PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE RACE:
TEN CLASSIC BATTLES FOR THE ENGLISH TITLE
LIVERPOOLtrailed Manchester City by 14 points on 15 January, but the Reds have dropped only two points since and find them selves only one point behind Pep Guardiola’s side with four matches left to play.
With the race for the Pre mier League crown set to go right down to the wire, BBC Sport looks back at 10 of the most nail-biting title races in recent memory.
And at the bottom of this page, you can rank the title races as you see it.
Liverpool Arsenal 1988-89
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One of the most thrilling conclusions to an English top-flight season took place at Anfield three years before the foundation of the Pre mier League.
Liverpool headed into the final game of the 1988-89 campaign three points clear of opponents and closest challengers Arsenal, and with a marginally superior goal difference.
The Gunners took a 1-0 lead through Alan Smith early in the second half but still needed one more goal to overhaul the Reds on goals scored.
Reigning champions Liv erpool appeared to be hold ing on for an 18th league crown until, with the game in injury time, Michael Thomas’ cool finish past Bruce Grobbelaar silenced Anfield and handed Arsenal the title in the most dramat ic of fashions.
West Ham 1-1 Manchester United/Liverpool 2-1 Black burn - 1994-95
Powered by the goals of Alan Shearer and Chris Sut ton, Kenny Dalglish’s Black burn Rovers had topped the table since February but Manchester United - who had claimed the first two Premier League titles un der Sir Alex Ferguson - had closed to within two points of the Lancashire club go ing into the final day of the season.
All was going to plan for Rovers when Shearer’s 34th league goal of the campaign was swiftly followed by Mi chael Hughes’ opener for West Ham against United.
Brian McClair restored parity for the Red Devils be fore John Barnes’ equaliser at Anfield set up a nervous finale.
Rovers fans’ hearts were in their mouths when Jamie
Redknapp fired Liverpool in front in stoppage time but despite intense pressure from Ferguson’s team at Upton park, a United win ner never materialised and Blackburn claimed their first top-flight title in 81 years. Middlesbrough 0-3 Man chester United/Newcastle 1-1 Tottenham - 1995-96
Kevin Keegan’s Newcas tle United ‘Entertainers’ fa mously led the Premiership by 12 points in February 1996 but United - galvanised by the return after a nine- month suspension of Eric Cantona - slowly ate away at the Magpies’ lead, beating them 1-0 at St James’ Park at the beginning of March be fore eventually leapfrogging Keegan’s side at the top of the table.
They held a two-point cushion over Newcastle when they travelled to Mid dlesbrough on the final day, while the Magpies needed to
beat Tottenham at home to keep their title hopes alive.
However, those hopes were virtually extinguished when David May gave the Red Devils an early lead at the Riverside Stadium, with Andy Cole and Ryan Giggs putting the seal on a com fortable win in the second half - as Newcastle’s cam paign ended in a disappoint ing 1-1 draw with Spurs.
Manchester United 2-1 Tot tenham/Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa - 1998-99
Arsenal and Manchester United went into the final two games of the season on the same number of points, but the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat by Leeds, coupled with the Red Devils’ goalless draw at struggling Blackburn, gave the latter a one-point ad vantage on the final day of the season.
Ferguson’s team played host to Tottenham, while Ar
senal welcomed Aston Villa to Highbury.
Spurs appeared to be doing their north London rivals a favour when Les Ferdinand gave them an unlikely first-half lead, but goals from David Beckham and Andy Cole either side of half-time rendered the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Villa meaningless and kick-start ed United’s march towards an unprecedented Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Manchester United 0-1 Ar senal - 2001-02
United had won three league titles on the trot since Arsene Wenger had ended Arsenal’s seven-year wait for the top-flight crown four years previously.
But the Red Devils knew nothing but victory would do to stop the Gunners - who arrived at Old Trafford for their penultimate game on an 11-match winning run - from finishing as Premier League champions for the second time in five seasons.
The visitors dominated from the outset and eventu ally got their noses in front through Sylvain Wiltord, who was quickest to react after Freddie Ljungberg’s goal-bound effort was par ried into the striker’s path by United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, sparking jubilant scenes among the Gunners’ travelling supporters.
Wigan 0-2 Manchester United/Chelsea 1-1 Bolton - 2007-08
Only goal difference sep arated Manchester United from Avram Grant’s Chelsea before the 2007-08 season’s final weekend, but Fergu son’s side made light work of Wigan to secure a 17th league title.
Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock from the pen alty spot in the first half before Ryan Giggs clinched United’s latest Premier League triumph - the Welsh man’s 10th - with a com posed finish from a Wayne Rooney pass.
The Red Devils went on to pip the Blues to Champions League glory 10 days later, winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Moscow.
Chelsea 8-0 Wigan/Man chester United 4-0 Stoke - 2009-10
After finishing third be hind United and Liverpool the previous year, Carlo An celotti’s Chelsea needed to win to end the Red Devils’ three-season reign as cham pions - and they did so in emphatic fashion against a hapless Wigan at Stamford Bridge.
United cruised to victory over Stoke at Old Trafford, but there was never any doubt the Blues would re claim the crown they had last won in 2006 once Nico las Anelka had given them a sixth-minute lead.
A Didier Drogba hat-trick and further goals from Anel ka, Frank Lampard, Salo mon Kalou and Ashley Cole provided a fitting finale to an outstanding campaign for Ancelotti and his players.
Manchester City 3-2 Queens Park Rangers/Sunderland 0-1 Manchester United - 2011-12
Manchester City - and Sergio Aguero in particular - are responsible for arguably the Premier League’s most iconic moment in May 2012.
Leaders City were level on points with neighbours United going into the final weekend, but the former’s vastly superior goal differ ence meant a home win over QPR would guarantee a first Premier League title.
Mancini’s men appeared to be suffering an aston ishing collapse as Mark Hughes’ QPR clung on to a slender 2-1 advantage as the game entered stop page time, while United led through Wayne Rooney’s 20th-minute goal at the Sta dium of Light.
But Edin Dzeko made it 2-2 at Etihad Stadium before Aguero scored with virtually the last kick of the game to send the blue half of Man chester into ecstasy and end City’s 44-year wait for a top- flight title.
Crystal Palace 3-3 Liver pool/Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa - 2013-14
In one of the most re markable title races of the Premier League era, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liver pool sat on 95 and 94 points respectively going into the 2018-19 finale, which saw City travel to Brighton and the Reds play host to Wolves.
A Glenn Murray opener set nerves jangling among the away fans at the Amex Stadium and raised hopes at Anfield that Liverpool might yet pip City for a first league crown in 29 years.
A Sadio Mane double earned Klopp’s team a 2-0 win, but City recovered from their slow start to cruise to a comfortable 4-1 victory on the south coast to secure the title. -