Chelsea’s Domination
José Mourinho’s Chelsea were the class of the Premier League 2005/06 campaign to beat. Fresh from claiming their first Premier League crown the previous year, Mourinho’s men wanted to show that they deserved their success. Against a side featuring the likes of Frank Lampard, John Terry, and Didier Drogba, Chelsea played with an edge few teams could compete against.
Chelsea burst out of the blocks with a record-setting nine successive victories to start their campaign. They were resolute in defense, however, themselves conceding just 22 goals during the season. And, in the end their reliability simply made them practically unbeatable (they sealed the title with two games to go). Another key win came in April, when Chelsea won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge to clinch back-to-back trophies with victory over Manchester United. Lampard and Drogba played their part, with some big goals over the course of a long campaign.
Race For The Champions League
Although Chelsea cantered to the title, the fight for the rest of Champions League places raged on. By Match Day 38, everyone in the top-four race: Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
That year, Manchester United had a fantastic season under the stewardshop of Sir Alex Ferguson. They may not have been able to take Chelsea to the wire for this year’s title chase, but they enjoyed a fine season regardless—thanks in no small part on superb performances from players like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo that ultimately saw them finish as runners-up. A 2-1 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford in April marked the point behind time United would play a decisive Champions League match for some years to come.
Rafa Benítez had another strong domestic campaign to go with his Champions League victory the year before for Liverpool too. A run of form in the dying weeks saw them eventually finish third, just a point behind Manchester United. Those victories over Chelsea and also Manchester City would be crucial in burnishing their fight for a top-four finish.
Arsenal at Highbury for the last season
Premier League 2005/06 was the end of an era at Arsenal. Their last season in Highbury, which had been their home for 93 years prior to moving into the Emirates Stadium. The season was marked by inconsistency from Arsène Wenger’s team in the league but overall saw them come fourth and qualify for the Champions League.
Arsenal experienced one of the highlights that season was their final game at Highbury, a 4-2 win against Wigan Athletic. Talisman Thierry Henry netted a hat-trick as the club bid farewell to their historic ground in style. Henry also won the Premier League Golden Boot with a total of 27 goals.
Tottenham’s Near Miss
With one of their best seasons for years Tottenham Hotspur were cruising into the top four in what would have been a Champions League place. But a strange turn of events on the last day saw Spurs slip to defeat at West Ham United by 2—1. There was a food poisoning epidemic at north London ahead of the game that left Spurs without many players, hence (once again) a weakened team played this match. Spurs were left ruing a last-day Arsenal victory against Wigan that sent their North London neighbours pipping ahead of them into fourth place.
Relegation Battle
There was also a desperate fight to avoid the drop another at end of the table. There followed relegations for Sunderland, West Brom and Birmingham – the former falling away in terrible form. They ended the campaign rock bottom on 15 points, a new record for fewest number of points brought home in Premier League history up until then.
West Brom had completed a great escape from relegation under Bryan Robson the season before but were unable to repeat that trick in 2005/06. They ended the campaign second from bottom, with Birmingham City keeping them company down in The Championship.
The great escape Portsmouth survived against all the odds with Harry Redknapp at the helm. The Clarets spent much of the season in the relegation zone, but a run of victories toward the end – including 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic in April – helped them finish 17th and keep their place among English football’s elite.
Key Matches of the Premier League 2005/06 Season
Chelsea 3-0 Manchester United
One of the two times Jose Mourinho managed to beat unbeatable Sir Alex Ferguson, a dominant performance at Stamford Bridge saw goals from captain John Terry and his center-back partner William Gallas, followed by Joe Cole in stoppage time. A famous night at Old Trafford, secured with Darren Fletcher’s header.
Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic
An emotional day as Arsenal played their last match at Highbury. Henry’s hat-trick provided an appropriate goodbye and billeted the Gunner’s berth in the top four.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United (May 2006): Spurs imploded on the final-day as they missed out on a top-four finish. The heartbreak was compounded by the “Lasagna-gate” affair, as several Spurs players became sick on their way to that game.
Chelsea 3-0 Manchester United (April 2006) A victory that effectively wrapped up a second league title in succession for Chelsea.
Regular Season Statistics and Notables
Winner : Chelsea (91 pts)
Thierry Henry (Arsenal) — 27 Goals
Assists: Frank Lampard (Chelsea) — 16 assits
Manager of the YearA:José Mourinho (Chelsea)
Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City
Conclusion
The Premier League 2005/06 season was just about as good to fans of the Premiership as it got – fortress like dominance at the top, fierce battles for European places and high drama in and around that murky relegation zone. Chelsea winning successive crowns illustrated their steel under Mourinho, Arsenal bidding goodbye to Highbury and Tottenham‘s agonising final-day collapse gave the 2005-06 vintage an extra level of depth. Naturally, the Premier League itself was its usual entertaining self and the 2005/06 season is still a nostalgic feast for any fan of football.
