1998–99 FA Premier League

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. Manchester United won a treble of the league title, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. They secured their fifth league title in seven seasons after outlasting Arsenal and Chelsea in a closely fought title race, losing just three league games all season.

FA Premier League
Season1998–99
Dates15 August 1998 – 16 May 1999
ChampionsManchester United
5th Premier League title
12th English title
RelegatedCharlton Athletic
Blackburn Rovers
Nottingham Forest
Champions LeagueManchester United
Arsenal
Chelsea
UEFA CupLeeds United
Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur
Intertoto CupWest Ham United
Matches played380
Goals scored959 (2.52 per match)
Top goalscorerJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Michael Owen
Dwight Yorke
(18 goals each)
Biggest home winLiverpool 7–1 Southampton
(16 January 1999)
Everton 6–0 West Ham United
(8 May 1999)
Biggest away winNottingham Forest 1–8 Manchester United
(6 February 1999)
Highest scoringNottingham Forest 1–8 Manchester United
(6 February 1999)
Longest winning run7 games[1]
Leeds United
Longest unbeaten run21 games[1]
Chelsea
Longest winless run19 games[1]
Nottingham Forest
Longest losing run8 games[1]
Charlton Athletic
Highest attendance55,316
Manchester United v Southampton
(27 February 1999)
Lowest attendance11,717
Wimbledon v Coventry City
(5 December 1998)
Average attendance30,591

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 retain 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.

Chelsea, looking to build on a fourth-placed finish the previous season, were flying for much of the season and were in a good position to claim a first league title in 44 years. The Blues were second at Christmas and went top on Boxing Day. A loss at Highbury at the start of February was just a second in the league all season, and kept Chelsea in second place, just a point off the summit. Eventually, three draws in April against winnable opposition (mid-table sides Middlesbrough and Leicester City, and relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday) is what cost Chelsea a first Premiership crown. Had they won these, the Blues would've been champions. Chelsea had to settle for third place, earning a maiden Champions League appearance.

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.

Season summary

At the end of 1998–99, the Premiership would have three Champions League places. Manchester United as well as runners-up Arsenal and third placed Chelsea would be playing in the following season's Champions League. There would only be one automatic UEFA Cup place from the league – taken by fourth-placed Leeds United. Fifth-placed West Ham United qualified for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup after achieving their highest league finish for thirteen years as they continued to make progress under Harry Redknapp, outperforming several "bigger" clubs with greater resources. Also qualifying were Newcastle United via the 1998–99 FA Cup final, and Tottenham Hotspur via the League Cup.

Bottom of the Premiership in the final table came Nottingham Forest, who suffered their third relegation in seven seasons. One notable low for Forest this season was an 8–1 drubbing at home, by Manchester United. Second from bottom came Blackburn Rovers, who just four seasons earlier had been Premiership champions. The final relegation place went to Charlton Athletic, who went down at the end of their first spell in the top flight for nine seasons. The only newly promoted club to survive was Middlesbrough, who finished in a respectable ninth place.

None of the teams relegated from the Premiership the previous season regained their top division status in 1999, although First Division champions Sunderland regained their Premiership place after a two-year exile. The other two relegation places went to long-term absentees from the top division. Playoff winners Watford regained their top division place after an absence of 11 years, but runners-up Bradford had been outside of the top division for 77 years. These two promotion winners surprised the observers more than any other Division One side during 1998–99.

Teams

Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough (both teams sealing an immediate return to the top flight) and Charlton Athletic (playing in the top flight after an eight-year absence). This was also Charlton Athletic's first season in the Premier League. They replaced Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Crystal Palace, with all three relegated teams returning to the First Division after a mere season's presence.

Stadiums and locations
Locations of the 1998–99 Premier League teams
Greater London Premier League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Arsenal London (Highbury) Arsenal Stadium 38,419
Aston Villa Birmingham Villa Park 42,573
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Charlton Athletic London (Charlton) The Valley 28,723
Chelsea London (Fulham) Stamford Bridge 42,055
Coventry City Coventry Highfield Road 23,489
Derby County Derby Pride Park Stadium 33,597
Everton Liverpool (Walton) Goodison Park 40,569
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 40,242
Leicester City Leicester Filbert Street 22,000
Liverpool Liverpool (Anfield) Anfield 45,522
Manchester United Manchester Old Trafford 68,174
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 30,000
Newcastle United Newcastle upon Tyne St James' Park 52,387
Nottingham Forest West Bridgford City Ground 30,445
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Hillsborough Stadium 39,732
Southampton Southampton The Dell 15,200
Tottenham Hotspur London (Tottenham) White Hart Lane 36,240
West Ham United London (Upton Park) Boleyn Ground 35,647
Wimbledon London (Selhurst) Selhurst Park[lower-alpha 1] 26,074
  1. Due to Wimbledon lacking a home stadium, they played their home games at Selhurst Park, which is the home stadium of Crystal Palace.

Personnel and kits

(as of 16 May 1999)

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal France Arsène Wenger England Tony Adams Nike JVC
Aston Villa England John Gregory England Gareth Southgate Reebok LDV Vans
Blackburn Rovers England Brian Kidd England Garry Flitcroft Uhlsport CIS
Charlton Athletic England Alan Curbishley Republic of Ireland Mark Kinsella Le Coq Sportif Mesh Computers
Chelsea Italy Gianluca Vialli England Dennis Wise Umbro Autoglass
Coventry City Scotland Gordon Strachan Scotland Gary McAllister Le Coq Sportif Subaru
Derby County England Jim Smith Croatia Igor Štimac Puma EDS
Everton Scotland Walter Smith England Dave Watson Umbro One2One
Leeds United Republic of Ireland David O'Leary South Africa Lucas Radebe Puma Packard Bell
Leicester City Northern Ireland Martin O'Neill England Steve Walsh Fox Leisure Walkers
Liverpool France Gérard Houllier England Paul Ince Reebok Carlsberg
Manchester United Scotland Alex Ferguson Republic of Ireland Roy Keane Umbro Sharp
Middlesbrough England Bryan Robson Republic of Ireland Andy Townsend Erreà Cellnet
Newcastle United Netherlands Ruud Gullit England Alan Shearer Adidas Newcastle Brown Ale
Nottingham Forest England Ron Atkinson England Steve Chettle Umbro Pinnacle Insurance
Sheffield Wednesday England Danny Wilson England Peter Atherton Puma Sanderson
Southampton England Dave Jones England Matt Le Tissier Pony Sanderson
Tottenham Hotspur Scotland George Graham England Sol Campbell Pony Hewlett-Packard
West Ham United England Harry Redknapp Northern Ireland Steve Lomas Pony Dr. Martens
Wimbledon England Terry Burton
England Mick Harford (caretaker)		 Jamaica Robbie Earle Lotto Elonex

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Sheffield Wednesday England Ron Atkinson End of caretaker spell 17 May 1998 Pre-season England Danny Wilson 6 July 1998
Everton England Howard Kendall Resigned 1 July 1998 Scotland Walter Smith 1 July 1998
Liverpool England Roy Evans (sole charge) N/A[lower-alpha 1] England Roy Evans
France Gérard Houllier (co-managers)
Newcastle United Scotland Kenny Dalglish Sacked 27 August 1998 13th Netherlands Ruud Gullit 27 August 1998
Tottenham Hotspur Switzerland Christian Gross 5 September 1998 14th England David Pleat
Republic of Ireland Chris Hughton (co-caretakers)		 7 September 1998
England David Pleat
Republic of Ireland Chris Hughton		 End of caretaker spell 1 October 1998 13th Scotland George Graham 1 October 1998
Leeds United Scotland George Graham Signed by Tottenham 7th Republic of Ireland David O'Leary
Liverpool England Roy Evans (as co-manager) Resigned 12 November 1998 11th France Gérard Houllier (taking sole charge) 12 November 1998
Blackburn Rovers England Roy Hodgson Sacked 21 November 1998 20th England Tony Parkes (caretaker) 21 November 1998
England Tony Parkes End of caretaker spell 4 December 1998 England Brian Kidd 4 December 1998
Nottingham Forest England Dave Bassett Sacked 5 January 1999 England Ron Atkinson (caretaker) 5 January 1999
Wimbledon Republic of Ireland Joe Kinnear Illness 3 March 1999[lower-alpha 2] 6th England Terry Burton
England Mick Harford (co-caretakers)		 3 March 1999
  1. Houllier joined Evans as co-manager
  2. Kinnear remained contracted as manager until the season ended, and did not return to the club

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 38 22 13 3 80 37 +43 79 Qualification for the Champions League first group stage
2 Arsenal 38 22 12 4 59 17 +42 78
3 Chelsea 38 20 15 3 57 30 +27 75 Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round
4 Leeds United 38 18 13 7 62 34 +28 67 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5 West Ham United 38 16 9 13 46 53 −7 57 Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
6 Aston Villa 38 15 10 13 51 46 +5 55
7 Liverpool 38 15 9 14 68 49 +19 54
8 Derby County 38 13 13 12 40 45 −5 52
9 Middlesbrough 38 12 15 11 48 54 −6 51
10 Leicester City 38 12 13 13 40 46 −6 49
11 Tottenham Hotspur 38 11 14 13 47 50 −3 47 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 1]
12 Sheffield Wednesday 38 13 7 18 41 42 −1 46
13 Newcastle United 38 11 13 14 48 54 −6 46 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 2]
14 Everton 38 11 10 17 42 47 −5 43
15 Coventry City 38 11 9 18 39 51 −12 42
16 Wimbledon 38 10 12 16 40 63 −23 42
17 Southampton 38 11 8 19 37 64 −27 41
18 Charlton Athletic (R) 38 8 12 18 41 56 −15 36 Relegation to Football League First Division
19 Blackburn Rovers (R) 38 7 14 17 38 52 −14 35
20 Nottingham Forest (R) 38 7 9 22 35 69 −34 30
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners.
  2. As Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.

Results
Home \ Away ARS AVL BLB CHA CHE COV DER EVE LEE LEI LIV MUN MID NEW NFO SHW SOU TOT WHU WIM
Arsenal 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 3–1 5–0 0–0 3–0 1–1 3–0 2–1 3–0 1–1 0–0 1–0 5–1
Aston Villa 3–2 1–3 3–4 0–3 1–4 1–0 3–0 1–2 1–1 2–4 1–1 3–1 1–0 2–0 2–1 3–0 3–2 0–0 2–0
Blackburn Rovers 1–2 2–1 1–0 3–4 1–2 0–0 1–2 1–0 1–0 1–3 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 1–4 0–2 1–1 3–0 3–1
Charlton Athletic 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 2–2 0–0 0–1 5–0 1–4 4–2 2–0
Chelsea 0–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 2–1 3–1 1–0 2–2 2–1 0–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–1 3–0
Coventry City 0–1 1–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–0 2–2 1–1 2–1 0–1 1–2 1–5 4–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–1
Derby County 0–0 2–1 1–0 0–2 2–2 0–0 2–1 2–2 2–0 3–2 1–1 2–1 3–4 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–2 0–0
Everton 0–2 0–0 0–0 4–1 0–0 2–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–4 5–0 1–0 0–1 1–2 1–0 0–1 6–0 1–1
Leeds United 1–0 0–0 1–0 4–1 0–0 2–0 4–1 1–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 2–0 0–1 3–1 2–1 3–0 2–0 4–0 2–2
Leicester City 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–4 1–0 1–2 2–0 1–2 1–0 2–6 0–1 2–0 3–1 0–2 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–1
Liverpool 0–0 0–1 2–0 3–3 1–1 2–0 1–2 3–2 1–3 0–1 2–2 3–1 4–2 5–1 2–0 7–1 3–2 2–2 3–0
Manchester United 1–1 2–1 3–2 4–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 3–1 3–2 2–2 2–0 2–3 0–0 3–0 3–0 2–1 2–1 4–1 5–1
Middlesbrough 1–6 0–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 2–0 1–1 2–2 0–0 0–0 1–3 0–1 2–2 1–1 4–0 3–0 0–0 1–0 3–1
Newcastle United 1–1 2–1 1–1 0–0 0–1 4–1 2–1 1–3 0–3 1–0 1–4 1–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 4–0 1–1 0–3 3–1
Nottingham Forest 0–1 2–2 2–2 0–1 1–3 1–0 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–0 2–2 1–8 1–2 1–2 2–0 1–1 0–1 0–0 0–1
Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 0–1 3–0 3–0 0–0 1–2 0–1 0–0 0–2 0–1 1–0 3–1 3–1 1–1 3–2 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–2
Southampton 0–0 1–4 3–3 3–1 0–2 2–1 0–1 2–0 3–0 2–1 1–2 0–3 3–3 2–1 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 3–1
Tottenham Hotspur 1–3 1–0 2–1 2–2 2–2 0–0 1–1 4–1 3–3 0–2 2–1 2–2 0–3 2–0 2–0 0–3 3–0 1–2 0–0
West Ham United 0–4 0–0 2–0 0–1 1–1 2–0 5–1 2–1 1–5 3–2 2–1 0–0 4–0 2–0 2–1 0–4 1–0 2–1 3–4
Wimbledon 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–1 1–2 2–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–3 2–1 0–2 3–1 0–0
Source: 11v11
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Top scorers
Liverpool's Michael Owen was the joint top scorer for the second time, with 18 goals.
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Netherlands Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Leeds United 18
England Michael Owen Liverpool
Trinidad and Tobago Dwight Yorke Manchester United
4 France Nicolas Anelka Arsenal 17
England Andy Cole Manchester United
6 Colombia Hámilton Ricard Middlesbrough 15
7 England Dion Dublin Aston Villa 14
England Robbie Fowler Liverpool
England Julian Joachim Aston Villa
England Alan Shearer Newcastle United

Hat-tricks
Main article: List of Premier League hat-tricks
Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjær became the first player to score a hat-trick as a substitute in the Premier League.
PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef
England Clive MendoncaCharlton AthleticSouthampton5–0 (H)22 August 1998[2]
England Michael OwenLiverpoolNewcastle United4–1 (A)30 August 1998[3]
England Michael Owen4LiverpoolNottingham Forest5–1 (H)24 October 1998[4]
England Dion DublinAston VillaLeicester City4–1 (A)14 November 1998[5]
England Robbie FowlerLiverpoolAston Villa4–2 (A)21 November 1998[6]
England Chris ArmstrongTottenham HotspurEverton4–1 (H)28 December 1998[7]
England Darren HuckerbyCoventry CityNottingham Forest4–0 (H)9 January 1999[8]
England Robbie FowlerPLiverpoolSouthampton7–1 (H)16 January 1999[9]
Trinidad and Tobago Dwight YorkeManchester UnitedLeicester City6–2 (A)16 January 1999[10]
Norway Ole Gunnar Solskjær4 †Manchester UnitedNottingham Forest8–1 (A)6 February 1999[11]
France Nicolas AnelkaArsenalLeicester City5–0 (H)20 February 1999[12]
England Kevin CampbellEvertonWest Ham United6–0 (H)8 May 1999[13]
Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; P Player scored a perfect hat-trick; † Player scored hat-trick as a substitute; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Top assists
Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp was the joint top assist provider with 13 goals for the club in the 1998–99 Premier League season.
Rank Player Club Assists[14]
1 Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal 13
Netherlands Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Leeds United
3 England David Beckham Manchester United 11
Israel Eyal Berkovic West Ham United
England Steve Guppy Leicester City
Trinidad and Tobago Dwight Yorke Manchester United
7 France David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur 10
8 England Darren Anderton Tottenham Hotspur 9
Australia Harry Kewell Leeds United
10 England James Beattie Southampton 7

Awards

Monthly awards
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August England Alan Curbishley Charlton Athletic England Michael Owen Liverpool
September England John Gregory Aston Villa England Alan Shearer Newcastle United
October Northern Ireland Martin O'Neill Leicester City Republic of Ireland Roy Keane Manchester United
November England Harry Redknapp West Ham United England Dion Dublin Aston Villa
December England Brian Kidd Blackburn Rovers[15] France David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur
January Scotland Alex Ferguson Manchester United Trinidad and Tobago Dwight Yorke Manchester United
February England Alan Curbishley Charlton Athletic France Nicolas Anelka Arsenal
March Republic of Ireland David O'Leary Leeds United England Ray Parlour Arsenal
April Scotland Alex Ferguson Manchester United England Kevin Campbell Everton

Annual awards
Award Winner Club
Premier League Manager of the Season Scotland Alex Ferguson Manchester United
Premier League Player of the Season Trinidad and Tobago Dwight Yorke Manchester United
PFA Players' Player of the Year France David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur
PFA Young Player of the Year France Nicolas Anelka Arsenal
FWA Footballer of the Year France David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper England Nigel Martyn (Leeds United)
Defenders England Gary Neville (Manchester United) England Sol Campbell (Tottenham Hotspur) Netherlands Jaap Stam (Manchester United) Republic of Ireland Denis Irwin (Manchester United)
Midfielders England David Beckham (Manchester United) France Emmanuel Petit (Arsenal) France Patrick Vieira (Arsenal) France David Ginola (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards Trinidad and Tobago Dwight Yorke (Manchester United) France Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal)

Notes
  1. "English Premier League 1998–99". statto.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. Brown, Geoff (22 August 1998). "Football Round-up: Mendonca's Valley high". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  3. Moore, Glenn (31 August 1998). "Football: Owen defines Gullit's task with hat-trick". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  4. "Soccer – England: Owen Returns With Four Goals". The New York Times. 26 October 1998. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  5. Fox, Norman (15 November 1998). "Football: Dublin's treble leaves Villa in clover". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
  6. Townsend, Nick (22 November 1998). "Football Fowler trick trumps Villa". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  7. Rowbottom, Mike (29 December 1998). "Football: Armstrong treble traumatises Everton". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  8. Mackay, Duncan (9 January 1999). "Huckerby hat-trick fells forlorn Forest". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  9. Bramwell, Neil (17 January 1999). "Football: Fowler preys on sorry Saints". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  10. Curtis, John. "Leicester 2–6 Manchester United". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  11. "United romp to record win". BBC News. 7 February 1999. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  12. Townsend, Nick (21 February 1999). "Football: Arsenal fired by Anelka hat-trick". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  13. Taylor, Louise (9 May 1999). "Everton joy as Campbell serves up treble treat". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  14. "Statistical Leaders – 1999". Premier League. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  15. Collins, Roy (5 February 1999). "Kidd's silent runnings". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
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