Manchester City and Liverpool have set themselves apart from the rest in the Premier League over the last few seasons. This season both are embroiled in a title race that is all set to go down to the wire. England has seen a lot of nail-biting title races since the Premier League’s inception in 1992. In this article, we will take a look at five unforgettable Premier League title races.
#5 1994/95; Winners – Blackburn Rovers; Runners – Manchester United
Blackburn had finished second in the 1993/94 PL season as United won their second successive title. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were primed for a hat-trick of titles when the 1994/95 season started. But Blackburn were not ready to give up without a fight. This was also the last PL season with 22 teams and hence Blackburn had to fight harder than the other winners in this list.
Blackburn Rovers were sailing smoothly until mid-April when they drew against Leeds at Elland Road. They lost their next fixture 3-2 to Manchester City and suddenly the nervousness started creeping in. A win against Crystal Palace was followed by a defeat to West Ham.
Despite all their troubles, Blackburn had their fate in their own hands when they entered the final matchday. Ironically, a win against Liverpool, United’s sworn enemies, will give them the title. But they lost 2-1 while United crumbled to a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham to gift Blackburn the title.
#4 1998/99; Winner – Manchester United; Runner – Arsenal
The 1998/99 season is unforgettable for United fans as the Red Devils became the first and only English club to win the continental treble. But the Premier League title came amidst lot of drama as Wenger’s Arsenal made them sweat till the very end. But Alex Ferguson’s champion unit was up to the task as they did not lose a single game from Christmas 1998 till the end of the season.
Matchday 37 of this season was full of drama as Arsenal lost to Leeds United to give United an advantage. But the Red Devils drew away at Blackburn to take the title into the final round. United won their last game 2-1 against Spurs to seal the title by a single point.
#3 2009/10; Winner – Chelsea; Runner – Manchester United
After the departure of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea remained competitive but the Premier League title kept eluding them. Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment in the summer of 2009 increased the excitement among Chelsea fans. Chelsea started playing free-flowing football under Ancelotti and were scoring goals seemingly at will. But United had the best defense in the league and the stage was set for a mouth-watering two horse title race.
It all boiled down to a clash between Chelsea and league leaders United at Stamford Bridge on April 3, 2010. Chelsea won the game with two controversial goals and with just five games remaining it was their title to lose. But a 2-1 loss to Spurs gave a new lease of life to United as Chelsea had choked in similar situations in the previous seasons. However, the Blues won their last three games emphatically, with a 7-0 victory against Stoke City and a 8-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic to lift the title.
#2 2018/19; Winner – Manchester City; Runner – Liverpool
This iconic duopoly between City and Liverpool deserves it’s place among unforgettable Premier League title races. Klopp and Pep’s men were so far ahead of the rest that the entire season’s story was dominated by them. Liverpool devastatingly lost the title despite securing 97 points and losing only one game in the entire season. City stumbled during Christmas 2018 but lifted the title by winning their last 14 games of the season.
#1 2011/12; Winner – Manchester City; Runner – Manchester United
Without any debate, City and United’s nail biting fight in 2011/12 tops the list of unforgettable Premier League title races. With four games left in the season, United had a four point cushion over City but a 4-4 draw against Everton on April 22, 2012 was the beginning of something special. United lost their next game 1-0 to City and suddenly their neighbors were top of the table by GD.
It all came down to the final matchday and United nervily won 1-0 against Sunderland. Manchester City were drawing 2-2 against Queens Park Rangers deep into extra time and all looked lost. But their greatest ever player Sergio Aguero scored a goal that will stand the test of time to give City the title.
