1995–96 FA Premier League

The 1995–96 FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth season of the competition, since its formation in 1992. Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted instead of the usual three, Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers.[3]

FA Premier League
Season1995 (1995)–96
Dates19 August 1995–05 May 1996
ChampionsManchester United
3rd Premier League title
10th English title
RelegatedManchester City
Queens Park Rangers
Bolton Wanderers
Champions LeagueManchester United
Cup Winners' CupLiverpool
UEFA CupNewcastle United
Aston Villa
Arsenal
Matches played380
Goals scored988 (2.6 per match)
Top goalscorerAlan Shearer (31 goals)
Biggest home winBlackburn Rovers 7–0 Nottingham Forest
(18 November 1995)
Biggest away winBolton Wanderers 0–6 Manchester United
(25 February 1996)
Highest scoringSheffield Wednesday 6–2 Leeds United
(16 December 1995)
Longest winning run6 games[1]
Manchester United
Longest unbeaten run15 games[1]
Liverpool
Longest winless run14 games[1]
Coventry City
Wimbledon
Longest losing run8 games[1]
Manchester City
Middlesbrough
Highest attendance53,926[2]
Manchester United v Nottingham Forest
(28 April 1996)
Lowest attendance6,352[2]
Wimbledon v Sheffield Wednesday
(30 August 1995)

Manchester United won the Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Champions League, while Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United qualified for the UEFA Cup. Liverpool also qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup as runners-up of the FA Cup which was won by Manchester United.

Summary

Liverpool and Aston Villa emerged as possible title contenders early in the season, while Middlesbrough's early promise saw them occupy fourth place in late October, but an injury crisis saw their league form slump, and they could only manage a 12th-place finish. Most of the campaign was a two-horse race between Manchester United and Newcastle United. The two sides played on 27 December, with Newcastle 10 points ahead in the league. A 2–0 home win for Manchester United cut the gap to seven points, and two days later they beat Queens Park Rangers 2–1 to reduce the gap to just four points. But a 4–1 defeat at Tottenham on New Year's Day and a 0–0 draw with Aston Villa allowed Newcastle to establish a 12-point lead in January.

Manchester United and Newcastle met again in early March, and a goal by Eric Cantona gave Manchester United a 1–0 away win and cut the gap to a single point. With one game left of the season, Manchester United led the Premier League by two points, having taken lead of the league halfway through March and stayed on top ever since. In case of the two clubs being tied for first place, the Premier League made preliminary preparations for a championship play-off match at Wembley.[4] For Newcastle to win their first title since 1927, they had to win against Tottenham and hope that Middlesbrough beat their Mancunian rivals. But the Premier League title went to Old Trafford as Manchester United won 3–0 and Newcastle could only manage a 1–1 draw with Tottenham.

Despite the arrival of Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal never looked like serious title challengers, their best chance of success coming in the League Cup, where they reached the semi-finals, losing on away goals to Aston Villa. However, the North London side still qualified for the UEFA Cup by finishing fifth.

Title holders Blackburn recorded the lowest ever finish by a Premier League title-holder by finishing 7th. This record was matched by Manchester United in 2013–14 and broken by Chelsea in 2015–16 and again by Leicester City in 2016–17.

Six days after clinching their third league title in four seasons, Manchester United became the first team to complete a second league championship and FA Cup double when a Cantona goal gave them a 1–0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup final.[5]

The Premier League relegation places went to Bolton, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City. Bolton had spent a large proportion of their first Premier League season bottom of the table. Manchester City failed to beat Liverpool on the final day of the season, consigning them to the final relegation place on goal difference behind Southampton and Coventry City.

English performance in European competition

Blackburn Rovers, the 1994–95 Premier League champions, finished bottom of their group in the UEFA Champions League.[6] Manchester United were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the first round, with Liverpool and Leeds United both being knocked out at the second round.[7] Everton were beaten in the second round of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.[8] The only English team still in European competition after Christmas were Nottingham Forest, who reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.[7]

Teams

Twenty teams competed in the league – the top eighteen teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers, returning to the top flight after two and fifteen years respectively. This was also Bolton Wanderers' first season in the Premier League. They replaced Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Leicester City and Ipswich Town, ending their top flight spells of one, nine, one and three years respectively.

Stadiums and Locations
Locations of the 1995–96 Premier League teams
Greater London Premier League football clubs
Greater Manchester Premier League football clubs
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Arsenal London (Highbury) Arsenal Stadium 38,419
Aston Villa Birmingham Villa Park 39,399
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Burnden Park 25,000
Chelsea London (Fulham) Stamford Bridge 36,000
Coventry City Coventry Highfield Road 23,489
Everton Liverpool (Walton) Goodison Park 40,157
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 40,204
Liverpool Liverpool (Anfield) Anfield 42,730
Manchester City Manchester Maine Road 35,150
Manchester United Old Trafford Old Trafford 55,314
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 30,000
Newcastle United Newcastle upon Tyne St James' Park 36,649
Nottingham Forest West Bridgford City Ground 30,539
Queens Park Rangers London (Shepherd's Bush) Loftus Road 18,439
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Hillsborough Stadium 39,859
Southampton Southampton The Dell 15,200
Tottenham Hotspur London (Tottenham) White Hart Lane 36,230
West Ham United London (Upton Park) Boleyn Ground 28,000
Wimbledon London (Wimbledon) Selhurst Park[lower-alpha 1] 26,309
  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 5 May 1996)

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal Bruce Rioch Tony Adams Nike JVC
Aston Villa Brian Little Andy Townsend Reebok AST Research
Blackburn Rovers Ray Harford Tim Sherwood Asics CIS
Bolton Wanderers Colin Todd Alan Stubbs Reebok Reebok
Chelsea Glenn Hoddle Dennis Wise Umbro Coors
Coventry City Ron Atkinson Brian Borrows Pony Peugeot
Everton Joe Royle Dave Watson Umbro Danka
Leeds United Howard Wilkinson Gary McAllister Asics Thistle Hotels
Liverpool Roy Evans Ian Rush Adidas Carlsberg
Manchester City Alan Ball Keith Curle Umbro Brother
Manchester United Alex Ferguson Steve Bruce Umbro Sharp
Middlesbrough Bryan Robson Nigel Pearson Erreà Cellnet
Newcastle United Kevin Keegan Peter Beardsley Adidas Newcastle Brown Ale
Nottingham Forest Frank Clark Stuart Pearce Umbro Labatt's
Queens Park Rangers Ray Wilkins David Bardsley View From Compaq
Sheffield Wednesday David Pleat Peter Atherton Puma Sanderson
Southampton Dave Merrington Matt Le Tissier Pony Sanderson
Tottenham Hotspur Gerry Francis Gary Mabbutt Pony Hewlett-Packard
West Ham United Harry Redknapp Steve Potts Pony Dagenham Motors
Wimbledon Joe Kinnear Vinnie Jones Core Elonex

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Manchester City Brian Horton Sacked 16 May 1995 Pre-season Alan Ball 2 July 1995
Sheffield Wednesday Trevor Francis 20 May 1995 David Pleat 14 June 1995[9]
Arsenal Stewart Houston End of caretaker spell 8 June 1995 Bruce Rioch 8 June 1995
Bolton Wanderers Bruce Rioch Signed by Arsenal Roy McFarland
Colin Todd[lower-alpha 1]		 20 June 1995
Blackburn Rovers Kenny Dalglish Retired 25 June 1995 Ray Harford 25 June 1995
Southampton Alan Ball Signed by Manchester City 2 July 1995 David Merrington 14 July 1995
Bolton Wanderers Roy McFarland Sacked 2 January 1996 20th Colin Todd[lower-alpha 2] 2 January 1996
  1. McFarland and Todd were co-managers.
  2. Assumed full managerial duties.

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 38 25 7 6 73 35 +38 82 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Newcastle United 38 24 6 8 66 37 +29 78 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
3 Liverpool 38 20 11 7 70 34 +36 71 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[lower-alpha 1]
4 Aston Villa 38 18 9 11 52 35 +17 63 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5 Arsenal 38 17 12 9 49 32 +17 63
6 Everton 38 17 10 11 64 44 +20 61
7 Blackburn Rovers 38 18 7 13 61 47 +14 61
8 Tottenham Hotspur 38 16 13 9 50 38 +12 61
9 Nottingham Forest 38 15 13 10 50 54 −4 58
10 West Ham United 38 14 9 15 43 52 −9 51
11 Chelsea 38 12 14 12 46 44 +2 50
12 Middlesbrough 38 11 10 17 35 50 −15 43
13 Leeds United 38 12 7 19 40 57 −17 43
14 Wimbledon 38 10 11 17 55 70 −15 41
15 Sheffield Wednesday 38 10 10 18 48 61 −13 40
16 Coventry City 38 8 14 16 42 60 −18 38
17 Southampton 38 9 11 18 34 52 −18 38
18 Manchester City (R) 38 9 11 18 33 58 −25 38 Relegation to the Football League First Division
19 Queens Park Rangers (R) 38 9 6 23 38 57 −19 33
20 Bolton Wanderers (R) 38 8 5 25 39 71 −32 29
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
  1. Liverpool qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup runners-up, as winners Manchester United already qualified for the Champions League. They defaulted their UEFA Cup spot from league position to Arsenal.

Results
Home \ Away ARS AST BLB BOL CHE COV EVE LEE LIV MCI MUN MID NEW NOT QPR SHW SOU TOT WHU WDN
Arsenal 2–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–1 0–0 3–1 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–0 4–2 4–2 0–0 1–0 1–3
Aston Villa 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–1 4–1 1–0 3–0 0–2 0–1 3–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 4–2 3–2 3–0 2–1 1–1 2–0
Blackburn Rovers 1–1 1–1 3–1 3–0 5–1 0–3 1–0 2–3 2–0 1–2 1–0 2–1 7–0 1–0 3–0 2–1 2–1 4–2 3–2
Bolton Wanderers 1–0 0–2 2–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 0–6 1–1 1–3 1–1 0–1 2–1 0–1 2–3 0–3 1–0
Chelsea 1–0 1–2 2–3 3–2 2–2 0–0 4–1 2–2 1–1 1–4 5–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 3–0 0–0 1–2 1–2
Coventry City 0–0 0–3 5–0 0–2 1–0 2–1 0–0 1–0 2–1 0–4 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 2–3 2–2 3–3
Everton 0–2 1–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–3 4–0 1–3 3–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 3–0 2–4
Leeds United 0–3 2–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 3–1 2–2 1–0 0–1 3–1 0–1 0–1 1–3 1–3 2–0 1–0 1–3 2–0 1–1
Liverpool 3–1 3–0 3–0 5–2 2–0 0–0 1–2 5–0 6–0 2–0 1–0 4–3 4–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–0 2–2
Manchester City 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–2 0–0 2–2 2–3 0–1 3–3 1–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 1–0
Manchester United 1–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–2 1–0 2–0 2–0 5–0 2–1 2–2 4–1 1–0 2–1 3–1
Middlesbrough 2–3 0–2 2–0 1–4 2–0 2–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 4–1 0–3 1–2 1–1 1–0 3–1 0–0 0–1 4–2 1–2
Newcastle United 2–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 3–0 1–0 2–1 2–1 3–1 0–1 1–0 3–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 3–0 6–1
Nottingham Forest 0–1 1–1 1–5 3–2 0–0 0–0 3–2 2–1 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 3–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 4–1
Queens Park Rangers 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 3–1 1–2 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 0–3 3–0 2–3 3–0 0–3
Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 2–0 2–1 4–2 0–0 4–3 2–5 6–2 1–1 1–1 0–0 0–1 0–2 1–3 1–3 2–2 1–3 0–1 2–1
Southampton 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–3 1–0 2–2 1–1 1–3 1–1 3–1 2–1 1–0 3–4 2–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0
Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 0–1 2–3 2–2 1–1 3–1 0–0 2–1 1–3 1–0 4–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 3–1
West Ham United 0–1 1–4 1–1 1–0 1–3 3–2 2–1 1–2 0–0 4–2 0–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–1
Wimbledon 0–3 3–3 1–1 3–2 1–1 0–2 2–3 2–4 1–0 3–0 2–4 0–0 3–3 1–0 2–1 2–2 1–2 0–1 0–1
Source:
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers
Blackburn's Alan Shearer was the top scorer for the second time, with 31 goals.
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers 31
2 Robbie Fowler Liverpool 28
3 Les Ferdinand Newcastle United 25
4 Dwight Yorke Aston Villa 17
5 Teddy Sheringham Tottenham Hotspur 16
6 Chris Armstrong Tottenham Hotspur 15
Andrei Kanchelskis Everton 15
Ian Wright Arsenal 15
9 Eric Cantona Manchester United 14
Stan Collymore Liverpool 14
Dion Dublin Coventry City 14

Hat-tricks
Main article: List of Premier League hat-tricks
Serbian Savo Milošević is the only player to score a hat-trick while representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia national football team.
PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef
Matt Le TissierSouthamptonNottingham Forest3–4 (A)15 August 1995[10]
Robbie Fowler4LiverpoolBolton Wanderers5–3 (H)23 August 1995[11]
Alan ShearerBlackburn RoversCoventry City5–1 (H)23 August 1995[12]
Tony YeboahLeeds UnitedWimbledon4–2 (H)23 August 1995[13]
Les FerdinandNewcastle UnitedWimbledon6–1 (H)21 October 1995[14]
Gary McAllisterLeeds UnitedCoventry City3–1 (H)28 October 1995[15]
Alan ShearerBlackburn RoversNottingham Forest7–0 (H)18 November 1995[16]
Alan ShearerBlackburn RoversWest Ham United4–2 (H)2 December 1995[17]
Dion DublinCoventry CitySheffield Wednesday4–3 (A)4 December 1995[18]
Savo MiloševićAston VillaCoventry City4–1 (H)16 December 1995[19]
Robbie FowlerLiverpoolArsenal3–1 (H)23 December 1995[20]
Alan ShearerBlackburn RoversBolton Wanderers3–1 (H)3 February 1996[21]
Gavin PeacockChelseaMiddlesbrough5–0 (H)4 February 1996[22]
Alan ShearerBlackburn RoversTottenham Hotspur3–2 (A)16 March 1996[23]
Mark HughesChelseaLeeds United4–1 (H)13 April 1996[24]
Andrei KanchelskisEvertonSheffield Wednesday5–2 (A)27 April 1996[25]
Note: 4 Player scored 4 goals; (H) – Home; (A) – Away

Top assists
Liverpool's Steve McManaman assisted 15 goals for the club in the 1995–96 Premier League season.
Rank Player Club Assists[26]
1 Steve McManaman Liverpool 15
2 Darren Anderton Tottenham Hotspur 11
3 John Barnes Liverpool 10
Eric Cantona Manchester United
Ian Woan Nottingham Forest
Dwight Yorke Aston Villa
7 Peter Beardsley Newcastle United 9
Ryan Giggs Manchester United
Mike Newell Blackburn Rovers
Stuart Ripley Blackburn Rovers

Awards

Monthly awards
Liverpool's Robbie Fowler became the first player to win the Player of the Month award in consecutive months.
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August Kevin Keegan Newcastle United David Ginola Newcastle United
September Kevin Keegan Newcastle United Tony Yeboah Leeds United
October Frank Clark Nottingham Forest Trevor Sinclair Queens Park Rangers
November Alan Ball Manchester City Rob Lee Newcastle United
December Roy Evans Liverpool Robbie Fowler Liverpool
January Roy Evans Liverpool Stan Collymore Liverpool
Robbie Fowler
February Alex Ferguson Manchester United Dwight Yorke Aston Villa
March Alex Ferguson Manchester United Eric Cantona Manchester United
April Dave Merrington Southampton Andrei Kanchelskis Everton

Annual awards
Award Winner Club
Premier League Manager of the Season Alex Ferguson Manchester United
PFA Players' Player of the Year Les Ferdinand[27] Newcastle United
PFA Young Player of the Year Robbie Fowler[28] Liverpool
FWA Footballer of the Year Eric Cantona[29] Manchester United
PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper David James (Liverpool)
Defence Gary Neville (Manchester United) Tony Adams (Arsenal) Ugo Ehiogu (Aston Villa) Alan Wright (Aston Villa)
Midfield Steve Stone (Nottingham Forest) Rob Lee (Newcastle United) Ruud Gullit (Chelsea) David Ginola (Newcastle United)
Attack Les Ferdinand (Newcastle United) Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers)

See also

References and notes
  1. "English Premier League 1995–96". statto.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  2. "Premier League 1995/96 Attendances". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  3. England 1994/95
  4. "Arsenal and Chelsea may face play-off". www.premierleague.com. Premier League. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  5. England – FA Challenge Cup 1995–1996
  6. European Competitions 1995–96 Archived 15 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  7. European Competitions 1995–96
  8. European Competitions 1995–96
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Hey, Stan (20 August 1995). "Roy runs free for Forest". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  11. "Liverpool 5–2 Bolton Wanderers". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 21 May 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  12. Culley, Jon (24 September 1995). "Shearer lifts the gloom". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  13. Brenkley, Stephen (24 September 1995). "Yeboah up to his old tricks". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  14. Barnes, Scott (22 October 1995). "Ferdinand dons triple crown". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  15. Barnes, Scott (29 October 1995). "Leeds stirred by McAllister". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  16. Hadfield, Dave (19 November 1995). "Bohinen busts Forest's dam". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  17. Cullely, Jon (3 December 1995). "Shearer bliss". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  18. Hodgson, Guy (5 December 1995). "Football: Bright's finish makes Dublin's hat-trick irrelevant". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  19. Shaw, Phil (17 December 1995). "Football: Milosevic finally comes good". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  20. Fox, Norman (24 December 1995). "Fowler does trick for Liverpool". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  21. Hadfield, Dave (4 February 1996). "Dogged Shearer puts bite on Bolton". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  22. Moore, Glenn (5 February 1996). "Chelsea burst into bloom". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  23. Haylett, Trevor (14 April 1996). "Shearer steals show". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  24. Brown, Geoff (14 April 1996). "Hughes bang up to date". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  25. Barnes, Scott (28 April 1996). "Kanchelskis rules". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  26. "Statistical Leaders – 1996". Premier League. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  27. England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year
  28. England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year
  29. England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year

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