By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
Unpredictable, amazing, sensational – just three words that
spring to mind about the pulsating 2015/2016 Premier League season. The elite
was turned on its head by a story that even if you aren’t captivated by
football in general, would have grabbed your attention.
5000-1 at the start of the season, Leicester City defied the
odds, opinions and analysis given by pundits, bookmakers and general neutrals.
What they had though was togetherness, bundles of team spirit, some natural
quality and belief that they could take on the best and win.
And that is exactly what they did. Claudio Ranieri finally
became a title winner. These Leicester players will go down in Premier League
folklore – becoming the first new winners of the main English title since
Nottingham Forest in the late 1970s. They are only the sixth side to win the
title in the Premier League era.
This is part two of this season review, so this piece starts in January. For part one, click here.
January: A
four-way battle
By the end of January, it was clear that it would be a
four-way battle for the main prize of the Premier League title. It was
Leicester who incredibly went back to the summit by the end of the month. The
Foxes might have been beaten by Tottenham in the FA Cup, but they left North
London with all three points in a midweek round of fixtures thanks to a late
Robert Huth winner. Draws with AFC Bournemouth and Aston Villa, followed by a
routine 3-0 triumph against Stoke kept Ranieri’s side top of the pile.
January saw the first signs that Arsenal were going to fall
short again. Laurent Koscielny earned the Gunners’ a very nervy 1-0 home win
against struggling Newcastle. They then threw away two points at Anfield,
conceding to an injury-time Joe Allen goal in a belting 3-3 draw before playing
out a dour goalless stalemate with Stoke City. Then Chelsea showed a rare bit
of swagger to inflict defeat again on Arsenal when the sides met. Per
Mertesacker fouled Costa and was sent off inside 20 minutes, before the
Spaniard netted the only goal of the game.
Despite losing at home to Leicester, Tottenham continued to
impress. They beat Sunderland 4-1 and came from a goal down to beat Crystal
Palace 3-1 with Dele Alli’s stock continuing to rise. He scored the Goal of the
Season at Selhurst Park with a couple of pieces of outrageous skill before
finishing superbly past Wayne Hennessey. Wins over Watford and Crystal Palace
and a draw at Upton Park kept Manchester City in contention, with Aguero
scoring five goals in three matches.
February:
Rashford steps up
February began with Manuel Pellegrini confirming that he
would step down as Manchester City manager at the season’s end. He would be
replaced by Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola. Pellegrini made the announcement
on transfer deadline day and it certainly took the sting out of the Citizens.
Having beaten Liverpool FC in midweek with a brilliant double from Vardy,
Leicester turned up at the Etihad and played the title favourites off their own
patch. Mahrez was extraordinary again and Huth was the unlikely matchwinner
with two goals. The 3-1 final scoreline didn’t flatter Leicester either. This
was the day they became genuine title favourites.
Valentine’s Day was always going to be a defining day in
this title race, with the top four going into the day head-to-head with one
another. First of all was a showdown at high noon at the Emirates between
Arsenal and Leicester. The Foxes led at half-time courtesy of a Vardy penalty,
but had Danny Simpson sent off in the early moments of the second half for two
cheap bookings. Arsenal kept knocking at the door and eventually prevailed.
Back from a 10-month injury lay-off, Danny Welbeck scored the winning goal with
almost the last kick of the game. Arsenal won 2-1. Later that afternoon,
Tottenham showed they could last the distance with a stunning 2-1 away win
against Manchester City. On his birthday, Christian Eriksen scored the winning
goal. City had now lost seven games in the Premier League and had gone from
title favourites to title outsiders.
Also on that same day, any hope Aston Villa had of escaping
relegation ended. They were on their best run of the season, with only one
defeat in five games when Liverpool FC turned up at Villa Park. It turned into
a Valentine’s Day massacre. Daniel Sturridge, James Milner, Emre Can, Divock
Origi, Nathaniel Clyne and Kolo Toure all scored. Liverpool won 6-0 and it
could have been double figures. Villa fans were left shell-shocked and the
Championship beckoned for this famous name.
Away from the pitch and former England international Adam
Johnson saw his career end. Days after scoring a free-kick in a 2-2 draw at
Liverpool FC, Johnson admitted to two charges of grooming and sexual activity
with a 15-year-old girl. Sunderland sacked Johnson on the spot and he was later
sentenced to six years in prison.
The month ended with a new star being born at Old Trafford.
Days after making his mark on his first-team debut in the Europa League, Marcus
Rashford continued to shine in the limelight at Manchester United. Arsenal
turned up at Old Trafford and Van Gaal’s side responded with one of their most resounding
performances of the season. Rashford scored two on a memorable Premier League debut
and set-up the third goal for Ander Herrera. The manager even joined in the fun
with a hilarious dive on the touchline!
Arsenal lost 3-2 to leave their title dreams hanging by a thread.
March:
Fluent Foxes
The last midweek round of the season would ultimately have a
defining say on where the title was heading. Leicester were held to a 2-2 draw
by Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion and could only sit and watch on 2nd
March as their three main title rivals all took to the field to try and take
advantage. None of them did.
Tottenham lost to West Ham United, falling to a Michail
Antonio header. Any hope Manchester City had of winning the title died at
Anfield. Just three days after winning against Liverpool in the League Cup
final, City were feeble in the league match and lost 3-0 to drop a massive 10
points off the pace. To complete matters, Arsenal got shocked 2-1 at home by
Swansea City. They now were basically out of the title race too. So, despite a
home draw – Leicester had gained a point on their competitors.
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| Riyad Mahrez steered Leicester to a vital 1-0 win at Watford in March |
Three days later, Tottenham and Arsenal played out a damaging
2-2 draw in an entertaining North London derby. Spurs led 2-1 against 10 men
courtesy of goals from Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane but couldn’t hold on.
Sanchez equalised and ensured Leicester were the ultimate winners again. They
stretched their advantage to five points later that evening with a Mahrez
stunner (players celebrating pictured) enough to beat Watford.
The Foxes were now fluent enough to grind out results, even
when not playing well. Norwich, Watford, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace
were all beaten 1-0 in quick succession. Having scored the winner at Vicarage
Road, Mahrez repeated the trick at Selhurst Park to ensure Palace’s winless run
stretched to a desperate 13 matches.
In amongst this was a spectacular bicycle kick from Shinji
Okazaki to see off a stubborn Newcastle. By now, they were under new
management. Steve McClaren was given his P45 six days after a crushing 3-1 home
defeat to AFC Bournemouth. Former Liverpool FC and Real Madrid boss Rafa
Benitez was given 10 games to try and save the Magpies from relegation. Would
it be enough time?
April:
Villa consigned
Matters at the top and bottom of the table dominated April
with the two-horse race between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur for the
title and a scrap between Norwich City, Sunderland and Newcastle United to stay
in the top-flight. One side who wouldn’t be scrapping though was Aston Villa.
They were consigned to relegation at Old Trafford on 16th
April, losing to a Rashford goal. By now, Remi Garde was gone and interim boss Eric
Black could not save the sinking ship. Between the 14th February and
15th May, Villa collected just a single point, lost 11 consecutive
games and ended with just three wins from 38 games. They went down without much
of a fight.
The momentum in April at the wrong end of the table had
started in Norwich’s favour. Martin Olsson’s stoppage-time winner beat
Newcastle 3-2 to take them clear of both North East sides. Sunderland were
denied by an inspired Ben Foster performance at the Stadium of Light – held 0-0
by West Bromwich Albion, However, they kept plugging away in the month with
points collected against Arsenal and Stoke City and on 16th April,
picked up a priceless 3-0 away win at Norwich. Jermain Defoe’s goals would
prove decisive in this tussle to avoid the drop.
Having not won any of his first four matches in charge,
Benitez started to have a positive effect on Newcastle. They beat Swansea 3-0,
came from two goals down to draw at Anfield, held Manchester City to a share of
the spoils and beat Crystal Palace with a stunning Andros Townsend free-kick.
Going into May, Newcastle were out of the bottom three by a solitary point.
At the top of the table, Leicester moved seven points clear
when they beat Southampton with Wes Morgan scoring his first goal of the
campaign. Tottenham had failed to beat Liverpool FC at Anfield and that gap
briefly widened to 10 when the Foxes achieved a 2-0 win at Sunderland with
another double from Vardy. Under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino though,
this was a different Tottenham side to previous ones that have cracked under
pressure. Manchester United were destroyed in a seven-minute spell where they
conceded three goals to put the gap back at seven points.
A week later and it was five points again. Leicester rescued
a late draw at home to West Ham on a very controversial afternoon. Vardy had
opened the scoring, but was sent off early in the second half for simulation.
West Ham stayed in the contest and courtesy of an Andy Carroll spot-kick and
delicious Aaron Cresswell strike, the Hammers led 2-1 in stoppage time. Then,
referee Jon Moss gave a penalty for a shove by Carroll in the box on Jeff
Schlupp. Leonardo Ulloa kept his composure to earn a precious point for
Ranieri’s men. 24 hours later, Tottenham blitzed Stoke City 4-0 with Kane and
Alli in imperious form.
Any hope of it going to the wire though pretty much ended in
the final week of April. Leicester went first and outclassed Swansea 4-0. Even
without Vardy, they showed plenty of hunger, power and class. Ulloa bagged two;
Mahrez and Marc Albrighton were the other scorers. This time, Tottenham
couldn’t respond. They looked tired in the second half against West Bromwich
Albion. Craig Dawson’s 75th minute leveller ensured the points were
shared and the fairytale now looked on for Leicester.
May: The fairytale
comes true
The final month of a gripping season began with the fate of
the title totally in Leicester City’s hands. Win at Old Trafford and the
biggest prize in English football was theirs. Morgan scored a valuable header,
cancelling out an early Martial strike. Despite a late Danny Drinkwater red
card, Leicester had taken a step closer. Now, it was over to Chelsea vs
Tottenham Hotspur on Bank Holiday Monday.
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| Tottenham's title chances ended in a fierce battle at Stamford Bridge |
Tottenham hadn’t won at the soon-to-be ex-champions home
since 1990 but that hoodoo looked like it might end at half-time. Goals from
Kane and Heung-Min Son had them 2-0 up at the interval and in cruise control.
Chelsea though had made it clear in public that they didn’t want Tottenham
taking their crown and made a game of it. In a bad-tempered affair (players pictured), Tottenham
completely lost their discipline. Nine of their players were booked, Mousa
Dembele eye-gouged Costa and was banned for six matches and the club received a
hefty fine for failing to control their players. ‘The Battle of Stamford
Bridge’ would ultimately end in honours even. Gary Cahill made it 2-1 and then
with 10 minutes left, Hazard scored his first goal at Stamford Bridge in a
year. Last season, it was his goal that sealed Chelsea’s title. This season, it
was his goal that sealed Leicester’s title. They couldn’t be caught now. The
celebrations began in Vardy’s house and fairytales can come true.
A few days later, Morgan, Ranieri and the rest of the team
got to lift the main prize in their final home match of the season. They won in
style 3-1 against a Everton side that were looking more toothless with every
passing game. Leicester would end 10 points clear of the chasing pack with 80
points.
On the final day of the season, Arsenal pipped Tottenham to
the runners-up spot. Spurs mentally collapsed after the events of the Chelsea
game. They lost both of their last two games and that allowed Arsenal in, who
finished with a 4-0 win over relegated Villa – with the returning to form Olivier
Giroud scoring a hat-trick.
Manchester City staggered over the line to claim the final
Champions League spot. They drew 1-1 at Swansea to put the top four out of
Manchester United’s reach. United’s final game at home to AFC Bournemouth was
abandoned when a suspicious package was found inside Old Trafford. They played
the game 48 hours later and won 3-1 but finished behind City on goal
difference.
There was an emotional and happy farewell to Upton Park when
West Ham defeated Louis van Gaal’s side 3-2. Winston Reid would hold the honour
of scoring the final goal at the famous Boleyn Ground. After 112 years of
football there, West Ham move into their new home of the Olympic Stadium next
season. However, they lost out on a top-six finish at the season’s end after a
final day defeat at Stoke. Southampton won their final four matches to steal
sixth and a Europa League spot.
Liverpool FC finished eighth and missed out on a European
spot after losing the Europa League final to Sevilla, whilst 10th
place for Chelsea represented the worst title defence from a side in the
Premier League era. Despite guiding Watford to 13th place, the
Hornets let Quique Sanchez Flores leave the club after just a single season.
Roberto Martinez’s underwhelming three years at Everton ended when he was
sacked by the Toffees just days before the final round of fixtures.
That came off the back of a 3-0 defeat at the Stadium of
Light. Sunderland’s victory in this match meant that for the fourth consecutive
season, the survival experts had done it again. Norwich’s 4-2 victory over
Watford paled into insignificance as they were relegated and so were Newcastle.
Despite finishing with a six-game unbeaten run, the damage had already been
done before Benitez arrived. A costly 0-0 draw with Aston Villa on the
penultimate weekend of the season all but condemned them before Sunderland’s
heroics.
Final conclusions
This will go down as a brilliant Premier League season, full
of unpredictability and sensation. It wasn’t the most vintage in terms of
excitement and the final weekend was a bit flat with all the main issues having
been decided by then, but it is a season that football fans will remember for a
lifetime and a year that anyone in Leicester will never forget.
What they have done this season is almost beyond belief. It
shows what you can do if you have total belief and faith in your abilities. It
isn’t just the biggest shock in Premier League or football history; it is the
biggest upset the sporting world has ever seen. Will we see it again? It is
unlikely but never say never. What it does do is it gives all competing teams in
the Premier League hope that they can do a Leicester.
Tottenham Hotspur deserve great credit for what they’ve done
this season. It is a young and emerging squad with a manager who is now one of
the hottest properties in world football. They might have tailed off in the
closing weeks but they played their part in the title chase.
New dawns beckon for Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United with new managers. Liverpool will be stronger next campaign once Jurgen Klopp gets a full pre-season under his belt, whilst West Ham United and Southampton have shown enough this season to suggest they won't disappear into mid-table mediocrity. Arsenal can't be discounted either, but although they finished runners-up, they but flattered to deceive once
again. It is 12 years since they last won the Premier League and they won’t get
many better chances than they had this season.
It has been an extraordinary season and we might never see
the likes of this again. Leicester City are the champions in the greatest
fairytale the game has ever seen. The impossible dream really did come true!
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