Why it’s significant: It confirmed United as title winners and was part of their unprecedented treble.
Sample quote: Telegraph sports journalist Jim White – “In the dressing room, Ferguson demonstrated his lynx-eyed ruthlessness. He replaced Sheringham with Cole.”
Why it’s significant: It was the last time Arsenal have won the league.
Sample quote: Bob Wilson on Arsene Wenger – “He sees football very much as an art form, like the theatre or the opera, he wants people to be moved by what they see.”
6. Leeds 3-3 Charlton Athletic, May 2004
(A despairing Alan Smith of Leeds United rolls on the pitch – Gareth Copley/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
Why it’s significant: It confirmed Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League following a sustained period of financial difficulty.
Sample quote: Alan Smith: “I’d never imagined I’d get a send off like that. It was unbelievable, beyond my wildest dreams.”
Why it’s significant: It was effectively a £20million game in which the winner got a place in the Champions League, and City, despite all the millions they spent, ultimately came a cropper.
Sample quote: Telegraph Football Correspondent Henry Winter: “Fortune favoured the brave and the brave now inherit a fortune.”
Why it’s significant: It resulted in City’s first-ever Premier League title win — a feat that occurred in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable.
Sample quote: A text sent by Patrice Evra to Samir Nasri before the game: “If you don’t beat QPR, if you’re not champions this year then you’ll never be.”
First published at 11am.
‘Premier League: A History in 10 Matches’ by Jim White is now available to buy. More details can be found here.
Here are the 10 definitive matches in the Premier League's history according to Jim White*
Updated at 11.34am
1. Manchester United 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday, 10 April 1993
YouTube credit: TheBoffrington
Why it’s significant: It was the key game in Man United’s first-ever Premier League title win.
Sample quote: Fergie on his 1993 side: “That team had such mental toughness. Real tough bastards.”
2. Crystal Palace 1-1 Manchester United, January 1995
YouTube credit: LOYALISTMUSIC1
Why it’s significant: It was the game in which Eric Cantona infamously lost control and kicked a supporter who was taunting him.
Sample quote: Ryan Giggs: “Horrible pitch, horrible game, horrible night.”
3. Liverpool 2-1 Blackburn, May 1995
YouTube credit: FootballonDVD
Why it’s significant: It resulted in Blackburn’s first and only Premier League title win.
Sample quote: Professor Simon Chadwick: “In 1995 you could be a steel magnate [and own a big club]. In 2013 you have to be an oligarch or a sheikh.”
4. Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham, May 1999
YouTube credit: Ferrari Cheung
Why it’s significant: It confirmed United as title winners and was part of their unprecedented treble.
Sample quote: Telegraph sports journalist Jim White – “In the dressing room, Ferguson demonstrated his lynx-eyed ruthlessness. He replaced Sheringham with Cole.”
5. Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal, April 2004
YouTube credit: Jeddawyful
Why it’s significant: It was the last time Arsenal have won the league.
Sample quote: Bob Wilson on Arsene Wenger – “He sees football very much as an art form, like the theatre or the opera, he wants people to be moved by what they see.”
6. Leeds 3-3 Charlton Athletic, May 2004
(A despairing Alan Smith of Leeds United rolls on the pitch – Gareth Copley/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
Why it’s significant: It confirmed Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League following a sustained period of financial difficulty.
Sample quote: Alan Smith: “I’d never imagined I’d get a send off like that. It was unbelievable, beyond my wildest dreams.”
7. Bolton 0-2 Chelsea, April 2005
YouTube credit: MSI1990
Why it’s significant: It was the game in which Chelsea ended their 50-year wait to win the league.
Sample quote: Jose Mourinho: “To win everything you only need one superstar: me.”
8. Portsmouth 7-4 Reading, September 2007
YouTube credit: PhantomFX91
Why it’s significant: It epitomised the turbulent nature of life at Pompey and constituted the Premier League at its most exciting.
Sample quote: Harry Redknapp – “I would rather win 7-4 than 1-0, personally.”
9. Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham, May 2010
YouTube credit: MrThomasc121
Why it’s significant: It was effectively a £20million game in which the winner got a place in the Champions League, and City, despite all the millions they spent, ultimately came a cropper.
Sample quote: Telegraph Football Correspondent Henry Winter: “Fortune favoured the brave and the brave now inherit a fortune.”
10. Man City 3-2 QPR, May 2012
YouTube credit: SteaLDesign
Why it’s significant: It resulted in City’s first-ever Premier League title win — a feat that occurred in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable.
Sample quote: A text sent by Patrice Evra to Samir Nasri before the game: “If you don’t beat QPR, if you’re not champions this year then you’ll never be.”
First published at 11am.
‘Premier League: A History in 10 Matches’ by Jim White is now available to buy. More details can be found here.
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