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2005–06 in English football


The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive association football in England.

England qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, after finishing top of UEFA Qualifying Group 6.

Chelsea, on 91 points, won their second Premier League title in a row. Manchester United, whose 83-point tally would have been enough for title glory in most seasons, finished runners-up. Liverpool's league form improved drastically following the previous season and they finished in 3rd place, just 1 point behind United; in addition, they also won the FA Cup, giving manager Rafael Benitez his second major trophy in just his second season. Arsenal snatched the last Champions League spot from under the noses of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, after the latter's players went down with a bout of food-poisoning. The Gunners 4-2 victory over Wigan on the final day of the season saw them end 92 years of playing at Highbury before they moved into their new 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium.

Ultimately joining Tottenham in the UEFA Cup were Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United who were promoted the previous season and took the European spot by virtue of being FA Cup runners-up.

Newly promoted Wigan Athletic, who were many pundit's tip for relegation in pre-season, defied the odds to finish 10th in their first season in the top-flight. Middlesbrough finished 14th after a disappointing league season, but did reach the UEFA Cup Final – the first European final in their history – where they were beaten 4–0 by Sevilla.


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