Sports / Soccer
The Two Other Times the Premier League Had a Genuine Three-way Title Fight
19 Mar 2024 at 08:25hrs | Views
In the annals of Premier League history, few title races have captivated the imagination of football fans around the world as much as the ongoing 2023/24 season. With just ten games remaining, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City are locked in a battle royale for supremacy, separated by the slimmest of margins - just one point. The latter two of our title protagonists contested a riveting 1-1 draw at Anfield, which allowed the Gunners to claim the top spot in the division for the first time since Christmas. They will be aiming to stay there.
This thrilling three-way title scrap is reminiscent of only two other instances in the league's history when the championship was contested so fiercely by numerous front runners. Of course, there have been epic scraps over the years, such as between The Gunners and the eventual champion Blues last season, as well as the battle between Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and Pep Guardiola's City over the last half-a-decade or so.
But it's rare to have more than two serioius challengers for the Premier League title.
The Current Campaign
Following their crucial 2-1 victory over Brentford via Kai Havertz's late winner, Arsenal are leading the pack in the current season, albeit marginally. Not willing to relent, Liverpool and Manchester City are hot on their heels, their recent 1-1 draw against each other ensuring the race remains wide open.
The Reds have somewhat miraculously been the frontrunners in recent weeks, a surprising fact considering the sheer number of injuries in their squad at present. But OddsChecker, which compares odds and free bets on the Premier League from top bookmakers such as Willaim Hill and Bet365, currently make the reigning champions Manchester City the narrow favourites.
Arsenal, despite being at the summit, face a daunting task ahead. They have a trip to the Etihad looming large on the horizon, as well as a Tottenham-hosted North London Derby on April 27th, and a trip to Old Trafford for their penultimate game of the campaign.
2013/14: A Costly Slip
The 2013/14 season offered a similar tale of suspense and drama. Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea were embroiled in a nail-biting contest that had fans on the edge of their seats. Liverpool, led by captain and icon Steven Gerrard, and inspired by the brilliance of Luis Suarez, appeared destined to end their long wait for the title. Their emphatic victory over Manchester City at Anfield raised hopes of a first triumph in decades.
But a slip-up against Chelsea, quite literally by the aforementioned Gerrard, led to a 2-0 defeat that swung the momentum away from them. Their hopes all but ended when they threw away a three-goal lead at Crystal Palace just days later.
In the end, it was City who emerged victorious, capitalizing on the Reds' misfortunes to clinch the title by just two points. Chelsea, despite playing a spoiler role, couldn't keep up and finished third. The season was a rollercoaster of emotions, illustrating the fine margins that can decide the fate of the title.
2007/08: Horror Injury Sends Gunners Spiralling
Rewinding further back to the 2007/08 season, another three-way tussle unfolded, this time involving Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The Gunners were flying high under Arsène Wenger. They sat atop the table by Christmas as genuine title contenders. However, the horrific injury to Eduardo in a match against Birmingham City marked the beginning of a downward spiral. Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead at St. Andrew's before embarking on a run of just one win in eight games which saw them fall right out of contention.
That left United and Chelsea to battle it out for the crown. The title race went down to the wire, but it was the Red Devils who secured their 17th Premier League title, edging out the Londonders by a mere two points. To make matters worse for the Stamford Bridge outfit, Sir Alex Ferguson's men would also defeat them on penalties in Moscow to win the UEFA Champions League as well.
This thrilling three-way title scrap is reminiscent of only two other instances in the league's history when the championship was contested so fiercely by numerous front runners. Of course, there have been epic scraps over the years, such as between The Gunners and the eventual champion Blues last season, as well as the battle between Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and Pep Guardiola's City over the last half-a-decade or so.
But it's rare to have more than two serioius challengers for the Premier League title.
The Current Campaign
Following their crucial 2-1 victory over Brentford via Kai Havertz's late winner, Arsenal are leading the pack in the current season, albeit marginally. Not willing to relent, Liverpool and Manchester City are hot on their heels, their recent 1-1 draw against each other ensuring the race remains wide open.
The Reds have somewhat miraculously been the frontrunners in recent weeks, a surprising fact considering the sheer number of injuries in their squad at present. But OddsChecker, which compares odds and free bets on the Premier League from top bookmakers such as Willaim Hill and Bet365, currently make the reigning champions Manchester City the narrow favourites.
Arsenal, despite being at the summit, face a daunting task ahead. They have a trip to the Etihad looming large on the horizon, as well as a Tottenham-hosted North London Derby on April 27th, and a trip to Old Trafford for their penultimate game of the campaign.
2013/14: A Costly Slip
The 2013/14 season offered a similar tale of suspense and drama. Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea were embroiled in a nail-biting contest that had fans on the edge of their seats. Liverpool, led by captain and icon Steven Gerrard, and inspired by the brilliance of Luis Suarez, appeared destined to end their long wait for the title. Their emphatic victory over Manchester City at Anfield raised hopes of a first triumph in decades.
But a slip-up against Chelsea, quite literally by the aforementioned Gerrard, led to a 2-0 defeat that swung the momentum away from them. Their hopes all but ended when they threw away a three-goal lead at Crystal Palace just days later.
In the end, it was City who emerged victorious, capitalizing on the Reds' misfortunes to clinch the title by just two points. Chelsea, despite playing a spoiler role, couldn't keep up and finished third. The season was a rollercoaster of emotions, illustrating the fine margins that can decide the fate of the title.
2007/08: Horror Injury Sends Gunners Spiralling
Rewinding further back to the 2007/08 season, another three-way tussle unfolded, this time involving Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The Gunners were flying high under Arsène Wenger. They sat atop the table by Christmas as genuine title contenders. However, the horrific injury to Eduardo in a match against Birmingham City marked the beginning of a downward spiral. Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead at St. Andrew's before embarking on a run of just one win in eight games which saw them fall right out of contention.
That left United and Chelsea to battle it out for the crown. The title race went down to the wire, but it was the Red Devils who secured their 17th Premier League title, edging out the Londonders by a mere two points. To make matters worse for the Stamford Bridge outfit, Sir Alex Ferguson's men would also defeat them on penalties in Moscow to win the UEFA Champions League as well.
Source - Byo24News
