The English Premier League has delivered another season of thrills and spills. At the top, Manchester United claimed a record-breaking 19th top-flight title and rarely looked in danger of being knocked off their perch in the run-in. Down at the bottom, the battle to survive went to the final day, with Birmingham City, Blackpool and West Ham all eventually falling through the trapdoor.
Inside Futbol’s David Showell picks out the top ten moments of the English Premier League’s 2010/11 season:
1: Newcastle’s amazing comeback
Perhaps the turning point of Arsenal’s season, the Gunners threw away a four-goal lead at St James’ Park in February. Second half goals from Newcastle included two Joey Barton penalties, and the game was finally up thanks to a stunning volley from Cheik Tiote in the 87th minute. For Arsene Wenger, it was to be the start of a painful slide.
2: Wayne Rooney’s argument with a TV camera
There are some who will say that Wayne Rooney could start an argument in an empty room, and the day he decided to mouth obscenities into a TV camera showcased his less than easy-going side. The boy wonder had once famously worn a t-shirt that said ‘once a blue, always a blue’. Now it is clear he was referring all along to his language.
3: Sunderland’s 3-0 demolition of Chelsea
Sunderland produced perhaps the performance of the season in this game, then looked distinctly average for the rest of the campaign. On this day in November, the Black Cats looked like world-beaters. It was Chelsea’s first match after the brutal sacking of Ray Wilkins, and it genuinely looked as though the team were in shock. Even the most diehard Blues fans admitted this was a mauling.
4: Buoyant Blackburn on Survival Sunday
The last day of the season was a tense affair, with more drama than a party at Charlie Sheen’s house. Among all the various permutations, Blackburn knew a win at Wolves would be enough to ensure safety, so that’s exactly what they did. A stunning first-half performance saw Rovers romp to a 3-0 lead, taking all the stress and tension away in the process. From an unheralded, unfashionable club, this was football at its rampant best.
5: The dream continues – Liverpool 1 Blackpool 2
After a fairytale start to the season, Ian Holloway’s unlikely band of brothers was surely going to meet its match at Anfield. But a superb performance against an out-of-sorts Liverpool saw the Tangerines hold on for a dramatic victory, partly thanks to a stunning save form Matt Gilks in injury time. Goals from Charlie Adam, one of the stars of the Premier League throughout the season, and Luke Varney were enough to leave Merseyside with eleven heroes and three points.
6: The signing of Fernando Torres
Over the years, some players cope with the pressure of a big money move and some don’t. The £50M fee paid by Chelsea for Fernando Torres was at best badly timed and at worst downright foolish. His arrival in January should have been put off until the summer, but with a mega-rich owner a clubs sometimes gets a mega-rich interferer, too. No doubt the Spanish striker will come good in the future, because he is genuine class, but who is to say this signing didn’t end up costing Carlo Ancelotti his job?
7: Wigan’s comeback against West Ham
Relegation battles always bring out the best and worst in teams, and this match at the business end of the season did just that. West Ham roared into a 2-0 lead thanks to the impressive Demba Ba, but failed to hold on in the face of an astonishing comeback. Wigan scored three times in a tense second half, opening the survival doors for Roberto Martinez and co. and closing them for their opponents.
8: The return of King Kenny
In recent years, there has been little to cheer about at Anfield, but the return of a legend has put the smiles back on the faces of the club’s long-suffering supporters. Roy Hodgson has done an excellent job at West Brom, but he just didn’t fit in on Merseyside. Kenny Dalglish was appointed in January, and the feel-good factor was tangible at once. The signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll have also been significant, and Reds fans now have a degree of optimism for next season.
9: Heartbreak for Birmingham
To most observers of the casual kind, the relegation battle proved more interesting than the clashes at the top of the table. Amid all the permutations on Survival Sunday, it seemed only a freak set of results could send Birmingham down. Unfortunately for Blues, that’s exactly what happened. A 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, accompanied by a complex sequence of scores elsewhere put paid to their Premier League status just months after the side had lifted the Carling Cup.
10: Wayne Rooney’s overhead kick
There were several spectacular goals in 2010/11, but none had the sense of spectacle and occasion of Rooney’s brilliant finish against Manchester City. There have been few more impressive ways to finish off the local rivals in recent years, and this was a goal of almost superhuman skill. It settled a tense derby game, and underlined United’s title credentials.
