2010/11 Premier League Champions: Manchester United
Runners-up: Chelsea
Champions League places: Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal
Europa League places: Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City, Stoke City
Promoted (from 2009/10): Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion, Blackpool
Relegated: West Ham United, Blackpool, Birmingham City
Leading scorers: Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United) & Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) 20 goals
Premier League Table 2010 – 2011
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 78 | 37 | +41 | 80 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 71 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 60 | 33 | +27 | 71 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 72 | 43 | +29 | 68 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 55 | 46 | +9 | 62 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 38 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 59 | 44 | +15 | 58 |
| 7 | Everton | 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 51 | 45 | +6 | 54 |
| 8 | Fulham | 38 | 11 | 16 | 11 | 49 | 43 | +6 | 49 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 48 | 59 | -11 | 48 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 45 | 56 | -11 | 47 |
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 56 | 71 | -15 | 47 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 56 | 57 | -1 | 46 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 46 | 48 | -2 | 46 |
| 14 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 52 | 56 | -4 | 46 |
| 15 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 46 | 59 | -13 | 43 |
| 16 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 40 | 61 | -21 | 42 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 46 | 66 | -20 | 40 |
| 18 | Birmingham City | 38 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 37 | 58 | -21 | 39 |
| 19 | Blackpool | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 55 | 78 | -23 | 39 |
| 20 | West Ham United | 38 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 43 | 70 | -27 | 33 |
2010/11 Season Review
Manchester United won their 12th Premier League title and 19th overall, surpassing Liverpool’s previous record of 18 after finishing top of the 2010/11 Premier League table.
United reclaimed the crown from Chelsea on the season’s penultimate weekend when a Wayne Rooney penalty secured a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers.
Champions Chelsea made the early running in the title race, scoring 12 goals in their first two fixtures against West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic. After that, the Blues looked unstoppable and followed up those 6-0 wins with another three straight victories before losing at Manchester City.
Big Spenders
Big-spending City resided in and around the top four throughout the season but could not sustain a genuine title challenge. Nevertheless, manager Roberto Mancini met his objective of qualifying for the Champions League, with City finishing third ahead of an Arsenal side that faded badly in the season’s final weeks.
Until April, the Gunners pressed Manchester United hard for the title. Still, after their Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham in February, team morale suffered, winning just two more league matches.
After a superb start, Chelsea struggled severely in the middle of the season as injuries set in. But once the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, and Didier Drogba had returned to full fitness, they mounted a late challenge for the title. As a result, the gap between them and United was just three points when they traveled to Old Trafford on 8th May. Still, first-half goals from Javier Hernandez and Nemanja Vidic ended their hopes of retaining the title as they succumbed to 2-1.
British Record
The Blues made headlines with their British record £50m purchase of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. The Spaniard scored just one goal after joining the club in January.
Andy Carroll’s £35m move from Newcastle United to Liverpool was also a shock. In comparison, Edin Dzeko’s transfer to Man City helped take the overall spending in January to over £215m, beating the previous record for the month of approximately £160m in 2009.
Tottenham Hotspur saved their best form for Europe, reaching the Champions League’s quarter-finals. Some poor form in the final weeks meant they only qualified for the Europa League.
After a dire first half of the season under Roy Hodgson, Liverpool pressed Spurs hard for fifth place, the side rejuvenated by club legend Kenny Dalglish.
The relegation battle was one of the fascinating years, with five clubs battling to beat the drop on the season’s final day.
No More Bubbles For West Ham
West Ham United was relegated on the season’s penultimate weekend, and they were joined on the last day by Blackpool and Birmingham City who finished in the bottom three positions on the 2010/11 Premier League table.
Relegation was rough justice on both clubs, who had spent much of the season out of the bottom three. However, newly promoted Blackpool was a breath of fresh air under Ian Holloway, doing the double over Liverpool and defeating Tottenham in a memorable campaign.
Blackpool’s impressive haul of 55 goals helped make 2010/11 a record-breaking season. On the final day, 32 goals were scored in the ten matches to record 1,063 goals in a 38-fixture season. This surpassed the previous record of 1,060 in the 1999/2000 campaign.
2010/11 Cup Results
2010/11 FA Cup winners: Manchester City [Final – Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City]
2010/11 League Cup winners: Birmingham City [Final – Birmingham City 2-1 Arsenal]
2010/11 Champions League winners: FC Barcelona [Final – FC Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United]
2010/11 Europa League winners: Porto [Final – Porto 1-0 Braga]
2010/11 Managerial Changes
Aston Villa: Martin O’Neill out, Gerard Houllier in
Blackburn Rovers: Sam Allardyce out, Steve Kean in
Chelsea: Carlo Ancelotti out,
Liverpool: Roy Hodgson out, Kenny Dalglish In
Newcastle United: Chris Hughton out, Alan Pardew in
West Bromwich Albion: Roberto Di Matteo out, Roy Hodgson in
West Ham United: Avram Grant in, Avram Grant out
Rhett is an Australian-born, globe trotter who is a UEFA ‘A’ Licence Soccer Coach. With his family, he has traveled and coached soccer in more than 30 countries, while attending World Cups, European Championships, and some of the biggest local derbies in the world!