beckham’s wonder halfway line strike at Selhurst Park, but it overshadowed a Premiership classic in the Teesside sunshine.  Fabrizio Ravanelli made himself loved in the North East with a fabulous hat-trick on his Middlesbrough debut as Bryan Robson’s men battled back three times to earn a draw.  Though entertaining throughout the campaign, it turned out to be a nightmare season for Boro, both on and off the pitch, so this was a major highlight.

40.           Arsenal                                    4-4           Tottenham Hotspur                                Wednesday 29^th October 2008

Tottenham were in the doldrums and only five days earlier, had dismissed Juande Ramos after two points from just eight games.  In came Harry Redknapp and a super point in another North London derby classic was just the tonic that the white half of London needed.  A long-range special from David Bentley had Spurs infront, before shoddy defending left Redknapp’s side 4-2 down to the beautiful Arsenal outfit with one minute to go.  Jermaine Jenas reduced the deficit with a solo effort into the top corner and then seconds later; Manuel Almunia parried a Roman Pavlyuchenko effort into the grasp of Aaron Lennon, who benefited on this misjudgement to hand Tottenham a priceless draw.  The result also showed Arsenal’s frailties again of closing out matches under Arsene Wenger. 

Classic Premiership Matches 41-60

In the past 18 seasons, football fans across the globe have been treated to some cracking Premiership matches.  On the eve of the 19th season having begun yesterday, here is a look-back at some classics down the years.

41.           Everton                                   2-3           Liverpool                                                Monday 16^th April 2001

A truly unforgettable Merseyside Derby which gave Liverpool the finish push required to complete their famous Treble of cups and the 3^rd place finish to secure Champions League football.  Emile Heskey shot the Reds into the lead after Everton were denied a penalty claim.  Duncan Ferguson equalised, before Markus Babbel converted Robbie Fowler’s cross early in the 2^nd half during a classic Liverpool counter attack.  Fowler then hit the post from a debatable penalty and it was starting to unravel for Gerard Houiller when Igor Biscan was unluckily sent off and Everton then got a very fortunate penalty.  David Unsworth smacked the ball with seven minutes to go, but this game was never destined to finish in stalemate, and so it proved.  With seconds remaining, Gary McAllister scored a wonder free-kick to snatch victory for the euphoric Liverpool management and supporters.

42.           Manchester United                  3-2           Aston Villa                              Sunday 5^th April 2009            

Manchester United, yet again were under extreme pressure to deliver and were stumbling at the wrong time.  Defeats to bitter rivals, Liverpool & Fulham were followed by an abject display against European contenders, Aston Villa.  Despite an early free-kick by Cristiano Ronaldo, Villa dominated the majority of the match and strike partners, John Carew & Gabriel Agbonlahor seized their chances to hand the visitors the lead.  With Wayne Rooney suspended and Carlos Tevez feeling lethargic, Sir Alex Ferguson turned to 19-year old Italian sensation, Federico Macheda.  Ronaldo equalised with 10 minutes to go, then Macheda stole the show, turning beautifully, leaving Luke Young on his backside, then launching a rocket past Brad Friedel to shatter hearts in Liverpool & Birmingham and send United fans into raptures.  They never looked back afterwards.

43.           Arsenal                                    5-3           Middlesbrough                        Sunday 22^nd August 2004

The kings of Highbury were taking the world by storm in 2004, none more so than when they entertained Middlesbrough in early 2004/05.  The Gunners had to just avoid defeat to equal Nottingham Forest’s long-standing record of 42 unbeaten domestic matches and made the perfect start through Thierry Henry.  Middlesbrough though, forgets their lines and hit three thunderbolts either side of half-time, courtesy of Joseph-Desire Job, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink & Franck Queudrue.  All of a sudden, the record was in severe jeopardy, until the cavalry stepped up their game in clinical fashion.  Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires moved the scoreline back to 3-3 and seconds later, Jose Antonio Reyes scored a brilliant goal to regain Arsenal’s momentum.  The job was completed by a late tap-in from Henry and the record would be broken three days later.  Arsenal had been cemented into football folklore.

44.           Manchester City                     2-3           Fulham                                    Saturday 26^th April 2008

Two-nil down at half-time, Fulham looked dead, buried and out of the FA Barclays Premiership, or were they? A dismal first half performance against Sven Goran Eriksson’s stumbling Manchester City had left them needing a miracle.  Temperamental striker Diomansy Kamara stood up to be counted, by hitting two goals in the last twenty minutes, either side of a Danny Murphy penalty.  Fulham had pulled off a miraculous victory and the momentum they carried off this game was enough to keep them afloat in the big league.

45.           Sheffield Wednesday                               3-4           Tottenham Hotspur                                Saturday 20^th August 1994

Hillsborough’s headlines were made by German striking sensation Jurgen Klinsmann.  Jurgen had been signed on a free transfer in the summer from AS Monaco and quickly settled into a sizzling attacking side, produced by the charismatic Argentine, Ossie Ardelies.  Five goals had been traded between these two sides in the Yorkshire rain, when Klinsmann out jumped England defender Des Walker to give Spurs the initiative which saw them go on to win.  When he arrived, he joked about diving schools in England and his team-mates share his humour with a theatrical dive to celebrate the win. A nasty collision with Walker ended Klinsmann’s afternoon in an ambulance, but his impression on the English Premier League was immediate.

46.           Charlton Athletic                    2-5           Manchester City                     Sunday 4^th December 2005

This was the peak of Stuart Pearce’s management career at Eastlands and the start of the end for Alan Curbishley at the Addicks.  Woeful defending from the home side allowed Andy Cole in for a double, along with goals from Trevor Sinclair, Joey Barton via the penalty spot and Darius Vassell.  Efforts either side by Darren Bent and Jay Bothroyd were not enough to prevent a heavy beating.  Both team’s season went downhill after this seven goal feast.

47.           Aston Villa                              3-2           Arsenal                                    Sunday 13^th December 1998

Aston Villa showed their mettle in this encounter, storming back from 2-0 down at half-time to inflict defeat on the reigning champions.  John Gregory’s pacesetters looked out of sorts in the first half and trailed to two specials from the Dutch master, Dennis Bergkamp.  Back came Villa in the second half, with a rasping drive by Julian Joachim, then two goals from new signing Dion Dublin.  It was a famous win, keeping the Midlands side top of the table at Christmas time.  Sadly, this was as good as it got for Gregory’s outfit.

48.           Manchester United                  9-0           Ipswich Town                          Saturday 4^th March 1995

This annihilation of the Tractor Boys remains the biggest ever win in Premiership history.  United ran amok at Old Trafford with goal machine, Andy Cole helping himself to five goals, a joint record for most goals scored by one player in a single match.

49.           Blackburn Rovers                   7-1           Norwich City                          Saturday 3^rd October 1992

Before this match, Norwich City had been Premiership league leaders, but they had an afternoon to forget in the East Anglia rain, the heaviest defeat of the first two Premiership seasons.  Alan Shearer and Stuart Ripley both scored twice.

50.           Newcastle United                    5-0           Manchester United                  Sunday 20^th October 1996

For Kevin Keegan and the Geordies, this was sweet revenge against the bitter enemy, as the last Premiership unbeaten record of 96/97 went up in spectacular fashion.  A controversial header from Darren Peacock started the unexpected route, before a classic strike from David Ginola doubled the Magpies advantage.  Les Ferdinand sealed the win with a trademark header off the crossbar and strike partner Shearer soon made four, after Peter Schmeichel parried two earlier attempts.  The icing on the cake was complete when Belgian defender Philippe Albert majestically chipped Schmeichel to complete a glorious performance.  It was a day when everyone saw that Manchester United were really human.

51.           Tottenham Hotspur                                4-4           Chelsea                                    Wednesday 19^th March 2008

Tottenham had just overcome Chelsea in the Carling Cup final, and played their part in an 8-goal thriller which ultimately would cost Chelsea dearly in their bid to regain the Premiership trophy.  Seven different Goalscorers amazed this London derby, Joe Cole bagging two for the visitors.  Only a stunning effort from Robbie Keane in the dying stages prevented Avram Grant’s side from winning and it needed one of the saves of the decade by Carlo Cudicini to dent Dimitar Berbatov seconds afterwards.  Who said London derbies are always boring….

52.           Manchester City                     2-3           Manchester United                  Sunday 7^th November 1993

City were unbeaten in the Premiership since dismissing Peter Reid in August and the new man at the helm, Brian Horton guided his brave troops into a 2-0 interval lead, due to two powerful headers by that nuisance in the box, Niall Quinn.  Yet again, United came back to pip their local rivals hearts.  Eric Cantona scored twice soon into the second half and from then on, only one side looked like they were going to win.  Sure enough, Roy Keane tapped home in a goalmouth scramble with just 4 minutes to spare.  Once again, the Red half of Manchester ruled.

53.           Middlesbrough                        3-3           Tottenham Hotspur                                Sunday 18^th December 2005  

A game packed full of drama between two attacking units.  Robbie Keane broke the deadlock following a misjudgement by Mark Schwarzer, before two Yakubu efforts put the North Londoners behind.  On the hour mark, Jermaine Jenas hit a beautiful curling free-kick to tie the game up, then Franck Queudrue’s bullet header just crossed the line to hand Steve McLaren’s side the lead again.  Back came Spurs though and a plucky header by Mido with 10 minutes to go forced a deserving share of the spoils.

54.           Everton                                   3-2           Wimbledon                              Saturday 7^th May 1994

Everton looked doomed and heading out of the top-flight at half-time of this match.  Goals from John Fashanu and Dena Holdsworth put the Crazy Gang back in control of this encounter.  For much of the season, team spirit had been severely lacking in the Toffees dressing room, but they produced plenty of character after the interlude.  Barry Horne struck a beauty and two goals from ex-Chelsea ranger, Graham Stuart, the last in the final stages were enough for Everton to beat the drop in a tense and nail-biting finale.

55.           Leeds United                           3-4           Newcastle United                    Saturday 22^nd December 2001

Newcastle United briefly took the role of the entertainers again under the stewardship of Sir Bobby Robson and went top of the table with this breathless comeback against fellow title challengers Leeds.  A trademark free-kick from Ian Harte put Newcastle 3-1 down with 30 minutes to go and out of the game.  Led on by Alan Shearer though, they fought back with Craig Bellamy and a Shearer penalty levelling up things, before a counter-attack in stoppage time led to Nolberto Solano coolly slotting home the winner. 

56.           Tottenham Hotspur                                4-3           Everton                                   Sunday 12^th January 2003

On paper, this looked like being one of those tight, tense affairs.  This so turned not out to be the case.  Once Brian McBride raced clear on his debut to put the visitors infront after 11 minutes, it was gung-ho all the way.  Gus Poyet equalised, then in-form Robbie Keane netted twice, once from the penalty spot to put Tottenham in full command.  Sloppy defending allowed Everton back into the game via a David Unsworth penalty and Tomasz Radzinski.  However, with 8 minutes to go, Keane sped away from the ageing blue back four, lofted an effort past the helpless Richard Wright to complete a marvellous victory for Spurs, his first hat-trick for the club since his summer move from Leeds.

57.           Manchester United                  3-3           Middlesbrough                        Monday 5^th May 1997

Fighting for their lives, Middlesbrough caught Manchester United’s defending on a shocking day.  A neat, creative finish from star-studded Juninho broke the deadlock, though it was responded quickly by Roy Keane.  No-one told Bryan Robson’s men to lay down and die and they certainly didn’t do that and with strikes in quick succession by Emerson and Craig Hignett, they were 3-1 up in dreamland.  Unfortunately, Middlesbrough’s defending returned to its usual style of failing to deal with opposition crosses and long passes, resulting in a first United goal for Gary Neville and a textbook header from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.  Relief was the best word that could sum up Old Trafford after this belter of a game.

58.           Wimbledon                              2-3           Aston Villa                              Saturday 3^rd October 1992

An end-to-end contest in the inaugural Premier League season was settled by a goal of the decade contender from Dallian Atkinson and kept Villa in the hunt for the championship.

59.           West Ham United                   4-3           Sheffield Wednesday                               Sunday 21^st November 1999

Danny Wilson probably realised that the Owls were going down at the end of the season after a see-saw game they led twice saw them beaten again.  3-2 up at Upton Park, Danny Sonner was unnecessarily dismissed for two soft bookings and West Ham was galvanized with the extra man.  Marc-Vivien Foe equalised and Frank Lampard hit a typical late winner which left Wednesday gobsmacked and pondering how this game slipped through their fingers.

60.           Arsenal                                    3-2           Aston Villa                              Sunday 9^th December 2001

On the weekend Arsenal were celebrating their planning permission grant to their ultimate stadium, they produced an improbable and ultimate comeback infront of the Sky cameras.  Trailing 2-0 to a well-drilled Villa outfit at the interval, Arsene Wenger brought on Sylvain Wiltord, who smashed home within of a minute of a restart.  Mistakes in the back line by George Boateng and Alan Wright was seized upon by Thierry Henry, the last goal with the last kick of the game to bring the curtain down on a classic and send Highbury into raptures.