Match of the Day Top 10: Premier League title races
- Published
Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney have all won the Premier League title in dramatic circumstances with Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United respectively
It is time for another Match of the Day Top 10 - and this week Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards will be debating the best title races in Premier League history.
There has been plenty of late-season drama, excitement, delight and heartbreak.
Here are their choices. See what you think, and then pick the order you would rank them in.
2018-19 - Manchester City v Liverpool
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City were on 95 points, and Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool on 94, as they went into the 2018-19 finale. On the last day, City travelled to Brighton and the Reds hosted Wolves.
City had won 13 games in a row - including a vital late-season victory over Leicester secured by Vincent Kompany long-range winner - while Liverpool were unbeaten in 16 games since losing at Etihad Stadium on 3 January.
A Sadio Mane double earned Klopp's team a 2-0 win, but City recovered from going a goal down at Brighton to win 4-1 and secure the title.
The top two's combined final total of 195 points was the highest ever in an English top-flight season - three points for a win having been introduced in 1981. Runners-up Liverpool's tally of 97 points was, at the time, the third-highest in Premier League history.
Match of the Day Top 10: Lineker's Everton stat that shocked Shearer and Micah
2015-16 - Leicester v the rest
This was arguably the greatest underdog title triumph in English football history. Leicester, 5,000-1 outsiders at the start of the season as Claudio Ranieri took charge as manager, held off all challengers to win the league for the first time.
With Jamie Vardy scoring in a record 11 consecutive matches, the Foxes were the surprise leaders at Christmas and they followed this up with excellent results early in the new year, including included away wins over Tottenham and Manchester City.
A last-gasp defeat at Arsenal in February threatened to bring the dream to an end - but Leicester did not lose another match all season as the Gunners and Tottenham, their closest challengers, both wilted.
Leicester became English champions for the first time in their history
Six wins - all with clean sheets - in a run of seven matches followed; with Spurs dropping points in draws with West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool, Leicester began May needing to win at Manchester United to clinch the title.
They drew 1-1 but it mattered little as the title was sealed the following day as Spurs let a 2-0 lead slip to draw 2-2 at Chelsea. Cue manic celebrations from the Leicester players, who had gathered at Vardy's house to watch the match.
2013-14 - Manchester City v Liverpool v Chelsea
Having finished seventh in 2012-13, Liverpool were not expected to challenge but 31 goals from Luis Suarez put them in contention to claim their first title in 24 years.
The Reds embarked on a 16-game unbeaten run that featured an 11-match winning streak, including a 3-2 victory over Manchester City that put the Reds top with four games to play. However, the title race was to feature another twist as Chelsea headed north to Anfield.
Steven Gerrard's infamous slip allowed Demba Ba to score the first goal in a 2-0 home defeat. Then came a remarkable capitulation at Crystal Palace, where Liverpool squandered a 3-0 lead in the final 11 minutes.
Two days later, City beat Aston Villa 4-0 to go two points clear at the top, before Manuel Pellegrini's men clinched the title with a 2-0 triumph at home to West Ham on the final day. Liverpool would have to wait another six years to lift the Premier League trophy.
2011-12 Manchester City v Manchester United
Manchester City, last champions in 1968, were expected to mount a serious challenge as the 2011-12 campaign dawned, having spent £35m on striker Sergio Aguero in a bid to improve on the previous season's third-place finish.
And at Christmas, Roberto Mancini's side looked well on course, winning 14 of their first 17 games - including a 6-1 thrashing of neighbours Manchester United at Old Trafford - while losing just one.
Then came a spring wobble - a run of one win in five matches, with defeats at Swansea and Arsenal, left them eight points behind United with six games to play.
"Roberto, is it over now, do you think?" asked Match of the Day's Steve Wilson after the defeat at Emirates Stadium on 8 April.
"No," Mancini said. "It's never finished until you have the points to go on the top."
He was right. Three days later, United lost at Wigan. Then they drew 4-4 at home to Everton, having been 4-2 up. Then, in a crucial match at the end of April, they were beaten 1-0 at Etihad Stadium - as Vincent Kompany's header handed the initiative back to City.
On the final day, City needed a win at home to struggling QPR to become champions. Simple? Not a bit of it.
Mancini's side, 1-0 up at half-time, trailed 2-1 by the 66th minute. With United winning 1-0 at Sunderland, the title was heading to Old Trafford - and it still was even as Edin Dzeko equalised for City with one minute and 14 seconds of stoppage time played.
Three minutes and 20 seconds into stoppage time, with play finished at Stadium of Light, Sergio Aguero took on Mario Balotelli's pass and lashed in a City winner. A 44-year title wait was over.
Sergio Aguero scored in the 94th minute against QPR on the final day of the season as Manchester City became champions for the first time since 1967-68
2009-10 - Chelsea vs Manchester United
United were aiming for a fourth consecutive title but had lost Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez in the summer. Chelsea, meanwhile, had new boss Carlo Ancelotti at the helm.
A back-and-forth title race swung decisively in Chelsea's favour after a 2-1 victory over United at Old Trafford in April. Going into the final day, Chelsea held a one-point advantage and only needed to beat Wigan at Stamford Bridge to lift the trophy. They did in emphatic fashion, running out 8-0 winners.
United cruised to victory over Stoke at Old Trafford, but there was never any doubt the Blues would claim their first title since 2006 once Nicolas Anelka had given them a sixth-minute lead. A Didier Drogba hat-trick secured him the Golden Boot and further goals from Anelka, Frank Lampard, Salomon Kalou and Ashley Cole provided a fitting finale to an outstanding campaign for Chelsea.
2007-08 - Manchester United v Chelsea v Arsenal
Having been at the summit for much of the season, Arsenal's challenge faded following a horror injury to striker Eduardo in a 2-2 draw away to Birmingham City in February. That was the start of a run of one win from eight matches, including a 2-1 defeat by United that effectively ended their title hopes.
United, inspired by a Ballon d'Or-winning season from 31-goal Cristiano Ronaldo, looked well-placed to retain the title. Yet Chelsea would just not go away. Having sacked Jose Mourinho after a poor start, they rallied under caretaker boss Avram Grant to stage an unlikely title challenge off the back of an 18-game unbeaten run.
A 2-1 win against United at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of a Michael Ballack double, blew the title race wide open. Only goal difference separated United from Chelsea before the final weekend. However, United made light work of Wigan to secure a 17th league title, running out 2-0 winners.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs scored on the final day as Manchester United became champions
The Red Devils went on to pip the Blues to Champions League glory 10 days later, winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Moscow.
1998-99 Manchester United v Arsenal v Chelsea
In the summer of 1998, Manchester United looked to reclaim the Premier League title from Arsenal by adding Jesper Blomqvist, Jaap Stam and Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke to their squad. At Chelsea, player-manager Gianluca Vialli brought Marcel Desailly to Chelsea after he starred in France's 1998 World Cup triumph.
After losing at Coventry on the opening day, Chelsea went 21 matches unbeaten and led the league at halfway. Dennis Bergkamp's goal ended that run as Arsenal beat Vialli's side 1-0 in January; the Blues' challenge was effectively ended by a run of three consecutive draws in April.
United, meanwhile, had recovered from a wobbly first half of the campaign. After a home defeat by Middlesbrough on 19 December, they would not lose another match all season.
As they entered the season's final lap, Alex Ferguson's players were chasing a historic Treble. They finished with three matches for three trophies - a home game against Tottenham for the Premier League title, a Wembley meeting with Newcastle for the FA Cup, and a trip to Barcelona to take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
United, going into the final day with a one-point league lead over Arsenal, looked well set. But then Les Ferdinand gave Tottenham an unlikely first-half lead at Old Trafford - a goal that did their north London rivals a favour.
Ferguson's side fought back - goals from David Beckham and Andy Cole either side of half-time rendered the Gunners' 1-0 win over Aston Villa irrelevant.
It was the start of a huge 11 days for United. Newcastle were beaten. So too, dramatically, were Bayern. In June that year, Ferguson was made a knight.
1997-98 - Arsenal v Manchester United
Arsenal secured their first Premier League title and also won the FA Cup to complete the double. In his first full season as Gunners manager, Arsene Wenger guided them to their first top-flight league crown since 1991.
The title charge seemed unlikely at Christmas, but a run of 45 points from a possible 51 between 26 December and 3 May - an 18-game unbeaten streak - made them champions.
The title was wrapped up with two games to spare after a 4-0 win over Everton at Highbury, with captain Tony Adams memorably striding through to thump in the fourth, although Arsenal only ended up one point ahead of Manchester United, after finishing with two defeats.
Arsenal have been English champions on 13 occasions
Arsenal's 1-0 win at Old Trafford in March, courtesy of a late Marc Overmars goal, was perhaps the key moment in the title race as Manchester United failed to win the Premier League for only the second time since the competition's inception.
1995-96 - Manchester United v Newcastle
The season began with Alan Hansen proclaiming on Match of the Day that "you can't win anything with kids" as a United side that started with four players aged under 21 lost 3-1 at Aston Villa. United had made no major summer signings, had sold the experienced Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis, and started the campaign without Eric Cantona. Yet by May, United were celebrating their third title of the Premier League era.
You can't win anything with kids - Hansen
Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United, know as 'The Entertainers' for their free-scoring football, led the league by 12 points with 15 games to go. But United, galvanised by Cantona's return from an eight-month ban for attacking a fan - ate away at that lead. Cantona scored in a 1-0 win at St James' Park on 4 March, and then climbed to the top as Keegan's side lost four times in six matches.
As the finish line neared, tensions escalated. Six days before the season's climax, Keegan produced perhaps the most memorable post-match interview, external of the Premier League era.
It came after a 1-0 win at Leeds. Keegan was angered by comments from Alex Ferguson that had questioned how committed Leeds would be. The Manchester United manager was also unhappy about the timing of Newcastle's upcoming league trip to Nottingham Forest, less than a week before Keegan was to take a team there for their captain Stuart Pearce's testimonial.
"When you do that with footballers, like he said about Leeds... and when you do things like that about a man like Stuart Pearce... I've kept really quiet, but I'll tell you something, he went down in my estimation when he said that," a visibly angry Keegan, finger jabbing, said in a live interview with Sky Sports. "We have not resorted to that.
"But I'll tell you... you can tell him now, he'll be watching it... we're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something. And I'll tell you, honestly, I would love it if we beat them. Love it."
Newcastle, though, could only draw at Forest three days later. It meant United held a two-point lead as they travelled to Middlesbrough on the final day.
David May sent the Red Devils on their way with an early goal, with Andy Cole and Ryan Giggs sealing a 3-0 win as Newcastle's campaign ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw with Tottenham. The Magpies spent 212 days at the summit, the most in Premier League history for a side not crowned as champions.
1994-95 Blackburn v Manchester United
Blackburn's transformation into the best team in the country under chairman Jack Walker was completed in 1994-95 when they beat Manchester United to the title by one point. It was Rovers' first since 1914 - but it so nearly did not happen.
Kenny Dalglish's side were frontrunners for most of the season, inspired by the strike pairing of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. They notched 49 league goals between them - including 34 for Shearer on his way to the first of his three successive Golden Boot awards).
United, meanwhile, were weakened by the loss of Eric Cantona to suspension for the rest of the season after a flying kick at a fan during a match at Crystal Palace in January.
Going into the final round of matches, Blackburn were two points clear but faced Liverpool at Anfield in their final game, while Ferguson's side were at West Ham.
Rovers led through a Shearer goal at halfway - but then John Barnes equalised, before Jamie Redknapp's free-kick, with more than three minutes of injury time played, consigned Dalglish's side to a 2-1 defeat.
In the away end, Blackburn's fans looked shocked, with hands on heads. Dalglish watched on, expressionless.
Yet within seconds, they were all beaming. News had filtered though that United, despite a glut of second-half chances, had only managed a 1-1 draw. Blackburn were champions.
Alan Shearer's 34 league goals helped Blackburn win the title for the first time since 1914