The Story of a Premiership Season

December 1997

Bolton win successive matches for the first time this season, Nathan Blake is again the match-winner, but Wanderers stay 18th.

Manchester United maintain their three point lead at the top, with a comprehensive victory over Liverpool, while second-placed Chelsea impress with a thrashing of London rivals Tottenham in which a Tore Andre Flo hat-trick ruins Christian Gross’s first home game and plunges Spurs into the bottom three. Third-placed Blackburn keep up the chase with victory over Bolton, while Everton’s point at Leeds moves them one place off the bottom and Southampton lose to Wimbledon and drop a place to 17th.

Blackburn go second, one point behind United, after beating Arsenal. Chelsea drop down to third after being held by Leeds, who play with nine men for the entire second half after referee Graham Poll sends off Gary Kelly and Alf-Inge-Haaland. Leeds move fourth while Liverpool’s victory over Crystal Palace takes them up to sixth.

Barnsley are held by Newcastle and remain bottom and Everton stay 19th after drawing with Wimbledon while things just go from bad to worse for Tottenham, under new manager Christian Gross, who drop into the bottom three, three points from the safety line, after being crushed by Coventry, who score twice in the last six minutes.

Manchester United move further away and can even afford a Teddy Sheringham penalty miss as they beat Aston Villa with a Ryan Giggs goal that secures a fourth successive victory.

Blackburn and Chelsea close the gap on United with victories over West Ham and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. Rovers are now just a point behind the leaders, Chelsea are one point further behind. In a basement battle Spurs beat bottom placed Barnsley but stay 18th. One place better off are Everton who celebrate a bunch of firsts. The victory, at Leicester, with an 89th minute Gary Speed penalty, is the side’s, first away win in a year, first goal in a month (the last was also a Speed penalty) and first victory in nine games.

It’s a case of Cole to Newcastle as Andy returns to St James’ Park and nets the winner to restore Manchester United’s four point lead at the top of the table.

Spurs, with just 17 goals in 19 Premiership matches, pluck Jurgen Klinsmann from the doldrums of the Sampdoria bench on a six-month contract in a move that means no small measure of ‘humble-pie’ for chairman Alan Sugar, who bade farewell to the German striker by saying he wouldn’t wash his car with Klinsmann’s jersey!

For the third time this season a Premiership game is abandoned because of floodlight failure, this time it’s the Wimbledon v Arsenal game at Selhurst Park.

Coventry pay a club record £3.25 million to Grasshoppers, Zurich, for Romanian striker Viorel Moldovan.

Boxing Day victory for Manchester United, over Everton, who stay 19th, increases their lead to six points because the two chasing sides, Blackburn and Chelsea, are held by Sheffield Wednesday and Wimbledon, respectively. Georgi Hristov scores his first goal for 12 games and it earns rock bottom Barnsley a point at Bolton.

Manchester United concede two goals in the last five minutes to lose at Coventry, Darren Huckerby nets the 88th minute winner, but second placed Blackburn fail to profit as they are held by Crystal Palace. Everton increase the pressure on Christian Gross by beating Bolton, with a Duncan Ferguson ‘headed’ hat-trick, that sees them swap places with Tottenham, now 19th. Spurs are looking nervously over their shoulders as even bottom club Barnsley win, against Derby.

Chelsea lose at Southampton and fall to third, seven points behind table-toppers Manchester United and the year ends with speculation that beleaguered Tottenham manager Christian Gross is wanted by the Swiss national team.

SIDEBAR
Tottenham’s 6–1 drubbing by Chelsea is the club’s worst home defeat since 6 May 1935 when they lost 6–0 to Arsenal.

Story of a Premiership Season - December 1997

Story of a Premiership Season -
December 1997