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1998–99 FA Premier League

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The 1998–99 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the Premier League, the top division of English football, since its establishment in 1992. Manchester United won a treble of the league title, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. They secured their fifth league title in seven seasons after outlasting Arsenal and Chelsea in a closely fought title race, losing just three league games all season.

FA Premier League
Season1998–99
Dates15 August 1998 – 16 May 1999
ChampionsManchester United
5th Premier League title
12th English title
RelegatedCharlton Athletic
Blackburn Rovers
Nottingham Forest
Champions LeagueManchester United
Arsenal
Chelsea
UEFA CupLeeds United
Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur
Intertoto CupWest Ham United
Matches played380
Goals scored959 (2.52 per match)
Top goalscorerJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Michael Owen
Dwight Yorke
(18 goals each)
Best goalkeeperDavid Seaman (19 clean sheets)
Biggest home winLiverpool 7–1 Southampton
(16 January 1999)
Everton 6–0 West Ham United
(8 May 1999)
Biggest away winNottingham Forest 1–8 Manchester United
(6 February 1999)
Highest scoringNottingham Forest 1–8 Manchester United
(6 February 1999)
Longest winning run7 games[1]
Leeds United
Longest unbeaten run21 games[1]
Chelsea
Longest winless run19 games[1]
Nottingham Forest
Longest losing run8 games[1]
Charlton Athletic
Highest attendance55,316
Manchester United 2–1 Southampton
(27 February 1999)
Lowest attendance11,717
Wimbledon 2–1 Coventry City
(5 December 1998)
Total attendance11,623,113[2]
Average attendance30,587[2]
Winner's medal from the 1998–99 Premier League (Manchester United Museum)

The season was also the 100th season of top flight football in England, not counting years lost to the two World Wars. Of the original clubs in the first Football League season, only Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and Everton were present for this season.

Arsenal failed to retain their title, despite having the same points tally as last season 78 points, but had at one point looked as though they were on the brink of winning the title, after beating fellow rivals Tottenham Hotspur, while Manchester United had drawn against Liverpool, 2–2. However, Manchester United pushed on and took advantage of Arsenal's 1–0 defeat at Leeds United in the penultimate match of the season and despite going 1–0 down against Tottenham on the final day, came back to win 2–1 and clinch the title. Should they have failed to win, Arsenal would have been crowned champions once more.

Chelsea, looking to build on a fourth-placed finish the previous season, were flying for much of the season and were in a good position to claim a first league title in 44 years. The Blues were second at Christmas and went top on Boxing Day. A loss at Highbury at the start of February was just a second in the league all season, and kept Chelsea in second place, just a point off the summit. Eventually, three draws in April against winnable opposition (mid-table sides Middlesbrough and Leicester City, and relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday) is what cost Chelsea a first Premiership crown. Had they won these, the Blues would've been champions. Chelsea had to settle for third place, earning a maiden Champions League appearance.

To achieve their success, the Manchester United playing squad had been altered substantially during the close season. A total of more than £28 million had been spent on Dwight Yorke, Jaap Stam and Jesper Blomqvist, while several older players left the club; Gary Pallister returned to Middlesbrough after nine years for £2.5 million, while Brian McClair returned to Motherwell on a free transfer. In December, however, McClair was back in the Premier League as Brian Kidd's assistant at Blackburn Rovers.

Season summary

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At the end of 1998–99, the Premiership would have three Champions League places. Manchester United as well as runners-up Arsenal and third placed Chelsea would be playing in the following season's Champions League. There would only be one automatic UEFA Cup place from the league – taken by fourth-placed Leeds United. Fifth-placed West Ham United qualified for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup after achieving their highest league finish since 1986 as they continued to make progress under Harry Redknapp, outperforming several "bigger" clubs with greater resources. Also qualifying were Newcastle United via the 1998–99 FA Cup final, and Tottenham Hotspur via the League Cup.

Manchester United regained the title from Arsenal on the final day of the season, and had faced competition from Chelsea until the final stages of the season, while Aston Villa had led the table for much of the first half of the season before finishing sixth.

Bottom of the Premiership in the final table came Nottingham Forest, who suffered their third relegation in seven seasons. One notable low for Forest this season was an 8–1 drubbing at home, by Manchester United. Second from bottom came Blackburn Rovers, who just four seasons earlier had been Premiership champions. The final relegation place went to Charlton Athletic, who went down at the end of their first spell in the top flight for nine seasons. The only newly promoted club to survive was Middlesbrough, who finished in ninth place - their highest final position for more than 20 years.

None of the teams relegated from the Premiership the previous season regained their top division status in 1999, although First Division champions Sunderland regained their Premiership place after a two-year exile. The other two relegation places went to long-term absentees from the top division. Playoff winners Watford regained their top division place after an absence of 11 years, but runners-up Bradford had been outside of the top division for 77 years. These two promotion winners surprised the observers more than any other Division One side during 1998–99, but were widely expected to struggle in the top flight.

Teams

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Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough (both teams sealing an immediate return to the top flight after a single season), and Charlton Athletic (playing in the top flight after an eight-year absence). This was also Charlton Athletic's first season in the Premier League. They replaced Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Crystal Palace, with all three relegated teams returning to the First Division after a single season in the top flight.

Stadiums and locations

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Locations of the 1998–99 Premier League teams
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Greater London Premier League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Arsenal London (Highbury) Arsenal Stadium 38,419
Aston Villa Birmingham Villa Park 42,573
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Charlton Athletic London (Charlton) The Valley 20,043
Chelsea London (Fulham) Stamford Bridge 42,055
Coventry City Coventry Highfield Road 23,489
Derby County Derby Pride Park Stadium 33,597
Everton Liverpool (Walton) Goodison Park 40,569
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 40,242
Leicester City Leicester Filbert Street 22,000
Liverpool Liverpool (Anfield) Anfield 45,522
Manchester United Manchester Old Trafford 68,174
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 30,000
Newcastle United Newcastle upon Tyne St James' Park 52,387
Nottingham Forest West Bridgford City Ground 30,445
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Hillsborough Stadium 39,732
Southampton Southampton The Dell 15,200
Tottenham Hotspur London (Tottenham) White Hart Lane 36,240
West Ham United London (Upton Park) Boleyn Ground 35,647
Wimbledon London (Selhurst) Selhurst Park[a] 26,074
  1. ^ Due to Wimbledon lacking a home stadium, they played their home games at Selhurst Park, which is the home stadium of Crystal Palace.

Personnel and kits

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(as of 16 May 1999)

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal   Arsène Wenger   Tony Adams Nike JVC
Aston Villa   John Gregory   Gareth Southgate Reebok LDV Vans
Blackburn Rovers   Brian Kidd   Garry Flitcroft Uhlsport CIS
Charlton Athletic   Alan Curbishley   Mark Kinsella Le Coq Sportif Mesh Computers
Chelsea   Gianluca Vialli   Dennis Wise Umbro Autoglass
Coventry City   Gordon Strachan   Gary McAllister Le Coq Sportif Subaru
Derby County   Jim Smith   Igor Štimac Puma EDS
Everton   Walter Smith   Dave Watson Umbro One2One
Leeds United   David O'Leary   Lucas Radebe Puma Packard Bell
Leicester City   Martin O'Neill   Steve Walsh Fox Leisure Walkers
Liverpool   Gérard Houllier   Paul Ince Reebok Carlsberg
Manchester United   Alex Ferguson   Roy Keane Umbro Sharp
Middlesbrough   Bryan Robson   Andy Townsend Erreà Cellnet
Newcastle United   Ruud Gullit   Alan Shearer Adidas Newcastle Brown Ale
Nottingham Forest   Ron Atkinson   Steve Chettle Umbro Pinnacle Insurance
Sheffield Wednesday   Danny Wilson   Peter Atherton Puma Sanderson
Southampton   Dave Jones   Matt Le Tissier Pony Sanderson
Tottenham Hotspur   George Graham   Sol Campbell Pony Hewlett-Packard
West Ham United   Harry Redknapp   Steve Lomas Pony Dr. Martens
Wimbledon   Terry Burton
  Mick Harford (caretaker) 		  Robbie Earle Lotto Elonex

Managerial changes

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Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Sheffield Wednesday   Ron Atkinson End of caretaker spell 17 May 1998 Pre-season   Danny Wilson 6 July 1998
Everton   Howard Kendall Resigned 1 July 1998   Walter Smith 1 July 1998
Liverpool   Roy Evans (sole charge) N/A[a]   Roy Evans
  Gérard Houllier (co-managers)
Newcastle United   Kenny Dalglish Sacked 27 August 1998 13th   Ruud Gullit 27 August 1998
Tottenham Hotspur   Christian Gross 5 September 1998 14th   David Pleat
  Chris Hughton (co-caretakers) 		7 September 1998
  David Pleat
  Chris Hughton 		End of caretaker spell 1 October 1998 13th   George Graham 1 October 1998
Leeds United   George Graham Signed by Tottenham 7th   David O'Leary
Liverpool   Roy Evans (as co-manager) Resigned 12 November 1998 11th   Gérard Houllier (taking sole charge) 12 November 1998
Blackburn Rovers   Roy Hodgson Sacked 21 November 1998 20th   Tony Parkes (caretaker) 21 November 1998
  Tony Parkes End of caretaker spell 4 December 1998   Brian Kidd 4 December 1998
Nottingham Forest   Dave Bassett Sacked 5 January 1999   Ron Atkinson (caretaker) 5 January 1999
Wimbledon   Joe Kinnear Illness 3 March 1999[b] 6th   Terry Burton
  Mick Harford (co-caretakers) 		3 March 1999
  1. ^ Houllier joined Evans as co-manager
  2. ^ Kinnear remained contracted as manager until the season ended, and did not return to the club

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 38 22 13 3 80 37 +43 79 Qualification for the Champions League first group stage
2 Arsenal 38 22 12 4 59 17 +42 78
3 Chelsea 38 20 15 3 57 30 +27 75 Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round
4 Leeds United 38 18 13 7 62 34 +28 67 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5 West Ham United 38 16 9 13 46 53 −7 57 Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
6 Aston Villa 38 15 10 13 51 46 +5 55
7 Liverpool 38 15 9 14 68 49 +19 54
8 Derby County 38 13 13 12 40 45 −5 52
9 Middlesbrough 38 12 15 11 48 54 −6 51
10 Leicester City 38 12 13 13 40 46 −6 49
11 Tottenham Hotspur 38 11 14 13 47 50 −3 47 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
12 Sheffield Wednesday 38 13 7 18 41 42 −1 46
13 Newcastle United 38 11 13 14 48 54 −6 46 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[b]
14 Everton 38 11 10 17 42 47 −5 43
15 Coventry City 38 11 9 18 39 51 −12 42
16 Wimbledon 38 10 12 16 40 63 −23 42
17 Southampton 38 11 8 19 37 64 −27 41
18 Charlton Athletic (R) 38 8 12 18 41 56 −15 36 Relegation to Football League First Division
19 Blackburn Rovers (R) 38 7 14 17 38 52 −14 35
20 Nottingham Forest (R) 38 7 9 22 35 69 −34 30
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.
  2. ^ As Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.

Results

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Home \ Away ARS AVL BLB CHA CHE COV DER EVE LEE LEI LIV MUN MID NEW NFO SHW SOU TOT WHU WIM
Arsenal 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 3–1 5–0 0–0 3–0 1–1 3–0 2–1 3–0 1–1 0–0 1–0 5–1
Aston Villa 3–2 1–3 3–4 0–3 1–4 1–0 3–0 1–2 1–1 2–4 1–1 3–1 1–0 2–0 2–1 3–0 3–2 0–0 2–0
Blackburn Rovers 1–2 2–1 1–0 3–4 1–2 0–0 1–2 1–0 1–0 1–3 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 1–4 0–2 1–1 3–0 3–1
Charlton Athletic 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 2–2 0–0 0–1 5–0 1–4 4–2 2–0
Chelsea 0–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 2–1 3–1 1–0 2–2 2–1 0–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–1 3–0
Coventry City 0–1 1–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–0 2–2 1–1 2–1 0–1 1–2 1–5 4–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–1
Derby County 0–0 2–1 1–0 0–2 2–2 0–0 2–1 2–2 2–0 3–2 1–1 2–1 3–4 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–2 0–0
Everton 0–2 0–0 0–0 4–1 0–0 2–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–4 5–0 1–0 0–1 1–2 1–0 0–1 6–0 1–1
Leeds United 1–0 0–0 1–0 4–1 0–0 2–0 4–1 1–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 2–0 0–1 3–1 2–1 3–0 2–0 4–0 2–2
Leicester City 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–4 1–0 1–2 2–0 1–2 1–0 2–6 0–1 2–0 3–1 0–2 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–1
Liverpool 0–0 0–1 2–0 3–3 1–1 2–0 1–2 3–2 1–3 0–1 2–2 3–1 4–2 5–1 2–0 7–1 3–2 2–2 3–0
Manchester United 1–1 2–1 3–2 4–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 3–1 3–2 2–2 2–0 2–3 0–0 3–0 3–0 2–1 2–1 4–1 5–1
Middlesbrough 1–6 0–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 2–0 1–1 2–2 0–0 0–0 1–3 0–1 2–2 1–1 4–0 3–0 0–0 1–0 3–1
Newcastle United 1–1 2–1 1–1 0–0 0–1 4–1 2–1 1–3 0–3 1–0 1–4 1–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 4–0 1–1 0–3 3–1
Nottingham Forest 0–1 2–2 2–2 0–1 1–3 1–0 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–0 2–2 1–8 1–2 1–2 2–0 1–1 0–1 0–0 0–1
Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 0–1 3–0 3–0 0–0 1–2 0–1 0–0 0–2 0–1 1–0 3–1 3–1 1–1 3–2 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–2
Southampton 0–0 1–4 3–3 3–1 0–2 2–1 0–1 2–0 3–0 2–1 1–2 0–3 3–3 2–1 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 3–1
Tottenham Hotspur 1–3 1–0 2–1 2–2 2–2 0–0 1–1 4–1 3–3 0–2 2–1 2–2 0–3 2–0 2–0 0–3 3–0 1–2 0–0
West Ham United 0–4 0–0 2–0 0–1 1–1 2–0 5–1 2–1 1–5 3–2 2–1 0–0 4–0 2–0 2–1 0–4 1–0 2–1 3–4
Wimbledon 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–1 1–2 2–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–3 2–1 0–2 3–1 0–0
Source: 11v11
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

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Scoring

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Top scorers

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Liverpool's Michael Owen was the joint top scorer for the second time, with 18 goals.
Rank Player Club Goals
1   Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Leeds United 18
  Michael Owen Liverpool
  Dwight Yorke Manchester United
4   Nicolas Anelka Arsenal 17
  Andy Cole Manchester United
6   Hámilton Ricard Middlesbrough 15
7   Dion Dublin Aston Villa 14
  Robbie Fowler Liverpool
  Julian Joachim Aston Villa
  Alan Shearer Newcastle United

Hat-tricks

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Main article: List of Premier League hat-tricks
 
Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjær became the first player to score a hat-trick as a substitute in the Premier League.
Player For Against Result Date Ref
  Clive Mendonca Charlton Athletic Southampton 5–0 (H) 22 August 1998 [3]
  Michael Owen Liverpool Newcastle United 4–1 (A) 30 August 1998 [4]
  Michael Owen4 Liverpool Nottingham Forest 5–1 (H) 24 October 1998 [5]
  Dion Dublin Aston Villa Leicester City 4–1 (A) 14 November 1998 [6]
  Robbie Fowler Liverpool Aston Villa 4–2 (A) 21 November 1998 [7]
  Chris Armstrong Tottenham Hotspur Everton 4–1 (H) 28 December 1998 [8]
  Darren Huckerby Coventry City Nottingham Forest 4–0 (H) 9 January 1999 [9]
  Robbie FowlerP Liverpool Southampton 7–1 (H) 16 January 1999 [10]
  Dwight Yorke Manchester United Leicester City 6–2 (A) 16 January 1999 [11]
  Ole Gunnar Solskjær4 † Manchester United Nottingham Forest 8–1 (A) 6 February 1999 [12]
  Nicolas Anelka Arsenal Leicester City 5–0 (H) 20 February 1999 [13]
  Kevin Campbell Everton West Ham United 6–0 (H) 8 May 1999 [14]
Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; P Player scored a perfect hat-trick; † Player scored hat-trick as a substitute; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Top assists

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Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp was the joint top assist provider with 13 goals for the club in the 1998–99 Premier League season.
Rank Player Club Assists[15]
1   Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal 13
  Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Leeds United
3   David Beckham Manchester United 11
  Eyal Berkovic West Ham United
  Steve Guppy Leicester City
  Dwight Yorke Manchester United
7   David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur 10
8   Darren Anderton Tottenham Hotspur 9
  Harry Kewell Leeds United
10   James Beattie Southampton 7

Awards

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Monthly awards

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Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August   Alan Curbishley Charlton Athletic   Michael Owen Liverpool
September   John Gregory Aston Villa   Alan Shearer Newcastle United
October   Martin O'Neill Leicester City   Roy Keane Manchester United
November   Harry Redknapp West Ham United   Dion Dublin Aston Villa
December   Brian Kidd Blackburn Rovers[16]   David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur
January   Alex Ferguson Manchester United   Dwight Yorke Manchester United
February   Alan Curbishley Charlton Athletic   Nicolas Anelka Arsenal
March   David O'Leary Leeds United   Ray Parlour Arsenal
April   Alex Ferguson Manchester United   Kevin Campbell Everton

Annual awards

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Award Winner Club
Premier League Manager of the Season   Alex Ferguson Manchester United
Premier League Player of the Season   Dwight Yorke Manchester United
PFA Players' Player of the Year   David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur
PFA Young Player of the Year   Nicolas Anelka Arsenal
FWA Footballer of the Year   David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper   Nigel Martyn (Leeds United)
Defenders   Gary Neville (Manchester United)   Sol Campbell (Tottenham Hotspur)   Jaap Stam (Manchester United)   Denis Irwin (Manchester United)
Midfielders   David Beckham (Manchester United)   Emmanuel Petit (Arsenal)   Patrick Vieira (Arsenal)   David Ginola (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards   Dwight Yorke (Manchester United)   Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal)

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d "English Premier League 1998–99". statto.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Premier League 1998/1999 » Attendance » Home matches". WorldFootball.net. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  3. ^ Brown, Geoff (22 August 1998). "Football Round-up: Mendonca's Valley high". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  4. ^ Moore, Glenn (31 August 1998). "Football: Owen defines Gullit's task with hat-trick". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  5. ^ "Soccer – England: Owen Returns With Four Goals". The New York Times. 26 October 1998. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  6. ^ Fox, Norman (15 November 1998). "Football: Dublin's treble leaves Villa in clover". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  7. ^ Townsend, Nick (22 November 1998). "Football Fowler trick trumps Villa". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  8. ^ Rowbottom, Mike (29 December 1998). "Football: Armstrong treble traumatises Everton". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  9. ^ Mackay, Duncan (9 January 1999). "Huckerby hat-trick fells forlorn Forest". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  10. ^ Bramwell, Neil (17 January 1999). "Football: Fowler preys on sorry Saints". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  11. ^ Curtis, John. "Leicester 2–6 Manchester United". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  12. ^ "United romp to record win". BBC News. 7 February 1999. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  13. ^ Townsend, Nick (21 February 1999). "Football: Arsenal fired by Anelka hat-trick". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  14. ^ Taylor, Louise (9 May 1999). "Everton joy as Campbell serves up treble treat". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  15. ^ "Statistical Leaders – 1999". Premier League. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  16. ^ Collins, Roy (5 February 1999). "Kidd's silent runnings". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
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