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1998–99 FA Premier League

Premier League
Season 1998–99
Champions Manchester United
5th Premier League title
12th English title
Relegated Charlton Athletic
Nottingham Forest
Blackburn Rovers
Champions League Manchester United
Arsenal
Chelsea
UEFA Cup Leeds United
Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur
Intertoto Cup West Ham United
Matches played 380
Goals scored 963 (2.53 per match)
Top goalscorer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Michael Owen
Dwight Yorke
(18 goals each)
Biggest home win Liverpool 7–1 Southampton
(16 January 1999)
Everton 6–0 West Ham United
(8 May 1999)
Biggest away win Nottingham Forest 1–8 Manchester United
(6 February 1999)
Highest scoring Nottingham Forest 1–8 Manchester United
(6 February 1999)
Longest winning run 7 games
Leeds United
Longest unbeaten run 21 games
Chelsea
Longest winless run 19 games
Nottingham Forest
Longest losing run 8 games
Charlton Athletic
Highest attendance 55,316
Manchester United v Southampton
(27 February 1999)
Lowest attendance 11,717
Wimbledon v Coventry City
(5 December 1998)
Average attendance 30,591

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. The season will always be remembered as the one in which Manchester United won a unique treble of the league title, the FA Cup and the European Cup. They secured their fifth league championship in seven seasons after losing just three league games all season.

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 regain 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.

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.


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