The Story of a Premiership Season

May 1999

David Beckham nets free-kick winner to beat Aston Villa but United remain second as Arsenal defeat Derby with Nicolas Anelka’s 16th goal of the season. But ‘Fergie’ is still smiling as he signs a new four year, £5 million deal, and reputedly becomes Britain’s highest paid manager.
An explosive Anfield encounter sees ex-United player Paul Ince net a very late equaliser, in the 89th minute, after Denis Irwin is sent off, a quarter of an hour after his penalty puts United 2–0 up. Alex Ferguson blames referee David Ellery, nothing new there, then. Arsenal benefit and close in on the championship by beating Spurs.

Coming shortly after ‘Fergie’s’ attack on David Elleray comes the news that there is a proposal for Premier League referees to be driven to and from games in ‘safe’ cars.

Southampton win their second successive game, against Wimbledon, to move out of the relegation zone. Already relegated Nottingham Forest stun Blackburn to pull Rovers one place closer to the drop and Charlton give themselves hope as they top the bottom three thanks to a Danny Mills free-kick winner in a seven-goal extravaganza at Villa Park.

Kevin Campbell hits a hat-trick in Everton’s win over West Ham and becomes the first player to score a Premiership hat-trick for three different clubs, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest being the others.

Manchester United regain top spot with a victory over Middlesbrough while the most significant result of the season occurs at Leeds where Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink ends Arsenal’s 19 match unbeaten run and virtually hands the Premiership trophy back to Old Trafford.

Blackburn hold United at Old Trafford but a point is not enough and the Premiership winners of 1995 are relegated. But there is a tense end to the title race as United then beat Spurs to claim the championship by a single point but had Tottenham managed to equalise they would have enabled Arsenal to retain their title due to the win over Aston Villa.

It is Alex Ferguson’s fifth Premier League title and Chelsea claim third place, their highest finish in 29 years, with a home win over Derby. At the other end of the table Charlton went into the final day needing a home win over Sheffield Wednesday and hope that Southampton slipped up at The Dell, to Everton. Neither happened so it was swift return to Division One for The Addicks.

Story of a Premiership Season - May 1999

Story of a Premiership Season -
May 1999