The 1995–96 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth season of the competition, since its formation in 1992. Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the FA Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs, Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers, were promoted instead of the usual three.[3]
| Season | 1995–96 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19 August 1995 – 5 May 1996 |
| Champions | Manchester United 3rd Premier League title 10th English title |
| Relegated | Manchester City Queens Park Rangers Bolton Wanderers |
| Champions League | Manchester United |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Liverpool |
| UEFA Cup | Newcastle United Aston Villa Arsenal |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 988 (2.6 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Alan Shearer (31 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Peter Schmeichel (18 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Blackburn Rovers 7–0 Nottingham Forest (18 November 1995) |
| Biggest away win | Bolton Wanderers 0–6 Manchester United (25 February 1996) |
| Highest scoring | Sheffield Wednesday 6–2 Leeds United (16 December 1995) |
| Longest winning run | 6 games[1] Manchester United |
| Longest unbeaten run | 15 games[1] Liverpool |
| Longest winless run | 14 games[1] Coventry City Wimbledon |
| Longest losing run | 8 games[1] Manchester City Middlesbrough |
| Highest attendance | 53,926[2] Manchester United 5–0 Nottingham Forest (28 April 1996) |
| Lowest attendance | 6,352[2] Wimbledon 2–2 Sheffield Wednesday (30 August 1995) |
| Total attendance | 10,472,882[2] |
| Average attendance | 27,560[2] |
← 1994–95 1996–97 → | |
Manchester United won the Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Champions League, while Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United qualified for the UEFA Cup. Liverpool also qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup as runners-up of the FA Cup which was won by Manchester United.
Summary
editLiverpool and Aston Villa emerged as possible title contenders early in the season, while Middlesbrough's early promise saw them occupy fourth place in late October. However, an injury crisis saw their league form slump, leading them up to a 12th-place finish. Most of the campaign was a two-horse race between Manchester United and Newcastle United. The two sides played on 27 December, with Newcastle 10 points ahead in the league. A 2–0 home win for Manchester United cut the gap to seven points, and two days later they beat Queens Park Rangers 2–1 to reduce the gap to just four points. Nevertheless, a 4–1 defeat at Tottenham on New Year's Day and a 0–0 draw with Aston Villa allowed Newcastle to establish a 12-point lead in January.
Manchester United and Newcastle met again in early March, by which time the gap had been cut to four points. A second half goal by Eric Cantona gave Manchester United a 1–0 away win and cut the gap to a single point. With one game left of the season, Manchester United led the Premier League by two points, having taken lead of the league halfway through March and stayed on top ever since. In case of the two clubs being tied for first place, the Premier League made preliminary preparations for a championship play-off match at Wembley.[4] For Newcastle to win their first title since 1927, they had to win against Tottenham and hope that their north-eastern rivals Middlesbrough defeated Alex Ferguson’s men. But the Premier League title went to Old Trafford as Manchester United won 3–0 and Newcastle could only manage a 1–1 draw with Tottenham.
Despite the arrival of Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal never looked like serious title challengers. Their best chance of success coming in the League Cup, where they reached the semi-finals, was lost on away goals to Aston Villa. However, the North London side still qualified for the UEFA Cup by finishing fifth.
Aston Villa won the Coca-Cola sponsored League Cup competition this season, beating Leeds United 3–0 at Wembley.
Title holders, Blackburn, recorded the lowest ever finish by a Premier League title-holder by finishing 7th. This record was matched by Manchester United in 2013–14 and broken by Chelsea in 2015–16 and again by Leicester City in 2016–17. However, Rovers striker Alan Shearer was still the league’s top scorer with 31 goals.
Six days after clinching their third league title in four seasons, Manchester United became the first team to complete a second league championship and FA Cup double when a Cantona goal gave them a 1–0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup final.[5]
Fourth place Aston Villa lifted the League Cup for a joint record fifth time, securing a UEFA Cup place for the third time in four seasons.
The Premier League relegation places went to Bolton Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers, and Manchester City. Bolton had spent most of their first Premier League season bottom of the table, and an improvement in form was not enough to save the Burnden Park side from an immediate return to Division One. They went down on the season’s penultimate weekend, on the same day that QPR’s 3-0 win over London rivals West Ham came too late to save the top flight place they had held since 1983. Manchester City failed to beat Liverpool on the final day of the season, consigning them to the final relegation place on goal difference behind Southampton and Coventry City.
English performance in European competition
editBlackburn Rovers, the 1994–95 Premier League champions, finished bottom of their group in the UEFA Champions League.[6] Manchester United were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the first round, with Liverpool and Leeds United both being knocked out at the second round.[7] Everton were beaten in the second round of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.[8] The only English team still in European competition after Christmas were Nottingham Forest, who reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.[7]
Teams
editTwenty teams competed in the league – the top eighteen teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers, returning to the top flight after two and fifteen years respectively. This was also Bolton Wanderers' first season in the Premier League. They replaced Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Leicester City and Ipswich Town, who were relegated to the First Division after their top flight spells of one, nine, one and three years respectively. This was the first season in which the league was contested by twenty teams as opposed to previous seasons which were contested by twenty-two teams.
Stadiums and locations
edit- ^ Due to Wimbledon lacking a home stadium, they played their home games at Selhurst Park, which is the home stadium of Crystal Palace.
Personnel and kits
edit(as of 5 May 1996)
Managerial changes
edit| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | Sacked | 16 May 1995 | Pre-season | 2 July 1995 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 20 May 1995 | 14 June 1995[9] | ||||
| Arsenal | End of caretaker spell | 8 June 1995 | 8 June 1995 | |||
| Bolton Wanderers | Signed by Arsenal | 20 June 1995 | ||||
| Blackburn Rovers | Retired | 25 June 1995 | 25 June 1995 | |||
| Southampton | Signed by Manchester City | 2 July 1995 | 14 July 1995 | |||
| Bolton Wanderers | Sacked | 2 January 1996 | 20th | 2 January 1996 |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United (C) | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 73 | 35 | +38 | 82 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 38 | 24 | 6 | 8 | 66 | 37 | +29 | 78 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Liverpool | 38 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 70 | 34 | +36 | 71 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a] |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 52 | 35 | +17 | 63 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Arsenal | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 49 | 32 | +17 | 63 | |
| 6 | Everton | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 64 | 44 | +20 | 61 | Excluded from the UEFA Cup[b] |
| 7 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 61 | 47 | +14 | 61 | |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 50 | 38 | +12 | 61 | |
| 9 | Nottingham Forest | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 50 | 54 | −4 | 58 | |
| 10 | West Ham United | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 51 | |
| 11 | Chelsea | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 50 | |
| 12 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 35 | 50 | −15 | 43 | |
| 13 | Leeds United | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 40 | 57 | −17 | 43 | |
| 14 | Wimbledon | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 55 | 70 | −15 | 41 | |
| 15 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 40 | |
| 16 | Coventry City | 38 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 42 | 60 | −18 | 38 | |
| 17 | Southampton | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 34 | 52 | −18 | 38 | |
| 18 | Manchester City (R) | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 33 | 58 | −25 | 38 | Relegation to Football League First Division |
| 19 | Queens Park Rangers (R) | 38 | 9 | 6 | 23 | 38 | 57 | −19 | 33 | |
| 20 | Bolton Wanderers (R) | 38 | 8 | 5 | 25 | 39 | 71 | −32 | 29 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Liverpool qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup runners-up, as winners Manchester United already qualified for the Champions League. They defaulted their UEFA Cup spot from league position to Arsenal.
- ^ The Football Association was initially awarded a UEFA Fair Play berth to the Premier League's highest-placed team not qualified for Europe, but was revoked by UEFA for its clubs fielding under-strength sides in the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.[10]
Results
editSeason statistics
editScoring
editTop scorers
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackburn Rovers | 31 | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 28 | |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 25 | |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 17 | |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 | |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 15 | |
| Everton | 15 | ||
| Arsenal | 15 | ||
| 9 | Manchester United | 14 | |
| Liverpool | 14 | ||
| Coventry City | 14 |
Hat-tricks
edit| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | Nottingham Forest | 3–4 (A) | 15 August 1995 | [11] | |
| Liverpool | Bolton Wanderers | 5–2 (H) | 23 August 1995 | [12] | |
| Blackburn Rovers | Coventry City | 5–1 (H) | 23 August 1995 | [13] | |
| Leeds United | Wimbledon | 4–2 (H) | 23 August 1995 | [14] | |
| Newcastle United | Wimbledon | 6–1 (H) | 21 October 1995 | [15] | |
| Leeds United | Coventry City | 3–1 (H) | 28 October 1995 | [16] | |
| Blackburn Rovers | Nottingham Forest | 7–0 (H) | 18 November 1995 | [17] | |
| Blackburn Rovers | West Ham United | 4–2 (H) | 2 December 1995 | [18] | |
| Coventry City | Sheffield Wednesday | 4–3 (A) | 4 December 1995 | [19] | |
| Aston Villa | Coventry City | 4–1 (H) | 16 December 1995 | [20] | |
| Liverpool | Arsenal | 3–1 (H) | 23 December 1995 | [21] | |
| Blackburn Rovers | Bolton Wanderers | 3–1 (H) | 3 February 1996 | [22] | |
| Chelsea | Middlesbrough | 5–0 (H) | 4 February 1996 | [23] | |
| Blackburn Rovers | Tottenham Hotspur | 3–2 (A) | 16 March 1996 | [24] | |
| Chelsea | Leeds United | 4–1 (H) | 13 April 1996 | [25] | |
| Everton | Sheffield Wednesday | 5–2 (A) | 27 April 1996 | [26] |
- Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; (H) – Home; (A) – Away
Awards
editMonthly awards
edit| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| August | Newcastle United | Newcastle United | ||
| September | Leeds United | |||
| October | Nottingham Forest | Queens Park Rangers | ||
| November | Manchester City | Newcastle United | ||
| December | Liverpool | Liverpool | ||
| January | Liverpool | |||
| February | Manchester United | Aston Villa | ||
| March | Manchester United | |||
| April | Southampton | Everton | ||
Annual awards
edit| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League Manager of the Season | Manchester United | |
| PFA Players' Player of the Year | Newcastle United | |
| PFA Young Player of the Year | Liverpool | |
| FWA Footballer of the Year | Manchester United |
| PFA Team of the Year | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||
| Defence | ||||||||||||
| Midfield | ||||||||||||
| Attack | ||||||||||||
See also
editReferences and notes
edit- ^ a b c d "English Premier League 1995–96". statto.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Premier League 1995/96 Attendances". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ England 1994/95
- ^ "Arsenal and Chelsea may face play-off". premierleague.com. Premier League. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ England – FA Challenge Cup 1995–1996
- ^ European Competitions 1995–96 Archived 15 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b European Competitions 1995–96
- ^ European Competitions 1995–96
- ^ "Season 1994/95 | Official Site of the Premier League - Barclays Premier League News, Fixtures and Results | Premier League | History | 1994/95 Season". Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
- ^ "English clubs pay for Intertoto fiasco". The Independent. 16 December 1995. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ Hey, Stan (20 August 1995). "Roy runs free for Forest". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ "Liverpool 5–2 Bolton Wanderers". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 21 May 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Culley, Jon (24 September 1995). "Shearer lifts the gloom". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Brenkley, Stephen (24 September 1995). "Yeboah up to his old tricks". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Barnes, Scott (22 October 1995). "Ferdinand dons triple crown". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Barnes, Scott (29 October 1995). "Leeds stirred by McAllister". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (19 November 1995). "Bohinen busts Forest's dam". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Cullely, Jon (3 December 1995). "Shearer bliss". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Hodgson, Guy (5 December 1995). "Football: Bright's finish makes Dublin's hat-trick irrelevant". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ Shaw, Phil (17 December 1995). "Football: Milosevic finally comes good". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Fox, Norman (24 December 1995). "Fowler does trick for Liverpool". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Hadfield, Dave (4 February 1996). "Dogged Shearer puts bite on Bolton". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Moore, Glenn (5 February 1996). "Chelsea burst into bloom". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Haylett, Trevor (14 April 1996). "Shearer steals show". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Brown, Geoff (14 April 1996). "Hughes bang up to date". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Barnes, Scott (28 April 1996). "Kanchelskis rules". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Carling Premiership Player of the Month 1995/96". Premier League. Archived from the original on 10 December 2006.
- ^ England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year
- ^ England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year
- ^ England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year