Manchester United leapfrog Arsenal at the top of the Barclays Premier League after four straight victories that includes a 6-0 rout of Newcastle United.
Afonso Alves is the biggest transfer deadline day signing after Middlesbrough capture the Brazilian striker for a club record £12.7m. Other notable moves include Jermain Defoe joining Portsmouth from Tottenham Hotspur (£7.5m) and Benjani leaving Pompey for Manchester City (£3.8m).
Chelsea seal a £15m signing of Nicolas Anelka from Bolton Wanderers and Liverpool snap up Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel from Zenit St Petersburg for £6.5m. Portsmouth sign France midfielder Lassana Diarra from Arsenal. Tottenham swoop for England defender Jonathan Woodgate from Middlesbrough for a fee in the region of £7m.
Arsenal are dealt a blow to their title challenge with the loss of key striker Eduardo who breaks his leg in the 2-2 draw at Birmingham City. Man Utd lose ground on the Gunners after gaining just four points from three matches and Chelsea still harbour ambitions but gain just two points from two matches.
Manchester City defeat Manchester United 2-1 after a minute's silence to remember the Munich air disaster was observed impeccably by all spectators at Old Trafford.
Benjani Mwaruwari completes his £3.87m switch from Portsmouth to Manchester City after the Premier League sanctions the transfer. Tottenham Hotspur come back from a goal down to beat Chelsea 2-1 after extra-time to claim the Carling Cup.
Arsenal end a disastrous month by plummeting from first to third as the Gunners collect just one win, three draws and defeat to rivals Chelsea in this month. United go clear at the top of the pile with five successes, while Chelsea keep up their pursuit for the title with a draw - an eight-goal thriller with Tottenham - and five wins that includes a 6-1 thrashing of Derby County.
Derby are relegated after their draw at home to Fulham and Birmingham City's win over Manchester City at St Andrews. The Rams become the first team in Premier League history to be relegated in March and ended the campaign with a record low points total of 11.
Chelsea go level on points with United at the top of the league after a draw and four wins which included a brilliant 2-1 triumph over United at Stamford Bridge. With United gleaning just four points from a possible 12, it means the race for the Barclays Premier League goes down to the wire. With Arsenal out of the running, they ensure third place with a 6-2 hammering of Derby County.
Two wins for Fulham in the month gives their survival hopes a lift which includes victory over relegation rivals Reading who could only muster a solitary point in April. Bolton pick up two wins and a draw and Birmingham remain in the relegation zone after claiming just two points.
On the final day of the 2007/08 season, holders Manchester United seal the Barclays Premier League title with a 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic and championship rivals Chelsea can only draw 1-1 with Bolton Wanderers. It was United's tenth Premier League crown.
Birmingham City beat Blackburn Rovers 4-1 and Reading triumph 4-0 against but were both relegated in the last match of the campaign. Fulham survive after a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth to stay up on a goal difference of -22, compared to Reading's -25. Middlesbrough beat Manchester City 8-1 on the same final day which is the biggest success of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo ends 2007/08 as the league's top scorer with 31 goals. The Barclays Premier League returns to the top of UEFA's official ranking list for the first time since 1985 after its clubs' performances in Europe. England are handed an extra spot in next season's UEFA Cup after coming first in Europe's fair play rankings.
Chelsea clinch the signing of Portugal right-back Jose Bosingwa from Porto for £16.2m. Portsmouth lift the FA Cup with a 1-0 triumph over Championship club Cardiff City. Manchester United calim the Champions League 6-5 on penalties after the final against Chelsea in Moscow ended up 1-1 following extra-time.
Avram Grant is sacked as manager of Chelsea after the Blues narrowly miss out on the Barclays Premier League and Champions League to Manchester United.
Sven-Goran Eriksson leaves his post as Manchester City manager after just one season at the helm. Mark Hughes, who quit his job at Blackburn Rovers, replaces the former England manager at Eastlands. As part of the managerial merry-go-round Paul Ince is appointed as the new Rovers manager.
Seventeen-year-old midfielder Aaron Ramsey agrees to join Arsenal for around £5m from Cardiff City. Giovani dos Santos moves from Barcelona to Tottenham for an initial fee of £4.7m. Portugal head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari returns to club management as new manager of Chelsea determined to wrestle to Premier League title off Manchester United.
Paul Ince becomes the first black Briton to manage a top-flight side in England he is installed at Blackburn.
Bolton snap up Sweden striker Johan Elmander from Toulouse for around £10m. Chelsea strengthen their squad with the capture of Portugal international Deco for £8m from Barcelona.
The new campaign kicks off with the first goal scored by Arsenal's Samir Nasri against newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion in the fourth minute of the lunchtime match. Fellow Premier League newboys Hull City are 2-1 victors at home to Fulham, but Stoke City lose 3-1 away to Bolton Wanderers.
The month ends with Chelsea and Liverpool leading the way at the top of the fledgeling table with two wins and a draw from their opening three fixtures, Arsenal grab two wins and a defeat that includes a shock reverse against Fulham, while United are just behind the pack after playing one less match.
Tottenham bring in striker Roman Pavlyuchenko from Spartak Moscow (£13.8m), Fabricio Coloccini signs for Newcastle from Deportivo (£10.3m), Shaun Wright-Phillips re-joins former club Man City for £9m, while Aston Villa complete the £7.8m signing of defender Carlos Cuellar from Rangers and James Milner from Newcastle for around £10m.
Chelsea keep up their unbeaten start to the season to end the month at the Barclays Premier League summit - which includes a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool are also unbeaten and inflict a 2-1 defeat at home to the Red Devils to put an early dent in United's aspirations.
Hull City shock Arsenal with a 2-1 win and Manchester City secured the biggest margin of victory so far this campaign with a 6-0 rout of Portsmouth at Eastlands.
As the transfer window closes, City secure the signing of Brazilian superstar Robinho for a British transfer record of £32.5m from Real Madrid. Manchester United seal their £30.75m signing of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham. Alan Curbishley becomes the first managerial casualty of the season after leaving West Ham. Gianfranco Zola, who was coaching with Italy's U21 side, takes his place in the hotseat.
Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan steps down and former Wimbledon manager Joe Kinnear comes in initially for an interim period while the Magpies search for a new man. Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur sack Juande Ramos after their worst start to a Premier League season.
A perfect month in the league for Liverpool, which includes victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, pushes the Reds into the league's pole position. Second-placed Chelsea record a 5-0 thrashing against Middlesbrough, with United and Arsenal slipping behind the leaders after a mixed month of results.
Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon notches an injury-time goal to earn his side a 4-4 draw at Arsenal in the North London derby. Spurs' star David Bentley scored a contender for goal of the season with an amazing 40-yard volley.
Hull continue their remarkable start to the campaign with three wins out of four to stay amongst the league's pace-setters.
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp steps into the breach at White Hart Lane, while Tony Adams is named as the new Pompey manager after stepping up from his role as first team coach.
Chelsea remain top of the tree on the final weekend of the month ahead of Liverpool on goal difference despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal. The Gunners taste victory against title rivals Man Utd which went some way to making up for a surprise defeat to Stoke City.
United manage to thrash Stoke 5-0 and come out on top in the Manchester derby against City to stay within striking distance of the leading two.
Roy Keane stands down as manager of Sunderland after two years in the role at the Stadium of Light. Chelsea's 2-0 win at Bolton makes it their 11th consecutive away victory in the top flight which is a new record. He is replaced by assistant Ricky Sbragia.
Paul Ince parts company with Blackburn Rovers after just six months in charge with Sam Allardyce replacing him at Ewood Park. Manchester United beat LDU Quito 1-0 to win the Club World Cup Final.
Portsmouth's Lassana Diarra agrees to join Real Madrid when the transfer window opens in January.
Liverpool's 5-1 win at Newcastle United means they finish 2008 on top of the Barclays Premier League, three points clear of Chelsea and seven ahead of Manchester United who have two matches in hand. Aston Villa are level on points with United, three in front of Arsenal in fifth.
West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers are tied on 18 points at the foot of the table but just five points separate them from Bolton Wanderers in 11th place.
It is so tight at both ends of the Barclays Premier League that it seems certain there will be a hugely exciting end to the season in 2009. Happy New Year to you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment