Liverpool kept their eight point lead after a 2-1 victory against Palace this weekend. The Reds still undefeated have been labelled as favourites by pundits and fans alike. We look back at five times teams have blown their leads and surrendered the title.
Manchester United- 1997/98
The prospect of an Arsenal vs Man United game now days is not the mouth-watering fixture it used to be. Back when they were the two giants of the league, United had an 11-point lead with just nine games to go.
The chase was ignited after Marc Overmars gave the Gunners a 1-0 win at Old Trafford. Arsene Wenger’s side then went on to win their three games in hand and take the Premier League title.
Arsenal- 2002/03
It did not take Ferguson long to get his revenge over his French counter-part as his side overcame an eight-point deficit. The turning point came unexpectedly for the Gunners.
In the present day, Arsenal losing to a side fighting for survival does not seem so farfetched. When the north London side were a formidable force a shock loss against struggling Leeds in May handed the United the title.
Manchester United- 2011/12
In one of the most famous finales in football history the story behind Manchester City’s 3-2 victory against QPR shows cross-town rivals blow an eight-point lead. Ironically it was a win against QPR that looked to seal a fifth title in six season’s for Fergie as they went eight clear with eight to play.
A loss to Wigan, a 4-4 draw with Everton and a loss to City left the bookies favouring the blue side of Manchester. United could only watch as Aguero scored the injury time winner to give City the most dramatic of wins.
Liverpool- 2013/14
It was the first time the Premier League saw the battle at the top between Liverpool and Manchester City. Brenden Rodgers’ side were five points clear with three games to go.
Unfortunately, for Liverpool it was not to be as the infamous Gerrard slip allowed Chelsea three points. The following week proved devastating for Liverpool as a three-goal lead turned into a draw at full time, which drew a close on their title hopes.
Newcastle 1995/96
Finally, it could not be anything other than this one. 12 points clear with 15 games to go, it was surely Newcastle’s to lose.
Exactly that happened, poor form the last few weeks of the season saw the Magpies lose three out of five. Following Keegan’s famous post match rant eventual winners United beat Newcastle and the Red Devils won 13 of their last 15 to win the league by four points.
Picture by- “Nike Merlin | Premier League Match Ball 2019/20” by Brent Radewald is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
