Historic Premier League Moments
The Premier League, in its little over 30 years of existence, has grown by leaps and bounds to become the biggest and most entertaining league in the world. As expected, some iconic events have happened that cannot be forgotten in the competition’s history.
From Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble winners to the arrival of the ‘Special One’, the Invincibles, Leicester City and Steven Gerrard’s slip, some iconic moments have truly been witnessed over the years. Indeed, the Premier League has seen it all.
This particular piece is dedicated to some of the historic moments in the Premier League.
The First Ever Premier League Goal (1992)
There is no better way to start the review than with the first ever goal scored in the history of the competition. Following the formation of the league in 1992, the season got underway and fans had the chance to follow the product that replaced the old First Division.
More than 30,000 goals have been scored in England’s top flight since that inaugural season, with plenty of landmark moments along the way.
Brian Deane’s goal for Sheffield United against Manchester United on August 15, 1992, is the first goal ever scored in the Premier League.
In the final moments of that game at Bramall Lane, a long throw-in was flicked over the head of United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, and Deane was at the right place to head into an unguarded net from inside the six-yard box.
Deane scored 19 goals in all competitions that season as Sheffield United finished 14th and reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
West Brom’s Miracle Escape (2005)
Before the 2004/05 season, no team bottom at Christmas had managed to beat the drop, which is what made Bryan Robson’s achievement with West Brom so special.
From their first 19 games of the season, the Baggies won just 10 points and were eight points adrift of safety on Christmas Day – looked buried easily.
However, a dramatic end to that season ensured they stayed up. West Brom lost just two of their last nine matches. Quite a miracle that they were still 20th on the final day, but they managed to beat Norwich City 2-0 and then waited anxiously for results to come in from three other games.
Fortunately for them, every other match went their way and the fans celebrated with a massive pitch invasion.
Beckham Scores from His Own Half (1996)
David Beckham is one of the greatest players to have featured in the Premier League. The former Three Lions captain’s career blossomed after this iconic goal, reaching a celebrity status that also rubbed off on the Premier League.
The goal launched Beckham into the limelight and, to date, it is considered one of the competition’s greatest goals. Beckham’s strike, which was from the halfway line, projected the then-youngster’s career into the limelight, as he drifted the ball over David Sullivan on the opening day of the 1996/97 season.
As recognition of quality and class, his first of 115 England caps arrived just two weeks later.
Blackburn Win the Premier League (1994/95)
Blackburn’s solitary win came way before Chelsea and Manchester City changed English football using the exact same model. Blackburn fan Jack Walker broke the transfer record twice by signing Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer, but the rest of the squad did not cost as much.
Blackburn were very close in 1993/94 and nearly threw it away in 94/95, losing 2-1 at Liverpool on the final day but still finished above Manchester United after Alex Ferguson’s side could only play out a 1-1 draw at West Ham.
While many might see it as title buying, Kenny Dalglish did no such thing as he was able to create a unit that was formidable enough to etch his side’s name in the history books.
Cantona’s ‘Kung Fu’ Kick (1994/95)
At the time, when the Premier League was still in its early formative years, the behaviour of fans and players was not probably under the same scrutiny as today. It was a horrific moment when Eric Cantona lunged into the crowd to perform a flying kick on a Crystal Palace supporter shortly after being sent off at Selhurst Park.
Despite how ugly the situation was at the time, it is considered to be one of those flashpoints that not only added to Cantona’s legendary status, but to the emerging box office identity of the Premier League itself.
The incident led to Cantona’s famous ‘seagulls’ press conference, an eight-month ban, and a glorious comeback. He scored the winner in the FA Cup final as United won the double in 95/96, before captaining the club to another league title in 96/97.
Regardless of what happened between that fan and Cantona, his records on the pitch speak highly of him. Cantona was tactically sound, a special genius, and someone who defined the Premier League in its early stages.
‘Why Always Me?’ (2011)
Italian forward Mario Balotelli was the centre of attraction when Manchester City defeated Manchester United 6-1 near the start of the 2011/12 campaign and it was iconic for many reasons.
Apart from being one of the biggest defeats for Manchester United to date, it was the moment the Abu Dhabi ownership took off, and the ‘noisy neighbours’ needed to prove a point and be taken seriously.
City went on to win their first Premier League title that season on goal difference – eight better than United – the scale of this particular derby win swung momentum in favour of the Blue side of Manchester and it has remained like that until the present day.
Balotelli revealed that message under his shirt after scoring the opener. ‘Why always me?’ he asked, to which the clear answer is ‘because you set off fireworks in your living room’. An act the Italian committed just days before the game and was still drafted in by manager Roberto Mancini to feature in the game.
The ‘Special One’ Arrives (2004)
Jose Mourinho did not waste time to create a niche for himself after he was unveiled as the new manager for Chelsea. The Portuguese, who was highly successful at Porto, impacted English football to kickstart the Roman Abramovich era in 2004.
His conduct, as against the Premier League’s tradition, made him different from the pitch, and was still able to match it with credible results. Few managers, if any, have had such a powerful lyrical command of the English language. Nobody made a grand entrance quite like him.
Well, it was later reported that he was misquoted, because Mourinho said, “I think I’m a special one”, as opposed to being ‘the special one’.
However, the enigmatic leader walked the talk, leading Chelsea to back-to-back league title wins in his first two seasons in England. His Chelsea side does have a standing record of only 15 goals conceded in an entire PL season, which looks quite unbreakable at the moment.
Arsenal “Slaughtered” at Old Trafford (2011)
In the first 15 years of the Premier League, Arsenal and Manchester United were the biggest rivals at the time, and games involving the two are usually feisty regardless of form, preparation, and performance.
However, everything was put to an end on this particular day. The Gunners, after moving to the Emirates, experienced a period of stagnation and they could no longer compete with United. Things concluded after Arsenal were embarrassed 8-2 at the start of the 2011/12 season at Old Trafford.
Rooney scored a brilliant hat-trick and new signing Ashley Young, who also dazzled in that game, handed the Gunners their biggest loss since 1927. The shameful result forced Wenger’s side to make some signings during the remainder of the summer window.
In the end, the Gunners recovered to finish in the Champions League places that year, but there was no denying that this was the end to Wenger’s exciting times in North London.
Steven Gerrard’s Costly Slip (2014)
Liverpool were on an incredible run of form that particular season, with Brendan Rodgers on the verge of leading them to their first Premier League title. The Reds’ 11-game winning streak had taken them close to the title even with the ever-present Manchester United, Chelsea, and the emerging powerhouse Manchester City.
In what could be termed the title decider at the time, Liverpool defeated Manchester City and skipper Gerrard gathered the players on the pitch to bark those immortal words: “We do not let this slip”.
Just two weeks after that motivational speech, Gerrard went ahead to slip in a crucial home match against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. Liverpool were five points clear at the top with three games to go and a home win would have set them up nicely heading into the last two matches against Crystal Palace and Newcastle United.
It was a game still evenly balanced at 0-0, until Gerrard failed to control a simple pass from Mamadou Sakho in the Liverpool defensive half, allowing Chelsea striker Demba Ba to pounce. The Senegalese stood his ground despite some efforts from Gerrard to get back and put the Blues ahead. The Reds eventually lost 2-0 and that was how they lost the Premier League title.
As if that result against Chelsea was not enough, the Reds went ahead to throw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3, with Palace scoring twice in the last 10 minutes. Meanwhile, City won the rest of their games and, though Liverpool triumphed over Newcastle in their last game, they finished two points behind Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
Klopp ends Liverpool’s 30-year wait (2020)
Just six years after that unfortunate title loss to Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp led Liverpool to their maiden Premier League title win. It was a different season that campaign because of the COVID-19 pandemic,rampant at the time.
Despite the celebrations being subdued, the Reds’ incredible achievement under Jurgen Klopp’s leadership, is an historic moment in the Premier League without any doubt.
Liverpool garnered 99 points at the end of the season and it was the second-highest in English top-flight history at the time. Meanwhile, they almost did the unthinkable after they won 26 and drew one of their opening 27 matches. The defeat to Watford just before the lockdown began did not slow them down as they went on to put an end to the long wait for a Premier League title.
Arsenal Become Invincibles (2004)
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal did the unthinkable at the end of the 2003/04 Premier League season by remaining unbeaten for an entire Premier League season. It is an achievement that has not been matched since.
Even when Paul Dickov scored the opening goal for Leicester City at Highbury on the final day of the 2003/04 season – the record was under threat.
However, a Thierry Henry penalty settled the nerves before Patrick Vieira completed the turnaround to seal the Gunners’ implausible success: an unbeaten Premier League season.
That feat remains one of the legacies of Wenger in the Premier League that nobody has been able to match. Not even Guardiola’s star-studded Manchester City. The Gunners showed incredible mental strength to record 26 wins, 12 draws, and zero defeats.
Two decades on from that incredible feat, the Gunners are still searching for another Premier League title win.
Leicester City Did the “Impossible”
Leicester City’s Premier League win might not even happen again in the next two decades because it made no sense at the time. It was simply impossible. Even their odds of 5000/1 don’t tell the real story as even the bookies knew the chances of it happening were almost next to impossible, hence the odds given.
Not even Claudio Ranieri or his players could boast about their title chances before the season got underway.
Leicester City will always be remembered for their shock Premier League title win in 2015/16. Leicester’s title remains one of the biggest ever surprises in the history of football. Everything aligned in favour of the Foxes that season.
Eden Hazard’s goal against Tottenham in the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge sealed the title for Leicester, so arguably the moment of maximum impact was when Andrea Bocelli serenaded the fans with a rendition of Nessun Dorma.
It was a magical, glorious, and epic moment in Premier League’s history, and might take a long while for something similar to happen again.
“Aguerooooooo” Moment (2012)
Many Manchester City faithful won’t forget this moment in a hurry. It was their first league title in 44 years, and the beginning of a new era of dominance on the ‘noisy’ side of Manchester.
Sergio Aguero’s strike on 93:20 against Queens Park Rangers in front of the City fans and Premier League fans at large cannot be forgotten. Arguably, it remains the most iconic goal in English football history.
United and City went into the final round of games with the title race still undecided. The Red Devils needed the Citizens to drop points at home, while they took care of their own business against Sunderland, and they did.
City were 2-1 down to relegation-threatened QPR when the game entered injury time. It looked like it was slipping away even with Edin Dzeko’s header in the 92nd minute. The build-up till the title-winning assist from Mario Balotelli, the feint, the shot nesting the back of the net, the wild celebrations, and the commentary – it was simply unforgettable.