The Story of a Premiership Season

December 2001

Michael Owen’s fifth goal in five games beats Derby County to keep Liverpool top and Derby 19th. Arsenal move up to second after victory over Ipswich, who stay bottom. Chelsea shock Manchester United with a comprehensive victory that takes them up three places to fifth, two places above United, beaten in successive games for the first time this season.

Leeds drop another place, to third, after drawing with Fulham. Alan Shearer’s dismissal, in the draw with Charlton, is wiped out after referee Andy D’Urso views video footage. Southampton lose to Everton and drop back into the bottom three.

Liverpool maintain pole position with a win over Middlesbrough, in which Michael Owen scores again.

Manchester United lose, to London opposition, West Ham, for the third game in a row and plunge to ninth, their lowest position of the season.

Leicester are crushed by Southampton, the fourth time already this season they have conceded four or more goals, and drop to bottom of the table.

Thierry Henry is on the scoresheet for the third game running as Arsenal beat Aston Villa and stay second. A Harry Kewell brace beats Blackburn and keeps Leeds third.

Liverpool stay top after a draw with Fulham. Derby County have the misfortune to be on the receiving end of a ‘wounded’ Manchester United, who record their best win of the campaign, even Roy Keane scores, his first goal of the season.

Arsenal remain second after drawing with West Ham, with Ashley Cole getting his first Gunners’ goal of the season. Newcastle move up to third after beating Blackburn and there is a milestone for former Magpie Les Ferdinand. His opener, in Spurs’ defeat of Fulham, is the 10,000th goal in the nine-year history of the Premier League and earns a £10,000 cheque for charity from sponsors Barclaycard.

Liverpool suffer their worst defeat of the season, to Chelsea, but stay top of the table, Chelsea remain fifth. Leeds drop again, to fourth, after drawing with Leicester, who improve a place to 18th.

Ipswich’s third consecutive defeat, to Villa, keeps them bottom.
Newcastle win again and victory over Arsenal is a record-breaking victory in London, at the 30 attempt, which puts the Geordies top of the table, but they have to come back from a goal down, scoring three times in the last half hour.

Newcastle again come back from a deficit, 3–1, to beat Leeds and retain top spot, and, again, they hit three goals in the final 30 minutes, ‘Nobby’ Solano nets the 90th minute winner. Ruud Van Nistelrooy nets the fastest Premiership goal of the season, after 30 seconds, to put Manchester United on the road to a comprehensive win over Southampton. The Dutchman goes on to complete his hat-trick in United’s biggest victory of the campaign that moves them up a place to fifth.

Derby beat Aston Villa and improve one place to 18th. Leicester drop a place to 19th after drawing with West Ham. Poor old Ipswich, they get their first win in 16 games, against Spurs, but stay bottom for Christmas.

Liverpool’s second consecutive defeat, to Arsenal, knocks them down to third and keeps The Gunners second. But Giovani Van Bronckhorst is sent off for diving, the 40th red card of Arsene Wenger’s Highbury tenure.

Leaders Newcastle beat Middlesbrough and Arsenal beat Chelsea to stay second. Liverpool get their first win in four games by beating Aston Villa, to go third. Leeds beat Bolton, with a Robbie Fowler hat-trick that beats Bolton, and go fourth.

Derby stay 18th when they lose to West Ham. Leicester drop to bottom when they lose to Ipswich, who move above them.

Michael Owen comes on as substitute, against West Ham, to deny The Hammers victory, with his 100th goal for Liverpool, in the 88th minute, but the draw drops Liverpool to fourth.
Arsenal beat Middlesbrough to end the year on top of the Premiership with the decisive goal, his second in a fortnight, coming from Ashley Cole.

Manchester United secure their fifth successive victory, over Fulham, and are just three points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Ipswich win their last two games of the year, against Leicester and Sunderland to climb off the bottom.

SIDEBAR
The last time United lost three Premiership games in a row was the last three fixtures of 2000–01, after they had already clinched the title. The last time the team were as low as ninth in the table was the opening day of 1999–2000. In the season proper, after League tables came into play, United were not this low since 20 September 1998, when they were actually 10th.

Story of a Premiership Season - December 2001

Story of a Premiership Season -
December 2001