The2008–09 Premier League (known as theBarclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 17th season since the establishment of thePremier League in 1992. The season began on Saturday, 16 August 2008,[2] and ended on 24 May 2009. The fixtures were announced on 16 June 2008. A total of 20 teams contested the league, consisting of 17 who competed in the previous season and three promoted from theFootball League Championship. The new match ball was theNike T90 Omni.
Manchester United began the season as the two-defending champions, having secured their second consecutive (and tenth) Premier League title on the final day of theprevious season.
At the start of the season, clubs were allowed to name seven substitutes on the bench instead of five.[3] This season was also different in that there was no New Year's Day game, as is traditional. This was because the FA Cup third round is traditionally played on the first Saturday in January, which in 2009 fell in the usual spot for New Year's league games.[4] September sawManchester City taken over by theAbu Dhabi United Group, transforming the football club into one of the world's wealthiest, securing the signing ofRobinho for a British record £32.5 million just seconds before the 2008 summer transfer window closed in the process.[5]
The first goal of the season was scored byArsenal'sSamir Nasri against newly promotedWest Bromwich Albion in the fourth minute of the early kick-off game on the opening day of the season on 16 August.[6]Gabriel Agbonlahor ofAston Villa scored the firsthat-trick of the season against Manchester City, scoring three goals in the space of seven minutes.[7]
The title race was a battle between Manchester United and bitter rivalsLiverpool, who beat them 4–1 atOld Trafford on 14 March 2009. Liverpool topped the table at the end of 2008, but their lead slipped after a series of draws. On 16 May 2009, Manchester United clinched the Premier League title after a goalless draw against Arsenal. It was their 11th Premier League title and 18th English top flight title overall, tying a record with Liverpool, who finished as runners-up. It was the second time that they had won the title for three consecutive years, the first being in 2001. Only four other clubs have achieved this feat:Huddersfield Town (1923–25), Arsenal (1933–35), Liverpool (1982–84) and Manchester City (2021–24), with the latter becoming the first club to win the English top flight title for four consecutive seasons.
West Bromwich Albion were the first team to be relegated to theChampionship after losing 2–0 at home to Liverpool on 17 May 2009.Middlesbrough andNewcastle United joined them on the last day of the season after losses atWest Ham United and Aston Villa, respectively. The results meant thatHull City andSunderland stayed up, despite home defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea respectively. The fact that Hull City avoided relegation (along withStoke City, who stayed up relatively comfortably under the management ofTony Pulis), meant it was the first time since the2005–06 season that more than one promoted club maintained their Premier League status. Aston Villa,Everton andFulham, who stayed up last season on goal difference, all secured European football for the 2009–10 season through their league positions.[8]
Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from theChampionship. The promoted teams wereWest Bromwich Albion,Stoke City (returning to the top flight after absences of two and twenty-three years respectively) andHull City (playing top flight football for the first time ever). This was also Stoke City's first season in the Premier League. They replacedReading (relegated to theChampionship after a two-year top-flight spell),Birmingham City andDerby County (both teams relegated to the Championship after a season's presence).
Also,Nike provided new match balls, white with red and yellow (autumn/spring) and yellow with purple and black (winter), based on their T90 Laser II Omni model.
^1 Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear was originally appointed as interim manager until the end of October on 26 September, signed a one-month contract extension on 24 October, and was named manager until the end of the English football season on 28 November.
^2 Portsmouth caretaker manager Paul Hart was appointed on 9 February. On 3 March chairmanAlexandre Gaydamak confirmed the appointment would be until at least the end of the English football season.[33]
^3 Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink remainedRussia manager until the end of the English football season, when he left Chelsea and returned to his Russia duties on a full-time basis.
^4 Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear took leave from Newcastle United following heart bypass surgery on 16 February. His assistants,Chris Hughton andColin Calderwood, were appointed to serve as caretaker managers until his return, which was understood might not occur before the end of the English football season. On 31 March, Alan Shearer was appointed manager until the end of the season, as Joe Kinnear was not able to return to his Newcastle United duties until the end of the English football season. After the season ended, both Joe Kinnear and Alan Shearer left the club permanently, and Chris Hughton was appointed manager during the course of the following season.
^5 Roberto Martínez was announced to be manager on 9 June, however due to complications surrounding the appointment of backroom staff, the deal was not finalised and officially announced until 15 June.
Source:Premier League Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champions;(R) Relegated Notes:
^abcSince bothfinalists ofthe FA Cup (Chelsea and Everton) and theLeague Cupwinners (Manchester United) qualified for the European competitions based on their league position, the sixth-placed team (Aston Villa) received a berth in the Europa League play-off round and the seventh-placed team (Fulham) received a berth in the Europa League third qualifying round.
First goal of the season:Samir Nasri for Arsenal against West Bromwich, 3 minutes and 40 seconds. (16 August 2008).[6]
Last goal of the season:Kenwyne Jones for Sunderland against Chelsea, 90 minutes. (24 May 2009)
Fastest goal in a match:31 seconds –Steve Sidwell for Aston Villa against Everton (7 December 2008))[34]
Goal scored at the latest point in a match:90+4 minutes and 56 seconds –Carlton Cole for West Ham United against Blackburn (30 August 2008)[35]
First own goal of the season:Robert Huth (Middlesbrough) for Tottenham Hotspur, 90+2 minutes and 28 seconds (16 August 2008)[36]
First hat-trick of the season and fastest hat-trick of the season:Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) against Manchester City, 7 minutes and 3 seconds (17 August 2008)[7]
Most goals scored by one player in a match:4 goals –Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal) against Liverpool, 36', 67', 70', 90' (21 April 2009)[37]
Widest winning margin:6 goals – Manchester City 6–0 Portsmouth (21 September 2008)[38]
Most goals in a match:8 goals
Arsenal 4–4 Tottenham Hotspur (29 October 2008)[39]
Most red cards in a single match:3 – Manchester City 1–2 Tottenham Hotspur – two for Manchester City (Richard Dunne andGélson Fernandes) and one for Tottenham Hotspur (Benoît Assou-Ekotto) (9 November 2008)[50]
Sir Alex Ferguson, 67, picked up thePremier League Manager of the Season for the ninth time. During his hugely successful spell with Manchester United, which began in 1986, he won thirteen Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, three European titles, one Intercontinental Cup and one Club World Cup.[62]
Manchester United goalkeeperEdwin van der Sar collected thePremier League Golden Glove award for the first time. He kept a total of 21 clean sheets in 33 appearances, including a record run of 11 consecutive clean sheets (1,311 minutes) from Stoke City on 15 November 2008 to West Bromwich Albion on 27 January 2009.
The Premier League Fair Play Award is merit given to the team who has been the most sporting and best behaved team.Fulham won this, ahead of London neighbours Chelsea and Arsenal.Hull City were deemed the least sporting side, finished in last place in the rankings[64][65][66]
Aston Villa and formerBlackburn Rovers goalkeeperBrad Friedel was honoured with the Premier League Merit Award after reaching 167 consecutive Premier League appearances on 5 December 2008.[69]
Manchester United goalkeeperEdwin van der Sar collected the Premier League Premier League Merit Award after breaking the Premier League record for minutes played without conceding a goal, spanning 11 consecutive clean sheets from Stoke City on 15 November 2008 to West Bromwich Albion on 27 January 2009.[70]
Portsmouth goalkeeperDavid James was honoured with the Premier League Premier League Merit Award after he broke the Premier League's appearance record with 536 appearances on 14 February 2009 in Portsmouth's 2–0 victory over Manchester City.[71]
The Premier League Spirit Award is given to "the player or manager whose actions best encapsulate the spirit of the game". In recognition for leading his club to the top of the Fair Play league, the Premier League Spirit Award for 2008–09 was given toFulham managerRoy Hodgson.[72]
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