Premier League Title Race: The Most Dramatic Finishes

2011-12: Aguero 93:20

The greatest final day in Premier League history needs no embellishment. Manchester City and Manchester United entered the final day level on points, City ahead on goal difference. City needed to beat Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad; United needed to beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and hope City slipped.

The script was already written for high drama. QPR, managed by Mark Hughes, the former City manager, needed a point to guarantee survival. They took a shock lead through a thunderous Djibril Cissé volley in the 48th minute. Pablo Zabaleta equalised for City 11 minutes later, but with 10 minutes remaining, Jamie Mackie restored QPR's lead after Paddy Kenny's long punt forward caused chaos in the City defence.

Word filtered through from Sunderland: United were winning 1-0 through Wayne Rooney. City needed two goals. The title was slipping away. Edin Dzeko, the Bosnian striker who had arrived as a mid-season signing in January 2011, rose highest to meet David Silva's corner in the 92nd minute. 2-2. One more goal. At that moment, the story of the 2011-12 season reached its crescendo. Mario Balotelli, the enigmatic Italian whose season had been marked by madness and genius, slid in to win possession on the edge of the QPR box. He slipped the ball to Sergio Aguero. The Argentine collected it, drove at the QPR defence, and from 18 yards, unleashed a low, powerful drive past Paddy Kenny and into the bottom corner.

The stadium erupted. Fans poured onto the pitch. Martin Tyler's commentary — "Aguerooooo!" — became the most replayed sound in football history. The goal was timed at 93 minutes and 20 seconds — a moment so iconic that City fans named their post-treble era after it. City had won their first league title in 44 years, and they had done it in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. For QPR, survival was secured despite the defeat — but nobody at the Etihad cared.

2013-14: Gerrard's Slip

Liverpool's 2013-14 title challenge was built on swashbuckling, relentless attacking football. Brendan Rodgers's side scored 101 goals, the most in the league, with the SAS strike partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge contributing 52 goals between them. Steven Gerrard, deployed in a deeper holding midfield role, was pulling the strings, spraying passes and scoring crucial penalties. By April, Liverpool were five points clear with three games remaining.

Chelsea, managed by José Mourinho, arrived at Anfield on 27 April 2014. Mourinho deployed a defensive masterclass, parking the bus with typical pragmatism. Liverpool dominated possession but could not break through. The decisive moment came in first-half stoppage time. Gerrard received a routine back-pass from Mamadou Sakho. As he controlled the ball, his left foot slipped on the Anfield turf. The ball rolled loose. Demba Ba, Chelsea's Senegal striker, pounced. He collected the ball, rounded Simon Mignolet, and slotted into an empty net. Anfield fell silent.

The slip became an indelible image of Premier League history. Gerrard, the captain who had carried Liverpool for over a decade, who had inspired the miracle of Istanbul, who had dragged Liverpool back to contention, lay on the turf with his head in his hands. The title was slipping away with him. Chelsea won 2-0, and Liverpool's lead was cut to two points.

The following week, Liverpool travelled to Crystal Palace leading 3-0 with 11 minutes remaining — a result that would have restored the five-point gap. But Palace scored three times in the final minutes, including a remarkable equaliser from Dwight Gayle. The 3-3 draw destroyed Liverpool's goal difference advantage. On the final day, Manchester City's 2-0 win over West Ham confirmed the title had switched to the Etihad. Liverpool's 30-year wait continued.

1998-99: The Treble Season

The 1998-99 Premier League season was the foundation of Manchester United's historic treble. The title race with Arsenal was defined by a four-point swing in April that turned the championship on its head.

On 17 April 1999, United travelled to Elland Road to face Leeds United, a fixture Leeds always raised their game for. A 1-1 draw kept United four points ahead of Arsenal. But just four days later, Arsenal faced Leeds at Highbury and fell behind 1-0 to an early Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink goal. The pressure was intense. But Arsenal's response was emphatic: Kanu equalized, and then a young Nicolas Anelka scored the winner with a brilliant individual goal. Arsenal were now just one point behind United with a game in hand. The momentum had shifted.

Then came the FA Cup semi-final replay between the two sides at Villa Park. The first match had ended 0-0. The replay was a classic. David Beckham gave United an early lead with a trademark free-kick. But Arsenal equalized through Dennis Bergkamp, who outfoxed United's defence before slotting home. The match went to extra time, and with United reduced to 10 men after Roy Keane's red card, Arsenal won a stoppage-time penalty. Bergkamp stepped up. Peter Schmeichel, United's veteran Danish goalkeeper, dived to his left to save. United held on for a 2-1 win and a place in the FA Cup final.

The psychological blow to Arsenal was immense. Just five days later, Arsenal faced United at Old Trafford in the league. United won 2-1 courtesy of a late Dwight Yorke winner. The four-point swing was complete. United led by four points with four games to play. The title was effectively won, though United's remaining league fixtures yielded some nervous moments, including a final-day win over Tottenham sealed by a late Andy Cole goal.

The season concluded in the most extraordinary fashion: a Champions League final in Barcelona where United, trailing Bayern Munich 1-0 after 90 minutes, scored twice in stoppage time through Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to complete the treble. It remains the most famous victory in English club history.

1995-96: Keegan's Rant

The greatest collapse in Premier League title race history belongs to Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United. In January 1996, Newcastle led Manchester United by 12 points. Their football was breathtaking — swashbuckling, fearless, attacking. Les Ferdinand banged in 25 league goals from centre-forward. David Ginola was the creative genius on the left wing, weaving his French magic past helpless full-backs. Peter Beardsley pulled the strings from behind the striker. The St James' Park crowd were in dreamland.

But Alex Ferguson, as he so often did, played mind games. He questioned whether opponents raised their game against Newcastle, a suggestion that rankled Keegan. He dismissed Newcastle's title credentials, pointing to their lack of big-game experience. Ferguson's comments found their way into Keegan's psyche.

The turning point came on 4 March 1996. Newcastle travelled to Old Trafford. The match was a tense, tight affair. Eric Cantona, returning from his eight-month suspension, scored the only goal of the game in the 52nd minute. United won 1-0. The lead was cut to four points.

What followed was a series of Newcastle stumbles. They drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa. They lost 2-1 at Arsenal. They drew 1-1 with Blackburn. Each dropped point tightened the screw. United, meanwhile, were relentless. A 3-0 win over Arsenal. A 3-0 win over Leeds. A 5-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest. By late April, the gap was down to goal difference.

Newcastle travelled to Nottingham Forest on 4 May needing a win. They were leading 1-0 through a Les Ferdinand goal when Forest equalized. 1-1. The title was slipping. Then, in the final minutes, Ginola — who had been poor by his standards — was dispossessed on the wing. Forest broke and scored. Newcastle lost 2-1. United needed just a point from their final match against Middlesbrough to secure the title. They won 3-0.

But Keegan's emotional outburst on live television after the Leeds match became legendary. "You can tell him now if you're watching it, I would love it if we beat them," he said, jabbing his finger at the camera. "Love it." The rant captured the intensity of the moment and has been replayed countless times, a symbol of a season when emotion overwhelmed calculation.

2007-08: The Two-Horse Race

The 2007-08 season pitted Alex Ferguson's Manchester United against a Chelsea side managed by Avram Grant, who had replaced the departed José Mourinho in September. Few expected Grant, a relatively unknown Israeli coach who had previously served as director of football at Portsmouth, to mount a serious title challenge. But Chelsea, with the core of Mourinho's title-winning team still intact, proved remarkably resilient.

United took control of the race in the spring. After a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in March, they embarked on a six-match winning streak that included a 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa and a 2-1 win over Arsenal. The defining moment of the race came at Stamford Bridge on 26 April. United and Chelsea were level on points. The match was tight, tense, and tactical. Michael Essien scored a stunning volley in the 86th minute to give Chelsea the lead. But United equalized through Carlos Tevez just three minutes later. 1-1. The point meant United stayed ahead on goal difference.

The title was decided on the final day. United travelled to Wigan Athletic, needing a win to guarantee the title. Chelsea needed to beat Bolton Wanderers and hope United slipped. United's match at the JJB Stadium was nervy. Wigan, needing a point to secure safety, defended heroically. But with 11 minutes remaining, Cristiano Ronaldo — who had scored 31 league goals that season in a Ballon d'Or-winning campaign — converted a penalty after Wayne Rooney had been fouled. United won 1-0. Chelsea beat Bolton 1-1, but it was not enough. United won the title by two points.

The race was notable for its quality. United finished with 87 points, Chelsea with 85. Both sides reached the Champions League final in Moscow, with United triumphing on penalties after John Terry's infamous slip on the wet Luzhniki surface.

2021-22: City vs Liverpool

The 2021-22 Premier League title race was arguably the highest-quality battle in the competition's history. Manchester City and Liverpool, the two finest sides in Europe, pushed each other to unprecedented heights. Pep Guardiola's City were chasing a fourth title in five seasons. Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool were seeking to reclaim the crown they had won in 2020.

Both sides were relentless. City's 15-match winning run from February to May included a 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United and a 5-0 demolition of Newcastle. Liverpool responded with a 10-game winning streak of their own, including a 4-0 win over Manchester United and a 6-0 demolition of Leeds.

The decisive moment came on the penultimate weekend of the season. City hosted Aston Villa at the Etihad. With 15 minutes remaining, Villa led 2-0 through goals from Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho, the former Liverpool playmaker. Liverpool, meanwhile, were beating Southampton 2-1 at Anfield. If results held, Liverpool would win the title by one point.

Enter Ilkay Gundogan. The German midfielder, who had scored crucial goals all season, headed City back into the match in the 76th minute. Rodri equalised three minutes later. Then, in the 81st minute, Gundogan tapped in Kevin De Bruyne's cross to complete the turnaround. City won 3-2. Game over. The title was City's on the final day, but the drama was unforgettable.

The final standings told the story: City 93 points, Liverpool 92. The goal difference swing in the final 15 minutes was the difference. City won the title by one point, the third time in their history they had won by a single point margin.

2018-19: 97 vs 98

Liverpool finished the 2018-19 season with 97 points. In any other Premier League season, that total would have won the title by a comfortable margin. It remains the highest points total ever achieved by a runner-up in English top-flight history. The team that finished above them? Manchester City, with 98 points, retaining their title by a single point.

Liverpool's season was defined by near-perfection. They lost just one match all season — a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad in January that came down to a controversial John Stones goal-line clearance and a late Leroy Sane winner. The defeat was a psychological blow, but Liverpool responded by winning their next nine matches, keeping the pressure on City.

City, however, refused to blink. Guardiola's side won their final 14 league matches, a streak of relentless perfection that included a 6-0 demolition of Chelsea, a 1-0 win at Bournemouth decided by a Riyad Mahrez free-kick, and a nervous 1-0 victory over Leicester in which Vincent Kompany scored a screamer from 30 yards in the 70th minute. The Belgian defender's goal, his first of the season, was arguably the most important of the campaign.

On the final day, both sides won their matches. City beat Brighton 4-1, coming from behind after a shock Glenn Murray goal. Liverpool beat Wolves 2-0. The two sides finished separated by just one point, but the narrative was dominated by City's remarkable winning streak. Guardiola described the title as "the toughest in my career."

Liverpool's 97-point haul was extraordinary — 30 wins, 7 draws, just 1 defeat, 89 goals scored, only 22 conceded. Klopp's side had been almost perfect, but City had been marginally more perfect. "We were unlucky to come up against this City side," Klopp admitted. The following season, Liverpool would go one better, winning the league with 99 points.

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