This season Manchester City and Liverpool have by far been the top 2 teams in the division and are battling it out to be crowned the Champions of the English Premier League. With Manchester City clear of Liverpool by only a point and two games to play the title race seems to be going down to the wire.
Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, we have witnessed some dramatic twists and turns in title races culminating in pulsating experience for fans around the globe.
Here are the Top 5 Closest Title races in Premier League history:
5) 2007/08: Manchester United vs Chelsea
The 2007/08 produced a thrilling three-horse title race between United, Chelsea, and Arsenal. Manchester United with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Carlos Tevez produced some scintillating attacking football and created havoc in opposition defenses. Manchester United and Chelsea were levels on points on the final game week. The Red Devils won their match against Wigan Athletic but Chelsea could only draw against Bolton which sealed the title in United’s favor.At the end of the season, only 4 points separated the winners- Manchester United and third-placed Arsenal.
Fun Fact: The Red Devils actually lost more games than Chelsea and Arsenal, suffering five defeats all season, but the London sides ultimately drew too many games.
4) 1994/95: Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United
Manchester United were imperious during the early years of the Premier League but during the 1994/95 season, Blackburn Rovers under the tutelage of Kenny Dalglish pipped fellow Scotsman Alex Ferguson for the Premier League title. Blackburn owner Jack Walker poured limitless funds to assemble a team consisting of Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton, and Tim Sherwood. Also, the loss of Eric Cantona for United following a ban of 8 months for kung-fu kicking a Crystal Palace fan proved to be decisive in the title run in.
Blackburn lead the table for most part of the season but Manchester United fought for their chances until the last matchday. United faced West Ham in their final game where they needed to win in order to get their hands on the trophy. But Sir Alex Ferguson's men were held to a 1-1 draw which gave Rovers the initiative despite losing 2-1 to Liverpool.
3) 1997/98: Arsenal vs Manchester United
Arsenal and Manchester United had one of the fiercest rivalries during the late nineties and the early 21st century. At the forefront of this rivalry were 2 men- Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. Manchester United were leading the Gunners by 12 points, though Arsenal had 3 games in hand over them. The Gunners beat United at Old Trafford, which proved to be a vital turning point in the season. From then on, Arsenal went on a title-winning 8 match consecutive win streak and was then crowned Premier League champions by a single point.
2) 1998/99: Manchester United vs Arsenal
The 1998/99 treble-winning season is one the most cherished seasons by Manchester United supporters. However, not many people can recall the fine margins involved in their Premier League campaign.
Two games prior to the end of the season, Arsenal lost 1-0 to Leeds, meanwhile, a 0-0 draw for Manchester United against Blackburn Rovers meant, heading into the final day of the season, a mere 1 point was the difference between the two sides. United's last fixture saw them face a Tottenham side who went 1-0 up by half-time. But a spirited 2-1 comeback from the Red Devils confirmed their title win on the final day as Arsenal had to settle for second place. Six days later, United won the FA Cup and four days after that, they won the Champions League… to cap off their greatest ever season.
1) 2011/12: Manchester City vs Manchester United
You knew it was coming.............
One of the most enthralling Premier League seasons in history went down to the final minute as Manchester City snatched the title from Manchester United in stoppage time against QPR. Flooded by Sheikh Mansour’s billions, Manchester City aka The noisy neighbors emerged as one of the title contenders.
Both the Manchester clubs were at the forefront of an enthralling title race and it all went down to the wire. In the last match, Manchester United ended up defeating Sunderland, and, heading into stoppage time, QPR were winning 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium. But, just as nervous United fans started celebrating, The Sky Blues bagged 2 goals in quick succession to win the league. Victorious on goal-difference, this Premier League edition was truly a nail-biter and an absolute thriller. It will quite simply never get any better than this for the Citizens, no matter how good they are.
