1988–89 Football League First Division
| Season | 1988–89 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Arsenal |
| Relegated | Darlington |
|
← 1987–88
1989–90 →
|
|
| Season | 1988–89 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Arsenal (9th English title) |
| Relegated |
Middlesbrough Newcastle United West Ham United |
| European Cup 1989–90 | No qualifications |
| FA Cup winners | Liverpool |
| European Cup Winners' Cup 1989–90 | No qualifications |
| UEFA Cup 1989–90 | No qualifications |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 926 (2.44 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | A. Smith (Arsenal), 23 |
| Biggest home win | Luton Town – Southampton 6–1 (2 Jan 1989) |
| Biggest away win | Millwall – Tottenham Hotspur 0–5 (29 Apr 1989) |
| Highest scoring |
Luton Town – Southampton 6–1 (2 Jan 1989); Luton Town – Charlton 5–2 (2 May 1989); Queens Park Rangers – Wimbledon 4–3 (8 Apr 1989); Coventry –Middlesbrough 3–4 (1 Oct 1988); Middlesbrough – Nottingham Forest 3–4 (22 Apr 1989) |
| Longest winning run | Liverpool (9 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Liverpool (18 games) |
| Longest losing run | Southampton (5 games) |
|
← 1987–88
1989–90 →
|
|
| Season | 1988–89 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Chelsea (2nd title) |
| Promoted |
Crystal Palace, Manchester City |
| Relegated |
Birmingham City, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,465 (2.65 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Keith Edwards (Hull City), 26 |
|
← 1987–88
1989–90 →
|
|
| Season | 1988–89 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Wolverhampton Wanderers (1st title) |
| Promoted |
Port Vale, Sheffield United |
| Relegated |
Aldershot, Chesterfield, Gillingham, Southend United |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,495 (2.71 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Steve Bull (Wolverhampton Wanderers), 37 |
|
← 1987–88
1989–90 →
|
|
| Season | 1988–89 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Rotherham United (1st title) |
| Promoted |
Crewe Alexandra, Leyton Orient, Tranmere Rovers |
| Relegated to Conference | Darlington |
| New club in the league | Lincoln City |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,498 (2.71 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Phil Stant (Hereford United), 28 |
|
← 1987–88
1989–90 →
|
|
The 1988–1989 season was the 90th completed season of the Football League.
No European qualification took place due to the Heysel Stadium disaster suspension in place.
Prior to the 1986–87 season membership of the Football League was dependent on a system of election by the other member teams. From 1986 that system came to an end, and instead, the club finishing last in the Fourth Division was automatically demoted to Conference. This season the casualty was Darlington.
A fiercely-contested title race went right to the wire, with the last games not being played until 26 May - six days after the FA Cup final - as the league season was extended following the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April, which claimed the lives of 95 Liverpool fans. Liverpool went on to lift the trophy in the second all-Merseyside FA Cup final in four seasons, and a strong second half of the season had taken them to the top of the league, needing only a draw at home to second-placed Arsenal to clinch the title. Arsenal, on the other hand, needed to win by at least two clear goals to beat the Merseysiders to the title, and that was exactly what they did - with a late goal from Michael Thomas ending their 18-year wait to be champions of England again.
There were no shortage of rivals for the title throughout the season. Millwall, in the First Division for the first time, frequently topped the table during the season's early stages and were consistently in the top five until well after Christmas, and still managed to finish 10th despite not winning any of their final 10 games. Norwich City, who also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, were strong contenders for most of the season and finished fourth. Third placed Nottingham Forest, who won the League Cup and the Full Members Cup (their first pieces of silverware since winning the European Cup in 1980) had a mediocre first half of the season before finding their form after Christmas, although they never looked like serious title contenders. Their East Midlands rivals Derby County were on the fringes of the title race for much of the season, and their fifth place finish was their highest for well over a decade.
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