The Story of a Premiership Season

May 2004

Wolves, despite beating Everton, are relegated unless they win their last two games and score 30 goals in the process. Leicester draw with Charlton and are also relegated.
Paulo Wanchope’s first goal at home earns Manchester City the victory over Newcastle that ensures Premiership survival.

Arsenal fail to get a proper shot on target as they are held by Birmingham but still extend their record unbeaten run to 35 games. Chelsea crush Southampton to confirm second position, eight points behind The Gunners. Manchester United blow their chances of runners-up by losing at Blackburn. Jonathan Stead’s winner is his sixth goal in 11 starts.

Leeds, Champions’ League semi-finalists in 2000, are relegated, ending their 14-year top flight stay, when they are thrashed by Bolton, after taking a 1–0 lead. Mark Viduka is sent off again.
Danny Murphy maintains his 100 percent penalty success and Emile Heskey, scoring seven minutes after coming on as substitute, earn Liverpool victory over Middlesbrough to go fourth, four hours after Villa beat Spurs, with Angel scoring his 15th Premiership goal of the campaign, to occupy that slot.

Arsenal’s draw with Portsmouth stretches their unbeaten run to 36 games. Whatever the results of their last two matches, it’s another record for Highbury. Yakuba Ayegbeni’s opener seventh goal in eight games puts Pompey ahead but is cancelled out by Juan Antonio Reyes’ first away goal, his first in the Premiership. The draw means a new Premier League points record is now beyond The Gunners.

Chelsea earn the draw at Old Trafford that guarantees them runner-up in the Premiership, their highest top flight finish since 1955, when they were First Division champions. Gronkjaer’s first Premier League goal for a year is cancelled out by Van Nistelrooy, who also misses a penalty, after a mistake by Cudicini. United must settle for third place, only the second time in 12 years they finish outside the top two.

Liverpool’s win at Birmingham keeps them fourth while Villa’s draw against Southampton leaves them three points behind in fifth.

There are emotional scenes at Elland Road where Alan Smith nets a penalty to put relegated Leeds 3–1 up but again the defence lets United down and folds to concede two goals in three minutes to Jason Euell. Leicester’s last home game in the Premiership sees them beat Portsmouth with Nigel Quasie’s goal, for Pompey, being his first in the Premiership.

Alan Shearer misses a late penalty as Newcastle are held by Wolves, whose relegation is confirmed.

Newcastle are held at Southampton, with Saints’ third-choice ’keeper, Alan Blaney marking his debut with a series of superb saves, to hand Liverpool a fourth-place finish and entry into the Champions’ League.

Arsenal join the immortals when they come back from a goal down, to former Gunner Paul Dickov, to beat relegated Leicester. Fittingly the champions’ goals come from Thierry Henry, who equalises from the penalty-spot, with his 30th Premier League goal of the season, and the winner, meaning a complete Premiership season unbeaten, is scored by the inspirational Patrick Vieira.

Jesper Gronkjaer scores again to complete Chelsea’s best top flight finish in 49 years and beat relegated Leeds. Third-placed Manchester United beat Villa after two early gift goals from Aston Villa but have Darren Fletcher and Ronaldo sent off by on over-officious Rob Styles. The Premiership’s most ‘card-sharp’ referee takes his red card count to 12 in just 20 games, in which he has officiated. Styles also books nine at Villa Park.

Liverpool’s draw with Newcastle narrowly averts a worst home League record since 1954. The Magpies get the last UEFA Cup place due to Villa’s defeat to Manchester United.
Manchester City finish finish two places above the relegation zone after crushing Everton, who are only one place and six points better off than third-bottom Leicester.

Wolves have Paul Ince sent off as they wave goodbye after just one Premiership season and are beaten by Spurs, who only just avoid their worst-ever points total in the Premier League. Wolves veteran Denis Irwin retires with a career-total of 902 games.

Story of a Premiership Season - May 2004

Story of a Premiership Season -
May 2004